JK News Today Commentary
Please read it carefully: “The world now has four poles. One of them is India, the other three are the United States, China and Russia.” These are not the lines by any Indian, but one of the most respected economists of Pakistan Shahid Javed Burki. This recognition of the fact t by a Pakistani economist who had once served as Finance Minister of his country, is based on the facts and the substantive progress that India has made, particularly under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past more than 10 years.
Pakistanis are very miser in praising India, but when facts are too large to be ignored, they also sit and put their opinions on board for the world to see and read. At a micro level, these words are also meant for the domestic audience advertently or inadvertently drawing attention of their leaders and the establishment toward the progress that India has made over the years while Pakistan continues to look up to International Monetary Fund and other global institutions for help to rescue it from the whirlpool of economic miseries and despair. This difference, in a way also reflects on the policy failures of Pakistani leadership, which has devoted more time, rather wasted ages in raking up unnecessary issues, in an attempt to bleed neighbouring countries, it has bled itself. The way terrorism is taking hold of Pakistan and the political and economic instability making its people to resent being citizens of a failed state, the country is headed toward disaster, and everyone sees the catastrophic consequences visiting it.
Burki, in his article on Monday (July 15, 2024) in an article in Express Tribune titled “India, one part of the multipolar world”, dwelled upon the recent visit of the Indian Prime Minister Modi to Russia where he exhibited to the world, and to the United States, in particular, that it has its own strategic autonomy. It has the strength to stand on its own and guide its own policies without any external influence.
The Pakistani economist wrote: “That India has become one of the four poles around which the developing world order is being structured is amply demonstrated by the way New Delhi is being courted by the United States and Russia. For both, India offered a good counterpoint to the rising power of China, now a rapidly growing economic and military power. A couple of months ago Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, was the guest of honour at Washington where he was hosted to a state dinner by President Joe Biden. The dinner was attended by some prominent members of the large Indian diaspora in the United State. On July 9 and 10 , Modi was hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin . The Putin-Modi meeting coincided with the one held by the heads of state of NATO countries who went to Washington and met President Biden. “
This shows the clout of Prime Minister Modi and the largest democracy that he represents. It is with this thing in mind that India is marching toward its goal of “Viksit Bharat”. What Javed Burki is telling is essentially the story of New India under Modi’s leadership, which is growing in its influence world-wide.
Javed Burki continued:” Almost immediately after his arrival in Russia, Modi was taken in to Putin’s residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, a Moscow suburb, for tea on an outdoor terrace. “It is a great honour to visit a friend’s home. Putin responded by congratulating the Indian visitor for winning his third term in office which would take his prime ministership to the year 2029.”
Modi, he noted, did take up Ukrainian issue with Putin with a hope that “Russia’s interest in Ukraine would be taken care of by peaceful means. Modi’s Russian visit had come within a few hours of the Russian bombing of a school in which many children were killed. “Anybody who believes in humanity is aggrieved at the loss of life in war or in terror attacks. Even so it breaks our hearts to see innocent children killed,” Modi told Putin.
This is what makes India important. It can deliver any message that it wants to the world leaders.
