<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1605100532359" alt="Pm NArendra Modi puts-down China and Pakistan at the 20th Summit of SCO Council of heads of State." style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part in the first-ever-virtual-summit of the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO). Under the chairmanship of Russia, all the members and observer states joined the 20th Summit of SCO Council of heads of State via video conferencing.
Albeit virtually, this was the first time PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping were face to face after the deadly altercation between the Indian and Chinese armies at the LAC in mid-June. Recognising the vitality of a nation’s sovereignty and integrity, PM Modi took the opportunity to convey a message to both the neighbours, China and Pakistan, and said, “India believes that to further deepen connectivity, it is necessary to carry forward with the core principles of respecting each other's sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
Leading the Indian delegation, PM Modi addressed the SCO Council where he highlighted the leading role played by India during the times of Covid-19 pandemic. He recounted the Indian Army’s contribution in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations, and India’s Pharma Industry’s prominent role in providing support and relief through constant supplies after the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“Let us all stay happy and disease free. In this painful time of unprecedented pandemic, India's pharmaceutical industry helped more than 150 countries with essential medicines. As the world's largest vaccine producing country, India will use its vaccine production and distribution capacity to help the entire humanity in fighting this crisis,” he added.
<ins>A way for cultural exchange</ins>
While talking about the historical and cultural relationship India has with the SCO region, PM Modi also mentioned the initiative of holding first SCO cultural exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage by National Museum of India. He also talked about the upcoming SCO Food Festival to happen in India in 2021, and about the translation of ten Indian regional literary works into Russian and Chinese languages.
“I give my outright support to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SCO in the year 2021 as SCO Culture Year. The National Museum of India is in the process of organising the first SCO exhibition on our shared Buddhist heritage this year. The Literature Academy of India has completed the translation of ten Indian literary works in Russian and Chinese languages,” he said.
He presented the ideas of Atma-nirbhar Bharat (Self Reliant India) movement, and how it could add a ‘multiplier effect’ to the global economy in a post-pandemic world.
“I believe that Self-reliant India will prove to be a Force Multiplier for the global economy, and will accelerate the economic progress of the SCO region,” he further added.
While congratulating to the Russian President Vladimir Putin for calling the SCO virtual meet, PM Modi proposed for India to host the next regular virtual meeting of the SCO, next year.&nbsp;
<ins>About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation</ins>
The SCO is a regional and inter-governmental organisation formed in Shanghai, China in 2001. The members of former Shanghai Five Group - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - along with Uzbekistan established this regional body while calling it a ‘Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance’. It is headquartered in Beijing, China.
India and Pakistan joined the SCO as its full-fledged members in 2017 after being ‘observer states’ for more than a decade. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia are other observer states.
<ins>Observer States</ins>: Unlike the permanent members, these States do not possess the voting power, and cannot make any proposals. Though their participation in the summit is allowed, they do not have decision making powers.&nbsp;
The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region by developing mutual trust and ‘neighbourliness’, co-operation in politics, culture, research &amp; technology, and to share common goals in education, energy, and environmental protection.&nbsp;
The Council of Heads of States is the chief decision making body of the SCO, and it comprises of Presidents (in India and Pakistan’s case, their Prime Ministers) of the member States.
A body of the SCO is Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure which is established to combat separatism, extremism, and terrorism.

PM Modi puts down China-Pak at SCO meet; bids for India to lead Covid-19 world recovery

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1593475932277" alt="India bans 59 Chinese apps" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Data is considered to be the new oil in today’s age. If you have the data, you have the power. The power to formulate policies, to tackle an adverse situation (like a pandemic), to strengthen a delivery system, to support a propaganda, or even to take down a country in the times of uncertainty.
China has been accused by many countries to strengthen its interest by using the data it collects through its apps and service providers (the case of Huawei’s 5G technology). India, home to more than half a billion internet users, can be considered as an ocean of data where, given the appropriate resources, anyone can take a dive, and use the data to one’s benefit.
Many of the Chinese apps, especially TikTok, have come under the scanner for their unlawful techniques to collect data, and the potential misuse of the same. At a time when relations between India and China are at their worst, a digital cut-off was on the cards.&nbsp;

<ins>Background</ins>
The Indo-China clash in Galwan Valley, Ladakh had sparked protests amongst Indians towards the use of Chinese goods and services. With hashtags like #BoycottChina trending on twitter, many restored to burning effigies of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and destroying Chinese goods. Many Government agencies also appeared to take part in this by trying to distance themselves from the neighbouring country.
Soon after the clash, the Indian Railways cited "poor progress" to terminate a project with the Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group. The Bihar Government recently cancelled tenders for a mega project, while the Maharashtra Government has put three Chinese deals worth Rs 5020 crore on hold.
Now, the Central Government has responded to the Chinese side with a “#DigitalAirStrike”, which is the name given to the move by many Twitteratis owing to the Chinese connections of the apps that have been blocked. The ban also comes two weeks after 20 Indian soldiers were killed, and 76 were wounded in the violent clash with their Chinese counterparts in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control.
A list of the banned apps is as follows :-&nbsp;

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1593476374347.jpg" alt="undefined" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>


In a press release on Monday, the Ministry of Electronics and IT invoked its power under section 69A of the Information Technology Act to block 59 apps with Chinese affiliation (See picture attached), claiming that the listed apps “are engaged in activities which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order.”
The Ministry said that they have received many complaints from various sources including several reports about the misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India.
The Ministry reported that the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN), an office in the Ministry of Information technology dealing with cyber security threats, had also received many complaints from citizens regarding the security of data and breach of privacy impacting upon public order issues.&nbsp;
Incoherence with such complaints, the exhaustive list of apps provided by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and Ministry of Home Affairs, and not to mention the strong discourse in the public spaces to take strict action against these Apps, the Ministry has taken this move to protect the public’s privacy, according to the official press release.

<ins>Impacts of the Ban</ins>
The ban sends a message about the shift in policy towards China. Gone are the days when India used to appease her neighbour in the hope that China will extend its helping hand towards us. It is about sending a message that our integrity and sovereignty are of paramount importance to us. We will put India first, even at the cost of irritating a neighbour.
On the flipside though, some apps which are on the list are very popular in India, especially Tiktok with 119 million active users from the sub-continent. Other social media platform like Likee, Helo, and Bigo Live were also up and coming platforms attracting a lot of Indian users. These users will now have to look for substitute platforms.
Probably the more concerning impact of this sudden banning is that most of these platforms, more specifically TikTok, had a popular community of “creators” who earned their livelihood creating content on these apps, and for many, it was the only source of income. Along with it, many of these apps have offices and employees in India, where few thousands of jobs could be at stake.&nbsp;

<ins>How will the ban be enforced?</ins>
A notification is to follow, instructing internet service providers to block these apps. Users are likely to get a message saying that the access to these apps has been restricted on the request of the Government.
However, while this will definitely impact apps like TikTok and UC browser, which need a live internet feed to function, users might still be able to use apps which are already downloaded, and do not need the internet. The further download of these apps might not be possible, as it is most likely that Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and others of the like, will block these apps.&nbsp;

This action has been taken in a specific context of national security and specific strategy, and can be considered as a warning to other big Chinese businesses in India, and even to China itself.&nbsp;

A new form of retaliation in this digital age; 59 Chinese apps banned by the Govt

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1591874537527" alt="India Australia sign agreement to boost military interoperabilty" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

India and Australia have recently signed a deal, getting access to each other’s military bases. This deal comes at a time when diplomatic tension between Australia and China is escalating, and the latter is already at a stand-off over international border issue with its neighbour India. The deal, as the Foreign Ministry of India has claimed, is going to clear the way for more military exercise and exchange in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Mutual Logistic Support agreement strengthens the military cooperation between the two countries, and helps build military interoperability. The agreement allows the Australian military to use Indian bases for maintenance work, refuelling, and replenishment of supplies. Similarly, also allowing the Indian Military to use Australian bases. This partnership helps both countries to have strong control over the Indo-Pacific region.
The agreement was signed in a virtual summit held between Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart, Scott Morison. The India Australia Virtual Summit, a first of its kind, saw a few more agreements between the two countries which call for collaborative work.&nbsp;

Apart from the Mutual Logistic Support agreement the countries also signed the following :-&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement</li>
<li>Australia-India Strategic Research Fund to promote innovative solutions for responding to and treating Covid-19.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Framework arrangement on Cyber and Cyber-enabled critical technology cooperation allowing them to work together in the digital economy, cyber-security, and critical &amp; emerging technologies.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Agreement on agriculture and related activities - Agriculture was identified as an important pillar of both the economies with shared challenges and climatic conditions.</li>
<li>Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mining and processing critical and strategic minerals – Co-operate on new technologies for exploration and extraction of minerals including Australian rare earth metals used for electronics, governance, vocational training, and water management.</li>
<li>Joint declaration on ‘Shared Vision for Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific’ - The two sides announced a roadmap to harness opportunities and meet challenges together as comprehensive strategic partners.</li>
</ul>
<ins>India and other countries</ins>
India also has a similar logistic support agreement with the United States of America called the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), and other such agreements France, Singapore, and South Korea.
The LEMOA signed between India and the USA also allows both countries to have access to each other’s designated military facilities for refuelling and replenishment. This pact between the USA and India was to balance out China’s growing economy, and military weight in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and contain China’s growing influence beyond IOR.

<ins>The Quad to counter China?</ins>
The recent deal between Australia and India along with the LEMAO increases the strength of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad. The group, which includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States of America, is seen as a regional counterweight to China which wishes to decrease and neutralize the Chinese sway in the region. India now already has logistic support agreements with two of the countries, and with India communicating with the Japanese ministry, a similar military deal between the two seems to be inevitable, making it only a matter of time.&nbsp;
While the Indian army is locked in a standoff against Chinese forces in Northern parts of the country, Australia’s frictions with China are also growing. Australia’s push for an international review into the origins and spread of the novel coronavirus drew opposition from China. It is this common concern over China which allows for many bilateral treaties between the two countries, to put pressure on the Chinese influence over the Asia Pacific region.&nbsp;
A reaction from China in the near future can be expected, especially because of its ongoing disputes with both countries.

India Australia sign agreement to boost military interoperability

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1587894440891" alt="Extradition Laws in India & Vijay Mallya’s Case" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>
Former liquor tycoon and loan defaulter Vijay Mallya has lost his plea in the UK’s High Court against an extradition order to India. This development can be seen as another positive step towards bringing loan defaulters, who have fled to other nations, back to India.
While Mr. Mallya has another plea left in which he can knock the doors of UK’s Supreme Court, the chances of a stay on extradition order seems bleak.
What is an extradition? How do countries come to a mutual agreement that pertains to the transfer of foreign offenders to their home country? We try to shed more light on this pressing issue.

Extradition means delivery of a person from one State (where the person currently resides) to the ‘requesting’ State (where the person is accused or convicted of any offence). It is an exercise done to bring back the fugitive criminals from foreign lands, in order to present them in the domestic court of law for trial.&nbsp;
The Indian Extradition Act, 1962 lays the legislative provisions for matters related to extradition. The Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) division of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) monitors and handles all the incoming and outgoing extradition requests.

<ins>Extradition Process</ins>
<ul>
<li>When a person after committing a crime has escaped from the country, and has taken refuge in a foreign jurisdiction, the MEA sends an ‘extradition request’ on behalf of the Republic of India to that foreign state/country.</li>
<li>The extradition request consists of various documents citing the details of the offender, nature of offence, case details, legal provisions etc.</li>
<li>The involved foreign country, after examining the situation, takes the necessary actions according to its own extradition policies.</li>
<li>Once extradited, the criminal is held under custody, and thus tried for his offence.</li>
</ul>
<ins>Extradition Treaties</ins>
The extradition treaties are usually bilateral agreements between two countries regarding the extradition of fugitive criminals. These treaties provide an obligation on a country, in which the fugitive has taken shelter, to acknowledge the extradition request, and thus start proceedings against the asked criminal.
As of 2018, India has such bilateral treaties with 43 countries and ‘extradition arrangements’ with further 10 countries. In comparison to India, the US and UK have extradition treaties with 100 countries each, whereas some others nations stand on - Russia (64), Canada (49), China (37) and Pakistan (13).&nbsp;
India, which also suffers from cross-border terrorism, does not have extradition treaty with its neighbors like Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Myanmar.
INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization) can also issue notices (Red and Blue Notices in case of extraditions) to governments in order to extract information about the fugitive criminal and can assist in surrender/delivery of a said person to the country seeking extradition.
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLAT):- Under these treaties, the requesting country can demand the foreign Government to summon and collect the testimony of the fugitive criminal. This does not include detention or extradition. Also, responding to such summon is not binding on the addressed criminal. India has these treaties with 39 countries.

<ins>Extradition Norms</ins>
<ul>
<li>Extradition is not just confined between treaty members. For example India can also send extradition request to a non-treaty country, but the addressed country will not be obliged to take any action. To overcome such hurdles, some arrangements can be made through diplomatic channels regarding the extradition exercise. The foreign country may then act according to its own procedures and can demand reciprocity.</li>
<li><ins>Provisional arrest request</ins>: - The country demanding the extradition of a fugitive can also request for the fugitive’s arrest by provisional authorities of the foreign land, so that the said person cannot run-away until the completion of extradition process.</li>
<li><ins>Dual Criminality</ins>:-The crime committed by the accused fugitive should fall in the category of ‘dual criminality’, that is, it should be a punishable offence by law in both the involved countries.</li>
<li>The crime not falling under the ‘list of crimes’ mentioned in the treaty cannot be reasoned for the extradition. Also, extradition can be denied for ‘purely military or political offences’.&nbsp;</li>
<li><ins>UN Conventions</ins>:- There are certain United Nations conventions like UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCOC) - of which India is a signatory – under which a fugitive who has committed an offence related to corruption can be unconditionally extradited to the requesting country. Thus, ‘dual criminality’ would not be applicable in such a case.</li>
<li>There are countries where capital punishment is banned. If a fugitive has taken refuge in such a country, and the authorities of that country thinks that, if extradited, the accused might get capital punishment, then it is most likely that the country will refuse to extradite.</li>
</ul>
Since 2002, 62 fugitives have been brought back to India out of 110 requests made. As of 2018, more than 150 extradition requests are lying pending whereas 16 are under process. The provision for death sentence, in the rarest of the rare cases though, in India could be one of the reasons behind this low success rate.
Some high profile criminals of whose extradition India awaits are like David Headley, and Tiger Hanif, both terrorists, and Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, and Vijay Mallya, all of them are economic offenders.

<ins>Vijay Mallya’s Case</ins>
Vijay Mallya is an Indian businessman who is accused of fraud and money laundering, and owes a whopping Rs 9000 crore to 17 Indian banks. He is currently in London, UK and India is seeking his extradition.
Recently, on April 24, 2020 the High Court of England and Wales approved Mallya’s extradition to India.

<ins>Backdrop</ins>
Mallya took the reins of the UB Group from his father at the age of 28 and made huge profits till his Kingfisher Airlines (founded in 2005) suffered huge losses and succumbed to debt ridden death in 2012. The fortunes of Mallya had already started decaying since the global recession of 2008 which saw lofty rises in fuel prices.
In 2016, amidst CBI raids and SBI’s consortium moving to Debt Recovery Tribunal, Mallya, in the month of March, fled to London.&nbsp;
From London, Mallya proposed to return 4000 crore to Indian banks, but his request was rejected. Several cases of money laundering were registered against him and Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a non-bailable warrant, following which his passport was also revoked.
As per the extradition treaty, Mallya was arrested on India’s request in April 2017 and proceedings against him began. After several hearings, a UK court approved Mallya’s extradition in December, 2018. Responding to which, Mallya filed a petition against the order. After a month, Indian special court declared Mallya a ‘fugitive economic offender’.
In February, 2019, the UK Home Secretary had also ordered Mallya’s extradition. The final nail on the coffin was put by the High Court of England and Wales on April, 2020.

<ins>Final nail on the coffin? Will Mallya be extradited soon?</ins>
Technically it may not be the final nail on the coffin as Vijay Mallya has still one legal option left, that is to appeal to the Supreme Court of UK. He has got 14 days (till May 3, 2020) to place his plea. However, it is unlikely that he will be relieved by the Supreme Court, thus making it nothing more than a legal formality. The Covid-19 crisis might further delay his case hearing by months.
Hence, Mallya might not be extradited in the coming days, but we can expect him to land in India in the coming months.

Extradition Laws in India & Vijay Mallya’s Case

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1587050716389" alt="Use of data to fight the coronavirus pandemic through contact tracing" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Recently, Google and Apple announced a collaboration to help combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic across the world through developing contact tracing tools that will notify smartphone owners if they have come within a 6 feet distance of a Covid-19 infected individual.&nbsp;
The contact tracking app will exchange anonymous tracking keys, unique to every user, with close by devices periodically. The tech giants plan to use Bluetooth, generally used to connect wireless devices to smartphones, to detect other phones in its vicinity, irrespective of whether the phones use iOS or Android software.&nbsp;
The app would maintain a list of devices a person has been in close proximity to by saving their tracking keys. If a user tests positive, they would have to report the diagnoses and submit a medical report as proof, after which their unique tracking key would be saved on a server, which then would send an alert to users the infected individual has been in the vicinity of based on the automated list of keys saved on their phones. The alert will not reveal the identity of the infected individual, but instead inform the vulnerable individuals regarding the next steps they should take.
The use of Bluetooth would be, supposedly, less invasive compared to the alternatives. The apps will be voluntary to download and to be used during the duration of the pandemic only for public health purposes. The contact tracing apps would not track the exact location of the user, or share the information regarding the identity of the individual to the other users, app developers, or governments.
Irrespective of the reassurance that the app would not breach the privacy of its users, the use of such apps raise concerns regarding the privacy of data of its users. The concept of using the location data of the users makes many individuals, including lawmakers wary of such apps which would limit the free use of such apps by the masses and hinder its effectiveness.&nbsp;
Google and Apple expect to make the tools required to make such apps available by mid-May, but the success of the technology in controlling the pandemic would be highly dependent on the time consumed by public health officials to develop these apps, and how widely &amp; regularly they are used.
Though this technology may not be overtly effective as people may resist its use, employing such techniques would help limit the spread of the virus and allow people to resume economic activities.
<ins>Using Data to tackle the Covid-19 menace</ins>&nbsp;
Furthermore, Facebook has attempted to track the potential spread of the virus by using the social data of its users. Google has also released data pertaining to the travel habits of smartphone users in 131 countries to help track the spread of the pandemic. Other companies, including Apple have presented symptom checkers that would help people check whether or not they need medical care.

Apple, Google collab to to use data to fight pandemic through Contact Tracing

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1586336067206" alt="FATF blacklist" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

In a move to avoid giving India an upper hand in the upcoming meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which is an international organisation to keep a check on a country’s activities like terror financing and black marketing, Pakistani Government has ordered three months detention for Omar Saeed Sheikh after a Pakistani high court acquitted him of the charges.
Omar Saeed has recently seen his death sentence overturned by the Sindh High Court in Pakistan. The high court had not only struck down the murder charges, but also commuted his sentence to 7 years in prison which has already been served, thus making him a free man.
Omar Saeed and three others had been serving in prison since 2002 in the case of kidnapping and murdering a US journalist, Daniel Pearl, a correspondent for The Wall Streets Journal who was investigating the ongoing terrorist activities in Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks in USA.

<ins>Background:-</ins>
A British born and alumnus of the London School of Economics, Omar Saeed boasts of a glorious reputation in the field of terrorism. He, along with Masood Azhar, and Mushtaq Zargar, was released by India in 1999 after a flight IC-814 carrying 155 passengers was hijacked. He is supposed to have strong connections with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups.
Pakistan scrambled under pressure and detained Saeed as it realised that India, which is already pushing hard to get Pakistan into the ‘blacklist’ of FATF, would definitely raise this issue on the forum’s table in June.&nbsp;
Pakistan is already under FATF’s ‘grey list’ and has received a stern warning for strict actions from the other members of the forum in February.&nbsp;
Earlier in 2018, Pakistan was put under the FATF ‘greylist’ after not being able to effectively curb terror funding in the country. It was given the deadline till September 2019 to complete some tasks, which included shutting down funding to terrorist groups like the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and tightening laws and banking security norms which deal with them.&nbsp;
Pakistan was judged to complete only four of the tasks given to them in November 2019. Giving Pakistan another chance, the FATF extended the deadline till February 2020, and asked the country to “swiftly” complete the tasks.&nbsp;
Subsequently, in the recent meeting of the FATF in Paris in February, when Pakistan's inaction towards cutting down on terror funding was again discussed, it was noted that even after an aged timeline, the Pakistani Government had not been effective in completing the action plan set out for it by the FATF previously. The FATF summary report included that Pakistan needed to continue working on few specific areas, including demonstrating that it is “identifying and investigating” all terror financing activity in the country, freezing the funds of all designated terrorists, and its prosecutions resulting in “effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions” against all terror entities in Pakistan.
Out of 27, Pakistan is yet to fulfil 13 recommendations of FATF. It is highly unlikely that it will manage to get out of grey list which requires the support of 12 members.&nbsp;
It will be a sight to behold if Pakistan joins Iran and North Korea in FATF blacklist though it is not probable, because China, Malaysia, and Turkey openly back Islamabad, and according to the rules, support of three members is enough to escape from getting blacklisted.
&nbsp;
<ins>What are these lists?</ins>
FATF or the Financial Action Task Force is an independent inter-governmental body which seeks to safeguard the global financing system so that it cannot be used by terrorist and anti-social elements.
The organisation recognises two sets of countries through the documents it releases every year.
The first set includes countries which are to be “black-listed” (the FATF does not use it as official terminology) which is for “countries or jurisdictions with such serious strategic deficiencies that the FATF calls on its members and non-members to apply counter-measures.” The second set consists of the countries in the “grey-list”, which identifies nations with “strategic weaknesses” to curb money laundering and terror financing, but get a second chance as they have shown diligence in sticking with the action plan devised by the FATF. For the second category countries, “FATF calls on its members to apply enhanced due diligence measures proportionate to the risks arising from the deficiencies associated with the country.”
‘Blacklist’ and ‘Greylist’ are the terms used in media which FATF officially describes as “High-risk jurisdictions subject to a Call for Action” and “Other monitored jurisdictions” respectively.&nbsp;
Currently, only two countries are on this “black-list” of the FATF, namely Iran and North Korea.&nbsp;
Till Pakistan is in the Grey-list, it will continue to face trouble in receiving financial aid from the likes of IMF, World Bank, European Union, and Asian Development Bank which can have a detrimental effect on the already-sinking economy of Pakistan.

Case of Omar Saeed & FATF talks; Pakistan playing In & Out

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1585810148587" alt="How different countries dealt with Coronavirus." style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

After seeing a many-fold increase in cases of the COVID-19 or Coronavirus worldwide from late February to early March, WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the virus a pandemic on March 11th, 2020, intimating the world about an impending global crisis.
Presently, the total number of reported cases of COVID-19 is about to reach a million, accounting for more than 47,000 deaths. Although the mortality rate from COVID-19 is on the lower side when compared with past pandemics, the major concern that many experts share is the exponential rate at which it is increasing. The world is at a race against the virus, and what the administrations of different countries are doing to curb the spread of the virus will have a long term impact on the world.&nbsp;
In the fight against Coronavirus, different countries are at different stages and have implemented various kinds of policies to flatten the curve. In the current scenario, where a working vaccine has not been developed, minimizing the effect of the virus seems to be the only option. Considering every country has different demographic, socio-political, and economic conditions, a one-size-fits-all method will not do any good, therefore let us look at how some countries around the world have approached the issue.

<ins>CHINA</ins>
China had its disadvantages in being the starting point of the pandemic, so for countries following, it is important to study the Chinese outbreak. Probably the biggest criticism the Chinese Government has faced is of blinding the world and even their citizens of information from early whistleblowers.
Eight doctors in Wuhan, after noticing a patient with a Pneumonia that was not being cured with normal treatment, discovered this novel strain of the virus and published a report in early December 2019. The reaction of the Chinese Communist Democratic Party, however, was rather authoritative, as it effectively silenced the threat, and tried to paint a picture of normalcy. When in January the virus made headlines, President Xi Jinping called for resolute efforts and drastically came down with policies to stop further spread.
Wuhan went on a complete lockdown on January 23rd. Similar restrictions were imposed on 15 other cities in Hubei province, locking down and restricting the movement of more than 60 million people to avoid community transmission. Fighting the virus became a national priority, and the Government reallocated a huge chunk of the country’s health care system to fight the battle against the virus. More than 20,000 medics flew from various parts of the country to Wuhan and other cities of Hubei. The Government specifically built new facilities for patients and not only addressed the problem of shortage of beds, but also isolated patients of coronavirus from other patients.
Testing, which has been a point of difference for many countries in how it is done or rather how much it is done, was made free for anyone who showed symptoms of the infection. Although these methods were effective, with WHO declaring the Chinese policies to be a model for others, they also faced criticism. People have criticized the Chinese lockdown to be rather draconian with party members forcing people to be inside, as reports came out which claimed that people were not able to even get basic necessities for survival.
The questions here are whether a lockdown with violation of human rights is the right thing to do? Is it actually possible in other liberal democratic countries? Yet the world has something to learn from the expedited way in which the Chinese administration has operated, as time is of the essence in this fight.

<ins>ITALY</ins>
It was only astonishing to see a country with world-class medical facilities crumble in a matter of a few weeks when the virus hit Italy. The health care units, simply put, were overburdened with the number of patients testing positive and showing symptoms. The country has now over 10,000 deaths, out of the more than 1.1 lakh infected people, due to the virus, and a significant reason for it can be linked to the late implementation of policies like the lockdown and social distancing.
One of the major problems that Italy faced was scepticism of recognising the impending crisis. The systematic inability of leaders to listen to experts was highlighted in this case. In dire conditions, it is common among politicians and even with general people to listen to their inner circle, but in such a situation of uncertainty, it is important to overlook that temptation and absorb the knowledge within the pockets of expertise.
Another important lesson that one can learn is to avoid partial solutions. The Italian Government started with locking down only a small portion of the country and then gradually issued multiple decrees to increase the lockdown area until it applied to the entire country. Although in normal times it can be an apt solution, in a case where one does not know what will happen in the next few days, such a solution facilitated the spread.
Italy, rather than following a preventive procedure, followed the virus. As Northern Italy was put under lockdown, there was a mass exodus of people to Southern Italy which brought the virus to places it was not present before. The lack of coherent procedures to stop the chain of transmission led to a flash flood of patients, drowning the health care system, leading to deaths and a crisis that could have been prevented. Apart from the administrative failure, experts also point to the demographic makeup of the Italian population. With the second-largest percentage of people over the age of 65, the population was more perceptible to critical cases, further causing the curve to rise rather vertically.

<ins>SOUTH KOREA</ins>&nbsp;
As of 2nd April, with close to 10,000 cases, South Korea is one of the top 15 countries for the total number of cases. Health experts point to an important fact in the Korean data i.e. the country has been able to reduce the number of new cases and effectively flatten the curve, which something that even developed countries of Europe and America have failed to do.
So, it becomes important to study how this massive task was achieved by the Korean administration, and that too without locking down entire cities.
One very important reason Korea was able to swiftly roll out policies to curb the spread was its preparedness. It made sure they had enough ventilators, health care professionals, masks, and other necessary items that are required to control and treat positive cases. This level of preparedness gave them a head start, which other countries did not have because of negligence.
Social distancing as a principal was widely propagated by various modems, with the Government issuing daily press releases and automated messages. Transparent information also helped, with the Government assessing possible infected places and publishing lists, which allowed the citizen to take calculative measures.
Mass testing has also been key in reducing the number of daily cases. Innovative testing measures like drive-through tests encouraged people to get tested and allowed the Government to see their target. This recognition of target allowed to dispense needed facilities wherever required.
Contact tracing was also introduced, in which officials through the use technologies were able to see if people were flouting quarantine regulation. If a patient tested positive moved around, people within the area who might have contacted the individual were alerted via message. These swift and early actions go to further prove the importance of speed in the fight against the virus.&nbsp;

<ins>USA</ins>
As the propaganda war continues between the USA and China, China can’t wholly be held responsible for the spread of the virus in the USA. It cannot cover up the mistakes that the Trump administration has made. Latency seems to be a deep pit, from which it can be difficult to come out of, and America seems to have fallen into that pit, because of several reasons which point toward negligent governance.
The American citizens were left blind to the scale of the looming medical catastrophe that has now taken place, because of an administration which tried to paint the picture of normalcy in the country and now is struggling to stand back up. The country lost a whole month according to leading epidemiologists, as there was a lack of a robust system of testing. When in February the problem was realised by the Government, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took another two weeks to fix the test. Yet they continued to follow the policy of restrictive testing. This restricted community surveillance and identification of early local hotspot which could have been quarantined to limit the mass spread of the virus. While at the start of this lost month, when the Government could have rallied for the effective working of organisations and agencies responsible, the President was dismissive of the threat to public health and the economy. He went on record to say, “It (Coronavirus) is going to disappear. One day — it’s like a miracle — it will disappear.”&nbsp;
By early March, when the Federal Government finally decided to expand testing, it was too late. With early lapses, containment was not an option, rather the mitigation of harm is what America could hope for. Now the number of cases has risen to more than 2,00,000, which is the highest in any country.
Due to existing intensive care facilities, the mortality rate is low. The economy is stuttering and everyday life, in most parts of the country, has come to a halt. It is interesting to see how one of the world’s richest countries, with the most highly trained scientists and infectious disease specialists, gave away their chance in containing the virus, because of bureaucratic inefficiency and lack of leadership at multiple levels.&nbsp;

<ins>JAPAN</ins>&nbsp;
Japan was one of the first countries to be hit by the coronavirus outside of China, yet in recent data, it is one of the least affected countries among the developed nations with a little over 2300 cases. It is puzzling health experts.
The looming question is has Japan dodged a bullet or is it about to be hit? The Government contends that it has been aggressive in identifying clusters and containing the spread which makes the overall per capita infection low. Government suggests over 80% of the positively tested patient were restricted from spreading the virus.
Although schools were closed, normal life in Japan has continued. Tokyo rush-hour trains remain packed and restaurants remain packed, but experts have criticized the fact that Japan has tested a limited number of patients.
Kenji Shibuya, a professor of King’s College London and former chief of health policy at the WHO, sees two possibilities on where Japan was able to contain the virus; by focusing on outbreak clusters, or that there are outbreaks yet to be found, and according to him both are possibilities.&nbsp;
The proximity of Japan to China might have helped Japan to raise alarms in the early stages of the countries outbreak. Secondly, Japan also might have some in-built advantages, such as cultures where handshakes and hugs are less common than other countries. It also has the rates of hand-washing above those of Europe. Cases of seasonal flu and influenza have also been in decline for seven straight weeks which might suggest that the Japanese have taken to heart some basic steps to stop infectious diseases.
Japan, even after increasing testing capacity, has been using only 5% of it. Japan has tested about 15,000 people and has an infection rate of 5.6%, compared to 18% in Italy. Japanese officials seem to be very confident with their testing mechanism, yet experts think it can later cause a problem for Japan.
Should Japan see a jump in, it is better prepared than many peers. It has 13 hospital beds per 1000 people, which is the highest among G-7 countries and more than triple than that of Italy, the USA, and the U.K, according to World Bank data. With Prime Minister Abe, promising to do everything to end the coronavirus outbreak, there continue to be a suspicion among health experts that there lies an impending outbreak of the virus in Japan behind the veil of promising data.

<ins>INDIA</ins>
As India reaches 2000 positive cases, it has already implemented a nationwide lockdown.&nbsp;
<a href="https://policharcha.com/article/nation/7f528f28-b343-4632-8832-bc8d889bd032/coronavirus-the-case-of-india" target="_blank">(Read India's case in more detail)</a>&nbsp;
Demographic attributes seem to be a huge disadvantage for India in fighting against a virus that takes no time to transmit, so the lockdown can be an effective way of breaking that chain.
Another point for which the Government has been applauded is the early screening facilities for people travelling from affected countries. One major question that is being asked is, why is India, with a population of more than a billion, testing so less? As seen in Italy, USA, and even China to an extent, low testing can be linked to an exponential rise in the number of cases in the coming stages.&nbsp;
In India, testing has been largely restricted to people with travel history or people who have known individuals in their close family circle with travel history.
Private modes of testing have been expensive which is not conducive for a poor country like India. India has some of the lowest numbers of tests conducted for every million people, compared to other countries. This can prove detrimental as India enters some of the crucial weeks in the fight against the virus.
With the lack of mass testing data, it also becomes difficult to assess the target groups and areas which delays the Government in taking a much needed action. Along with this, the lack of health facilities across India can also lead to a large number of avoidable deaths, as even today there is a crisis of proper protective gear for health officials who are at the ground level.
The ratio of the population to the number of beds is also less, at 0.55 beds per 1000 of the population, and 5.18 beds per 1000 of the elderly population, in government hospitals. This national figure is also not consistent in all states, with some states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand lying even below these figures. Private hospitals although exists, they are largely inaccessible to a majority of the population.
So without a coherent and consistent action plan by the Government within the next few days over and above the lockdown, it can prove to be a disaster for the country and take it, as in PM Modi's words, "21 years back in time."&nbsp;

As the world continues its battle against the first wave of COVID-19 virus, in China about 5 to 10 percent of recovered patients who previously tested negative on retest have been tested positive. Although virologists think it is highly unlikely that patients who have recovered recently will be affected by the virus again, there remains a level of uncertainty, and with that, a fear of a second wave. In such a situation, for countries like India, which are in their early stages of the outbreak, and for European countries, and America for whom it is judged to be too late, to protect themselves from a probable second wave or even any other pandemic that might occur in the future, there are important measures and lessons to learn. Implementation of these measures can be crucial in deciding whether a country is crushed or is able to survive this pandemic.

Covid-19 - The case of different countries

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1585668260193" alt="Gurudwara Karte Parwan in Kabul" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

As countries all over the world were struggling with a virus that knows no borders, on 25 March, a gunman stormed inside a 400-year-old Gurdwara complex in Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul and claimed the lives of at least 25 people of the Sikh community.
The Islamic State was quick to claim the responsibility for the attacks, but before coming to any conclusions, one has to consider the current situation of Afghanistan, which has found itself amid a power tussle among various parties since the US-Taliban peace deal was signed in February.
According to the deal, US will withdraw its troops from a war-struck Afghanistan and in exchange Taliban will initiate peace talks with the Afghan Government. The possible exit of US has created a power deficit in the region where several terror outfits like Al Qaeda, Taliban, Islamic State, and other groups like Haqqani network, Tehrik-i-Taliban are trying to strengthen their footing.
On the national front, Afghanistan is also struggling with the political deadlock after the leader of the main opposition party, Abdullah Abdullah rejected the result of the latest election by terming them as fraudulent and announced to form a parallel government.
As reported by the Economic Times, one cannot rule out the involvement of Tehrik-i-Taliban, which is a radical terror outfit backed by ISI, the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan. Therefore, in the race to acquire control over a power-torn Afghanistan, several groups are announcing themselves by threatening minorities.
According to another school of thought, the attack is a deliberate attempt to harass the non-Muslim communities. The reason behind this hostility could be hatred based on religious differences or a retaliation to the recent developments in India like abrogation of Article 370, passage of CAA, and Delhi riots.
The gunman, named Abu Khalid al-Hindi, has been identified as an Indian citizen from the state of Kerala who had left India in 2018 to join the ISIL (ISIS) of Khorasan province in Afghanistan.
The eye-witnesses count the number of assailants three who brutally killed 25 and injured many, whereas the official statement by Afghanistan authorities identifies only a ‘lone-gunman’.&nbsp;
The incident garnered international attention as the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres despised the terrorist attack in his statement and said, “attacks against civilians are unacceptable and those who carry out such crimes must be held accountable.”
PM Narendra Modi also condemned the attack during his address to the nation and said that he was “deeply saddened to hear about the terror attack.”
On 26 March, a day after the attack, local news agency reported that a bomb blast had occurred in proximity of the people who were carrying their lost ones to the crematorium.
This is not the first time when religious minorities like Sikhs and Hindus have been targeted. In July 2018, the IS claimed responsibility for bombing a gathering of Sikhs and Hindus in the city of Jalalabad which caused 19 deaths and left 20 injured.
The minorities have often complained of harassment and persecution at the hands of the Muslim majority. An Afghan MP, Narendra Singh Khalsa admitted that his people “often say that they cannot live in this country anymore.”

Kabul Gurudwara attack – Retaliation or power tussle?

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1585297431747" alt="G20 virutal summit in Riyadh to provide a united front against Covid-19" style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>

Taking social distancing to a whole new level, leaders from more than a dozen countries conducted the G20 summit virtually through video conferencing. Chaired by Saudi Arabia, the summit’s agenda was to create a ‘united front’ to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. Leaders from around the world desired for a harmonised effort to tackle health, social, and economic impact of the Coronavirus and pledged to inject $5 trillion into the global economy.
Group of Twenty or G20 is a global forum consisting of 19 countries and European Union which are home to 60 percent of the world population and generates 80 percent of the world’s GDP.
PM Modi clarified India’s stance to give priority to health of the people over fixing the world economy. He mentioned that 90 percent of the Covid-19 cases and 88 percent of the virus related deaths have happened in the G20 countries, so it is imperative for the group to come up with a concrete action plan to fight the virus that has infected over 5 lakh people worldwide and claimed the lives of more than 22,000 people.
Talking about the new era of globalisation, PM Modi urged the nations to freely and openly share the benefits of medical research and development to promote the shared interests of humanity. He also called for reforms in the World Health Organisation to strengthen its mandate.&nbsp;
Leaders from countries like US, UK, China, Canada, Germany, France, Russia, and South Korea came together with a view to safeguard the world economy. G20 as a group plans to invest $5 trillion in the world economy as part of targeted fiscal policy, economic measures, and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic, and financial impacts of the pandemic.
Representatives from various international organisations like WHO, World Bank Group, and International Monetary Fund were also a part of the conference. At the summit, leaders also committed to provide voluntary monetary relief through WHO’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation and, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
To enhance global co-operation and address international trade disruption, the countries ensured to work toward strengthening the flow of vital medicines, agricultural products, and other important remedial products.
According to a forecast by ratings agency, Moody, G20 is set to record a 0.5 percent drop in their collective GDP, whereas the economies of US and Eurozone can take a hit of 2 percent and 2.2 percent respectively.

G20 comes together against Covid-19

<img src="https://discussion.policharcha.in/1580415613300" alt="India and China relations with a twist of Pakistan " style="float:none;height: auto;width: auto"/>
&nbsp;
When we hear these words in the same sentence, some particular things come to mind – the Chinese goods in Indian economy, the 1962 Sino-Indian war, the border dispute, Buddhism, or maybe the Dakolam stand-off, but considering the present geo-political scenario, things look far more complicated.
String of Pearls (SoP) theory about China’s plot, and China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative shed more light on this pressing issue. As the name suggests, SoP theory relates to China’s increasing military and economic presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to encircle India, starting from Mainland China to Horn of Africa. Beijing have invested billions of dollars to develop Chittagong Port in Bangladesh, Kyaukpyu Port in Myanmar, Hambantota port in Sri Lanka, Gwadar Port in Pakistan, and financed infrastructure projects in the strategically located Maldives and Thailand.
The ambitious OBOR project, set to be completed in the year 2049, is about China’s plan to develop roadways and sea routes to connect over 150 nations in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. The project, once completed, will give Beijing a virtual control over the lines of communication, trade, and not to mention a free pass to navigate its military forces in times of uncertainty.
This is where Pakistan come into play. Funded by Beijing, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a significant part of the OBOR, is a trade route with a price tag of $46 billion. CPEC connects China’s Xinjiang province to the Gwadar deep-sea port in Pakistan and it runs through the disputed Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Moreover, it is suggested that China is bidding in neo-colonialism because of its debt-trap diplomacy to fund projects in less developed countries, which will be unable to repay the debt and thereby conceding control to Beijing.&nbsp;
India is the only country in South East Asia that can challenge China’s hegemony, and Beijing is leaving no stone unturned to lessen the influence of New Delhi in the arena of International Politics. India will have to revisit its Act East policy and work for a better co-operation with ASEAN nations.&nbsp;

India and China – More than what meets the eye

Trumps business like international policy outlook has reduced USA's influence over world politcs.
Withdrawal from Iran deal.
Trade war with China.
Calling climate-change a hoax.

Trumps short-sightedness.

US dominance is not about just its economic and military might. America's cultural dominance makes it a superpower. I mean we see american movies, listen american songs, wear american clothes and what not

The importance of soft power

What impact would the Coronavirus outbreak make on Chinese, Global and Indian economy?
*China is world's second largest economy.
*China is our largest exporter

Coronavirus and its effects on Chinese, Global & Indian economy

What can be the virus' impact on China's most ambitious project, i.e. The Belt and Road Initiative?
Beijing is trying to penetrate into Western Europe since the project has started and now that US and EU are on the backfoot, China has a chance to increase its presence where it was not before.

Coronavirus and China's Belt and Road initiative.

If China is to really held accountable for this Coronavirus crisis...how should countries especially like US and EU including UK react?
India's stance will also be one to notice, will it go with the flow or still play safe? India still has not blamed China for anthing unlike other few countries.&nbsp;
Even if countries put sanctions on China or take anyother actions, I dont think this the China we can beat anyhow anymore.

Also, could there be an angle of Capitalism vs Communism here?

Handling China

Some reports claim that Kim Jong-Un is dead because of heart complications.
Some are saying that he is alive and well.
He has not been seen since last two weeks now, and had missed Army Day celebrations.
What is really happening?

What's happening in North Korea?

How realistic is our this thought that we should Boycott Chinese Products in response to the Dragon's aggression across the border?

Wallet vs Bullet

Already world is dealing with Covid19.

But China is using this 'opportunity' to engage in creating complications across its borders, whether land with India or sea, in South China Sea.

Now it has fulfilled Bangladesh's long term demand of reduction in tariffs, and that too by 97%! The timing couldnt be perfect.