New Delhi: The Taliban sees India as a “significant regional and economic partner,” Afghanistan’s foreign office said, a day after the country’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri for the first time, in Dubai.
Reuters reports that this meeting—the highest level of talks with Delhi since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021—included discussions on expanding relations and boosting trade through the Chabahar Port in Iran, which India’s been developing to bypass the Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar. India is also reportedly considering engaging in development projects in Afghanistan.
“No foreign government, including India, officially recognises the Taliban administration,” Reuters reports in ‘Taliban say India is a ‘significant regional partner’ after meeting.’
“However, India is one of several countries with a small mission in Kabul to facilitate trade, aid and medical support and has sent humanitarian aid to Afghanistan under the Taliban.”
The meeting, Reuters says, is sure to ruffle Pakistan’s feathers. Tensions between both Pakistan and the Afghanistan have escalated following border clashes. Pakistan also carried out airstrikes on late last year—a move that India condemned.
Meanwhile, the debate over the H-1B visa in the US continues to range across global media. This time, the BBC reports how the visa row is fuelling anxiety amongst Indians, tying into broader immigration debates.
“The H-1B visa programme, which brings skilled foreign workers to the US, faces criticism for undercutting American workers but is praised for attracting global talent,” says the BBC article, ‘H-1B: Visa row under Trump fuels anxiety for Indian dreamers.’
72 percent of H-1B visas go to Indian nationals, while 12 percent go to Chinese citizens, Soutik Biswas and Zoya Mateen report for the BBC. Quoting a study on Indians in America, the article says, “Indians have a long relationship with the H-1B visa. The programme is also the reason for the ‘rise of Indian-Americans into the highest educated and highest earning group, immigrant or native in the US’.”
But the H-1B is also a pathway towards a US green card—which is why it has become a focus of the immigration debate.
“For now, despite the political turbulence in the US, Indian interest in H-1B visas remains steadfast, with students resolute in pursuing the American dream,” the report says.
In an opinion article for Bloomberg, Andy Mukherjee writes about stock broker Ketan Parekh’s latest stock market skirmish and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)’s case against him.
“India’s market regulator has unearthed a plot to allegedly generate millions of dollars in illegal gains through the legitimate trades of a large overseas investor,” writes Mukherjee, on how SEBI identified Capital Group. “The Los Angeles-based fund manager with $2.6 trillion worth of equity stakes in companies worldwide confirmed Tuesday that it has indeed been taken for a ride.”
Parekh was banned from the market for 14 years after being involved in the stock market manipulation scam that occurred from late 1998 to 2001. This time, too, SEBI has restricted Pareksh from trading.
“The Parekh order, which comes close on the heels of another front-running scandal, makes it the right time to ask if India can do more to allay global investors’ perennial concerns about tipping their hand when they go into the market,” writes Mukherjee in ‘How a $2.6 Trillion Fund Was Taken for a Ride.’
SEBI has evidence of a money trail between Parekh and his associates, Mukherjee claims, though neither Capital fund nor its traders are under investigation for wrongdoing.
“The evidence that the SEBI has managed to put together in its 188-page report is daunting, complete with screenshots and testimonies. But that’s perhaps because of the alleged involvement of Parekh. An investigation of this scale can’t possibly be repeated in every case,” writes Mukherjee. “What’s needed is a more systemic approach to fixing information leaks. Front-running is a bug in every market. India has to work doubly hard to stop it from being thought of as a feature.”
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