US getting in bed with Pak strategic mistake: Ex-diplomat calls ties 'short term'
Speaking on US President Donald Trump's decision to impose 50 per cent tariffs on India, Swarup said, "If you cave in to a bully, then the bully will increase his demands. Then there will be even more demands. So, I think we have done the right thing. India is too large, too proud a country to become a camp follower of any other country.""Our strategic autonomy has been the bedrock of our foreign policy right from the 1950s. I don't think that any government in Delhi can compromise on that," says former diplomat Vikas Swarup on the tariff rift between India and the US," he added.Commenting on ceasefire claims made by the US President, he said that Trump has now made the role of a 'peacemaker' his USP and thinks the biggest conflict he has mediated in is the India and the Pakistan conflict, as both countries are nuclear powers."Trump is a dealmaker and he has now made it his USP that he is the peacemaker. Look at the number of conflict situations that he has mediated in, whether it is Thailand and Combodia, Rawanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Armenia and Azerbaijan; he has injected himself into each of those. He feels that the biggest one of these was the India and Pakistan one because these two are nuclear powers," said Swarup.According to the former Indian Ambassador to Canada, "Trump feels that he deserves credit for this and he has made no secret of his longing for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is hoping that if he can not get it for this, he hopes that bringing about a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine might be his ticket to the Nobel Peace Prize."advertisementHe said that by imposing high tariffs, the US has become the tariff king in the world with an average tariff of 18.4 per cent."The US used to call India the tariff king. But now, with an average tariff of 18.4 per cent, it is now the tariff king of the world. But the fact is, tariffs bring in money. They will bring in about 100 billion dollars a year for the US. But the issue is that, eventually, who will pay for these tariffs? It will be the American consumers," he said, adding that this is going to increase inflation in the US with products becoming costlier.Talking about India keeping the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, Swarup said that Pakistan has been rattled by India's decision to suspend the treaty as it is heavily dependent on the waters of those rivers."What he (Asim Munir) always tries to stoke is the fear of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan, because Pakistan always wants external mediation. They are deliberately provoking nuclear blackmail just so that they can attract the attention of the world," he said.- EndsWith inputs from ANI
advertisement
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Keep alive ideals for which countless lives were given
As we gather once more under the fluttering Tricolour, my heart is filled with both pride and humility. Seventy-eight years ago, our beloved nation broke free from the shackles of colonial subjugation and feudal exploitation. That victory was not merely the transfer of power, it was the awakening of a people, long suppressed, who dared to dream of dignity, equality, and self-governance. Independence did not come to us as a gift, it was wrested through generations of sacrifice by the fearless revolutionaries who challenged imperial might, by the progressive thinkers who dismantled the walls of ignorance and superstition, and by the rationalists who lit the torch of reason and modernity. They imagined an India where justice would not be a privilege but a birthright, where opportunity would not be reserved for the few but extended to every citizen. This day is not only a commemoration of our political liberation, it is a reminder of the unfinished journey towards deeper, truer Independence. True freedom is realised when no child is denied education, when no family sleeps hungry, when the farmer's toil is honoured with fair reward, when women walk without fear, and when every Indian, regardless of caste, creed, gender, or region, has the ability to dream and the means to achieve. It was with this vision that the architects of modern India gave us a Constitution rooted in liberty, equality, fraternity, and justice. These values are not mere words on parchment, they are the living promises we must uphold, protect, and renew with every generation. In an age of rapid technological transformation, we must also nurture the scientific temper our freedom fighters cherished, ensuring that progress serves humanity and strengthens the bonds of our unity. In Karnataka, we have sought to carry forward that mission of true independence through our transformative Guarantee Schemes. By ensuring food security, financial support for women, free bus travel for our sisters, uninterrupted electricity for homes, and direct assistance for youth, we are removing the everyday barriers that prevent people from realising their aspirations. Economic hardship, social discrimination, and identity-based exclusion must never be chains that bind our people. Our goal is to create a society where every citizen, irrespective of their birth, background, or beliefs, can walk forward with confidence, dignity, and equal opportunity. Independence Day must inspire in us not complacency, but commitment and a resolve to confront inequality, to heal divisions, and to build an India where prosperity is shared, the environment is cherished, and every voice is heard. The task before us is immense, but so is the strength of our people. On this sacred day, I extend my warmest greetings to the people of Karnataka and to the team at The Hindu, whose service in upholding democratic discourse and the spirit of inquiry honours the legacy of our freedom struggle. We should pledge to keep alive the ideals for which countless lives were given, and to pass on to future generations a nation more just, more compassionate, and more vibrant than the one we inherited. Jai Hind. Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
The Hindu
19 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Many languages, one India
78 Years of Freedom Linguistic diversity and multilingual ethos are among the fundamental characteristics of India. This feature is nothing new to the country, as, even in the olden times, the territory, encompassing the present India, was home to several languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali, Prakrit, and Persian, apart from being open to positive influence of many foreign languages. It is quite evident that the country has been having a long and healthy tradition of multilingualism in contrast to the unilingual identity which once shaped the European model of nation-state. Being home to five language families (Indo-European [Aryan, Iranian & Germanic], Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burmese and Semito-Hamitic), India had, by the end of 19th century, 179 languages and 544 dialects, according to Sir George Grierson's Linguistic Survey of India (1903-1923). A document of the Centre's Education Department, citing a 1989 publication, states that 'there are at least 50 Indian languages in which writing and publishing are done in substantial quantity.' The 2011 Census, the last such exercise, assigns 22 scheduled languages, meaning that they figure in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, and 99 non-scheduled languages to the five language families. These 121 languages and 270 mother tongues are grouped under different languages as per the Census. Indian literature is a testimony to the country's rich heritage, intellectual, social, historical and cultural. It has also contributed to continuity of the social value system of the people, while keeping in tune with changes that sweep the world. The Sahitya Akademi, India's national academy of letters, preserves and promotes literature in 24 languages, including English. Literary traditions of the different languages are strong and healthy, highlighting the idea of oneness. Backdoor entry Given this backdrop, any attempt by those in power to force a monoculture or monolingualism, overtly or covertly, would not find takers. It is this factor that operates behind fears and concerns of people in the southern region of the country that their language or culture might get subsumed in the pursuit of any political project towards uniformity. The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, despite clearly avoiding the aspect of mandatory Hindi learning unlike in the previous two policy documents of 1968 and 1986, is still viewed by sections of society in the South as one that seeks to facilitate the backdoor entry of Hindi, as it also subscribes to the three-language formula in school education. In fact, the recent controversy in Maharashtra over making the learning of Hindi mandatory as the third language in the primary classes (Grade 1 to 5) of all English and Marathi medium schools following the State Board stream and the subsequent withdrawal of the move has added to the apprehensions regarding the issue of Hindi imposition. Though political considerations outweighed other reasons for the Maharashtra government's decision to retract its decision, the outburst of opposition in the western State — its capital, Mumbai, is the nerve centre of Hindi cinema — has only highlighted the delicate social equilibrium with regard to the language question. As a matter of policy, Tamil Nadu is the only southern State that has been opposing the three-language formula. Its stand on the issue —continued opposition to the formula that has been stipulated under the NEP, 2020 — is costing the State quite substantially even in monetary terms, as the BJP-led Union government has not released to the DMK-ruled State about ₹2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme (SSS) which includes the Centre's share towards the Right to Education (RTE) component. Despite differing with Tamil Nadu on the formula issue, Kerala, where the LDF regime is in power for the 10th successive year, is, however, opposed to the imposition of Hindi. Even as high-profile representatives of the Central government continue to assure non-Hindi speakers that there will not be imposition, the suspicion arises in the minds of the latter because they use every opportunity not only to project themselves as custodians of the Hindi language but also to run down Western (English) education. There is nothing wrong in making efforts to provide the medium of instruction in the mother tongue of students and getting educational materials written in such languages, but, in the name of any such work, there is no need to demonstrate aversion towards English, whose value as a language has much wider connotations than any other Indian language. Give and take In fact, this principle — no aversion towards any language — holds good for those who complain about Hindi imposition, as some of them do exhibit opposition to Hindi and Sanskrit on the ground that the two languages represent the 'cultural hegemony' of North India. What should not be forgotten is that every language, including those in the Dravidian family, benefits by having constant interactions with one another, apart from influencing one another. In this regard, various forms of fine arts and writing in each language have displayed how they absorb, assimilate and embellish themselves by observing the works of other languages. Indian cinema is one such platform where cross-pollination happens frequently. Ideally, the mother tongue should be the medium of instruction at least in primary education. But, over the years, lack of importance to language studies in schools has produced at least one generation of parents whose knowledge of their mother tongue itself is not sound. Moreover, the policy of making the learning of local language mandatory in some States, including Tamil Nadu and Telangana, up to Grade 10 in all schools, regardless of the stream, creates difficulties for students, whose parents migrate to such States when their children are midway through school education. Under such circumstances, the State governments and school managements need to be flexible, considerate and imaginative in permitting students to continue their studies in the English medium of instruction. No language is a divisive tool. This has to be kept in mind by everyone who should have respect for all other languages, while being conscious of the greatness of their mother tongue. It is time to put an end to weaponising language for political pursuits and the governments, both at the Centre and in States, should take meaningful steps to promote and preserve the Indian languages.
News18
19 minutes ago
- News18
Trump Says Putin Ready To Make Deal On Ukraine, US Hopes To Include Zelensky US News
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Friday's summit in the US state of Alaska with contrasting priorities as they prepare for talks on ending Russia's war in has been consistent on his desire to win Ukrainian territory, while Trump has made no secret of his desire to act as a global both men may also sense other opportunities, such as diplomatic rehabilitation on the world stage on the part of Putin. Second-guessing Trump's aims is harder, as he has recently made vacillating statements about his Russian counterpart. News18 Mobile App -
