WORLD

New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) The conflict between the United States and Iran has triggered a severe energy price shock through Pakistan’s economy which is in dire straits with rising inflation, dwindling foreign exchange reserves and a fast depreciating currency.

According to an article in India Narrative, this is not merely a transient shock for Pakistan, one of South Asia’s most fragile states, but a structural blow to the economy. It points out that Pakistan is the “primary casualty” in the subcontinent of the US-Iran war.

The article highlights that Pakistan’s weekly petroleum import bill has surged 167 percent, from $300 million to $800 million, as the benchmark Brent crude surpassed $112 per barrel with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz driving freight costs and insurance premiums to historic highs.

It observes that the energy shock transmits across Pakistan’s macroeconomy leading to “accelerating inflation, current account deterioration, foreign exchange reserve depletion, currency depreciation, and a growing logistics crisis at Karachi port.”

The article observes that in April 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed publicly that Pakistan’s weekly petroleum import bill had risen from $300 million to $800 million — an increase of 167 per cent within. This works out to an annual additional burden of around $26 billion, a figure that nearly matches Pakistan’s entire FY2025 merchandise export earnings of $29.8 billion. The country is, in effect, generating an import liability equal to its entire export sector — in a single commodity category — during a period of acute reserve stress.

“Pakistan’s incremental annual oil burden now approaches its total export earnings. This is not a price adjustment — it is a stress event of structural proportions, exposing vulnerabilities that predate the current crisis by decades,” the article observes.

It highlights that 85 to 90 per cent of Pakistan’s petroleum requirements are met through imports, predominantly from Gulf states whose export logistics depend entirely on unimpeded Hormuz transit. The country has no comparable alternative supply option and no functioning strategic petroleum reserve.

This structural dependence generates what economists term a high pass-through environment: international oil price increases transmit rapidly and comprehensively into domestic fuel prices, transport costs, electricity tariffs, and consumer prices. The IMF estimates Pakistan’s CPI elasticity to oil at 0.4–0.6 per cent per 10 per cent price increase — among the highest in South Asia, the article added.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned the attack on the UAE’s Fujairah that resulted in injuries to three Indian nationals and termed the targeting of civilians and infrastructure “unacceptable.”

PM Modi expressed India’s solidarity with the UAE and reiterated support for the peaceful resolution of all issues through dialogue and diplomacy.

“Strongly condemn the attacks on the UAE that resulted in injuries to three Indian nationals. Targeting civilians and infrastructure is unacceptable. India stands in firm solidarity with the UAE and reiterates its support for the peaceful resolution of all issues through dialogue and diplomacy. Ensuring safe and unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz is vital for enduring regional peace, stability and global energy security,” PM Modi posted on X.

PM Modi’s statement comes as three Indian nationals were injured in attacks in Fujairah on Monday (local time). The UAE held Iran responsible for these attacks.

Earlier on Monday, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said that it is in touch with local authorities to ensure adequate medical care and welfare of the affected Indian nationals.

“Three Indian nationals have been injured in today’s attacks in Fujairah. We are in touch with local authorities for ensuring adequate medical care and welfare of the affected Indian nationals,” the Embassy stated.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “renewed unprovoked Iranian aggression” using missiles and drones. It also confirmed that three Indian nationals were injured due to the results of Iran’s attack on civilian sites and facilities.

The Ministry called the actions of Iran an “unacceptable act of aggression” and a “direct threat to the UAE’s security, stability and territorial integrity.”

It said the attacks are in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

The Ministry emphasised that the UAE would not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances, adding that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond to these unprovoked attacks in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, in accordance with international law”.

It stressed the need to immediately halt these attacks and ensure full compliance with the cessation of all hostilities.

“The UAE holds Iran fully responsible for these unprovoked attacks and their repercussions,” the statement said.

–IANS

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Gaza, May 5 (IANS) Humanitarians are warning of the lack of prosthetic and rehabilitation care in Gaza for amputees, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said.

The OCHA on Monday (local time) said its partners reported that more than 6,600 amputees, one in five a child, need prosthetic and rehabilitation care, including thousands newly amputated since October 2023. Yet only eight prosthetic technicians are available to respond.

“With severe shortages of specialists and restricted entry of prosthetic materials, it could take five years or more to meet today’s needs, assuming no further amputations occur,” OCHA said, quoting its partners. “International prosthetic technicians are urgently needed, as is the expansion of workshop capacity and the unimpeded entry of prosthetic materials, which remain restricted by the Israeli authorities.”

In a post on X over the weekend, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said that the humanitarian community continues to work to help Palestinians in Gaza. The work has saved lives, averted famine and restored essential services, reports Xinhua news agency.

He said there was much more to do, including sustained access, protection of civilians, neutrality and partnership.

The UN relief chief said the world body’s humanitarian partners delivered tents, sealing-off materials, bedding, and other supplies to nearly 4,500 households.

Fletcher said some improved emergency shelters in Khan Younis “are made from available materials such as plastic sheets” to provide displaced families with immediate solutions and can be upgraded as soon as restricted materials are allowed entry.

“Health partners report concerns about skin diseases and other medical issues linked to the presence of pests and rodents,” he added.

–IANS

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Kingston, May 5 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has emphasised that development cooperation remains central to the India-Jamaica relationship, with both sides exploring new avenues to deepen bilateral engagement.

Addressing a press conference following his meeting with Jamaican counterpart Kamina J. Smith on Monday (local time), EAM Jaishankar said, “Our talks today were comprehensive and very substantive, and we reviewed the entire gamut of India-Jamaica relations. We identified new avenues for further strengthening our partnership.”

He said that both the nations have signed several agreements and discussed “effective implementations” of MOUs, which were recently concluded across the fields of digital transformation, cultural exchange, sports, and digital payments, “to ensure tangible outcomes on the ground”.

Stressing that “development cooperation remains a very important pillar of our co-partnership”, the EAM welcomed the successful completion and handover of the Improving Rural Livelihoods project in Kingston Town in March. The project was supported by India with US$1 million under the India-UN Development Partnership Fund through the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

“The project has directly benefited over 200 individuals and has a wider positive impact on thousands in the Kingston Town community,” he noted.

EAM Jaishankar stressed that both sides explored the feasibility of the establishment of an artisan empowerment hub for Jamaica as part of New Delhi’s commitment under the India-CARICOM Development Partnership.

He also expressed satisfaction with India’s role in supporting Jamaica’s recovery and reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Melissa last year.

Highlighting health initiatives by India, the EAM said, “There was a symbolic handing over of what was one of the consignments of 10 BHISHM Cubes. We are also in the process of supplying 30 dialysis units to strengthen the health infrastructure in Jamaica. This is in continuation of the earlier humanitarian assistance provided in the aftermath of the hurricane, where over twenty tonnes of relief material were delivered through an Indian Air Force plane.”

“We deployed a medical team to build local capacities. And these efforts reflect our commitment as a reliable development partner for disaster response. We have been discussing expanding our cooperation in several areas of mutual interest, particularly defence and security, healthcare, digitisation, agriculture, education, and infrastructure,” he added.

EAM Jaishankar stated that his discussions with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness covered key regional and global developments, with both sides reaffirming close cooperation in multilateral fora, particularly on reformed multilateralism and priorities of the Global South.

While concluding, he expressed confidence that the outcome of the discussions would contribute to a stronger, more dynamic, beneficial, and trust-based partnership.

–IANS

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New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) India on Tuesday condemned the attacks on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in which three Indian nationals were injured and called for the immediate cessation of the hostilities and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Three Indian nationals were injured in attacks in Fujairah on Monday (local time). The UAE held Iran responsible for these attacks.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The attack on Fujairah that resulted in injury to three Indian nationals is unacceptable. We call for immediate cessation of these hostilities and the targeting of civilian infrastructure and innocent civilians.”

It further stated that India “continues to stand for dialogue and diplomacy” to deal with the situation in the Gulf, so that “peace and stability may be restored across West Asia”.

“We also call for free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the Strait of Hormuz in keeping with international law. India stands ready to support all efforts for a peaceful resolution of issues,” the MEA added.

Earlier on Monday, the Indian Embassy in the UAE said that it is in touch with local authorities to ensure adequate medical care and welfare of the affected Indian nationals.

“Three Indian nationals have been injured in today’s attacks in Fujairah. We are in touch with local authorities for ensuring adequate medical care and welfare of the affected Indian nationals,” the Embassy added.

Meanwhile, the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “renewed unprovoked Iranian aggression” using missiles and drones. It also confirmed that three Indian nationals were injured due to the results of Iran’s attack on civilian sites and facilities.

The Ministry called the actions of Iran an “unacceptable act of aggression” and a “direct threat to the UAE’s security, stability and territorial integrity”.

It said the attacks are in violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations.

The Ministry emphasised that the UAE would not tolerate any threat to its security and sovereignty under any circumstances, adding that the country “reserves its full and legitimate right to respond to these unprovoked attacks in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, in accordance with international law”.

It stressed the need to immediately halt these attacks and ensure full compliance with the cessation of all hostilities.

“The UAE holds Iran fully responsible for these unprovoked attacks and their repercussions,” the statement said.

–IANS

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New York, May 5 (IANS) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that the global economy would face a “much worse outcome” if the Middle East war drags on into 2027, with oil prices hitting around 125 dollars per barrel.

“We are going to see inflation climbing up, and then inevitably, inflation expectations would start de-anchoring,” she said at a conference hosted by the Milken Institute in Washington, D.C., on Monday (local time).

She noted that current conditions, including a prolonged conflict, oil prices hovering at or above 100 US dollars per barrel, and mounting inflationary pressures, have already activated the IMF’s “adverse scenario,” reports Xinhua news agency.

In April, the IMF issued three scenarios for global GDP growth in 2026 and 2027, namely the main “reference forecast,” a middle “adverse scenario,” and a much worse “severe scenario.”

Under the adverse scenario, global growth would slow to 2.5 per cent in 2026, while inflation would rise to 5.4 per cent.

The reference scenario, which assumes a short-lived conflict, projects growth of 3.1 per cent and inflation of 4.4 per cent.

“This scenario, with every day that passes, is further and further behind in the rear-view mirror,” Georgieva said.

For the severe scenario forecast, global growth would be just 2 per cent, with inflation hitting 5.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, global crude oil prices declined almost 3 per cent on Monday after US President Donald Trump said Washington would take steps to help clear vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, though the lack of a breakthrough in US-Iran talks kept prices above the $100-mark.

International benchmark Brent crude slipped 66 cents or 0.61 per cent to $107.51 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell $2.83 or 2.77 per cent to $99.11 a barrel.

–IANS

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Tokyo, May 5 (IANS) The population of children under the age of 15 in Japan has shrunk to an estimated 13.29 million as of April 1, down by 350,000 from the previous year, hitting a record low, according to government data.

The data was released on Monday, a day before Japan’s national Children’s Day.

The decline has continued for a 45th consecutive year despite the Japanese government’s efforts to tackle the falling birthrate, including expanded financial support for child-rearing households, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ratio of children under 15 in the total population fell by 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier to 10.8 per cent, also the lowest since comparable data became available in 1950, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

The figures, including foreign residents, were calculated based on population estimates derived from a national census conducted every five years.

By gender, there were 6.81 million boys and 6.48 million girls, according to the data.

By age, 3.09 million children were 12 to 14, compared with 2.13 million aged 0 to 2, suggesting a continuing decline in births.

The number of children born in Japan in 2025, including foreign nationals, dropped to a record low of 705,809, marking the 10th straight year of decrease, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Japan’s child population has been on a downward trend since 1982, following its peak of 29.89 million in 1954. A second baby boom occurred between 1971 and 1974.

According to a United Nations survey conducted at various times, Japan ranks second lowest in the proportion of children among 38 countries with populations of 40 million or more, with South Korea recording the lowest figure at 10.2 per cent.

–IANS

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Tehran, May 5 (IANS) Five civilians were killed in US attacks on cargo boats, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday.

Following the claim by the US military that it had targeted six Iranian speedboats, and given that none of Iran’s combat vessels was hit, local sources were consulted to verify the nature of the incident, according to Xinhua, which quoted the report.

It was determined that US forces had attacked two small civilian cargo boats, which were travelling from Khasab along the Omani coast toward Iran, killing five civilian passengers onboard, it said.

Brad Cooper, chief of US Central Command, said on Monday that the US military had sunk six Iranian small boats in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Iranian boats were struck by US Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, Cooper told a news conference.

Meanwhile, two US Navy destroyers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, US media outlet CBS News reported.

The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, said the report, citing Pentagon officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, on Monday night (local time).

No US warship was struck, though Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them as a sustained barrage, the officials were quoted as saying.

None of the projectiles launched by Iran reached the US vessels, they said, adding that the US military’s assisting efforts, bolstered by air support, successfully intercepted or deterred each incoming threat, reports Xinhua news agency.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday that the Iranians are “more malleable” than they were before.

In a phone interview with Fox News, the president threatened that if Iran targets US ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the Pentagon begins operations to restore commercial shipping transit through the strait, they would be “blown off the face of the Earth.”

However, in another phone interview with ABC News on Monday, Trump stopped short of saying Iran’s Monday attacks had violated the US-Iran ceasefire.

“[It was] not heavy firing,” Trump said, downplaying the attacks.

Brad Cooper, chief of the US Central Command, told reporters earlier on Monday that Iranian forces had launched “multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting.”

US forces have sunk six Iranian small boats targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones, said Cooper.

Iran later rejected the US claims, saying that “no commercial vessels or oil tankers” have transited the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US targets across the region and restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels linked to Israel and the United States.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that ended without a deal.

–IANS

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Washington, May 5 (IANS) Two US Navy destroyers have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Gulf after navigating an Iranian barrage, US media outlet CBS News reported.

The USS Truxtun and USS Mason, supported by Apache helicopters and other aircraft, faced a series of coordinated threats during the passage, said the report, citing Pentagon officials, who spoke under condition of anonymity, on Monday night (local time).

No US warship was struck, though Iran launched small boats, missiles and drones against them as a sustained barrage, the officials were quoted as saying.

None of the projectiles launched by Iran reached the US vessels, they said, adding that the US military’s assisting efforts, bolstered by air support, successfully intercepted or deterred each incoming threat, reports Xinhua news agency.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News on Monday that the Iranians are “more malleable” than they were before.

In a phone interview with Fox News, the president threatened that if Iran targets US ships in the Strait of Hormuz as the Pentagon begins operations to restore commercial shipping transit through the strait, they would be “blown off the face of the Earth.”

However, in another phone interview with ABC News on Monday, Trump stopped short of saying Iran’s Monday attacks had violated the US-Iran ceasefire.

“[It was] not heavy firing,” Trump said, downplaying the attacks.

Brad Cooper, chief of the US Central Command, told reporters earlier on Monday that Iranian forces had launched “multiple cruise missiles, drones, and small boats at ships we are protecting.”

US forces have sunk six Iranian small boats targeting civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones, said Cooper.

Iran later rejected the US claims, saying that “no commercial vessels or oil tankers” have transited the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US targets across the region and restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz for vessels linked to Israel and the United States.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8, followed by talks between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad that ended without a deal.

–IANS

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Seoul/Washington, May 5 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has taken shots at a South Korean cargo ship and other targets, noting that it is time for Seoul to participate in a mission to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Trump made the remarks in a social media post as the United States launched an operation, called Project Freedom, on Monday (local time), to guide commercial vessels stranded by the US-Israeli war against Iran, out of the waterway, a key shipping route for oil, fertiliser and other commodities.

“Iran has taken some shots at unrelated Nations with respect to the Ship Movement, PROJECT FREEDOM, including a South Korean Cargo Ship. Perhaps it’s time for South Korea to come and join the mission!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“We’ve shot down seven small Boats or, as they like to call them, ‘fast’ Boats. It’s all they have left. Other than the South Korean Ship, there has been, at this moment, no damage going through the Strait,” he added.

Trump’s comment came after Seoul’s foreign ministry said that an explosion occurred on a Panama-flagged ship operated by HMM Co., a major South Korean shipping firm, in the Strait of Hormuz, and that the cause of the explosion is under investigation, reports Yonhap news agency.

The ship was anchored in waters near the United Arab Emirates within the strait. It was carrying 24 crew members on board — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No casualties were reported.

Amid Iran’s pushback in the waterway, Trump warned in a phone interview with Fox News that Iranian forces would be “blown off the face of the Earth” should they attempt to target US vessels in the strait. But he still struck a positive note for peace talks with Iran, claiming Iranian negotiators were “far more malleable.”

Trump’s renewed call for South Korea to join the mission in the strait added pressure on the Asian country that relies heavily on the waterway for its energy imports. The strait is responsible for about a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

Last month, the US president pointed out that South Korea was “not helpful” to the US despite America having stationed its troops “in harm’s way” in the Asian country, which he stressed is located “right next to” North Korea’s nuclear forces.

Trump has taken steps against European countries that have shown a lack of support for the Iran war or have not acceded to his calls for naval assistance to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon has announced a plan to withdraw around 5,000 troops from Germany, while Trump said last week that he would raise tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25 per cent from 15 per cent.

The explosion on the Korea-linked vessel came as the US kicked off the new operation to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blocked in the midst of the Middle East war.

During a phone news conference, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said that the US military has destroyed six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones as the operation, Project Freedom, got underway, according to Reuters.

The rise in tensions darkened the prospects for what appears to be a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran.

For the new operation, CENTCOM has said that the US would deploy guided-missile destroyers, more than 100 land and sea-based aircraft, multi-domain unmanned platforms and 15,000 service members.

Under Project Freedom, the US Navy helps commercial ships transit the Strait of Hormuz by advising them on how to avoid mines and being on standby to intervene if Iran launches an attack on them, Axios reported. The U.S. has no current plan for full naval escorts, it added, citing US officials.

CENTCOM wrote on social media earlier in the day that two US-flagged merchant vessels have successfully transited through the strait and are safely headed on their journey.

“US Navy guided-missile destroyers are currently operating in the Arabian Gulf after transiting the Strait of Hormuz in support of Project Freedom,” CENTCOM wrote on X.

–IANS

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SEOUL, May 5 (IANS) A fire that broke out after an explosion aboard a Panama-flagged bulk carrier operated by South Korea’s HMM Co. in the Strait of Hormuz has been extinguished, and no injuries were reported, the company said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred at about 8:40 p.m. Monday (Korean time), while the HMM Namu was anchored in waters off the United Arab Emirates, HMM said. The fire began in the engine room, and crew members used carbon dioxide to fight the blaze for about four hours.

HMM said security camera footage showed the fire had been put out and said it would later inspect the engine room to assess the damage.

The freighter had 24 crew members on board — six South Koreans and 18 foreign nationals. No one was injured, the company said.

The cause of the explosion and fire, as well as the extent of the damage, is currently under investigation.

“It remains unclear whether the incident was caused by an external attack or an internal malfunction,” an HMM official said.

HMM said it plans to tow the freighter to Dubai, a process expected to take several days.

Earlier, the South Korean government said authorities are working to determine the cause of the explosion and fire.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran has taken shots at a South Korean cargo ship and other targets as he called on Seoul to participate in a mission to reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz.

Industry officials said South Korean-operated ships in waters off the UAE were moving toward Qatar in line with government measures to steer clear of the Strait of Hormuz for safety, Yonhap news agency reported.

The incident came after the United States launched an operation, called Project Freedom, this week to guide commercial vessels stranded by the US-Israeli war against Iran out of the waterway.

HMM operates five vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, including one container ship and two oil tankers.

–IANS

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Kingston, May 5 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, who is currently on a visit to Jamaica, held a series of engagements in Kingston with the ministers and business leaders of the Caribbean nation, discussing ways to expand cooperation across various sectors.

He called on Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and held a meeting focusing on the economic and people-to-people cooperation.

“Pleased to call on Prime Minister Andrew Holness in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations,” the EAM said in a post on X.

Additionally, he formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of Jamaican PM Holness, Health Minister Chris Tufton and FM Kamina J. Smith.

“The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation,” he added.

EAM Jaishankar then held a bilateral meeting with his Jamaican counterpart, Kamina J. Smith and other Cabinet Ministers for an in-depth review of the various facets of the partnership between the two nations.

“Discussed taking forward our ties in education and health, agriculture and digital, tourism, sports and entertainment, infrastructure, capacity building, and multilateral issues,” he said.

He then interacted with Jamaica’s industry and business leaders and met Jamaican Industry Minister Aubyn Hill.

“Emphasised that as we all diversify and seek reliable partners, the imperative to deepen India-Jamaican business ties is that much stronger. The potential for our economic cooperation needs to be explored more vigorously, both for bilateral and regional possibilities,” the EAM added.

EAM Jaishankar will also visit Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.

The MEA said these countries share a special connection with India owing to the presence of Girmitiya communities.

‘Girmitiyas’ were Indian indentured labourers who left India in the mid to late 19th century to work in British colonies, where many eventually settled. The term ‘Girmit’ is a mispronunciation of ‘agreement’, referring to the contract under which they migrated.

–IANS

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