India's Chabahar Success : Has it Been The Right Investment

In a significant sign of trilateral cooperation, the first consignment of wheat from India to Afghanistan, that was flagged off by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani on October 29, reached the Afghan city of Zaranj near the Iran-Afghanistan border on November 11, via the Iranian port of Chabahar, thereby bypassing Pakistan.

In August 2017, Indian Union Minister of Ports, Nitin Gadkari had informed at an event in Iran that the civil work at Chabahar port developed by India is complete, and the Indian government is ordering INR 400 crores (USD63 million) worth of mechanised equipment and cranes, and the port will be operational in 2018 to export Indian wheat to Afghanistan. after meeting with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, he said "now, we are building a railway line in Iran. From Chabhar, we can go to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Russia."

India's Chabahar Port deal is seen as a counter to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, as it has broken through the strategic encirclement by China and Pakistan. It has played its cards right  gaining access to iron from Afghanistan's Hajigak mine and other natural resources from the Central Asian countries. In the long run, the pipeline-to-road-to-rail-to-sea-to-road shipment costs through Chabahar should be circumvented by direct transit through Pakistan. Pakistan has been reluctant to provide such access and with the CPEC in place it never will. The US also sees the Indian presence in greater Central Asia beneficial for spreading the soft power of democratic and friendly regimes. India hopes to see the Western countries use the Chabahar route to link to Afghanistan and reduce their dependence on Pakistan.

India’s engagement with the region must be holistic in its nature and character. It should not be just about energy, oil and natural resources but about cooperating in every sphere. Chabahar deal is an extremely important strategic decision & India has pledged 500 million $ investment to gain access to the region’s resources bypassing the land route via hostile Pakistan. However, India has to be diplomatically proactive since, chronic instability in Afghanistan may limit usefulness of Chabahar as a conduit to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Road networks between Chabahar and Afghanistan rely upon connections to the Afghan Ring Road. Insurgent activity by Afghanistan's Taliban militant group force closure of the Ring Road between Kandahar and Helmand Province at will. Chabahar port, is also the stage for insurgent activity by the insurgent group Jundallah, which claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims, and the local ethnic Baloch. While China could force Pakistan to deploy nearly two division of the Army to protect the CPEC, India does not have that luxury. India just has to rely on strategy of making friends with the enemy’s enemy. But with the present world opinion of  Iran's criminal support of terrorism; has India invested rightly is the question ? 

Abe Victory: A New Sunrise

“Heartiest greetings to my dear friend @AbeShinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India— Japan relations with him,” Prime minister of India Narendra  Modi tweeted on 23 Oct 2017.

 White House has also announced President Donald Trump’s first visit to Asia as U.S. leader in Nov 2017 — a trip full of potential minefields — as he seeks to firm up the country’s alliance with Japan and heap pressure on nuclear-armed North Korea. The visit will come just two weeks after Sunday’s Lower House election, in which Abe returned to the helm.

The consequences could be huge. Abe, a nationalist by Japanese standards, has long been pushing for Japan to build up its military and prepare to use force well beyond its borders if necessary. That means amending Japan’s post-World War II constitution, which commits the country to a pacifist foreign policy. A large enough victory in this election allows Abe to push through some version of “constitutional revision,”  putting the country down the road to remilitarization.

The impact would resonate far outside Japan’s borders & could end up having major long-term consequences for a vital part of the world. China, in particular, has long been deeply concerned about the prospect of a fully militarized Japan — and would see any move toward it as a threat to its security. “Because of reasons of history, the international community, particularly Asian neighbors, have always paid close attention and been on alert to Japan’s military tendencies,” as mentioned by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson after the May 2017 speech by Abe. Managing the resulting tensions would be a major challenge for American diplomacy in the region.

Japan’s constitution was written right after the country’s crushing defeat in World War II with the war’s horrific consequences in mind. It is almost unique among constitutions in essentially prohibiting Japan from having official armed forces. The text of Article IX, the provision enacting this prohibition, is especially strong:

       Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.

      In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be maintained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized.

In the years following the war, Japan faced a series of major security threats — most notably from China and North Korea. As a result, it started to build up its military capacities in 1954, calling the new branch “Self-Defense Forces” (SDF) to avoid constitutional problems. Today, Japan has the world’s eighth-largest defense budget; the SDF has more active-duty troops (2,27,000) than the French defence forces (2,03,000).

The Malabar exercise which  started in 1992 with the navies of US and India in the Indian Ocean now has  Japan as a permanent partner of the  exercise since 2007. A pronounced thrust on anti-submarine warfare (as the Indian Navy  recorded an "unusual surge" in the number of Chinese warships and submarines entering the Indian Ocean Region in the recent past) being exercised was clearly visible with Poseidon-8 long-range maritime patrol aircraft deployed. Beijing also appears to be trying to achieve dominance in the controversial South China Sea as Japan counters its claim . The massive Malabar naval exercise - is the most visible sign of tri nation partnership which emboldens Abe towards militarization of Japan.

Other major threat that Japan sees in near future is that of North Korea which had the audacity to launch two missiles over Japan in August & September this year. Abe’s bid to enshrine Japan’s military might comes amid growing concern about North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

How long will it take for the Japanese people to recollect  the phrase “Fukoku kyōhei”( Enrich the state, strengthen the military), Japan's national slogan during the Meiji period is anyone’s guess.  The ideology in Japanese empire that militarism should dominate the political and social life of the nation, and that the strength of the military is equal to the strength of a nation, will see a revival with Abe playing his cards well (as he has done so far). It will be a new sunrise for sure.

Destination Djibouti - Is India in Time ?

  Ram Nath Kovind the President ofIndia visited Dijbouti City in Oct 2017, on his maiden trip abroad after assuming office. The President, is the first Indian leader to visit Djibouti and was received by Djiboutian Prime Minister Kamil Mohamed. India currently does not have an embassy in Djibouti. The president’s visit suggests that wisdom is finally coming and New Delhi is now revisiting its approach towards the region to re-engage strategically. The president's visit comes in the backdrop of Chinese  troops conducting their first live-fire military drills overseas on their base in strategically-vital Djibouti in Sep 2017 as a major display of military presence in the region. Is this the start of India’s efforts to contain China’s Indian Ocean agenda after it has consolidated its presence in Hambantota (Srilanka),Gwadar (Pakistan) and now in Djibuti; all vital for maritime supremacy in Indian Ocean.

    China’s enormous investment in CPEC, and port infrastructure in the Indian Ocean, serves much more than trade. It advances Beijing’s “String of Pearls” strategy, as well as its unofficial agenda to encircle India. On the Horn of Africa, too, Beijing has made its presence felt, with the opening of its first overseas military base at Djibouti. In smaller, poorer countries , China’s influence is based heavily on economic leverage, using its formidable financial resources to create a niche for itself by focusing on industrial cooperation, environmental protection and the reduction of poverty.  China has long been interested in the commercial and strategic potential of Hambantota,  Gwadar and Djibuti.

While the Indian Ocean is itself a crucial space, being the bridge between Africa and the Middle East on one side and Southeast Asia on the other, Hambantota is right in the middle of vital energy supply lines in the Indian Ocean, connecting the Middle East and East Asia. As China expands its maritime reach in the Indian Ocean, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the coast of India have gone high up on the priority list for New Delhi’s defence policy.

    China has  established its presence in neighboring Pakistan, with its port at Gwadar, which is also a vital link in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project under Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.  Gwadar port  is considered a strategic location, giving China an access to the Gulf region and the Middle East. Chabahar port being operationalized in Iran in 2018 by India, at one end of North South Transport Corridor will be beneficial to India in countering Chinese presence in the Arabian Sea.  

    Djibouti's strategic position, in Bab el-Mandeb strait allows the country to rent some of its territory to foreign military bases. Bab-el-Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal the backbone of sea trade.  The secret to Djibouti's continued global importance and its success in recent decades lies in its strategic position on the Bab el-Mandeb strait and its status as the lone maritime entry and exit point for its dynamic neighbor, Ethiopia. Djibouti maintains several advantages in the region, including its relative stability and its current ports and infrastructure. Competition for access to interior African trade and resources will intensify, and the tiny country will be pressed to find additional investment as it tries to hold on to its status as a regional trading hub. Over the years, Djibouti has moved beyond France after its independence in 1977 and opened its territory to other powers. The United States,  Japan, Italy and China  have facilities in Djibouti, and Saudi Arabia has reportedly signed agreements allowing for its eventual presence there. China remains a  long-term strategic partner for Djibouti as trade competition intensifies across the region.

    Is India in time to invest and exploit the willingness of the tiny country to get a toe-hold for commercial & strategic base in the most important trade corridor? With limited resources at hand India could strengthen relations on the basis of providing skills, educational and medical facilities, which are perceived as India’s three areas of greatest strength. India has been deploying one Naval ship in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy tasking since October 2008. The IN ships escort merchant ships through the 490 nautical mile long Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC).  It will not be too late for India to look for an opportunity to set up a base for anti-piracy monitoring as a start.

Indo-Japanese Relation a Need of the Hour

Things you see in the rear view mirror are not very far.  The name Radha Gobind Pal is not old enough to be forgotten by the Japanese at least. In fact they revere him more than any Indian & have two shrines the Yasukuni Shrine and the Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine with busts  specially dedicated to Judge Radha Gobind Pal.  Ryōma and his associate Nakaoka Shintarō  the national heros of the Mieji Restoration who dreamt of an independent Japan without feudal trappings  are also given a place of honour in these shrines. Judge Pal was one of the Asian judges appointed to the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, the "Tokyo Trials" of Japanese war crimes committed during the Second World War. Among all the judges of the tribunal, he was the only one who submitted a judgment which insisted all defendants were not guilty; Judge Pal never intended to offer a juridical argument on whether a sentence of not guilty would have been a correct one. However, he argued that the United States had clearly provoked the war with Japan and expected Japan to act. On 14 December 2006, Manmohan  Singh the PM of India, made a speech in the Japanese Diet stating  “The principled judgment of Judge Radhabinod Pal after the War is remembered even today in Japan. Ladies and Gentlemen, these events reflect the depth of our friendship and the fact that we have stood by each other at critical moments in our history”.

The two nations are once again working on kindling the fire of friendship with development of economic, financial, industrial and cultural sinews.  India’s regional policy will get a shot in the arm with the help from a highly developed country helping it steer its manufacturing revolution and providing hi-tech solution to its defence problems.

 As East Asia forsees changes in the regional order due to distractions in US policy towards security gurantee  to Japan, that started from the Obama era; which allowed China to establish itself in South China Sea; Japan is getting uneasy. In fact, the recent launch of a missile by North Korea over Japanese island of Hikkaido has not drawn reactions from USA which can be called strong enough for deterrence and the fact that China accounts for 90% of North Korean imports is making Japan uneasy.  It has begun to wonder that it has to face the twin challenge of North  Korea & China all alone. China has begun to alter status quo in South China Sea by constructing islands on low tide elevations, these islands will be used as military base in future. China claims that it has ‘indisputable sovereignty’ over the land features and waters involved in the South China Sea. It refuses to be bound by the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ) tribunal’s anticipated decision on the grounds that the decision will necessarily deal with issues of territorial sovereignty (who owns which disputed islands) and maritime delimitation (how conflicting national water boundary claims should be resolved) and that China has never consented to any third party impartial arbitration of these issues. Both India & Japan use the sea lanes that pass through that region.  

In Doklam, China preferred to change the status quo by consolidating their position in a region crucial for Indian defence posture. On August 28, 2017, it was announced that India and China have mutually agreed to a speedy disengagement on the Doklam plateau bringing to an end a military face-off that lasted for close to three months. Chinese foreign ministry sidestepped the question of whether China would continue the road construction. The CPEC corridor through disputed POK is already a threat to India. Sovereignty over two separate pieces of Indian territory has been contested by China in Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. The McMahon Line which was part of the 1914 Simla Convention between British India and Tibet, has been rejected by China. Though India’s maturity and diplomatic stance helped in resolving  the Doklam  issue, but the uncertainty still exists till the next time when the status quo will be tampered again by China in some other sector. Down south Chinese presence in Srilanka (Hambantota) is now real and how far it will effect India’s maritime endeavor in times to come is anyone’s guess.

Abe was  here to rekindle the fire of friendship between Japan & India  and strengthen the coalition against a common challenge. Japan is keen to expand infrastructure projects  amid China’s OBOR initiative and, along with India, it is exploring opportunities to develop projects in ASEAN. This is part of Indo-Japan corridor  for the Indo-Pacific region that also extends to Eastern Africa under Asia Africa Growth Corridor, an initiative that would provide an alternative to OBOR, which is being implemented in a non-transparent fashion dictated by China’s interests.  Only  close cooperation between the two nations;  in commerce , cultural and defence  will help improve the trust and tide over  common challenges and drive forward, while looking in the rearview mirror.

Ex Servicemen a Force Underutilized

With reference to the article which appeared in a national daily regarding the grave shortage of Welfare officers in nearly seventy percent districts of a leading state (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/severe-shortage-of-sainik-welfare-officers-hits-ex-servicemen-hard/articleshow/60359799.cms), it only undermines the use of a potent trained force available to the nation. Why at all do these important seats keep lying vacant in a State Government’s important department. The first and major cause that comes to one’s mind is the lack of pride in the post. An officer who has been a class one Gazetted officer; on retirement does not expect to be placed in a hierarchical post lower to the one he/she last held. In a state that has no dearth of retired   Military officers, such apathy is uncalled for.

In India, defence personnel generally join the armed forces in their late teens or in their early 20s and retire from service between the ages 35 and 48. When they retire, they are still fit for another job. Year on year the Military releases lakhs of exservicemen(ESM), at a young age with pensioner benefits. They rummage for a suitable employment in the Civvy Street and most of them finally settle into a cozy pensioners life at such an early age that even their near and dear ones ‘wonder how’! Most of these ESM are highly motivated lot and come with a skill set which can be put to use in National Development. They do not want to be a burden on the finances of the nation but need to be put to use as a positive human resource with a Star Quality called HONESTY.

There are Govt and quasi Govt agencies which do help the Exservicemen in addressing their needs for training, employment assistance and provision of soft loans to start a venture on their own. More often than not this help does not yield the desired results although there are exceptional cases where ESM have setup clusters with the help of Small And Medium Enterprise Department and have even setup Cooperative banks in semi urban areas. A number of them also get employed in police force or security agencies, or start their own. But the ratio of fruitfully employed ESM to the ones otherwise is very dismal.

What is more alarming is that the force which comes from rural core of the nation does not return to their roots in nearly half the cases. This is due to their raised aspiration levels and the changed lifestyles of the family; add to that the educational requirements of the next generation. If properly channelized the young pensioners can be the harbingers of sustainable development in the rural areas of the country.

The use of ESM in establishment of PURA( Provision of Urban Resources in Rural Areas), a dream that Dr Kalam dreamt, cannot be overlooked. This will result in  providing employment opportunities that lasts a life time. If a person is employed, he/she has access to good education, health, electronic media and other facilities for his growth. An ESM is a responsible citizen who needs to be included as a cog in the wheel to development. Making Dr Kalam’s dream a reality is no easy task but motivating the ESM to return to their roots by providing them suitable employments that gives them self-pride will help positively to resuscitate the hinterland.

Rural Reporting a Need of the Hour

“Rural India is not the priority of mainstream media by a thousand miles. So Gorakhpur is what happens when governments don't have any way to monitor poor governance by local functionaries, and when the mainstream media rarely covers public health — except when 23 children suddenly die”.

                                                                                            Nilesh Misra ( Times of India 20 Aug 2017)

        When other major hospitals in UP bought liquid oxygen directly from manufacturers like INOX or Lende Gas, why was an intermediary, Pushpa Sales, given the BRD contract for years? How was the hospital principal Rajiv Mishra's wife exercising control on his behalf? How were the doctors running a private service and even advertising it on the walls of the government hospital? Why were warnings of oxygen shortage ignored? These are the questions to which, the press needs to seek answers from the government functionaries rather than running after hyped political news that covers more than 50 percent of the print media.Imagine if this is the case from the city which is a Chief Ministers constituency, what could be condition in rural areas where there are no patrons.   This is what concerns us, the very basic sectors  Health, Education and Agriculture need to be given due importance by our press lest it wants to reach a stage of impotence. We need reporters in rural hinterland to compel agencies to  crystal gaze the impending problems of health and education  as a result of poor governance in rural areas through their stories. 

        Journalists are proving to be couch potatoes and reporters from the field are no longer finding satisfaction in their work. Indeed there is no rivalry between the field reporters & those on the desk just because the reporter earns his bread & stays free while reporting from urban beat. Reporters seldom spend nights  in the rural areas just because it isn’t sought for by the news agencies , until & unless it’s a report that leads to propaganda which further leads to increased circulation & TRP. Most of us do know where the city's waste goes, and how it is collected, but is waste collected in a village, and where does it go? Well, nowhere. A filth time bomb is ticking away in rural India because lifestyles are changing there and the same chips packets and water bottles and other urban non-biodegradable waste is choking the landscape. One visit to any rural Govt School or PHC (Primary Health Centre) will give so many stories that the reporter can publish for better governance in the hinterland.

         The issues prevailing in rural India and suggested measures to improve standards of living are never pondered by the journalist since they are focused on the cities and find easy controversies to be reported. Inclusive development to provide urban amenities in rural areas through prompt reporting will help maintain the social structure of the country and reduce migration of rural masses to urban areas in search of better lifestyle. Appropriate rural reporting will improve the standard of living amongst the poor rural population through voluntary campaigns such as community participation and entrepreneurship.

         Shadow reporting of any grant or aid from the Govt or any international NGO to various health agencies working in India has been a challenge & the journalists also don’t find it interesting enough. The press needs to rekindle the faith of all agencies and prove to be a cog in the wheel to success rather than a spoke in the wheel that puts a stop to the success. Isn't it time to shed the mainstream media bias and embrace  watchdog journalism that informs the public about goings-on in institutions and society, especially in circumstances where a significant portion of the public would demand changes in response.

GATLIN the BOO merang ! Are we a Sport ?

Gatlin, 35, clocked 9.92 seconds as he beat second-placed compatriot Christian Coleman and legendary Jamaican Usain Bolt, who was third. Bolt, 30, was unable to secure a 20th global gold in his final individual 100m race before retiring.

Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, was booed before and after Saturday's World Championship final at London Stadium, and when he was presented with his medal. In 2001, when he was still at college, Gatlin was given a two-year suspension for taking a banned amphetamine. He successfully argued this was because of medication he took for attention deficit disorder and was allowed to return to competition after a year. Then, in 2006 - having won the 100m and 200m double at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki - he tested positive again, this time for testosterone. Gatlin was banned for eight years, avoiding a lifetime ban in exchange for his co-operation with doping authorities. This suspension was halved to four years on appeal. But the crowd at London Stadium booed before and after Saturday's World Championship when Gatlin was presented with his medal. Even the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) chief Lord Sebatian Coe aired his views saying  "I'm not eulogistic that someone who has served two bans has walked off with one of our glittering prizes."

It's not Gatlin's fault in any way that he proved his mettle. He played by the rules laid down by WADA [the World Anti-Doping Agency] that allow him to return. The IAAF reinstated him and allowed him to compete. Bolt had no problem with Gatlin competing and later winning the race which was to be the Grand Finale to a glittering career of Usian Bolt; he remains the grand sportsman that he is but the reaction from the crowd & Lord Coe is indeed worth reviewing. Gatlin won the bronze medal at London in 2012 [Olympics] and no-one said a word. It was only when he started to challenge Bolt after 2015 it became an issue. Booing of Gatlin was surely “disrespectful to the sport" as remarked by Gatlin’s father.

The point to ponder is; what drew such reaction from the crowd. Are we not human enough to forgive faults or are we such hero worshippers that we can’t see our hero fading away? Can we forget the un-fateful day on 13 March 96 at Eden Gardens Kolkatta when the fans got unruly and hurled abuses at the Srilankan Cricket team since their heros were at the point of surrender and finally the match referee Clive Lloyd awarded the match to Srilanka. Next day the crowd did apologise and over the next few days, Concern for Calcutta an NGO placed half-page advertisements in newspapers with a single word, “Sorry”, printed in 400-point size across the space.  In an arena where sportspersons display their spirit does the crowd have the right to display their disdain and not allow an athlete to ever prove his/her mettle as if a final verdict has been passed against their participation. Are we sport enough to participate, even as an audience ?