VOLUME-1 | ISSUE-14 | JULY 2020 Sino-India Stand-off
CHINA EXPLAINS THE LADDAKH CONFLICT HAS INDIA OVERPLAYED ITS HAND? CPEC – A NOSH FROM HEAVEN? IN INDIA CLASH, CHINA SHOWS OFF MUSCLE FIXING PAKISTAN'S AVIATION THE SINO-INDIAN STANDOFF 13-K F-7 Markaz (051) 8437318 Islamabad | FROM INTIMATE HUG TO ESTRANGEMENT SUPERIORITY, THE RACE TO BE ONE UP.
@WILDWINGSPAKISTAN @WILDWINGSPK f matrixxmedia matrixxmedia matrix.media matrixmag.com TEAM MATRIX
Editor in Chief Content Editor Imtiaz Gul Aliya Naseer Farooq
Managing Editor Content Writer Sameena Durrani Jehangir Khattak
Associate Editor Content Writer Saad Gul Faizah Gillani
Editor at large Content Writer Zeeshan Salahuddin Saddam Hussein
Special Contributors Shaan Mehdi - Toronto Rafiq Jan - Doha Sitwat Bokhari
Haroon Gul CONTENTS EDITOR’S NOTE The Sino-Indian Stand off 04 A deadly clash on June 15 between the Chinese and Indian soldiers close to Ladakh stand-off: China-Pakistan closer than ever before! 06 Patrol Point 14 in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, more than 4,300 metres above sea level, resulted in 20 Indian fatali es. China says the China explains the Laddakh Conflict 08 Galwan Valley falls en rely within its territory and blamed New Delhi for the clash and stated the clash occurred on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual India Imports over 80% of Pharma Raw Materials From China 09 Control (LAC) - the de facto border between the two Asian rivals. As both sides traded allega ons with confused messaging on the incident In India clash, China shows off muscle 10 out of New Delhi, the episode also alarmed the en re world, with analysts conjecturing as to whether this could flare up into a full-fledged Indo-China Efforts towards intra-Afghan negotiations pick up momentum 12 war.
Galwan Valley Embarrassment for Modi & Co 14 These anxious observers across the globe collec vely sighed in relief on July 5 a er a telephonic conversa on between the Indian Na onal Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, From intimate hug to estrangement 16 who also is the Chinese Special Representa ve of the China-India Boundary Ques on.
Pakistan-India Border Conflict and Civilian Casualty Report (2016 – 2020) 18 Yi reiterated his country's resolve to “con nue firmly safeguarding our territorial sovereignty as well as peace and tranquility in the border areas, and underlined that both sides "should adhere to the strategic Uncertainty surrounds Afghan refugees as their legal 20 assessment that instead of posing threats, the two countries provide each other with development stay expires in Pakistan amid COVID-19 opportuni es.” “We hope India can work with China to guide public opinion in the right direc on, keep and advance Has India Overplayed Its Hand? 22 bilateral exchanges and coopera on, and avoid amplifying the differences and complica ng ma ers so as to jointly uphold the big picture of China-India rela ons,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement Will Candidate Trump Deny President Trump a Second 24 released in Beijing a er the talk. Term? May Be! This carried an unambiguous message to New Delhi: let us talk out ma ers and refrain from misplaced Racism under fire 26 brinkmanship and jingoism, and take the commander-level talks between Chinese and Indian border troops in eastern Ladakh forward for complete disengagement of the front-line troops as soon as possible. This Ban on PIA in European skies is a blessing in disguise. 28 unmistakable communica on to India is very much inspired by the tradi onal Chinese wisdom rooted in avoidance of armed conflict as much as possible. What is Balochistan Liberation Army and Majid Brigade? 30 Equally unmistakable was China's asser on on preserving its territorial integrity, underscoring it will 7 Deadly Train Accidents in Pakistan 31 respond with an iron-fist if challenged, manifest in 'The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding Na onal Security in the Hong Kong Special Administra ve Region', passed by China's Na onal People's Congress Chinese parliament in May, and signed into law by President Xi Jinping on June 30th and CPEC A nosh from heaven 32 incorporated into Hong Kong's Basic Law. Superiority, the race to be one up 34 Despite severe cri cism by the United States and the UK in par cular, Beijing pressed ahead with the Hong Kong security law sta ng a er pro-democracy protests had rocked and par ally paralyzed the city state for New Normal' In Retailing 35 months. The stand-off in Galwan and its response in Hong Kong indicate that Beijing remains undeterred by external cri cism and is determined not to budge when it comes to its na onal security and economic Airline employees coping with inevitability 36 interests.
First Female Lieutenant General of Pakistan 37
Iconic Sabiha Khanum No More (1935 - 2020) 38
Top 10 anti-aging secrets 40 POLITICS prescrip ons are less important than the trio's willingness to compromise – what now seems to be inevitable. The Sino-Indian stand off It would not be an easy sell in Pakistan – essen ally because Gen (rtd) Asad Durrani all the thinking here has been outsourced to the think tanks, which in the mean me cannot think out of tank. The elected lot, ignorant and long ignored, now openly defy the That they go together is by now amongst those Chinese The Great Game of the 19th Century was essen ally played Country's locus standi—a free and fair plebiscite—by words of wisdom, which have so o en been quoted that they by diplomats and spies (both actually cut from the same shou ng “Kashmir banega Pakistan” right in the Parliament. have lost their sheen. Even then, since the latest excitement cloth). According to the late Yahya Effendi, probably the best Luckily, we have a history of armed-twis ng and U-Turns. in the Himalayas is so quintessen ally Chinese; has followed military historian Pakistan has produced, it was the wisdom so soon on the heels of what Trump called the Chinese Virus; of the Afghan emirs that saved Afghanistan from becoming a It will be harder s ll in India. It has been pain ng itself in a and has alerted us to yet another threat to our Chinese ba lefield between two imperial powers, Britain and Russia, corner by declaring a disputed territory as its atut-ang Corridors – it should s ll make us think about the trials and and won the Country the status of a buffer. Afghanistan went (integral part), and bulldozing provisions that provided the tribula ons that come in its wake. beyond that role a er Pakistan inherited the Bri sh mandate occupied people a symbolic link with the Union. Their hearts in the North-West of the Subcon nent. It protected our it – a hos le terrain and a history of resistance against and minds had already been lost as conceded by no one less forceful occupa on. And then the two contending powers, As the contours of this crisis were unravelling, we obviously western borders in our wars against India. We returned the than Yashwant Sinha, once an iconic figure in the BJP Britain and Russia, preferred to keep each-other at bay, than had to reflect over the earlier Himalayan Blunders: Indians in favour by helping the Afghans defend their sovereignty – and hierarchy. It's now clinging to the real-estate of Kashmir, to lock horns in a country which had mastered the art of NEFA and Pakistanis missing their chances in Kashmir. So took great risks in the process. which too looks tenuous. But then what good is a hardliner playing one against the other. Kashmir on the other hand can much must have changed in the last six decades but the like Modi if he cannot take some hard decisions to get India be a friendly place to stay with a long history of lessons from the past can always be put to good use. If Ayub It's me to replicate that strategy in our North-East. There out of a situa on, best described as “between the rock and a accommoda on. The problem is that both the claimants, Khan was dissuaded by the Yanks from taking advantage of may even be an opportunity to do so. hard place”. India and Pakistan, would rather turn this paradise on earth
Indian troubles in NEFA, or he was ge ng cold feet; the into hell than let the archrival enjoy its forbidden fruit. American factor remains relevant in the present context as During the early days of the present commo on in Ladakh, an Nevertheless, there are s ll some sane voices in the two Kashmiris might not get their independence but the well. old friend sent me a message that the Kashmir resolu on was countries who believe that since neither side was likely to get consola on prize of their acceptance as a bridge, though not now on the cards. I didn't take it seriously – we're a wishful lot its most wishful outcome, they might look for something less a buffer, between the three mighty neighbours, with all the Since the Chinese seem to have the Indians in a bind in with stars in our eyes – but when reminded that only last year fulfilling. Sounds so Chinese, but is in fact the age-old chances to play one against the other a-la the Afghans, may Ladakh, it might be good idea to find out how they intended the Chinese President had suggested that this flashpoint at principle of compromise. Dangers inherent in glacial conflicts not be a bad incen ve. to play it out. In view of our higher than Himalaya es, it the confluence of three mighty mountain ranges needed that never seem to melt away may have convinced some of should not be too difficult a proposi on. In fact we should trilateral a en on – by India, Pakistan and China – many us that denying the adversary any claim to outright victory Chinese will not be gloa ng too much. But securing another assume that the two countries had synchronized their plans. parts of the puzzle started falling in place. And that's when was our least bad op on. front that could be used to prick their ambi ons to provide Preven ng American interven on – though no longer as my thoughts dri ed to the other intersec on; not only of the much-needed balance of power would be very gra fying. crucial as in the unipolar days – might well be an agreed mountains, but also of roads, rivals, and regions. There could be a number of ways it could be done, and in the element of our bilateral strategy. last seven decades some have of course been mulled over. The writer is a former head of the ISI and an ambassador But of course the two places are not alike. The Trieste Model came closest to a bargain that duly There is however one ini a ve that is en rely up to us to dressed-up, might address most of the genuine concerns of take. Afghanistan had more than the wisdom of its Emirs going for the Indians, the Pakistanis, and the Kashmiris. But such
04 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 05 POLITICS
Ladakh stand-off: China-Pakistan closer than ever before!
Maj.Gen. Ijaz Awan
Indo-China military confronta on is not a spontaneous event recognised that Kashmir is a disputed region awai ng as the Indians would like the world to believe. It is in response se lement/ resolu on. to the developing military infrastructure by the la er to
This was in viola on of the UN Resolu ons, antagonizing both US' withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is likely to lose desired Pakistan and China. India, in a bid to militarize the area, had influence in the region and Washington therefore , wishes to already been taking steps in relevance to securing Ladahk. prompt India into a lead role in the region to challenge the They included:Revival of Daulat Beg Oldi (DBO) and Fukche Chinese growing influence. airbases in early 2008. DBO is only 8 miles from the Karakoram militarize a disputed territory with far greater consequences However, India con nually a empted to unilaterally set aside Pass. India raised the base to brigade level and connected it to Fourth, the quadrilateral agreement between, US, Australia, than a simple border spat. the UN Resolu ons on the ma er of Kashmir and kept taking their internal road network - an ominous development. Japan and India is threatening Chinese trade through the South steps to strengthen its own posi on vis a vis other China Sea. The Malacca Strait is also dominated by the Indo-US The Ladakh fron er - the de facto border between the the two stakeholders. Encourage d by the fencing of LoC , occupa on of 2. Construc on of a 255-km Darbuk-Shyok-DBO Road in nexus. Hence Beijing would like to secure its flanks wherever is a Line of Actual Contact (LAC). Siachin glacier and silence of the UN on these developments, October last year to sustain the DBO Brigade. and as much as possible. India made a next move on the disputed region of Kashmir. Ladakh is also part of the disputed region of Kashmir in Beijing never objected to these developments openly. But the CPEC and Belt and Road Ini a ve (BRI) is therefore a facility accordance with the UN Resolu on 47-122, pending solu on Recent development and confronta on in eastern Ladakh change in the status of Kashmir and Ladakh last year probably likely to allow Beijing to circumvent these challenges thus through a plebiscite. For maintaining status quo and non- along LAC between China and India appear to be a result of the served as the trigger for China to reinforce the territories diver ng $5 trillion worth of trade through Gwadar to China via viola ons, an interna onal observer group UNMOGIP (United Indian abroga on of Ar cle 370 and 35A in August 2019, under its control. East-West connec vity. Na ons Military Observer Group India Pakistan) was set up to accompanied by declara on of Kashmir and Ladakh as India's monitor the Line of Control (LoC) between Azad Jammu and Union Territories , by implica on changing the status of LAC to These developments significantly changed the status quo It is therefore clear that developments in Ladakh region by the Kashmir and Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). The ma er is also interna onal border which China recognised. indica ng the Indian will to permanently annex Ladakh. China Indians have the poten al to impact CPEC, denying China a validated by the Simla Agreement of 1972 in which it is viewed these developments with suspicion and responded by strategic advantage. Silence of the US and the West on the landing 5,000 troops in the Galwan Valley, on the Western developments in Indian Occupied Kashmir is thus a reward for Ridges, domina ng the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Road, the India, which is equally temp ng for the la er to punch above only Line of Communica on to the DB Brigade. its weight.
Secondly, Indian civilian and military leaders belligerently India's military is vintage and no match to the People's claimed to take over Gilgit Bal stan (GB) and Azad Kashmir as Libera on Army (PLA). It, therefore, appears to have made a announced on May 3, 2020 “whenever the parliament so serious miscalcula on by disregarding the UN Security Council demanded,” in the words of the army chief General Manoj on Kashmir i.e. unilateral ac ons of abroga ng Ar cle 370 and Mukund Naravane. con nual viola ons of the UN Resolu ons. By implica on, it is now a trilateral issue between the three nuclear powers Both Pakistan and China viewed the Indian objec on on the whereby India has wilfully sidelined the UN. construc on of the Bhasha Dam, a China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project awarded to a Chinese company, as an These developments have brought Pakistan and China alarming development. militarily closer than ever before , CPEC and BRI shall be guarded as a strategic interest and would also mean that the India's claim that the CPEC route passes through disputed Karakoram Pass would always be guarded as Chinese strategic territory of Kashmir alarmed both Pakistan and China on the sensi vity possible course of ac ons New Delhi may take to support its view. Major Gen.(r) Ijaz Hussain Awan is a security/defence analyst, and a former ambassador of Pakistan. Thirdly, there is also widespread fear that a er the proposed
06 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 07 POLITICS POLITICS
China explains the laddakh conflict India imports over 80% of pharma raw materials from china
Matrix Report
As the Indian na on demanded for banning products and cancelling contracts from China, it's apparent that, at least in pharma, it may not quite work out as imports from China account for 80% of total raw materials for making medicine, also called API (ac ve pharmaceu cal ingredients). For certain life-saving an -bio cs, the dependence is 90%.
The India-China border standoff as reported, has put the spotlight back on near total dependence on China for crucial raw materials used in medicines in India, posing a poten al 'na onal risk' for millions across the country.
India imported Rs 17,400 crore worth of APIs from China in 2019. Dependence on China for key APIs has been an ongoing concern for the industry, with crucial raw materials used for manufacturing c a r d i o - v a s c u l a r, d i a b e t e s , an bio cs, an -infec ves and vitamins imported from there.
In March, le with deple ng stocks Here Lijian Zhao, the Spokesperson for the Chinese ease the situa on, China and India stayed in close of APIs in the country, the government gives a chronology of the events that led to the communica on through military and diploma c channels. government decided to de-risk the Sino Indian stand-off in Laddakh. supply chain, and announced a 5. In response to the strong demand of the Chinese side, India 1. The Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line agreed to withdraw the personnel who crossed the LAC and Rs. 9,940-crore package for bulk of Actual Control in the west sec on of the China-India demolish the facili es, and so they did. drugs involving a produc on-linked boundary. For many years, the Chinese border troops have incen ve scheme of Rs. 6,940 crore, been patrolling and on duty in this region. 6. On June 6, the border troops held a commander-level and se ng up of three bulk drug mee ng & agreed to ease the situa on. India promised it parks of Rs. 3,000. 2. Since April, the Indian border troops have unilaterally and would not cross the estuary of Galwan river to patrol & build con nuously built roads, bridges and other facili es at the LAC facili es. The two sides would discuss & decide phased Nearly two decades ago India was in Galwan Valley. China lodged representa ons and protests on withdrawal of troops by officials on the ground. self-dependent on key ingredients. mul ple occasions but India went even further to cross the LAC But over the years API imports and made provoca ons. 7. Shockingly, on the evening of June 15, India's front-line spiked from 1% in 1991 to about troops, in viola on of the agreement reached at the 70% in 2019. 3. On May 6, Indian border troops crossed LAC, trespassed into commander-level mee ng, once again crossed the Line of China's territory, built for fica on & barricades, which Actual Control for deliberate provoca on when the situa on in impeded the patrol of Chinese border troops. They the Galwan Valley was already easing. deliberately made provoca ons in an a empt to unilaterally change the status quo of control & management. 8. India's front-line troops even violently a acked the Chinese officers and soldiers who went there for nego a on, thus 4. The Chinese border troops were compelled to take triggering fierce physical conflicts and causing casual es. This necessary measures to respond to the situa on on the ground is the step-by-step account of the Galwan clash. and strengthen management & control in the border areas. To
08 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 09 POLITICS Indian diplomat Rao says China's telling blow is a “direct Wells tweeted. message that the Chinese are sending to Prime Minister Modi Moreover, India, which has witnessed a new warmth in es In India clash, China shows off muscle personally.” “A kind of a taunt I would say… they have thrown a with U.S. under Trump's administra on, has recently inked a gauntlet…and they're looking for what our response will be,” new military logis c agreement with Australia, a long- me U.S. Zeeshan Haider she said in an interview with Karan Thapar. ally, promp ng Beijing to threaten trade curbs on Canberra.
China's strong-arm ac on at Ladakh border sent a clear resul ng in India's humilia ng defeat. Though foreign ministers of the two countries spoke by A similar agreement is also likely between India and Japan, message to India as well as Beijing's other antagonists that its telephone to calm down anger and emphasized the need for a another major U.S. ally and China's rival in the Asia-Pacific long-held policy to maintain status quo in its border and There have been occasional clashes between the two armies nego ated se lement of the standoff but Mondi is facing region. mari me disputes should not be taken for granted. along their 3,400-long LAC but the latest confronta on was the tremendous pressure at home over seemingly one-way fight bloodiest in nearly 50 years. resul ng in big loss of men from the Indian side. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue involving U.S., Australia, India Since the launch of its policy of “peaceful rise” or “peaceful and Japan is also growing stronger rather it is being expanded development” over a decade and a half ago, China has showed Skirmishes in the past were mainly blamed on the poor Though the latest Sino-India escala on took place against the to include other countries in China's neighborhood which in all less asser veness in its territorial and mari me disputes as it demarca on of the LAC with each side holding large swathes of backdrop of Modi's ins ga on but it could not be taken in likelihood would cause unease in Beijing. wanted to become an economic powerhouse at peace with its areas along the border claimed by other. isola on from other developments that have taken place neighbors and beyond. recently not just in China's neighborhood but in the world at Given unpredictability in the Sino-India rela ons marked by But the latest confronta on is believed to be triggered by the large which Beijing could see as moves to block its rise as a long running mistrust and suspicion it is hard to predict what's But the unusual ba ering of the Indian soldiers by the Chinese construc on of a road of hundreds of kilometers by India close major world power. going to happen next at the bilateral front but security of the army in a violent clash at Galwan river valley at the Line of the to LAC. Asia-Pacific region hinges on future military and diploma c Actual Control (LAC), the de facto border in the Himalayan China's new found asser veness in its foreign and security region of Kashmir and recent developments in China's The road that was completed last year boosts India's capability policies might be an a empt to fend-off persistent U.S.-led neighborhood showed that Beijing is increasingly becoming to rapidly move men and material to the high-al tude forward pressure on its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic which more asser ve militarily as well as diploma cally to se le its base at Daulat Beg Old airbase in case of conflict between the originated from its Wuhan city late last year. scores with those challenging its rise. uneasy neighbors. China has already been locked in a public sparring with the At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the July 15 night The airbase recently reac vated by India is reputed to be the United States over Covid-19 spread with President Donald showdown that was the most forceful ac on of China in such world's highest landing ground. Trump mocking as a “Wuhan Virus” and rising border tensions disputes decades. with India provided the much-needed ammuni on to U.S. And it all happened in hand-to-hand bloody fight with soldiers The construc on of the strategically important road ostensibly officials to ratchet-up pressure on Beijing. from the two nuclear-armed, biggest armies of the world firing raised eyebrows in China as it was med with India's highly not a single shot. provoca ve move to hive Ladakh off Jammu and Kashmir Amercian diplomat Alice Wells in a public statement threw region and annex it as a union territory. China considers Washington's weight behind India when China started its The Chinese army's ac on sent shockwaves across India's Buddhist enclave of Ladakh its territory and sees its unilateral military build-up in Galwan which led to July 15 showdown. poli cal, diploma c and military leadership with former annexa on by the Indian government under Prime Minister foreign secretary and New Delhi's former ambassador to Narendra Modi as a move to dilute its claim over the disputed “External rebalancing is cri cal. At the end of the day, it will be Beijing Nirupama Rao describing the incident as a “turning moves by China as well as U.S. and its regional allies. territory. the US that stands with India in pushing back against constant The writer is an Islamabad-based journalist. He can be point” in rela ons between the world's two most populous China probing of Indian sovereignty. #USindia dos #india,” na ons since they fought a brief but bloody war in 1962 reached @HaiderZeeshan14
10 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 11 POLITICS to be nonsense while the Taliban have held the stance that they are not in need of any financial incen ves from foreign Efforts towards intra-Afghan nego a ons pick up momentum intelligence agencies to wage a war against the US and NATO troops.
Sitwat Waqar Bokhari On the other hand, in a renewed effort to push the stalled intra- Afghan dialogue, Pakistan's newly appointed Special As violence escalates in Afghanistan at the hands of the Afghanistan to become an Islamic emirate with the Afghan Representa ve on Afghan Affairs Ambassador Mohammad Taliban, fear grows that the intra-Afghan talks could be people paying their allegiance to an Islamic government. Sadiq, has also been engaging in a series of detailed mee ngs with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and other Taliban leaders in derailed before they even commence. Over a period of just Nevertheless, the Afghan government is now adamant that, Doha which focus on the future of the reconcilia on process. seven days in mid-June, the Taliban carried out 422 a acks in a er four long decades of war, it is obvious that the solu on to According to officials, the Taliban leadership conveyed its 32 provinces, according to the Afghan government, leading to the conflict is no longer in the use of the military and violence commitment to implement the US-Taliban accord of February the death of 291 Afghan Na onal Defense and Security Forces but through nego a ons and talks. To this end, Dr. Abdullah is of 29 and hoped that it would pave the way for the withdrawal of (ANDSF) personnel and 42 civilians. For their part, the Taliban the view that compromises may have to be made in the foreign troops from Afghanistan. rejected the accusa ons on the grounds that they were simply common interest of the broader public; not just by the Afghan defending themselves from ANDSF a acks. government side, but also the Taliban side. In Pakistan, Khalilzad's mee ng with Foreign Minister Shah At the moment, the process appears to be stalled due to Mahmood on July 1; his second in a month, aimed at building disagreements over the prisoners' release. Under the deal, the Former Afghanistan Chief Execu ve Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, now At the same me, concerns have also been raised that the economic coopera on between the two countries and, in Afghan government was to free 5,000 Taliban prisonsers while the chairman of the newly established High Council for Na onal Taliban may just be wai ng for the United States to withdraw par cular, strengthening Pakistan's role in the reconstruc on of the insurgents had to release 1,000 government personnel. So Reconcilia on (HCNR) overseeing the talks with the Taliban, has militarily before a emp ng to take control of the country by its war-ravaged neighbor. As per the US State Department's far, the government has freed 3,500 and the Taliban about 700. expressed his concern over the sustainability of hoping that the force. This is because the US-Taliban peace accord of February statement, at the conclusion of his three day visit, Khalilzad is In mid-June, Khalilzad said that the talks were closer than ever, Taliban would come to the nego a ng table. For the success of 29 pivoted on security assurances from the Taliban and the need expected to meet the Taliban poli cal representa ves in Doha praising Kabul and the Taliban for freeing most of the prisoners. the intra-Afghan talks, though, it is worthy to note here that a to start intra-Afghan nego a on before the US can set out the
major obstacle to the process was removed in May when, a er withdrawal of its troops. Dr Abdullah, though, has allayed these next where he would press for the start of the intra-Afghan Last week, President Ashraf Ghani also called on the Taliban to an extended dispute over the results of the 2019 presiden al fears on the grounds that the presence of Al-Qaida, ISIS and nego a ons, the mely release of all remaining prisoners and end the violence and come forward to start the intra-Afghan elec ons, Dr Abdullah signed a power-sharing deal with other terrorist groups will con nue to be a factor due to which emphasize on the reduc on of violence which has been on the talks. It appears that with the increasing push for intra-Afghan incumbent President Ashraf Ghani. The deal resulted in the the US and its allies may not exit the country en rely un l the rise despite the condi ons set out in the US-Taliban agreement. talks by the interna onal community and the power-sharing crea on of the HCNR which aims to establish an inclusive and threat of terrorism has significantly subsided. With regards to mee ng the Afghan leaders later, Khalilzad will deal between Dr Abdullah and President Ghani, there is diverse nego a ng team, represen ng common values of the hold video conferences rather than travel to Kabul because of renewed hope that the insurgent group may be edging closer to Afghan people from all walks of life, which will engage in talks Along with the internal developments in Afghanistan, in parallel, the high number of infec ons in the coronavirus pandemic in kicking off the peace nego a ons with Kabul. Certainly the four with the Taliban. This is done so as not to compromise on the efforts to keep the momentum of the peace process on track are the country. decades of the bloody war calls for an end through an inclusive hard-won, democra c gains for the sake of a deal with the also underway by the interna onal community. Earlier in May, peaceful poli cal se lement to birth a democra c, united and Taliban. the first trilateral mee ng between Uzbekistan-US-Afghanistan Earlier this week on June 29, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stable Afghanistan which is in the interests of the war-weary was held in the form of video conferencing to discuss the also spoke to Taliban chief nego ator Mullah Abdul Ghani Afghan people, as well as one that finally opens the doors for the With intra-Afghan talks finally imminent in sight, at the same process of a peaceful se lement within the country and Baradar in a video call where he called on the Taliban to live up to long-stalled economic connec vity of the region. me, analysts fear that there will be vast dispari es on the interna onal assistance to Afghanistan. While this week, US their commitments, including refraining from a acking nature of governance to be adopted during the talks by Special Representa ve for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, American troops. Pompeo's warning came following a Sitwat Waqar Bokhari is a Research Fellow at the Center for nego ators on both sides. President Ashraf Ghani is of the firm embarked on a three-na on visit to meet with officials in controversy over whether Russia had paid boun es to Taliban- Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Program Manager at stance that the Afghan government should retain the status of Uzbekistan, Pakistan and Qatar, to push for the peace process in linked militants or drug dealers to kill US and NATO soldiers in Afghan Studies Center. She tweets at @SitwatWB. “the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan as a sovereign, democra c Afghanistan. Uzbekistan is among the few countries which has Afghanistan. While US President Donald Trump denied knowing and united republic.”On the other hand, the Taliban wish for offered to host the intra-Afghan nego a ons. about the suspected boun es, Russia has termed these charges
12 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 13 POLITICS enemy and given it a realis c view of a two front war. A calculated aggressive move by the PLA has greater military Galwan valley – embarrassment for Modi & Co? implica ons for the Indian military as the standoff has occurred in an area that is strategically important for India. If Aisha Saeed the situa on escalates, technologically and financially superior China is likely to take full advantage of advanced communica on infrastructure and may take Shyok and Nubra Less than 18 months a er a New York Times' ar cle advantage and poses a threat to the Chinese base located Valleys. Resultantly, land route to Siachen may be threatened ques oned India's ability to challenge China following the nearby. and cost of war increased manifold for financially weak Indian events around the February 2019 Pulwama-Balakot crisis economy to handle the a ermath. versus Pakistan, more doubts surround the discourse around India's unilateral annexa on of the Indian-administered the Indo-Sino standoff in eastern Ladakh. Many in the US- Kashmir on August 5 as well as that of the Ladakh region, India stands at a precarious posi on diploma cally as no aligned West see India as a poten al bulwark against an c o n n u o u s d e v e l o p m e n t a n d u p - g ra d a o n o f world power has yet intervened in the Ladakh standoff. Nor expansionist China but the Galwan valley face-off has once communica on and aggressive posturing (prepara on of have they called on India to reverse its October 2019 decisions again raised ques ons on India's ability to serve as a shield for advance landing ground) may have been the possible trigger of declaring Kashmir and Ladakh its union territories. Yet, its US and India as it undermines the Indo-US perspec ve of US's geo-strategic interests in Asia. points of the recent clash. disputes with Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh and China don't dominance and security in South Asia. They view Beijing as put into a comfortable posi on either. the biggest stumbling block in their way. China on the other What does India's behavior in this crisis reveal? How will that Lack of official communica on from the Chinese side during hand is increasingly asser ng itself as a power to reckon with. affect Indo-US es and the balance of security in the region the standoff may indicate that the Chinese have achieved the However, the Ladakh standoff presents a unique opportunity Its mantra of establishing dominance, nevertheless, has thus going forward? strategic objec ve of retaining the piece of land but do not to forcefully raise the Kashmir issue at interna onal fora. far been through its economic expansion and culture as A disputed border with a neighbor and hegemonic design want to beat the drums of victory. It has silently eliminated all Exterior diploma c maneuvers to coerce opinion of SARRC opposed to using its military might. The Galwan valley moves seem like a perfect recipe for turning a skirmish into a full possible ground threats towards Tibet and the NH-219. members to support the Kashmir cause and aggressive is a clear departure from that.
blown war. Since 1962, the Galwan Valley has been a pestering of force along LOC and LAC may increase the flashpoint in Sino-Indian conflicts and the year 2020 is no “ If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your pressure on India. This also represents yet another opportunity to consolidate different. The Sino-Indian line of actual control (LAC) can be enemies will float by “ – Sun Tzu- Art of War. its enduring partnership with China, which remains an divided into Western (Tibet and Ladakh) , Central ( Tibet with But the ques on remains- can the Ladakh standoffs escalate extremely dependable “all weather” ally. Himachal and U ar Pardesh) and Eastern sec ons ( East of India's Pakistan-centric military strategy has created enough to a full scale war? Military analysts opine that it has the The implica ons of the Galwan Valley standoff may have Bhutan). The Western sec on has witnessed maximum void in response mechanism and allowed the Chinese military poten al to escalate to a limited war. It may, however turn wider implica ons for India. Its final se lement will either be transgressions of troops and largely patrol areas based on to take advantage and make a check-mate move. At the into a replay of the 1962 fiasco. The Indian army may have the decided through escala on or dialogue. The circumstance mere percep ons. strategic level, it has surprised India to very limited response- advantage of high ground (western sec on) in four areas but thus far point to the la er op on as India has failed in centric op ons i.e rushing troops and equipment to reinforce loss of strategically important places will make the defense convincingly countering the Chinese narra ve and its ac ons China claims the area up to Galwan valley in Eastern Ladakh the defeated troops. At opera onal and tac cal level, India untenable. The PLA will not give the control of the areas it has in eastern Ladakh. and these preemp ve ac ons may have been triggered by the has a bloody nose, bodies of slain soldiers, and a 60 square km captured and ensure dominance over the area in the coming recent developments in the area by India ( construc on of area with no response op ons. China and the Peoples' mes. Aisha Saeed is an independent analyst on media and foreign airbases DaulatBeg/ Fuckche and the 255 km road to serve Libera on Army (PLA) have exposed the shortcomings of the policy of Pakistan. She tweets @MsAishaK. them) . It is important to note that in Demochok area, where Indian government and its military to contain the larger China's Belt and Road Ini a ve caused great discomfort to the NH-219 passes close to LAC, is where India enjoys terrain
14 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 15 POLITICS
From in mate hug to estrangement
Zeeshan Haider
Narendra Modi is known world over for his signature hug. Through this policy as well as through his body language, he t r i e d t o g i v e o u t a n impression to the outside world that he would try out regional integra on and connec vity as his top priority by easing tensions w i t h t h e b o r d e r i n g countries.
But about a year and half through his second term, he h a s d o n e e x a c t l y t h e opposite.
Except for Bhutan, India presently has strained rela ons with all of its neighbors. During major part of their two Bangladeshi ministers cancelled their official visits to India Economic Corridor – the first flagship project under China's over 70 years of history, in protest. landmark Belt and Road Ini a ve (BRI) – caused much rela ons between Pakistan consterna on in New Delhi. and India have been uneasy A serious row has also been brewing with Nepal since Modi but they have been at their government showed the disputed Kalapani territory as part of Beijing lured the other South Asian countries under the lowest ebb since Modi-led India in a map released last year. gigan c ini a ve and poured in billions of dollars for the BJP government came into development of infrastructure in these small countries which power. The ny neighbor invited India to dialogue to arrive at an have increasingly grown wary of India's bullying behavior. amicable se lement but New Delhi arrogantly rejected the Ties with China have mostly offer, forcing the Nepalese parliament to approve a map that Bhutan is the only excep on which did not accept the China's remained tense but there No ma er how awkward it looks to a viewer, Modi would never shows Kalapani as well as Lipulekh mountain pass and offer. have been rare skirmishes at their border but their armies hesitate to give a warm embrace to a foreign leader, be a guest Limpiyadhura – two other disputed areas with India -- as part of recently fought their most violent clash in nearly five decades at home or his host abroad. their country. India itself has an outdated infrastructure and could not match in Ladakh's Galwan area in which at least 20 Indian soldiers China's huge investment in its neighborhood and that's why it were killed. The first generous display of this warm embrace was made by Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli recently accused India is increasingly feeling threatened by Beijing's expanding him at his inaugura on as prime minister in his first term in of conspiring with his poli cal rivals to oust him from power in poli cal, economic and strategic clout in its vicinity. Tensions are s ll high running with both sides reported to be New Delhi in 2014. apparent retalia on for pushing the new map through the engaged in the military build-up in the area despite their army parliament. commanders' agreement on de-escala on. He warmly opened his arms to the leaders of India's all The Indian leadership should accept the reality that they could neighboring countries in a public manifesta on of his Interes ngly, a similar poli cal turmoil apparently backed by not challenge Chinese economic prowess at regional as well as In neighboring Bangladesh, the government of Prime Minister “Neighborhood First” policy. India also erupted in Sri Lanka in 2018 causing fissures in the at global level. Sheikh Hasina is considered a pro-India poli cian. ruling coali on over how to accommodate Indian interests in the wake of Colombo's growing economic es with China. The Therefore, it needs to shun hegemonic behavior with its Her pro-India leanings could be trace back to India's war with unity government eventually collapsed because of these neighbors and construc vely engage them in talks on the basis Pakistan in 1971 when Indian army intervened in in support of differences. of mutual respect to resolve bilateral disputes in an amicable the secessionist movement led by Hasina's father, Sheikh manner. Mujaib ur Rehman, in the then East Pakistan. That interven on The Indian media has constantly been blaming China for its culminated in the emergence of East Pakistan as an troubles with its small neighbors. That is the only way to steer the poverty-stricken South Asia independent country -- Bangladesh. towards the path of progress and development. Otherwise New Delhi has always considered South Asia as its sole sphere India would stay entangled with disputes with its neighbors But Modi's Hindu radicals-dominated government even of influence and has ruffled its feathers at any move which would not just hamper the regional integra on and angered Hasina-ruled Bangladesh by pushing a controversial challenging its dominance in the region. connec vity but would also balk at the India's ambi on to ci zenship law through the parliament last year offering swi become a major power in the region. Indian ci zenship to Hindus and non-Muslims communi es China has tradi onally enjoyed strong economic, defence and from Bangladesh and other Muslim countries in the region to geostrategic es with India's main rival, Pakistan. The writer is a senior journalist based in Islamabad protect them from their “persecu on” in those countries. The development of Pakistan's strategic Gwadar deep sea port Bangladesh rejected Indian allega ons as “non-sense” while in Baluchistan and then construc on of China Pakistan
16 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 17 POLITICS
the bulk of fatali es (70%) but as a whole human loss hovered Pakistan-India Border Conflict and Civilian Casualty around 222 (see Table 3 below). Report (2016 – 2020) The Indian sectors that allegedly came under frequent a acks from the Pakistani forces were Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, and Baramulla (see Figure 3 below). Pakistani military officials Muhammad Nafees defend them as “response” to unprovoked firing by the Indian security forces. The subject of the Muslim-majority Himalayan state of Kashmir – personnel's casual es. Civilian fatali es were 20 per cent higher divided between India and Pakistan through a 720-km long Line compared to those among the security forces (see Table 2 of Control (LoC) – has remained part of regional and global below). Table 3: Indian casualties by victims headlines par cularly since August 5 2019, when New Delhi A large number of sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Victim s Fatalities Injuries Casual ties revoked the state's special states and annexed it as the union Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) - Pakistan-administered part of the territory along with Ladakh. Even before that, both countries Civilia ns 65 159 224 have been trading mutual allega ons of cross-border shelling Table 2: Pakistani casualties byvi ctims Security Officials 157 73 230 and firing resul ng in harm to civilian popula ons in areas under their respec ve administra on. Victims Fatalities Injuries Casualties Total 222 232 454 Civilians 197 528 724 The 2008 Mumbai a acks by Pakistan-based militants, an a ack Security Officials 128 24 152 Figure 3: Indian Casual es by loca on on India's Pathankot airbase in 2015 and an assault allegedly by Kashmiri militants on the Uri army camp in the Indian part of Total 325 552 876 It is evident from the sta s cs above that unarmed civilians Kashmir in 2016 have been some of the triggers of extreme invariably bear the greater brunt of inter-state poli cal conflict. tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. O en, the Indian forces claim that the firing, which ends up Himalayan state - and a couple of sectors in the Punjab province damaging civilian life and property, is meant to stop infiltra on along the Indian border suffered cross-border shelling and firing. from across the LoC, which meanwhile is heavily for fied with An a ack on the India security forces in the Pulwama district Five sectors (Poonch, Nakyal, Bhimber, Muzaffarabad and hundreds of watch-posts and barbed wire. (February 2019), which le over 40 Indian troops dead, brought Rawlakot) faced frequent cross-border shelling and firing, against the Indian viola ons of the ceasefire and the cross- the two countries to the brink of another poten al conflict, resul ng in a higher number of casual es compared to other border firing. Pakistani officials deny the Indian claims and rou nely invite prompted by a major Indian fighter jets' intrusion into Pakistan's sectors (see Figures 1 and 2 below). In the last four years or so, Figure 1: Pakistani Casual es by loca on (AJK) na onal and foreign media as well as officials from the forested Balakot valley in the northwest adjacent to the disputed Pakistan's ministry of foreign affairs summoned the Indian High Figure 2: Pakistani casual es by loca on (Punjab) diploma c community and those from the UN Military Kashmir, followed by the downing of two Indian jets by Pakistan Commissioner in Islamabad dozens of mes to lodge protests Casual es from cross-border a acks in India (October 2016 – Observers' Group for Indian and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to the on Feb 27. The wreckage of one of the jets fell into Pakistan's May 2020) part of Kashmir. Its pilot, Abhinandan, was arrested but released Azad Jammu and Kashmir. in a goodwill gesture within two days. Security personnel in the Indian-administered Kashmir suffered On the other hand, Pakistan, currently implemen ng an Ac on Bilateral rela ons as a whole have remained remarkably tense Plan by the Financial Ac on Task Force (FATF), has also increased since March 2016, when Pakistan captured a serving Indian Navy the scru ny of terror suspects using its soil. In this regard, many officer Kulbhushan Jadhav for espionage and sentenced him to Laskar e Taiba (LeT) / Jamaat ud Dawa (JuD) and Jaish e death. Accompanying these tensions is the cross-border firing by Muhammad (JeM) terror suspects are under trial in Pakistani the Indian border security forces that Islamabad says has cost courts. Around 15 JuD leaders and ac vists have already been hundreds of civilian lives. India makes similar claims but allows convicted in terror financing cases. However, suspects linked to li le civilian or UN access to verify the veracity of its claims. This the 2008 Mumbai a acks are s ll under trial. report captures the civilian cost of conflict along the LoC since October 2016. Open-source data from both sides suggest an Experts fear that India's recent border standoff with China in unusual rise in the civilian casual es in Kashmir during the period eastern Ladakh, and BJP's a empt to save face, might turn Indian under discussion. PM Modi's a en on back to Pakistan to appease his domes c support base a er the embarrassment in the Galwan valley, says Casual es from cross-border a acks in Pakistan – (October Fahd Humayun, wri ng for the Foreign Policy. Humayun believes 2016 – May 2020) that 'successive regional crises, including the Galwan fiasco, mean that the domes c costs for PM Modi - for not to be seen as During the past four years, as many as 325 civilians fell to firing backing down against external adversaries - are growing, not and shelling by the Indian security forces on the Pakistani side of diminishing'. Kashmir (see Table 2 below). India puts the casual es off Pakistani firing in the areas around LoC at around 222 (see Table Similarly, losses incurred by the Indian Army in the Galwan valley 1 below), though unverifiable through independent or UN have been a shot in the arm for India's opposi on poli cians, sources. who have been quick to condemn the BJP for its lack of prepara on and in some cases for surrendering en rely. In Pakistan, civilians suffered heavily from these border conflicts Humayun foresees that this situa on increases the chances of as their casual es were almost five mes that of the security India escala ng conflict with Pakistan to deflect cri cism.
Table 1: Indian casualties ofcro ss border attacks This may also mean hea ng up of the Line of Control with Year Fatalities Injuries To tal consequences for the civilian popula on in the border regions in October 2016 - December 2016 40 7 47 Kashmir. In such a scenario unarmed Kashmiris, on both sides, may likely con nue to suffer the cost of this simmering conflict; 2017 46 92 138 the only unfinished agenda on the UN pla er. 2018 58 42 100 2019 66 79 145 Mohammad Nafees is a senior research fellow at the January 2020 - May 2020 12 16 28 independent think tank Center for Research and Security Total 222 236 458 Studies , Islamabad
168 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 1197 POLITICS well-integrated with society with access to all essen al provision of tes ng kits, personal protec ve equipment, facili es that are available for the ci zens of Pakistan. sani zers, masks and isola on facili es, ven lators and Uncertainty surrounds Afghan refugees as their legal stay ambulances. expires in Pakistan amid COVID-19 On June 20, on the occasion of the World Refugee Day, UNHCR's Pakistan Representa ve, Noriko Yoshida, also Furthermore, Qureshi also stated that United Na ons High Sitwat Waqar Bukhari lauded the Pakistani people and the government for hos ng Commissioner for Refugees only provides limited support to the refugees for more than four decades, no ng that, whom they consider a refugee, which includes the 1.4 As the global economy contracts with a number of at Afghan refugees, United Na ons High Commission for “Pakistan's hospitality and generosity are exemplary.” At the documented Afghan refugees in Pakistan but excludes the produc ve sectors on the verge of near bankruptcy in the Refugees (UNHCR) had launched a cash program, providing same me, while Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, 1.6 million also present in the country. The Minister stated wake of the growing rise in COVID-19 cases, refugees around each family with a one- me cash assistance of Rs 12,000 - a Saleem Khan, reiterated the government's resolve to assist that UNCHR had launched an appeal of 20.6 million dollars the world remain amongst the most adversely hit fac ons model similar to the federal government's Ehsaas emergency refugees, he urged the interna onal community to share for Afghan refugees to address the addi onal challenges due to the con nuous threat to their livelihoods. In the case cash programme to help the needy affected by the novel Pakistan's burden and deal with the Afghan refugee situa on posed by COVID-19 as well while also taking into account the of Pakistan, where coronavirus cases have begun to rise coronavirus. This was done keeping in view that thousands of in the same way as it deals with other global emergencies. remaining 1.6 million Afghan refugees present in the country. again, the news of the expiry of the Proof Of Registra on Afghan refugee families living across Pakistan used to drive He affirmed no state can handle the magnitude of this crisis (POR) cards by Pakistan's Na onal Database Regulatory their income from daily wages which had been halted due to In a recent mee ng held between the visi ng US Special alone, urging that interna onal coopera on is required more Authority (NADRA) and the Afghan Ci zen Cards (ACC) on the par al lockdown imposed as a result of the pandemic. Representa ve for Afghanistan Reconcilia on Zalmay than ever before. He had also urged that hos li es in the June 30 came as a jolt for the 1.4 million Afghan refugees in According to the UNHCR spokesperson in Pakistan Qaiser Khalilzad to Pakistan on July 2 and Pakistan's Foreign Minister countries of origin of refugees should be ceased to stop the country already troubled by shrinking economic Afridi, with the recent development of the refugees' cards Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the la er, while no ng the 40 years further displacement while work on the crea on of pull opportuni es to make their ends meet amid the pandemic. having expired, the implementa on of the program could be of hospitality extended by Pakistan to the Afghan refugees, factors for the return and reintegra on of the refugees Prior to the date of expiry, Pakistan's Ministry of State and affected, hoping that the government would extend the also underlined the role of the interna onal community for a should also be expedited.
Fron er Regions (SAFRON) had approached the federal validity of these cards soon. me-bound and well-resourced road-map for their return to cabinet to take a decision on the extension these cards. their homeland with dignity and honour. As the world remains engulfed by the challenge of COVID-19, However, the ma er has yet to be discussed in the cabinet's According to a UNHCR Report, Pakistan is home to an it is certainly impera ve that the resources for protec ng the mee ngs. In the mean me, though, the Interior Ministry has es mated three million Afghans in total. 1.4 million of these Earlier on June 9, while addressing a Webinar hosted by refugees are pooled together in this me to prevent the been asked to direct all relevant law enforcement are documented. This makes the South Asian country the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Pakistan's spread of the virus amongst the impoverished communi es departments and agencies not to trouble Afghan refugees in third-largest refugee-hos ng country, a er Turkey and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also called for the and also uphold their rights, as men oned in interna onal the mean me, un l a decision from the government is Colombia, in the world. Despite its own challenges, including provision of liquidity and necessary fiscal space through a trea es. In this regard, the world community needs to come communicated. On the other hand, officials privy to the especially the financial constraints, Pakistan has also s mulus package and debt relief for large refugee hos ng together in assis ng those countries that are hos ng large development have also stated that some alternate measures received global acclaim for taking care of the refugees, countries, such as Pakistan and Turkey, during the pandemic. refugee popula ons. will be taken to allow the refugees to con nue living in the including providing services such as the use of biometric He stated that Pakistan had been financing the needs of the country legally; a big relief for the Afghan community. registra on, access to educa on and health care and Afghan popula on in the country through its own resources Sitwat Waqar Bokhari is a Research Fellow at the Center for inclusion in the economy. Minister for SAFRON, Shehryar without any discrimina on. Amid the pandemic now, as part Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Program Manager At the same me, as a poverty allevia on measure directed Khan Afridi, has also affirmed that refugees in Pakistan are of the required facili es, Qureshi asked for the immediate at Afghan Studies Center (ASC). She tweets @SitwatWB.
20 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 21 POLITICS environment around the world also plays a crucial factor in how the Ladakh crisis is seen by the interna onal community. Has India overplayed its hand? To understand today's ground reali es, it is important to analyze India and China's historical global alliances. Firstly, India has long counted on military and diploma c support from Shaan Mehdi Russia and the erstwhile Soviet Union. This was most clearly seen in the 1971 War in East Pakistan when Soviet warships 20 Indian military personnel dead. Scores of Chinese soldiers power to be made. Asides from this, the logis cal prowess of were dispatched to counter American naval vessels who were reported to be injured. Not a single shot fired. On the night of the Chinese cannot be matched by the aging procedures that patrolling the Indian Ocean in support of West Pakistani forces. June 15th, hundreds of Indian and Chinese soldiers came to are s ll implemented by the Indian army. For example, in the While the US was firmly in the Pakistani camp, the Soviets, to blows in the disputed Galwan Valley region of Ladakh. It is rare current crisis in Ladakh, China was able to move troops, tanks, counter the US, backed India in all forums both overtly and to see two large militaries ge ng into physical alterca ons armored vehicles and other heavy weaponry to the frontlines covertly. Moreover, in the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the Soviet without the use of firearms. For those confronta ons to turn in Western China all the way from Hubei in Central China, in just Union supplied India with a plethora of arms and fighter jets fatal is even more unheard of. India and China have long had an a few hours. This was done without the use of cargo flights. partly due to the Sino-Soviet split that was taking place at the understanding in their disputed Himalayan border of not me. Like in 1971, the US declined to support India hence the la er choosing to embrace Moscow. le ng hot tempers and tac cal gains spoil the overall bilateral On the other hand, India s ll relies on costly air transport to rela onship. It was because of this understanding that the two supply their frontline troops in emergency situa ons thus na ons had not had any violent clashes for close to 50 years. deple ng funds and being at the mercy of unfavorable weather However, things have changed since 1971. The Soviet Union is The fact that the current stand-off in Ladakh may result in an condi ons. Moreover, the current stand-off has created no more. China is a superpower with Pakistan firmly in its camp. The US and China are about to enter the new Cold War of the century and India-US es are growing. How does this e to Ladakh? For one, India cannot rely on its historical ally Russia for several reasons. Firstly, the Sino-Soviet split of the 60's is far less pronounced today than it was previously. In fact, Russia Narendra Modi are useful in explaining why the current Ladakh and China have found themselves aligned on several global crisis exploded the way it did and why it will not cool down issues especially those rela ng to the US. Secondly, the any me soon. Since coming into power in 2013, XI Jinping has Russians are wary of growing Indo-American es such as the strayed from the Chinese governance model of keeping to Civil Nuclear Deal signed between both countries under the themselves, biding their me and having working rela onships Bush administra on as well as Modi's current fondness for with all countries. Instead Xi's China is more aggressive, more Trump. confident and less pa ent.
Thus, Russia is no mood to act even as a mediator between From the South China Sea to Hong Kong to Ladakh, the new China and India let alone support Indian ac ons. This was China is eveready to use military power in achieving strategic apparent when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov clearly goals. This could be a consequence of their growing stature as a said that the crisis in Ladakh does not need outside media on. global superpower as well as an indica on of how serious they If India cannot rely on the Russians, then their only other take the One Belt One Road Ini a ve that aims to become the op on is to court the US. This would have been made easier by New Silk Road. The message is clear, any impediments to this the current tensions between China and the US and project will be dealt with by force if necessary. On the other policymakers in Washington may have looked towards Ladakh side of the border, Narendra Modi is caught between a rock as another front by which they could pressurize China. and a hard place. Militarily dwarfed by China, he currently only However, the US too has not offered much support to India has two op ons. Either let China annex parts of Indian territory asides from a few perfunctory remarks by Secretary of State and turn that into the new status quo or respond militarily to Pompeo. China. The second op on, as we have discussed, would be a foolhardy a empt on the part of India due to China's advanced One reason for the American reluctance to openly support military and the risk of a wider conflict erup ng. Normally, the India could be due to an overes ma on of India's capabili es first op on of ignoring the ground reali es and le ng China in the region to act as a bulwark against Chinese influence. create a new status quo would have been less risky. Not for American leaders may have realized that backing India in this Modi. conflict would only give the Chinese more ammuni on to use in their own bilateral dealings while not providing many For a leader who has prided himself on being a strongman, on strategic gains. In other words, the costs of suppor ng India defending India's sovereignty on all forums, on being a outweigh the benefits. Another reason is that while Russian- superpower and on taking back disputed lands, to quietly Indian rela ons have certainly cooled over the recent past, accept Chinese incursions in several areas of the LAC would be overall reconfigura on of the Sino-Indian rela onship is several difficul es for both China and India in trying to ensure Russia is s ll a major supplier of jets, defense systems and tantamount to abject surrender by his na onalist voters. With reflec ve of the widening military gap between the two supplies are flowing to their troops before winter sets in. In other weaponry to the Indian forces. With news emana ng the next Indian General Elec on 4 years away, logic dictates na ons, the shi ing of geopoli cal fault-lines around the world normal circumstances, the pre-winter period between April from Afghanistan that Russia offered boun es to militants in that Modi would accept China as the regional hegemon and and the domes c commitments that both Modi and Xi have and September is cri cal to ensure troops from both na ons exchange for targe ng US troops, the trust levels between hope his voters have short memories. For China, they would made to their respec ve populaces. are well supplied, however due to the current clash this task is Moscow and Washington are once again hi ng a new low so view Indian capitula on and unwillingness to fight back as an made even more herculean. In this context, China seems to Indian es to Russia will not be looked at kindly by the US. invita on to further annex other disputed territories. By Taking all this into considera on, it can be surmised that in To give an indica on of the growing military gap between China have ironed out many kinks in their logis cal processes while pain ng himself as a leader who fights fire with fire, Modi has trying to straddle the middle-ground, India has missed out on and India, it is per nent to look at each country's overall India is s ll struggling to keep up with their increased troop in fact painted himself into a corner. cemen ng strong geopoli cal alliances that may have been military spending. China spends about $261 billion on their deployment. useful in the current stand-off with China. military vs India's $71 billion. While India is s ll the 3rd largest The writer has an undergraduate degree in Poli cal Science military spender in the world, the widening gulf between China While hard power and influence o en go hand in hand in the from Queen's University and works in fleet management and India is far too large for any sort of equivalence of hard realm of realist IR theorists, the shi ing geo-poli cal Finally, the personal leadership styles of both Xi Jinping and
22 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 23 POLITICS
white officers in Minneapolis. Americans hate racial enmity Will candidate Trump deny president Trump a second and expect of their President to reduce it. Trump seems to have term? may be! disappointed many by adop ng a comba ve a tude. Jehangir Khattak He has little me to recover as his rival is enjoying a double- digit lead over him in pre y much all the na onal polls. The United States is caught between a resurgent deadly virus The virus toll has already surpassed 130,000 since its outbreak Interes ngly enough, Biden did not have to campaign to take and the divisive run-up to a difficult elec on in an increasingly earlier this year. The surge in new cases could overwhelm such a he y lead. The former vice president rarely leaves his toxic poli cal arena. Americans are witnessing tumultuous hospitals in states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, California etc. Delaware home basement, dodges most issues, and his only mes. The daily count of COVID-19 cases is touching historic The CDC projects there will likely be between 140,000 and real message seems to be that he's not Donald Trump. He highs, a popular uprising against racism has reached the 160,000 total reported COVID-19 deaths by July 25th. It is these dis nguishes himself from Trump as being a uniter, and not a di- countryside and a struggling economy is on the verge of what projec ons that are making many economists less enthusias c vider. experts warn a prolonged recession. to the posi ve numbers about new job crea on coming out of US Labor Department. It is in this backdrop that the November elec ons are emerging Some Democrats are reportedly advising Biden to barely cam- These are challenging mes for American democracy, economy as a campaign challenge and logis cal nightmare for all the paign at all. “Eliminate the risk of a mental stumble that will and way of life. As it hastens to reopen, Coronavirus returns The Labor Department in its latest report says U.S. payrolls candidates. President Trump seems to be the biggest loser in raise doubts about his declining capacity that was obvious in with a deadlier force. For the first me daily posi ve cases grew by 4.8 million in June, surpassing economists' forecasts. It the current environment. His poll numbers are tumbling and ap- the primaries,” wrote Wall Street Journal in one commentary. count crossed 50,000 mark for two consecu ve days at the was the second month of strong gains a er April's huge losses, proval rating down to 40% or below -- that is George H.W. Bush “Let Mr. Trump remind voters each day why they don't want beginning of July. Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Donald Trump's when businesses laid off or furloughed tens of millions of and Jimmy Carter territory. Both Bush Senior and Carter were four more years of tumult and narcissism.”
point man in the war against pandemic, has warned that the workers as the pandemic shut down much of the economic denied a second term at the ballot. But this is a familiar turf for daily count of posi ve cases could touch 100,000 if the US ac vity. The unemployment rate has also fallen from April's Trump who faced similar situa on in 2017 as well after he failed Biden is promising more diversity in his administra on, and con nues to lower its against the pandemic. At least 20 states 14.7 to 11.1 percent in June. But it is s ll higher than in any to repeal ObamaCare. He however regained support with tax re- major reforms to America's criminal jus ce system, police, have reported a spike in cases, with almost three million previous period since World War II. form and a buoyant economy that was li ing all incomes. immigra on and health delivery systems. But unlike Biden, infec ons having already been confirmed across the country. Trump seems to have no second-term agenda, or even a mes- But these numbers may not be real. The Center for Disease Economists fear that the current spike in infec on rate could His sagging approval ra ngs are coming just four months sage beyond four more years of himself. He is not capitalizing Control has speculated that the actual number of infected accelerate layoffs now that many states have begun ordering before the elec ons. But Trump s ll has some performance to his performance on economy, where he has an edge over people could be six to 24 mes higher than the current levels. some businesses to close again. Another looming challenge is sell to American voters. His record fighting the Coronavirus is Biden. In fact, an agenda to revive the economy after the pan- the expira on of government assistance, in par cular the certainly better than his critics claim, even though after a bad demic, and restore the gains for American workers of his first Elec oneering in the middle of such frightening reports is enhanced unemployment benefits providing an extra $600 per start in late February and March. Trump mobilized federal re- three years, would appeal to millions of voters. But If Trump ominous. But Trump remains undeterred, and con nues to week to laid-off workers. Those benefits will cease at the end of sources to help hard-hit states. But cri cs say he wasted his con nues to be driven more by his comba ve temperament hold elec on rallies disregarding the warnings and advice from July, poten ally elimina ng a key source of support not just for chance to show leadership by turning his daily pandemic and less by a clearly defined second term agenda, many experts. Dr. Fauci, who enjoys tremendous respect across the the workers but for the broader economy as well. It will briefings into brawls with the press and any poli cian who poli cal pundits believe he may end up losing to “Sleepy Joe”! poli cal divide, has been challenging Trump on his campaign especially impact the black and minority communi es which didn't praise his handling of the crisis. ou ngs, by urging Americans to stay away from large have already been dispropor onately affected by the disease The writer is a New York-based senior journalist and gatherings. At least eight Trump campaign staffers caught the and job losses. Trump also failed to give a healing touch and unite the commentator. He tweets at @JehangirKha ak virus a er his June 20 rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Americans a er the death of George Floyd at the hands of
24 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 25 POLITICS who argued it 'further undermines' Johnson's race commission. The Ins tute of Race Rela ons echoed Lammy's Racism under fire sen ments, saying it would be hard to have confidence in the findings. Faizah Gilani The No10 advisor also plans to rope in support of Trevor Phillips, a former chair of the Equali es and Human Rights The brutal killing of an African-American George Floyd at the commission but he too is controversial for the job as he himself hands of a white policeman in the United States stoked has referred to the UK Muslims as 'a na on within a na on.' worldwide outrage. With the involvement of such controversial figures, it is hard for most people to have faith in the outcome of the Footage showing the policeman kneeling on Floyd's neck as he commission as they see the en re exercise as a mere eyewash. struggled to breathe went viral, leading to protests across the But the government's mishandling of the race commission globe. serves as a torturous reminder of a painful past for the black comes as no surprise. Johnson's government performance has community. History, albeit good or bad, cannot be erased and come under ques on with regards to its handling of issues An -racism protests also broke out in the United Kingdom and remains with a na on's present and future. But the statues of rela ng to BAME communi es. The government's lacklustre history's controversial figures are well suited to stay in response to the disturbing figures that show BAME museums than in public places. communi es are at greater risk of catching and dying of COVID- 19 is another reason why people have not much faith in the One can perhaps ques on the manner in which Colston's race commission. statue was removed but it begs the ques on as to why a slave trader's statue was erected to begin with. This has s rred up a A recent study has found that hospitalised pa ents of South fierce discussion, with Oriel College Oxford now backing calls Asian ethnicity are 20% more likely to die of the virus, as for the removal of the imperialist Cecil Rhode's statue. There compared to white people. The South Asian community mainly are now growing calls for a change and people want to see that lives in sordid health condi ons which serve as breeding change in the form of ac on. ground for diseases such as diabetes, asthma and heart related issues, making them suscep ble to the virus. But way before ains in a state of denial and is not ready to break with its the advent of the epidemic, locals say there existed social and colonial past, and many s ll take pride in the Bri sh Empire and economic inequali es, discrimina on and occupa onal risks the country's colonialism. The pain and suffering inflicted these protests along with the Black Lives Ma er movement upon other human beings is callously forgo en for the sake of have opened up a serious debate on racism in the country. what is prided as a past glory. That is why it is unsurprising that war me leader Winston Churchill's racism is s ll being The UK has always taken pride for being a 'tolerant' society, but cherished. it is this tolerance that has now become a part of the problem. Sadly, the country is being led by a government that does not The word 'tolerant' reflects a culture of pu ng up with people wish to recognise the challenges faced by BAME (Black, Asian The Nazis were defeated under his leadership, bringing an end that are different to you, but it does not necessarily mean that and Minority Ethnic communi es). Health Minister Ma to Adolf Hitler's evil designs. Churchill undoubtedly remains you are not racist. Even then, simply saying that you are not Hancock faced strong cri cism recently for denying that the popular, but there is also a dark and less heroic side of him. He racist is not enough. It is me to be an -racist. country is racist. played a role in the Bengal famine of 1943, in which an He was cri cised as being 'ignorant.' Poli cians are fully aware es mated 5 million people died, and yet he con nues to be And this is what recent protests have stood for. It is for breaking of the racism deeply embedded within the Bri sh society but celebrated and fawned over by poli cians and admired by the down the barriers of racial inequality and figh ng for the end of they choose to remain in a state of denial. Boris Johnson's general public. government has shown a lack of understanding towards an - racial dispari es within society. It may be uncomfortable for against BAME communi es. some to accept but systema c racism does exist within the UK. racism protestors, in par cular towards the Black Lives Ma er Churchill's racism has now become a hot topic for debate, It is deep rooted at all levels, and this discrimina on on the movement. crea ng fissures in the already divided na on. George Floyd's The fact that BAME communi es are more likely to fall vic m to basis of race is experienced within the educa on system, death could not only serve as a catalyst for change for UK but the virus shows that there is something fundamentally wrong housing, medical care and policing. This was highlighted when Home Secretary Pri Patel called could also provide a chance for rec fica on for any historical with the way UK society is structured. BAME communi es the pulling down of slave trader Edward Colston's statue in mistake, no ma er how painful it could be. The strong remain at a lower economic and social standing, which can be Bristo 'u erly disgus ng,' despite the fact that its presence emo ons shown in the protests with par cipants even defying a ributed to prejudice and bias. This simply highlights how social distancing guidelines for Covid-19 pandemic might have li le progress has been made in terms of equal opportuni es built up pressure on the government to genuinely do for different communi es. something to address issue of racism. People do create history and bring about change. But in a With an -racism protests going strong, the Prime Minister democra c society, one would expect the government to take announced a commission on Race and ethnic dispari es, but it the lead. It should listen, empathise and act. Governments are has already come under fire. Johnson has chosen NO10 responsible to work for a fair and just society for all regardless advisor, Munira Mirza, as part of the commission, despite her people's ethnicity or colour of their skin. We need to strive controversial comments that she does not believe that together un l these dispari es are gone. It is a tall order. But ins tu onal racism exists in the UK. She also controversially one can try. said that there was a 'culture of grievance' among an -racism campaigners. The writer has studied History and Poli cs at Queen Mary, University of London. And Near and Middle East studies at Ms. Mirza's involvement in the commission has also drawn SOAS, University of London. heavy cri cism from Shadow Jus ce Secretary David Lammy,
26 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 27 POLITICS relevant business acumen and entrepreneurial track records. Revamping the pilots' hiring process. Ban on PIA in European skies is a blessing in disguise Airlines should be given the status of the travel industry with strict monitoring by authori es. Recruitment of Pilots should be handled by EASA model of HR Rafiq Jan team. The team must be highly credible senior re red Pakistan's Civil avia on authority, CAA, should be headed by commercial pilots with background of working in overseas an interna onally experienced person with mul -na onal “blue-chip” airlines. Lessons not learned organiza onal knowledge and understanding under his belt. EASA, in its recent ruling, men oned the previous reminders, It should be re-organized and developed with the support and Banning the pilots' union. cau ons and direc ves given to PIA and Pakistan Civil Avia on consulta on of a world's top-notch avia on authority. The PIA, along with other airlines of Pakistan will start an upward Authority to provide an audit of airlines' “Safety Management incumbent must be given absolute power and support journey once the poli cal affilia on of pilots is curbed by a standards”, complaints and concerns about its pilots' directly from the prime minister of Pakistan so that he can run strict law. No pilots should be hired without an oath of viola ons of license privileges. It also had concerns about the avia on network independently without any external keeping himself away from internal and external poli cal Pakistan CAA's connivance on above issues on various pressure and influence. ac vi es. occasions. The job descrip on of pilots must include the clause of Appoint highly qualified and experienced overseas “con nua on of job is subject to the annual Performance and experienced senior commercial pilots and foreign-trained Development Reviews”. and experienced engineers in the Accidents Inves ga on Board (AIB). Air force pilots/engineers are never a suitable The silver lining choice for this job. Unfortunately, the recent air crash European Avia on Safety Agency (EASA) has banned PIA inves ga on board was headed by an air force senior official Pakistan CAA and the PIA accountable managers have a from entering its Air space for six months. There are mixed and others who had no avia on background. reac ons from different walks of life. For those who discern lesson to learn in this moment of setback. Let it be the hard A fighter pilot is not trained as a commercial pilot. Neither an way as it appears, but what needs to be remembered is that the Air-Safety, these are the op mum puni ve measures. For air force re red/senior serving officer can understand and others, it may be classified as racial profiling by the European opportuni es do not repeat themselves too o en. Let us carry out an accident inves ga on of a commercial airplane. accept that we failed in the past to seize the moments that Union. For Pakistan's avia on industry it bodes well and Let the airlines be managed and led by airline professionals. seems to be a wake-up call. came in our way. So, make it a turning point for our avia on to get back on the right flight path for goods. Case Study: A re red “Group Captain” of Pakistan Air Force What is EASA? had been the Director of Engineering of an airline for a long me. The airline started well, but due to a “Tunnel Vision It is an independent authority governing the civil avia on leadership”, financial mismanagements, and poor planning ac vi es inside all the European countries. It has finally went out of business. It had several billions of debts “grandfather rights” to oversee and audit any other country's EASA no fica on to PIA payable to the government ins tu ons in terms of airlines and the local avia on authori es. It has clearly opera onal charges. defined legisla on and criteria that require strict compliance for keeping the air travelling safe and a rac ve for Ironically that gentleman, with his pathe c track record, was passengers. Its main func ons are: appointed in a similar role by Serene Air where he is, Pilots' licenses issuing, renewing, control and monitoring. reportedly, nothing more than a liability for the airline. Aeronau cal engineers' licenses issuing, control, renewal, All the above are glaring examples of the downside of placing and monitoring. non-professionals in the high-stake posi ons of commercial “Every cloud has a silver lining” an adage that makes sense Air traffic control (ATC) personnel licensing, control of businesses. Pakistan needs to stop this as a primary measure more than ever…..This ban had long been overdue from aerodromes, monitoring and license renewals. to surmount the impending crisis. foreign authori es. PIA is not banned from flying in the European territories. It is rather reprimanded to brainstorm Control and monitoring of airports in terms of air traffic Restructuring the Avia on Ministry before they think of le ng its next plane fly for the even a surveillance, ground equipment and facili es on airports to Pakistan government needs to step in for placing a domes c journey. assist the planes for opera on. The epilogue from my July 2019 blogpost Professionally qualified person as Avia on Minister. This We expected the new PTI government to feel the plight of the posi on should be a Non-poli cal appointment, strictly based Since a safe aeroplane is the primary duty of the pilot, they It has the authority to suspend or cancel the personnel license beleaguered avia on industry. My ar cle of July 2019 on merits. The Minister of Avia on should be repor ng confirms my resolute faith, but sadly the avia on was never need to unlearn the learnings of the past. They will have to of a pilot, engineers, ATC licenses and the “Air Operator directly to Prime Minister. take the brunt of interna onal backlash as well as the wrath Cer ficate” of the airline, in case of any severe findings and on the list of their reforms un l an unfortunate me that it has been thrown at the deep end. of our ci zens with a big heart and professional courage. viola on or abuse of the license and regula ons. It is incumbent on the government to handle this Time for the government to act: interna onal ban with wisdom and strategy instead of whims. Ge ng rid of the baggage Our government and the avia on authori es have ample Preludes to this hammer blow World's preeminent airlines' business model should be me to review and reframe their strategies for turning over studied and implemented with a genuine desire. Stop the involvement of a new leaf. Air force and Army in An accountability programme should be implemented to It is me for government of Pakistan and the Avia on commercial airlines' monitor the pilots' and engineers qualifica ons. administra ve and ministry to ensure that when next me an airplane leaves leadership affairs. Let the ground, it is 100 percent perfect and airworthy to take Government has no choice but to believe that avia on is a t h e a i r l i n e s b e the customers safely to their des na ons. highly regulated industry and that it has no choice other than managed, run, and led following the authority's “Mandatory Regula ons” to make by only experienced The author Rafiq Jan is an experienced Avia on analyst, the air travel safe for passengers and a lucra ve business for professionals with current affairs blogger and a freelance writer. the country.
28 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 29 POLITICS POLITICS
What is Balochistan Libera on Army and Majid Brigade? 7 deadly train accidents since July 2018
Matrix Report Matrix Report
September 16, 2018: July 11, 2019: Nine bogies of the Peshawar-bound Khushal Khan Kha ak A Que a-bound train collided with a cargo train near Express from Karachi derailed near A ock on September 16, Sadiqabad in Punjab, killing 24 and injuring over a 100. The 2018 in which 20 passengers sustained injuries. accident was later found to the result of a delay in the switching of train tracks.
September 27, 2018: Another Peshawar-bound train derailed in which 11 bogies overturned in Sehwan, Sindh. At least two people were injured.
October 31, 2019: More than 70 people died in a fiery explosion on a moving train, which officials later blamed on a short-circuit fire. The incident occurred near Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed 23rd August 2019 under section 11-B of its Anti responsibility for the assault on the Karachi Stock Terrorism Act. Exchange on June 29, saying its Majeed Brigade carried out the suicide mission. BRAS or some of its members are the common denominators in attacks on the PC Hotel in Gwadar June 20, 2019: What is Majeed Brigade? in May 2019, the Chinese Consulate in November Three people were killed when a passenger train collided with It is a splinter of the BLA, founded by Aslam Achoo 2018 and the Karachi Stock Exchange. a sta onary cargo train at Makli Shah, near Hyderabad. Baloch. Aslam was killed by Afghan Taliban in The anti-CPEC pattern is very obvious in their public southern Afghanistan early last year, several weeks statements, not different from the Indian views on after terrorists of his group had stormed the Chinese CPEC. consulate in Karachi in November 2018. Bashirzeb Baloch currently heads the group. These groups justify these attacks in the name of struggle for a free Balochistan. But in all probability, Feb 28, 2020: BLA is led by separatist leader Harbiar Mari, who this posturing masks the proxy war that Pakistan and At least 19 people were killed when a train collided with a lives in London, and is one of the many separatist China face today. passenger bus near Sindh's Rohri. outfits that claim to be fighting for the liberation of Balochistan.They are all part of Baloch Raaji Aajoi BRAS and its members seem to be the critical links in December 18, 2018: Sangar ( Baloch Peoples' Liberation Front). this proxy war - clearly aimed at creating political 1 2 c h i l d r e n w e r e instability and economic uncertainty. Is it a i n j u r e d w h e n a Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), Majeed Brigade, deflection from the multiple embarrassments that p a s s e n g e r t r a i n Baloch Republican Guards, and the United Baloch the Indian government has been facing at home - in crashed into a school van near Narowal, Army are other prominent members of BRAS. All of Kashmir and in eastern Laddakh at the hands of the Punjab. Eyewitnesses them publicly oppose Pakistan and its partnership Chinese? Or is it New Delhi's frustration over s a i d t h e a c c i d e n t with China through CPEC. increasingly becoming irrelevant in Afghanistan's h a p p e n e d d u e t o peace process? dense fog and because the gate at the crossing Government of Pakistan proscribed the BRAS on was le open.
30 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 31 ECONOMY
CPEC – a nosh from heaven?
Saddam Hussein
According to the World Bank's report 2019, Pakistan's GDP would increase by up to 6.43% ll 2030, if one is to take only the investment on transport infrastructure under CPEC into account. However, if one includes the impact of some policy measures like reducing border delays and reduc on in tariffs that the World Bank proposes, Pakistan can add as high as 14.06% to its GDP. The impact of a more ambi ous set of reforms could magnify the gains from the new infrastructure network, men ons the report. Now, let us analyze the various dimensions CPEC would significantly have on. and safer by making sure that building inspec ons happens benefits of CPEC in true sense. regularly. Ge ng electricity connec on has been made easier On a posi ve note, this year in 2020, the by enforcing service delivery me frames and online portals for Apart from that, health sector has also been ignored and no or China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), surely is an World Bank issued its latest report on the new connec on applica ons. minuscule future planning in done in the wake of growing unprecedented economic s mulus package, but the best thing ease of doing business, in which Pakistan stands at 108th rank urbaniza on as CPEC moves towards full opera onaliza on. would be to view it as a window of opportunity, not as some with a score of 61.0. It is the first me, since the launch of the The country has also increased the transparency of electricity However, the PTI's government, at many occasions stated that sort of nosh from heaven that will come down and solve all our report back in 2002, that Pakistan has jumped 28 points in one tariff changes. When it comes to registra on of property, the new government is re-nego a ng several plans in order to glitches. The worst mistake is to view CPEC as some sort of self- year with 06 reforms. Pakistan has made registra on faster and easier to register a shi the focus more on socio-economic upli of the Pakistani paying enterprise, as if the investments will somehow deed at the office of Sub Registrar. The country also increased society, especially in the domains of poverty allevia on, generate the required level of economic ac vity to self-fulfill all According to the report, Pakistan made it easier to start a transparency in land administra on system. Pakistan has educa on and health. Yet, nothing tangible so far on part of the the repayment obliga ons that they bring. This would be a business by giving online access to expanding procedures, so started online payment system for tax collec on such as Value government. grave mistake because it cannot be taken for granted. that anyone who is interested in doing business can access Added Tax (VAT) and corporate income tax. Though, all the required informa on easily. It has also made acquiring a above-men oned measures regarding ease of doing business In parallel, one of the primary benefits from CPEC is in terms of Without robust structural reforms CPEC cannot be translated construc on permit easier by streamlining the approval are in black and white, yet their effec ve implementa on on employment genera on. Officials sta s cs claim that 30,000 into a success story, as history tells us super-mega projects like process. the ground s ll seems a challenge. jobs have already been created for Pakistani technicians and railways and largest irriga on system by the Bri sh in Sub- laborers under the first phase of CPEC. Interna onal Labour Con nent, failed eventually, only due to bad governance. Moreover, construc on business/ac vity is now more secure As trading is one of the major components of the economy, Organiza on (ILO) es mated that CPEC will generate around Pakistan has also made it easier to trade across the borders as 400,000 jobs, while Applied Economics Research Center well, by increasing the integra on of various agencies in the (AERC) es mate states the crea on of 700,000 direct jobs Web-Based One Customs (WEBOC) electronic system and between 2015-2030, a er comple on of all three phases of coordina ng joint physical inspec ons at the port. CPEC. This augurs well for Pakistan.
Another key area is the infrastructure development under Lastly, as Dr. Ishrat Husain, a renowned Pakistani banker and CPEC. Several roads and highways have been constructed and economist, describes is that what CPEC offers us would many more are under construc on. This shall enhance significantly depend on Pakistan's collec ve response and connec vity across the country, whereas at the same me capacity. For the venture to become a success story, all the improving market access in the shape of farm-to-market and en es – federal, provincial and local governments along industry-to-market roads. with the private sector, the media, civil society and academia ought to work together in unison. If this happens the benefits Extensive projects across the country, under CPEC, would also of CPEC would exceed the costs. In contrast, if we con nue help alleviate poverty within the country. According to with the business as usual, where bickering, blame game, Pakistan Vision 2025, the aim is to cut down its poverty level by point scoring, narrow parochial and personal considera ons, half. Currently, the poverty rate is almost 39%, according to red tape, hesita on and delays in solving problems and mul dimensional poverty index (MPI); which Pakistan intends removing bo lenecks persist, then we would certainly find to bring down to 19% by 2025, with CPEC playing the key role in ourselves entrapped in heavy financial burden. The choice is poverty allevia on. en rely ours and not that of our Chinese partners.
However, Pakistani human resource, if not channeled properly, The author Saddam Hussein is a Development Economist, might become a liability rather than being a dividend. while he serves as a Research Fellow at Center for Research Educa on and skill-based training has been neglected so far. and Security Studies (CRSS), and Program Officer for CRSS' Pakistan needs to set up more schools, colleges and training sister organiza on – Afghan Studies Center, Islamabad. He centers, especially technical and skilled based training tweets @saddampide. ins tutes, especially in Balochistan, if it intends to reap the
32 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 33 ECONOMY Lifestyle
Superiority, the race to be one up New Normal' In Retailing
Aliya Naseer Farooq R. Suri, Toronto
'All men are snobs about So, 'M' will just stand there like the big goof he's being made to As the COVID-19 crisis con nues to rage, businesses are trying to spend on things that involve well-being, self-care, and s o m e t h i n g . ' A l d o u s feel. He would stand in the high and mighty shadow of 'S' - who is to keep up with the changing global economic order and the health. Huxley wrote in his essay, here pretending to be a perfec onist while hiding the inner snob associated changes in consumer behaviour. While many "Selected Snobberies' and having quite a ball. 'M' will, however, have that inane countries have li ed the lockdown, consumers are Consumers may take me to return to buying luxury fashion a n d I a g r e e grimace of a smile reserved for occasions like these. nevertheless exercising cau ous and are staying home and items, un l then, companies should strive to revise their wholeheartedly. Only to In Huxley's essay, he outlines few of the selected snobberies and safe. If they do engage in out-of-home ac vi es, it is usually to market plans to include safety and decontamina on measures add that all men and propounds on the circumambula ng routes that snobs take shop for essen als or to get together with families. What does for a higher level of customer sa sfac on. Having said that, women are snobs. It is, towards their preferred snobberies. Be it art, disease, travel, this mean for luxury retailers? Predic ons are that global consumers will s ll galvanize towards u lity-maximizing a er all, the age of gender modernity to name a few. The underlying pivot on which most luxury sales may drop by 35 percent by the end of this year. luxury fashion items. appropria on and such snobberies rest is the desire to appear superior. To be one up, Leaders however can enthuse purpose in this situa on by an addi on is in order. look down upon or feel be er than the next person. adop ng change and making decisions aligned to the new 'Snob' is defined as a p e r s o n w i t h a n In our society a few of such snobberies are most evident. The exaggerated respect for high social posi on or wealth. One who race for the ul mate ou it is a fi ng example. What would drive seeks to associate with social superiors and looks down on those hordes of otherwise sane women to a certain brand outlet on regarded as socially inferior or a person who believes that their the first day of the first volume of the first day of spring, summer, tastes in a par cular area are superior to those of other people. autumn, pre - summer, pre - autumn or pre - whatever Well, snob is an insult - so you can't use it as a term of collec on. The helter skelter, hit and run frenzy of it all. Why and endearment, don't even try, wherefore of it all boils down to looking be er and looking be er first. Buying the ou it and being the first one to flaunt it. 'Oh, you are such a snob, cu e pie! Ummm, nooo. Snobs exist There are horror stories of this kind of first cut, first take and they know who they are. Henceforth, they must put a cover approach. Hair raising accounts of ladies going through denizens on their snobbishness. Let me say our snobberies. For Huxley of the same gender, snatching the selected item from the says we are all snobs. The catch is in the words 'about something'. Now that is where it gets tricky. Language, a dear friend, will always come to the rescue. Words have been coined to do just that, cover up. Synonyms for snob range from aristocra c, eli st, high-hat, persnickety, ritzy, aloof, arrogant, imperious, lordly, preten ous and of course, superior. Choose a word according to the situa on. If you are a desperate drudge working 9 to 5 in a dreary dungeon with zero chances of being appreciated, promoted or even acknowledged then I strongly recommend not using any of the above synonyms. I mean, c'mon, you need the job.
Living in the real world, we all come across 'snobs' of one sort or another. Snooty, uppity, hoity - toity, la - di - da...I could go on endlessly as these words have circulated in my mind so many harassed salesperson, scratching and bruising in the process. mes at so many occasions. They would swirl round and round Having bought the item, proceed to the vehicle and order the in my in my head like suds in the washing machine. Unable to use driver to take out the pail of water already placed in the car boot any of these, I would resort to the inane grimace of a smile to soak, spin and shrink the cloth on the spot. Which is then reserved for occasions like these. Preten ous rela ves, handed over to the master saab who is going to s tch it for baji condescending colleagues, eli st bosses and even friends. They to wear it to the ki y party that evening. To the awestruck come in all forms and shapes. Packaging is varied but the gaping admira on of the audience therein. product remains the same. Some snobs will camouflage their propensity to look down upon others in a perfec onist - Designers, make - up ar sts, brands, exo c travel des na ons, apologe c stance. Let me expand. 'S' being the snob and 'M' situa on. This pandemic has taught the majority of the people new ways your pictures on insta and , there are so many layers to this being me or any other random person walking in my shoes, that Consumers world over are finding it difficult to adapt to this to shop, work, grow, buy, and connect socially, besides is the shoes of a regular person who keeps his nose in his own one up syndrome. It takes the form of body shaming or could be your child's grades in the war of As and A*s or even the sector new normal. Some of the trends, impinging upon market affec ng an overall improvement in personal lives. business and finds all other noses there to be obtrusive and shares of major retailers are: decrease in consumer op mism, counterproduc ve. you live in. A whole culture that promotes and rewards a tudes of supremacy and demeans lack, dearth or difference is a culture as consumers in most countries believe that Covid-19 will The demand for the retailer has increased manifolds in the that needs to change. Now! con nue to affect their rou nes for a longer period of me; context of changing consumer behaviour and new economic ‘S': ' I wish I was not like this. I mean why do I always see these drop in spending on discre onary items, such as high-end reali es. New brands backed up by dynamic business plans are mistakes in your work? Why can't I be like you all and just skim apparel, because of decreased economic ac vi es resul ng in in calling to weather the crisis or to avoid ex nc on. over stuff? Why oh why...?! ‘ The writer is a teacher and a writer. She has wri en columns for English dailies such as 'The Na on' and 'The Fron er Post – truncated cash flows. Though consumers are pulling back Lahore from spending on high-end products, an increasing trend is The writer is a Digital Marke ng Execu ve from London and 'M': ( Of course there is nothing to say when you are the observed in spending on categories like restaurants or items a MBA graduate from the London College of Fashion (LCF). perpetrator of all those pesky li le mistakes and the fact that 'S' used in the maintenance of restaurants, such as vacuum Her previous experience includes Luxury Retail and has no inten on whatsoever of being like you or anyone like you cleaners, crockery, etc. It is so because consumers are willing Professional Services. is very clear.)
34 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 35 Lifestyle Lifestyle
Airline employees coping with inevitability Major General Nigar Johar First Female Lieutenant General of Pakistan Army Rafiq Jan On 9 Feb 2017, Johar was among the 37 brigadiers COVID-19 has affected each one of us in a different way. As the who were elevated to the position of major general. lockdown con nues to stem the spread of the virus, the layoff Endorsement for her promotions was given at an is becoming a common prac ce. Though most of the industry Army Selection Board meeting which was managed and businesses are enduring serious hits, some, such as the tourism and the avia on sector have been hit the hardest, with by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. the laying off staff in droves to manage opera ng costs and She served in as Vice Principal of Army Medical financial crunch. College. At present she is commandant of Pak- Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi. A peek into the illustrious past Airlines jobs had tradi onally remained unaffected during The major general was born in Panjpir village in Swabi global economic downturns and terror a acks in the past two decades. Plane manufacturers thrived and airlines grew by district to a Pashtun family. She is the daughter of Col leaps and bounds, offering state of the art luxuries onboard to Qadir, who served in the Inter-Services Intelligence premium customers. Airline employees, too, made the hay (ISI). According to her,Johar's father was her from the windfalls to a ain the much-coveted privileges that inspiration and the man behind her success. She lost United Airlines has also announced to cut down 3,400 people in other professions envied. In short, a job in the her parents in a car accident when she was very avia on sector was a dream come true for those longing to management jobs by September, that makes 30% of its white- enjoy a wide range of privileges apart from ge ng he y pay collar workforce. young, but with her strong will-power and utmost cheques. courage she managed to achieve the unachievable. According to IATA's forecast 11 million avia on-related jobs All that has changed because of the COVID-19 induced would be lost only in the Asia-pacific region, of this 1,28,000 During her journey towards success, she also faced inflic ons. Planes are being re red ahead of the original plan, will be from New Zealand only. many problems and struggles, gender discrimination and airline authori es are drawing redundancy plans to lay off was one of them but once she was recognized for her a significant number of employees. Lu hansa AG, the German Avia on giant, has decided to terminate 22,000 employees across the group, a er a bid to resilience and work she excelled in, she became the According to IATA chief economist, the airline industry will face declare insolvency. most respected woman. a projected loss of $100 billion in 2021 because of slow recovery and the 2020 accumulated loss of $85 billion. Implosion of leadership “I have always focused on my work in order to Ironically, no business owner—small or big, CEO of fortune-5 succeed. I have worked with male colleagues and not Debts accumulated during the COVID-19 crisis is also going to companies, CEOs of the world's leading airlines and against them. The glass ceiling is pretty high but put enormous financial pressure on airlines, leaving them conglomerates—have come forward to rescue their grasping for cash inflows. Chances are bleak for any fast employees in this unprecedented crisis. Overwhelmed with Major General Nigar Johar is one of the most eminent Pakistani women are getting there, slowly but surely.” recovery because of compe ve cket fares, and social- their crumbing businesses and grappling with the solu on to women in Pakistani military, who became the first distancing that requires fewer passengers onboard. For an stop the cash ou low, businesses are dumping what once female officer to get a command post and in 2017, She has perfectly balanced her professional and average flight to be profitable it must be nearly 75% to 80% full. formed part of the 'most valuable assets,' to keep the ship she became the Army's third female major general domestic life, with support of her spouse, she afloat. Es mated redundancies. who achieved two stars. successfully walks the tightrope between professional and personal life. To survive, airlines are le with no choice but to take the Because of the sheer nature of Coronavirus—unpredictable difficult decision of laying off employees. and enigma c—leaders are losing imagina on to strike a A doctor by profession, she belongs to the Army breakthrough. The truth is that no one was prepared to handle Medical Corps. In 2015, she was highlighted in an “A successful woman aknows how to maintain a The Emirates Airline of the UAE has started execu ng the first a crisis of this magnitude. What ini ally was perceived a p of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) video honouring balance in her work and home.” said Johar. phase of its staff redundancy plan. It has laid off over 700 pilots the iceberg, has turned out to be a catastrophic avalanche. women in the Pakistan military. At the time, she was and almost 7,000 cabin crew. Engineers approaching the age of the agent commandant of Combined Military She gives a message of empowerment to women that 60 are being given early re rement, whereas 600 other No doubt, leadership will have to be redefined and remapped Hospital (CMH), Rawalpindi. engineers and technicians are in the termina on queue. once the crisis is over. It is unfortunate that those who used to “Have faith and trust in Allah. Educate yourself today People employed in managerial and administra ve posi ons talk about suppor ng their employees through thick and thin to avoid being left behind tomorrow. Work for your await a similar treatment. are unable to even give them a safe passage. "Pakistan is my nation and I was brought into the purpose and dream. Working hard with positivity and world here. I was raised here and I think there is no commitment makes your work, your passion. An Qatar Airways CEO says, "we have to make substan al Bo om line match to Pakistan to anyplace on the planet," says empowered woman needs to empower other redundancies in our headcounts in light of falling air travel My heart goes out to those made redundant during the crisis. Johar. women.” demands”. The airline is ready to layoff pilots and a majority of We all must face this inevitability with grace and look forward the cabin crew. Those spared of a layoff would have to face a to a successful rebound of the avia on industry that we all 25% pay cut and reduc on in allowances. Nearly every fondly cherish. "Think about all the Muslim nations; think about Major General Nigar Johar is promoted as department of the Qatar airways is looking to have a lean every one of those creating countries. This is the main Lieutenant General on 30th June 2020, the first employees' rostrum and a substan al saving from pay cuts of The author Rafiq Jan is an experienced Avia on analyst, nation which has had female general officials. female officer to be promoted as Lt General and those retained. current affairs blogger and a freelance writer. Nobody else," she included. the first female Surgeon General of Pakistan Army.
36 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 37 Lifestyle
Iconic Sabiha Khanum no more (1935 - 2020)
Aijaz Gul
A chapter of Pakistani cinema came to an end with the passing haee' cham cham key" was filmed on her and new face Seema. of Sabiha Khanum in the United States on June 13, 2020. Sabiha Khanum was fortunate as some of the best melodies from fi ies and six es were filmed on her. The singers who gave their beau ful voices in playback included lqbal Bano , Munawar Sultana, Zubaida Khanum, Kausar Parveen and above all, Noorjehan. Some of these unforge able songs included: 'Ulfat ki nai manzil ko challa', 'Wasta ae rab da', 'Sitaro tum to so jao," 'Gai gey duniya geet merey',,'La uljhi', 'Dil-a -tehar ja, and 'Na chura sako gey daman'. This must also be credited to combined talent of singers, composers and lyricists. Finally it was Sabiha and respec ve film directors who gave their best to turn it into immortal saga. In the late-six es, Shamim Ara, Nayyar Sultana, Zeba and the rest became notable faces. Sabiha and Santosh Kumar decided to take the backseat as suppor ng players. As the luck would have it, their popularity was not any less with this change in
Earlier named as Mukhtar Begum, she spent her childhood in rural Punjab. The family later moved to Lahore. She first appeared on stage. She later opted for big screen. Her first film was 'Beli' in 1950 with Santosh Kumar as second heroine. Director Anwar Kemal Pasha would be credited for bringing out her talent : 'Ghulam' (1953), 'Gumnam' (1954),'Qa l' (1955) and 'Sarfarosh' (1956). Most of of her films carried Santosh Kumar as leading hero. Reel life turned into real life when she got married to Santosh Kumar ( Santosh Kumar's was already married to Jamila Begum, a housewife). Sabiha
films like 'Shikwa', 'Kaneez', 'Sawal', 'Devar Bhabi' and 'Anjuman'. 1975 saw director Hassan Tariq cas ng Sabiha as "Madame" in his film 'Eik Gunah Aur Sahi' with basic plot idea from Manto where Madame helps and supports fallen women, This was a challenging role for Sabiha now in her for es. Eik Gunah Aur Sahi won her many awards both here and abroad. Sabiha was now seen on screen as grandmother . She also appeared on TV and sang na onal songs:"Sohni dhar " and Jug jug jeeye". S ll later when children le for the United states, she joined them. Santosh Kumar always remained close to her . she was reminiscent. “We not only liked each other but had mutual respect” .
Sabiha Khanum went through hardships all her life . And when the me came to leave, she quietly passed away, leaving her precious cinema images behind .
Notable Films and Awards include Gumnam-1954, Sassi-1954, Qa l-1955, Saat Lakh-1955 (Nigar Award), Hameeda-1956, and Jamila Begum remained separate but cordial. Sabiha and Sarfrosh-1956, Ishq-e-Laila-1957, Mukhra-1958, Naji-1959, Santosh established themselves as leading pair on screen from Mosiqar-1962, Daaman1963, Shikwa-1963 (Nigar Award), fi ies into the seven es . No other pair carried that kind of Kaneez-1965, Sawal-1966, Dewar Bhabi-1967 (Nigar Award), screen magic. Sabiha also tried as producer in successful Sangdil-1981(Nigar Award), Eik Gunah Aur Sahi-1975(Nigar Punjabi film 'Naji' (1959) where she was seen as mentally Award) . retarded. She successfully replayed her earlier role from Gumnam. Sudhir played the male lead but not against her. The writer is FilmCri c/Media/Writer/PNCA/LokVirsa, Sabhia had a tragic character where her man (not seen on the Member FIPRESCI/NETPAC and teacher@RIPHAH screen) had gone to the ba le ground, never to return home again. Famous number rendered by Iqbal Bano " Pyal mey geet
38 Issue 14, July 2020 Lifestyle You can take a towel or you can take, these manipulators for working and doing deep ssue massage on your body- these Top 10 an -aging secrets all women must know rollers- and you s ck it underneath the upper part of your back and you want it to protrude your chest. Your head stays down on the ground and that's immediately stretching out your back. It's also allowing that neck to curve back into straighten out Today we are sharing with our readers especially women about ten ways to look ten years younger than your actual age. Let us that spine. And then by pu ng the arms out to the side, what also share that these are all natural ways and wont cost a dime. you're doing is you're opening up the pectoral muscles and you're allowing because when we do this, our pectoral muscles The ques on however is, do you aspire to look young and fresh and if yes, do you have a strong will to do that? We believe that ghten by opening up, by stretching back this way, we are now when it comes to look 10 years younger, it just might be! opening and stretching up the muscles, which allows us to stand up straighter and put our chest out. The ideas we are sharing are so simple in fact, that you really don't need to do much effort. We are being honest with you. But when you take them and you put them all together, they have an amazing impact. You do these every once in a while. Yeah, sure. It So, again, if you can do this exercise for five to 10 minutes a day, can help you do all this together. It won't only cut your age down substan ally but will also make you feel young, too. So are you firmly believe in a good night's rest. Sleep is your best friend just laying down on your back and having your back protruding ready to read what these top ten things are? when it comes to looking and feeling youthful. Sleep is the and your arms out and stretching your pectoral muscles, it'll most restora ve way to hold on to your beauty, which is why make a huge difference in your spine and how you are they call it beauty sleep, by the way. standing. Personal Style: Makeup: First and foremost, we're going to start with personal style. And The next thing is makeup. And this really is an overall Exercise: let's start with the hair. Why not? One way to quickly cut off technique. As women mature, it is be er to go lighter than Next on the list, is exercise. Honestly, when you treat your body years is to add some layers to your hair. A perfect prime heavier. And when we say lighter, we don't necessarily mean like a temple and you take care of yourself and you invest in it, example of this is Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston. the applica on because you can s ll use a lot of product, but it's amazing what it gives back to you. And it will give back youth and a feeling of vitality by taking care of your body.
Invest me to do exercise, whether it's a combina on of cardio and weight bearing exercise. As we mature, we need to do weight bearing exercise because we lose muscle mass. So we've got to maintain and build what it is that we have and what we're losing. And, there is nothing sexier than a mature woman with nicely defined muscles. So treat your body right. Make sure you're ge ng enough exercise to maintain your youthful look. Lose Weight If You are Overweight: There is no greater way to shed years than by shedding pounds. So if you're struggling with that last five pounds and if it's driving you crazy, do your best. Be mindful of it. Come up with a game plan.
Experts believe that ea ng is 90 percent of the ba le. If we can tweak our diets to where we are, spot on. It's amazing how quickly the weight peels off, especially if we're pairing it with exercise.
A rule of thumb for many is to eliminate the whites. So there's no flour, there's no sugar, no pasta, no bread and no dairy. By doing this, you are gravita ng more toward lean protein and Posture: produce. So if your diet can consist of lean meats, whether it's The next one is very important and it is posture. There is grilled chicken, breast, turkey, fish, whatever type of protein nothing that can age just more than how we carry ourselves. you like or if you're vegan, you can do tofu, lots of vegetables And because of our lifestyles, we are mostly behind desks and and a li le fruit. computers. If we work and even if we don't work, we like to get Her hairstyle is impeccable for her. And as you can clearly see, it's the way you apply and it's also the colors that you choose. behind our computer or do social media, check e-mail. And so she's got quite a few layers around her face. They really so en Here's a prime example. Just so ening things up. A light smoky what happens? We start to hunch over and our shoulders cave the facial features. eye, a very light natural lip, really, really can be an -aging. in, our neck comes forward. Our chin protrudes and we are no longer standing up as we were meant to. Bringing the hair up shoulder length and above adds a lot of Some mes harsh colors, reds especially while trendy, can add bounce and li . And that's exactly what we need as we age age. So, again, it really depends on your facial features and Remember, when you stand up tall, first of all, it immediately because things tend to pull down and sag. So we want our hair coloring as to whether you can go bold or not. But we believe as elongates you and makes you look thinner than you already to at least offer a li and to bring things up instead of drag them me goes by, the so er the pale e, the more pleasing it is on are. But it also gives you height. And when you carry yourself in down. The right haircut is an instant faceli . So we again the eye and the more youthful it is as well. a very straight way, it's very youthful. Think about our children. encourage you to consider some so layers and bring the hair They're not bent over yet. Considering how much social media and device manipula on they do. So keep that in mind. length up a li le bit. You'd be amazed at how that can really A Good Night's Rest: shave some years off. The next thing on the list, and it's high up there because we
40 Issue 14, July 2020 Issue 14, July 2020 41 Be wary because fruit is high in sugar as well. So the lower sugar that can transcend into adulthood and beyond. S ll look hip fruit like berries are great and they're full of an oxidants and and chic and sophis cated at the same me. But I think it's nuts because you need healthy fats. So nuts and avocado and great. It's showing that you're aware of the trends. coconut oil, these things are a great way to cook. You'd be amazed at how quickly your body will change if you adhere to a But it's really good to sort of break outside the box if you feel food plan like that. like you're in a rut with your a re and your a re is making you look old. Then try to find a trend. Hydrate & Exfoliate: We all know that it's really Connect With God: important to drink a lot of It will shi your mindset to where you want it to be. It gets you water and hydrate your to a place of op mism, to a place of hope, to a place of being in body so that you don't get control and in charge of your life, but also giving certain things dehydrated. And then to up to God because we are not in control of everything. And exfoliate your skin and certainly He asks that we do our part, but we have to invite him hydrate as well. and welcome him to do his as well. When your spiritual connec on is ght and prac ced, it puts you in a be er Exfolia ng, will get rid of the mindset. And that mindset brings joy and therefore youth. outer layer of dead skin cells. So when you exfoliate with a good strong scrub and then you put a moisturizer on, your skin feels baby smooth. And then when you apply your makeup on top of that, your makeup sets be er. So it's an instant way to give your skin a quick natural glow, a very youthful glow. And it's healthy at the same me.
Fashion Choice: To be youthful looking and to lose 10 years, get yourself a bomber jacket. Our daughters love bombers. And we do, too. It's a trendy, youthful, but yet it is one of those youthful trends
Nurture Your Rela onships: Again, it es into joy, because when we're spending me with those that we love, we feel so good. It's so amazing that when we reconnect with family and friends, it's as if me stands s ll. It's so great because the laughter, the joy and the memories really, really brings up something incredibly powerful on the inside. We firmly believe in the rela onships and the joy that comes from those to fuel us and to bring us that connec vity that we need in life. And that is such an important part of our health, our wellness, our happiness, and therefore our looks.
CONTACT US:
So there you go, the top 10 natural ways of looking 10 years 0332-622 6661 younger. ignitewifi[email protected] facebook.com/IgniteWiFi
42 Issue 14, July 2020 www.ignitewifi.pk