WORLD

Islamabad, Aug 12 (IANS) As violence against religious minorities continues unabated in Pakistan, the Minority Rights March and civil society representatives staged a protest outside Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi on National Minorities Day, condemning what they described as escalating discrimination and persecution of minority communities across the country, local media reported.

The demonstration was joined by prominent Pakistani rights activists and community leaders, including Sheema Kermani, Pastor Ghazala Shafiq, Vinesh Arya, Sajjal Shafiq, Nathan Daniyal and Anwar Sheikh.

The protesters urged the government to criminalise forced conversions and amend personal laws governing interfaith marriages to safeguard the rights of minority spouses and children, Pakistani daily The Express Tribune reported.

They also called for the acceptance of their 11-point charter of demands, including stronger safeguards against forced conversions and protection from the misuse of blasphemy laws.

Other demands included a 10 per cent quota for minorities in public and private sector jobs at all levels, an end to the practice of confining minorities to sanitation and other low-paying jobs, and the protection and restoration of minority places of worship and properties.

The protesters also called for the digitisation of records and implementation of the Supreme Court’s 2014 judgment through setting up of national and provincial minority rights commissions.

They also called for the removal of discriminatory and hate-based material from school curricula and textbooks, urging greater emphasis on respect for minorities, tolerance, peace and religious diversity. The protesters further demanded that the term “non-Muslim” be replaced in the Constitution and other laws with specific religious identities.

Pakistan observes National Minorities Day annually on August 11 to commemorate Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s speech at the Constituent Assembly in 1947, in which he declared people were free to go to their temples, mosques or other places of worship, and that religion, caste or creed would not determine their standing before the state.

“The gap between Jinnah’s principle of equal citizenship and present realities cannot be ignored. It is especially troubling because these protections were articulated at the birth of Pakistan itself. Religious minorities continue to face mob violence, attacks on their places of worship, forced conversions and social and economic exclusion,” according to a report in Pakistani daily Dawn

“Laws intended to protect religion have at times been weaponised through false accusations, with consequences extending far beyond the courtroom. Even where the state guarantees equality, social prejudice and institutional barriers make that guarantee fragile in practice. National Minority Rights Day must be more than a ceremonial observance,” it noted.

–IANS

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Zagreb, Aug 12 (IANS) One of four Portuguese nationals who went missing overnight off Croatia’s Adriatic coast was found alive in a cove on the island of Krk on Wednesday and has been handed over to emergency medical services, harbour master Nenad Bugarin told media, as the search continued for the remaining three.

The rescued woman told rescuers that another member of the group had been near her only about 20 minutes earlier, but that person has not yet been located, Bugarin said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Croatia’s Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rijeka (MRCC Rijeka) launched a coordinated search and rescue operation for four young Portuguese nationals who went missing overnight in the Velebit Channel along the country’s Adriatic coast, the Ministry of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure said.

MRCC Rijeka said it received a report at 4:41 am local time (0241 GMT) from an acquaintance of the missing group, who said the four friends had set out to paddle a small inflatable boat, no more than 1.5 metres long, from a campsite north of the coastal town of Senj before contact was lost.

Sea conditions in the area have been severe since Tuesday, with strong wind gusts and waves reaching up to three meters in height, Xinhua news agency reported. Rescuers have located an abandoned floating object near the coast of the island of Krk that matches the description of the boat used by the missing group, according to the ministry. The search operation is ongoing.

In June, three people were killed and one remained missing after a catamaran and a sailboat collided off Croatia’s southern Adriatic coast, local police said.

The collision occurred in the Split maritime zone, specifically between the islands of Solta and Brac, on June 14.

According to the Split-Dalmatia County Police Administration, all the fatalities were passengers aboard the sailboat. Emergency medical teams treated four other individuals at the scene, none of whom required hospitalization.

Local media reported that the sailboat, which was carrying a total of eight people, sank immediately following the impact.

–IANS

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Juba, Aug 12 (IANS) The United Nations (UN) relief agency has expressed concern after attacks in South Sudan killed six humanitarian workers in July, warning that rising violence severely threatens vital aid operations across the country.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said that humanitarian access across South Sudan remained severely constrained in July due to persistent conflict, violence against aid workers, administrative hurdles and degrading infrastructure.

“Restrictions on the movement of cash, fuel and communications equipment into opposition-controlled areas also persisted, affecting the delivery of cash-based and other essential assistance,” the UN agency said in its report.

It said two humanitarian workers were killed in Jonglei State, two in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area and two others in Warrap State, Xinhua news agency reported. According to OCHA, three humanitarian workers were abducted with ransom demands in Central Equatoria and Western Equatoria states, while escalated hostilities in northern Jonglei forced the relocation of 10 aid personnel.

In July, 65 humanitarian access incidents were recorded, up from 63 in June, primarily in localities including Upper Nile, Central Equatoria, Jonglei, and Unity in the country, as ongoing insecurity posed severe threats to aid personnel and operations, OCHA said.

OCHA noted that a combination of escalating insecurity, movement restrictions, bureaucratic hurdles and weather-damaged infrastructure severely hampered humanitarian operations and delayed life-saving aid across South Sudan in July.

Meanwhile, over 60 people were killed and 50 others injured on Sunday after armed youth from neighbouring Unity State launched coordinated attacks across South Sudan’s Warrap State, local authorities confirmed on Monday.

According to Warrap State Information and Communication Services Minister William Wol Mayom Bol, the assaults targeted the Ariec cattle camp in Tonj North County and the Pan-Ariik community in Akok village in a seemingly synchronised effort, resulting in the tragic loss of lives and the looting of property and an unspecified number of livestock.

Thirty-seven people from the Pan-Ariik community and 11 from Apuk-Padoc were killed in the assault, he said, adding that 15 attackers from the Nuer community of neighboring Unity State were also killed during the raid on the Ariec cattle camp.

“The senseless act of violence is a direct violation of peace and stability efforts in the region. Authorities in Warrap and neighboring Unity State shall take immediate action to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Bol said.

Bol added that 17 of the critically wounded have been transferred to Wau in Western Bahr el Ghazal State for specialised care, while others are receiving treatment at the Athieng-Pool Primary Healthcare Unit.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) China’s leadership is continuing with its thrust on developing its “AI plus” initiative, pushing for breakthroughs in frontier technology, building new pillar industries in pursuit of national power while ignoring its weak consumer demand at home, which enables the country to export goods at cheap prices and pile up a trade surplus, according to an article in Foreign Policy magazine.

“The neglect of the household is a top-down decision, a cost that the Chinese leadership has determined is worth paying for the sectors it counts on for national power,” the article states.

It points out that the Chinese Politburo’s strategy this year has even dropped the “special initiatives to boost consumption” that were mentioned last year.

The article points out that the strategy has been adopted despite the fact that the IMF, in its review of China’s economy, proposed that Beijing should spend roughly a trillion dollars finishing the country’s unfinished presold apartments or compensating the buyers. However, the Chinese leadership said that it planned no additional spending to complete pre-sold housing and that social spending would have to wait on fiscal sustainability.

Some Chinese economists have argued for years for direct transfers, cash, or vouchers being put into consumers’ hands. However, Xi Jinping’s 2021 essay on common prosperity, which still governs policy, warned that the state must never fall into the trap of a welfarism that raises lazy people, the article observes.

While the Chinese leadership is allocating large scale funds to finance the country’s technology drive and also focusing on supporting the stock market, this leaves little headroom to fund households which locks China’s economy onto exports, and exports depend on the exchange rate.

China ran a goods trade surplus of 3.99 trillion yuan in the first half of this year, with exports up 17.6 per cent in dollar terms. This huge surplus could have pushed the yuan much higher than the current 6.79 to the dollar, but China’s leadership is not keen to see it becoming stronger.

The article points out that the IMF, in its new External Sector Report, has stated that the yuan is around 20 per cent undervalued and noted that state banks appear to have been intervening to slow its rise.

China’s motivations go back to the household. An economy holding down domestic consumption needs foreign buyers for what its factories make; a cheap currency is what keeps those buyers and lower exchange rate helps its exports.

If Beijing did the opposite and spent heavily to lift household incomes. Chinese factories would sell more at home, imports would rise, and the trade surplus would shrink. A serious boost to household consumption would work against the rest of this model and undermine the leverage that Beijing has built from its trade surplus, the article points out.

–IANS

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Seoul, Aug 12 (IANS) The South Korean customs agency said on Wednesday it has agreed with its Indian counterpart to bolster cooperation in customs affairs and facilitate smoother trade between the two countries.

The Korea Customs Service (KCS) said it met with officials from India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in New Delhi on Tuesday (Indian time), asking the Indian government to support smooth customs clearance for South Korean businesses, reports Yonhap news agency.

During the meeting, the KCS shared cases of South Korean firms based in India facing difficulties with customs-related issues, with the two sides also holding discussions on bilateral cooperation, including training programs.

“With India being a major partner in the Asia-Pacific region, the two countries intend to bolster cooperation down the road to address hurdles facing South Korean firms seeking to export to India,” Han Min, director general for international affairs at the KCS, said in a release.

Meanwhile, customs agency last month it had seized 2.1 tons of drugs in a recent joint global operation with partners in the Asia-Pacific region.

The achievement came after the Korea Customs Service joined forces with the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific under the World Customs Organization under the campaign slogan, “For a Drug-Free World.”

During the two-month operation with 18 other countries from May to June, customs authorities seized 2.1 tons of drugs in 785 cases, far exceeding last year’s operation, in which they seized 663 kilograms of illicit drugs in 235 cases. By category, the authorities seized 633.4 kg of methamphetamine, 368.8 kg of cannabis and 57.1 kg of cocaine.

The agency added it plans to strengthen cooperation with other international organisations, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the International Criminal Police Organization.

–IANS

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Sanaa, Aug 12 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi group launched a fresh ballistic missile attack on the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Wednesday, stepping up its attacks on areas controlled by the internationally recognised government, pro-government media reported.

The pro-government Aljoumhouriya TV cited a port official as saying that two missile strikes hit the maritime pier, causing further damage to port facilities. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The latest attack came after two Houthi missile and drone attacks in Mocha since Sunday, leaving eight people, including four government soldiers, dead and dozens of others wounded, according to government sources.

The Houthis have said their recent strikes on Mocha targeted gatherings and positions of Saudi-backed forces, accusing them of preparing military operations against Houthi-held areas.

The Houthis have sharply intensified missile and drone attacks on government-held areas in Yemen and Saudi-linked targets in recent weeks, raising fears that the military escalation could unravel the relative calm that has largely prevailed since a United Nations-brokered truce took effect in 2022.

On Tuesday, the Houthis targeted what it described as a Saudi military equipment transport ship in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait, as well as Saudi-backed forces in the government-held areas of Mocha and Marib, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Houthis’ military media centre said the group’s forces had carried out an operation targeting “a Saudi military equipment transport ship” in Bab al-Mandab. It did not identify the vessel or provide further details about the operation.

In a separate statement on X, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said “a large number of ballistic missiles and drones” targeted troop gatherings, weapons depots and command centers in Mocha, a coastal city in southwestern Taiz province, and at Tadawin military camp in the northeastern province of Marib.

Sarea claimed the strikes were “precise” and caused dozens of casualties, including Saudi personnel. There was no immediate confirmation of the claimed casualties from Saudi Arabia or the Yemeni government.

Meanwhile, pro-government Coast Guard troops said in an updated statement that the commercial vessel Tihamah came under repeated missile attacks while sailing through Bab al-Mandab earlier Tuesday, leaving six people dead and 10 others wounded.

Four of the dead were crew members – three Pakistanis and one Indonesian – while the other two were members of the pro-government 2nd Naval Forces Brigade, according to the statement.

The statement said seven other crew members, two Coast Guard personnel and one member of the 2nd Naval Forces Brigade were wounded and are receiving medical treatment.

The Coast Guard said its troops, working with rescue teams from government forces, evacuated the casualties after the strikes sparked a fire aboard the vessel and caused significant damage.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is one of the world’s key maritime chokepoints and a vital route for international trade and energy shipments.

–IANS

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Hanoi, Aug 12 (IANS) A 15-member delegation from the National Cadet Corps (NCC), currently on a tour of Vietnam as part of the Annual Youth Exchange Programme, visited the Indian Embassy in Hanoi on Wednesday and interacted with Ambassador Tshering W Sherpa.

The Ambassador briefed the visiting delegation on the forward looking multifaceted India–Vietnam relationship, including the strong and growing defence cooperation between both countries.

According to the Indian Embassy, the delegation will visit defence, historical, cultural, and educational facilities in Hanoi and Nha Trang, thereby contributing to enhancing understanding and friendship between the youth of the two countries.

Youth exchanges are an important pillar in the extensive people-to-people relations between India and Vietnam, the Embassy noted.

Ambassador Sherpa on Wednesday also held a meeting with Vietnam’s Ambassador-designate to India, Trinh Minh Manh, as he departs for India.

“A pleasure to wish success and an enriching experience in Incredible India to my fellow brother… We both believe in the progressive and future looking partnership between India and Vietnam. India accords the highest priority to the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam, a key partner in our Act East Policy and Vision MAHASAGAR, and in the ASEAN framework. The sky is not the limit for our bilateral relationship,” the Indian Embassy in Hanoi quoted Ambassador Sherpa as saying.

Last week, India and Vietnam held high-level defence talks during Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal A P Singh’s visit to Hanoi.

During the discussions held between Air Chief Marshal Singh and General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence, both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhance defence cooperation under the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries while also exchanging views on regional and international security issues of shared concern.

“In the framework of the ongoing official visit to Vietnam, Air Chief Marshal A P Singh, Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force, paid a courtesy call on General Nguyen Tan Cuong, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army and Deputy Minister of National Defence. The two sides reviewed the positive developments in Vietnam–India defence cooperation, particularly emphasising the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries’ Air Forces, capacity building, and promoting professional exchange activities,” the Indian Embassy in Hanoi posted on X on August 5.

“They also exchanged views on regional and international security issues of mutual concern. The meeting reaffirmed the shared commitment of Vietnam and India to continue further deepening defence cooperation within the framework of the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries,” it added.

Singh’s three-day official visit reflected the growing defence cooperation between India and Vietnam under the Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) Pakistan has recorded about 700,000 stillbirths annually, the highest number globally, while 42 out of every 1,000 babies die within their first month of life, giving the country the world’s highest neonatal mortality rate, according to a report.

A report published in The News Pakistan — citing a senior health official — highlighted that Pakistan’s population and health challenges stemmed from deep-rooted systemic issues.

Nearly 48 per cent of pregnancies in Pakistan are unwanted and contribute to around 380,000 abortions every year, it added.

Many of these procedures are carried out at unregulated clinics and result in severe complications, including sepsis.

Around 20 per cent of couples face unmet family planning needs, a problem he attributed primarily to shortages of resources and gaps in service delivery rather than resistance from communities.

The report argued that population dynamics could not be viewed solely through a medical lens and said the country’s demographic challenges reflected broader structural failures.

It cautioned against excessive reliance on externally driven terminology in public policy discussions, saying it could trigger cultural resistance and undermine efforts to address population-related issues.’

Separately, another report showed that about 161 million people were unable to afford the cheapest combination of grains, pulses, milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables and other nutritious food items after accounting for essential non-food expenses such as housing, transport and utilities.

Nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s population could not afford a minimum healthy diet in 2025, giving the country the highest rate of healthy diet unaffordability in South Asia despite having the region’s lowest-cost nutritious food basket.

However, food affordability remains a major challenge in Pakistan despite a moderation in inflation from the peaks seen in 2023. The report also showed that real household incomes fell by nearly 13 per cent after adjusting for inflation.

–IANS

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Quetta, Aug 12 (IANS) Several Baloch activists and human rights groups on Wednesday strongly condemned the Pakistani airstrikes in Balochistan’s Surab district that reportedly killed over 30 civilians, including women and children and injured several others.

Citing local reports, human rights defender Mir Yar Baloch said that the Pakistani Air Force carried out “indiscriminate bombing” of civilian areas in the Gidar area of Surab, killing civilians and causing significant damage to civilian properties.

“According to these reports, hospitals in the affected area have been surrounded by military personnel, while doctors and medical staff are being intimidated and prevented from providing timely medical care. Reports further indicate that some casualties occurred because injured civilians were unable to reach hospitals in time. Residents have also reported seeing drones and Cobra gunship helicopters continuing to patrol the skies over the area,” Mir posted on X.

Condemning the attack, Sabiha Baloch, the central leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), said that the incident showed how Pakistan marks its formation and existence through the killing of innocent Baloch civilians, including children, which she described as “ genocide”.

Taking to her social media platform X, Sabiha said, “The affected area is surrounded by Pakistani forces, restricting access for rescue teams, medical staff, ambulances, and journalists. Blocking humanitarian assistance and independent documentation compounds the grave human rights violations and demands immediate international attention.”

“I urge journalists, medical teams, humanitarian organisations, and people around the world to demand immediate access to the affected area, ensure medical assistance reaches survivors,” she added.

Meanwhile, human rights body Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ) called for an immediate, independent, transparent and internationally monitored investigation into the incident.

“The identities and details of those killed and injured must be made public, and those responsible must be held accountable. Protecting civilians — particularly women and children — is a fundamental responsibility of the state, and all military operations must comply with international humanitarian law and the principles governing the protection of civilian life,” the BVJ stated.

The rights body further urged the United Nations, UN human rights mechanisms, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and other members of the international community to end their silence over the “violence and war crimes” against civilians in Balochistan by Pakistani forces.

“Families affected by violence in Balochistan have a fundamental right to justice, protection, and the truth about what happened to their loved ones. The continued silence of the international community risks allowing such incidents to occur without accountability,” it noted.

–IANS

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Wellington, Aug 12 (IANS) New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has survived a second caucus confidence vote in four months, but the leadership challenge has highlighted growing political pressure on his National Party less than three months before the country’s General Election on November 7.

Luxon said on Wednesday he had the “full support” of his caucus and would remain leader of the governing National Party following an hours-long meeting at parliament in the capital Wellington.

He called the meeting amid speculation over his leadership after a series of political missteps and clashes, including his “parent-child” comment about businesses, his use of a military plane for travel to Auckland, and his proposal to hold a referendum on the country’s Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system if re-elected.

The leadership challenge came as National faces a highly competitive election contest. A Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll released on August 7 put National’s support rate at 31 per cent, up 0.5 percentage points from its previous poll, with the National-led coalition projected to retain a narrow parliamentary majority.

A Radio New Zealand-Reid Research poll in July, however, put National’s support rate at 28.7 per cent, its lowest level since Luxon became party leader in 2021, Xinhua news agency reported. A 1News Verian poll released Wednesday, conducted ahead of the caucus confidence vote, put the opposition Labor Party’s support rate at 30 per cent, ahead of National at 29 per cent, while Luxon’s preferred Prime Minister rating fell one point to 17 per cent.

Luxon led National to victory in the 2023 election. But the party now faces pressure over the economy, the cost of living and public services, while Labor is seeking a comeback.

For Labor leader Chris Hipkins, the election represents an opportunity to return to government after the party’s defeat in 2023. But Labor must also contend with competition from the Greens and the Maori Party for the wider center-left votes.

New Zealand’s annual inflation rose to 4.1 per cent in the June quarter, above the Reserve Bank’s 1-3 per cent target range, while unemployment has remained elevated. The government is also under pressure to control spending and return the budget to surplus.

Cost of living, housing affordability, healthcare and infrastructure are expected to be major issues in the upcoming election. National is likely to campaign on economic recovery, spending restraint, law and order and infrastructure investment, while Labor has focused on household costs, healthcare, jobs and housing.

Maori issues are also expected to feature prominently. The government’s approach to the Treaty of Waitangi and proposed changes to Treaty principles have generated strong opposition from Labor, the Greens and the Maori Party.

Other campaign flashpoints are likely to include immigration, climate and energy policy, crime and gang legislation, and the future of the MMP electoral system.

With polls pointing to a tight race and smaller parties potentially holding the balance of power, the upcoming election is shaping up as a major test of New Zealand’s economic direction, public services and political future.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) Wahab Alam, the Pakistani national arrested in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, was sent by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to collect information about the Indian Army, Navy and Railways in the eastern sector of the country.

Alam was arrested in the Habra area of the district.

Insiders from the state police said that during the marathon interrogation by the sleuths of the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police, he had admitted that he entered India through the India-Nepal border in 2012 and has since been staying in different pockets of the state, shifting bases from time to time.

After his arrest, the STF sleuths also seized forged Indian identity documents from his possession, like an Aadhaar card, PAN card and EPIC card. It is learnt that he managed these forged identity documents through another person, Muhammad Izaz, who was also arrested by the STF in the Topsia area in East Kolkata following Alam’s interrogation.

In fact, state police insiders said that before shifting to Habra, from where he had been arrested, Alam used to stay at Izaz’s residence in Topsia. However, as per information collected by the STF sleuths, he left the Topsia area immediately after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise started in West Bengal earlier this year before the recently concluded Assembly polls.

STF sleuths found that Alam was probably planning to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, and hence decided to shift to Habra, which is fairly close to the India-Bangladesh border. The STF sleuths are currently interrogating Alam and Izaz to know about their other associates in the state.

Interrogation is also ongoing to find out the kind of information that Alam has already passed on to his handlers in Pakistan.

Reacting to media persons on the arrest of the Pakistani national, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister, Agnimitra Paul, said that such elements could make their roots deeper in West Bengal because of the “nurturing by the previous Trinamool Congress regime”.

“My appeal to people is to be alert. If any suspicious persons or any suspicious activity is detected in your locality, kindly contact the local police station immediately,” she said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) India has emerged as a country that is capable of linking the United States, Israel, the UAE and Saudi Arabia with plans for economic corridors, technological partnerships, resilient supply chains, and strategic connectivity in the Middle East region, according to an article in the Jerusalem Post.

It cites the rise of the India-Israel-United Arab Emirates-United States grouping (I2U2), alongside the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as reflecting this potential.

“For Israel, this evolution represents far more than another diplomatic milestone. It presents an opportunity to anchor itself within a broader strategic framework that brings together Israeli innovation, Gulf investment, American leadership, and India’s economic weight,” the article observes.

It points out that India enjoys strong ties with Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and other key regional players, which gives the country a distinct strategic advantage.

“As Washington looks for dependable partners to uphold regional stability while reducing its direct military footprint, India has emerged as a trusted actor capable of maintaining strong relationships across political divides without demanding ideological alignment,” the article observes.

It highlights that India and Israel have built a partnership that extends well beyond defence procurement, as it encompasses counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, cybersecurity, agriculture, water management, artificial intelligence, space technology, healthcare innovation, and startup ecosystems.

India remains one of Israel’s largest defence partners, while Israeli companies increasingly see India’s technology sector as a platform for co-development rather than simply another export market, the article states.

Similarly, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia now see India not merely as a major energy consumer but as a long-term strategic partner. India offers one of the world’s fastest-growing large economies, an expanding destination for investment, a dependable food-security partner, and a vast pool of skilled professionals who continue to contribute to Gulf economies.

As Riyadh pursues ‘Vision 2030’ and Abu Dhabi accelerates its ambitions in advanced manufacturing and technology, India’s industrial growth offers natural economic complementarity, the article adds.

–IANS

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