The war’s humanitarian and economic fallout has also shown that in a globalized world crises cannot be contained within national borders. It is therefore imperative to deter similar threats to global security from happening elsewhere. Taiwan—a democracy that is home to over 23 million people and that I proudly represent—continues to confront enormous challenges posed by China.

Since the mid-20th century, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has vowed to take control of Taiwan and refused to renounce the use of force, despite never having ruled Taiwan. For decades, the people of Taiwan have remained calm in safeguarding the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, as China’s economic and military might has grown stronger, it becomes increasingly aggressive in flexing its military muscle to intimidate Taiwan, thereby threatening our democratic way of life. This includes sending warplanes and ships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and encroaching into our air defense identification zones. It has also intensified gray-zone tactics, such as disinformation and economic coercion, in an attempt to wear down our will to fight.

The PRC’s expansionism does not stop at Taiwan. China’s use of gray-zone activities in the East and South China Seas are designed to expand its power and substantiate its hawkish territorial claims. In addition to signing a security agreement with Solomon Islands in the South Pacific, the PRC has been securing ports for future military use in the Indian Ocean. All of these maneuvers are causing grave concerns that peace is becoming more difficult to maintain.

Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is in everyone’s best interest. Half of the world’s commercial container traffic passes through the Taiwan Strait each day. Taiwan produces the majority of the world’s semiconductors and plays a key role in global supply chains. Any conflict in the area would have disastrous consequences for the global economy.

In recent years, bilateral and multilateral forums have repeatedly emphasized that the peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to global security. While we can all agree that the war must be avoided, how to best do so requires inclusion, dialogue, and, most of all, unity.

The United Nations remains the best platform for global discourse. UN officials speak often of joint solutions, solidarity, and inclusion in tackling the pressing issues of our time. Taiwan is more than willing and able to take part in these efforts.

However, Taiwan continues to be excluded from the UN due to China’s distortion of UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. This resolution neither states that Taiwan is a part of the PRC nor gives the PRC the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the UN and its specialized agencies. In fact, the resolution only determines who represents the member state China, a fact that the international community and China itself recognized following the relevant vote in 1971. The subsequent misrepresentation of Resolution 2758 contradicts the basic principles upheld by the UN Charter and must be rectified.

The 78th session of the UN General Assembly, which will center on the theme “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity,” is timely in light of a number of broad global challenges. For example, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were designed as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity. Yet the most recent SDG progress report showed that just 12 percent of SDG targets were on track, while progress on 50 percent has remained insufficient. And on more than 30 percent, we have stalled or even regressed.

While there are no easy answers, the first step is dialogue. As a truly global institution, the UN can serve as a champion of progress. We call on the UN to uphold its principle of leaving no one behind by allowing Taiwan to participate in the UN system, rather than excluding it from discussions on issues requiring global cooperation. A good first step would be to allow Taiwanese individuals and journalists to attend or cover relevant meetings, as well as ensure Taiwan’s meaningful participation in meetings and mechanisms regarding the SDGs.

Ukraine’s incredible bravery and resilience have inspired countries around the globe. The war there has forged a new sense of togetherness in the world. Unity is crucial to pushing back against Russia’s aggression and to preserving universal values, such as human rights and global peace, more broadly.

It is vital to make China and other authoritarian governments aware that they will be held accountable and to urge them to settle differences through peaceful means. Allowing Taiwan to meaningfully participate in the UN system would benefit the world’s efforts to address pressing global issues. This would also demonstrate the UN’s determination to unite for global peace at a critical juncture when the future of the world is at stake.

We are stronger together. Now is the time to act on this fundamental principle by including Taiwan.

Also Read: Delhi: Schoolgirls tie Rakhi to PM Modi on Raksha Bandhan
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However, before departing for Australia, PM Narendra Modi and PNG PM James Marape together launched the old Tamil classic ‘Thirukkural’ by revered poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, in Tok Pisin language. The idea behind the book launch was to bring the communities of the two nations closer to each other.

Originally written in ‘Tamil’ language, the book was translated into Tok Pisin by Subha Sasindran, a respected linguist. PM Modi has often quoted Thirukkural as the book which “remains relevant even today and can serve as an inspiration for the present generation.” This being said, there is another relationship that bounds these two nations together in a single thread. These are the similarities between the PNG language Tok Pisin and Indian languages such as Tamil, Sanskrit, and Telugu.

Several words are used in this Oceania country ranging from day-to-day words, names, surnames, and places that can certainly remind you of Dravidian touch in them. These words not just sound the same but are also the same in terms of meaning, grammar, and phonetics.

There are towns in Papua New Guinea that have Tamil meanings such as Wau (come here), Karimui (blackface), Keveri Hills, and Linga Linga which roughly translates into Shiva. At Goraka region you may find places named Ashaloka and Ramu valley.

There are some other daily usage words as well like Erave (sun), Nagam (snake), and Pua (flower) which have the exact same translation in Tamil. Other than these, the PNG surnames also draw similar signifiers like Sam Kuala where Kuala means short man, John Muliap, wherein Muliap translates into ‘Muli’ meaning corner or radish and Robert Namalue, in which Namalue means our man in Tamil language.

Interestingly, a common Tamil name is Kittappa which can also be found used frequently in Papua New Guinea and means father-in-law in Tok Pisin whereas same word in Tamil means near-father. An areca nut, which is often used in one of India’s famous dessert, Paan is even called a ‘supari’ in New Guinea language.

What could be the reason behind similarities between Tamil and Tok Pisin?

Despite having deep similarities in meaning and pronunciation it is not clear what lies behind the similar sounding names. In 2009 the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology published a paper by the name of KVS Krishna who wanted to study the reason and relevance between the two languages and the point of their confluence.

If Linguists are to believe, Papua New Guinea at one point was an ocean of languages with over 750 indigenous languages all of which slowly died out. The distance between the two countries is about 8000 kilometers and have a large ocean in the middle to separate them, so how is this possible that without any linguistic, historical, or commercial trade relations have the same names and usage?

Here are some words compiled by us:

A military truck carrying Indian Army soldiers was targeted by Pakistan based outfit PAFF that has close links to Jaish-E-Mohammed, a banned UN designated terrorist organization. The terrorists fired several rounds of armor piercing bullets and grenades to target the vehicle which led to the death of 5 Jawans. A massive manhunt was launched by Indian Army in order to neutralize the terrorists in the area. At the time of writing this opinion piece, an 8 member NIA team has already reached the incident site to probe the conspiracy hatched by Pakistan backed terrorists.

Bilawal Bhutto will misuse SCO platform to further Kashmir bogey

The attack comes at a crucial juncture when Bilawal Bhutto’s arrival in India is already overshadowed by his past statements on Kashmir. Interestingly, Pakistan is desperately trying to derail the series of G20 meetings that are supposed to happen in Srinagar later next month. It has also come to light that Pakistan is trying to push terrorists to pull out terror attacks in the valley in a bid to create fear and panic that threatens the peace and stability in the Union Territory.

On 7th October 2022 Bilawal tried to internationalize the issue with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. This also led to German Foreign Minister calling for UN intervention on the Kashmir issue.

Hosting Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in India will send a wrong message to the world

Pakistan’s long history of resorting to violence every time there’s a face to face meeting between two sides dates back to Kargil War, when Pervez Musharraf deviously captured heights while India extended its hand of friendship. Another instance when this got repeated was when Prime Minister Modi made a surprise stopover at Lahore to meet Nawaz Sharif while days after this meeting Pathankot terror attack took place.

More importantly, every time there’s an attempt by Pakistani civilian leadership to engage India, Pakistani ISI carries out deadly terror attacks targeting Indian Forces. Poonch terror attack before announcement of Bilawal Bhutto’s visit is a no coincidence but a planned strategy by Pakistani establishment to put spotlight on Kashmir.

What is People’s Anti-Fascist Front?

People’s Anti Fascist Front the organization behind fresh attack, has been active in the region for quite sometime and gets active support from Pakistan Army. The organization has regularly issued threats to Government as well as the Indian Army since its inception in 2019, while carried out killings of civilians as well as political leaders in Jammu & Kashmir.

Given its notoriety, the terror outfit was banned by the Home Ministry in January this year. On 3rd June 2021 PAFF assassinated BJP leader Rakesh Pandita and later they attacked Army at Rajouri. On 11th October, PAFF took responsibility of attack in Mendhar when 9 Indian Army soldiers lost their lives. On 3rd October 2022 IPS officer Hemant Kumar Lohia was also killed by PAFF at the same time when Home Minister Amit Shah was on a tour of Jammu & Kashmir.

MEA says “not be appropriate to focus on a particular member”

Ministry of External Affairs while answering a question about Bilawal Bhutto’s upcoming visit clarified that it was not appropriate to comment on the participation of a particular member country. However, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also added “Regarding the request for bilateral meetings, I think, it is premature. Let’s see the full participation. Usually, EAM does try to hold as many bilateral meetings as it can on the margins of such kinds of multilateral meetings. You saw that on the occasion of the G20 Foreign Minister’s’ meeting,”

It is alleged that he revealed his internal discussion with Head Coach and other players and he also levelled serious allegations against some senior members of Indian Cricket Team. This entire episode gave rise to the discussion about the legal admissibility of sting operations and entrapment and whether it amounts to violation of Right to Privacy which is a Fundamental Right enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

There is no specific law in India dealing with the legality of Sting Operations. Over the years, various High Courts and Hon’ble Supreme Court has discussed about the legality and admissibility of sting operations in evidence in various cases based on the facts of the case.

Evidence illegally secured is admissible in court if it is ‘relevant’ to the case and the admission of such evidence has not been barred by the Constitution or any other law. In Indian Evidence Act there is no provision that confers power on the court to exclude sting operation as an evidence. In 1983, the Law Commission of India in its 94th Report recommended that the legislature should amend the Indian Evidence Act to confer on the court discretion to exclude evidence obtained illegally or improperly, if, the admission of such evidence would bring the administration of justice into disrepute. Till date, no such law has been passed.

There are no hard and fast rules to determine the legitimacy of a sting operation and under which circumstances will it be considered as evidence under law.

The Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques Act (1994) is perhaps the only legislation in India which talks about sting or decoy operations in medical facilities which might be suspected of illegal sex determination. Sting operations undertaken under this act are legitimate and regulated.

In Raja Ram Pal v. Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha and Others (2007) The Delhi High Court upheld the legality of sting operations that brought to light the misconduct of 11 MPs and led to their removal, it was a ‘cash for query’ case and determined the parliamentary privileges that were laid down in India.

A request to frame guidelines for sting operations came up in the case of R.K. Anand v. Registrar, Delhi High (2009). It was commonly known as the ‘BMW hit and run case’ where a young man from an influential family, driving at a reckless speed ran over six people including three policemen in an inebriated state. The lawyers of the accused were seen meeting the prime witness of the case and influencing him not to testify. The Delhi High court declared them guilty and the Supreme Court upheld the decision and refused to put down guidelines for the media conducting sting operations, which was requested in the case. It said by putting down guidelines would tamper with the autonomy of the media which is against the media’s right to free press. A few isolated incidents of misuse do not justify a complete ban on this manner of investigative journalism.

Further Entrapment is a defense to criminal charges, and it’s based on interaction between police officers and the defendant prior to (or during) the alleged crime. A typical entrapment scenario arises when law enforcement officers use coercion and other overbearing tactics to induce someone to commit a crime.

There are 2 kinds of Entrapment in India, One where any statute authorizes the State agencies to carry out an entrapment and Second where the entrapment does not derive its legality from any legislation. For example, the ACB or CBI is authorised by the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, to create fictional scenarios to ‘trap’ corrupt public servants. However where the law enforcement officers act arbitrarily and are not authorised by a specific statute, they are bound to violate constitutional and human rights.

In case of Entrapment & Sting Operations, a right balance has to be achieved between the Right to Privacy and Public Interest. A blanket bar on the admissibility of the Entrapment or Sting Operation in Evidence, may affect the rights of the victim however Right to Privacy also has to be protected from the unregulated and arbitrary attempts by the State Agencies, Media or any stranger indulging into unauthorized entrapments.

Therefore it is the need of the hour that a specific and detailed legislation should be brought in India dealing with the legality and admissibility of the Entrapments and Sting Operations. This void of a specific statute dealing with the issue at hand neither should be misused to violate the basic structure of the constitution of India nor to scuttle the criminal justice system.

The hijab debate has moved to the Supreme Court of India. The decision of the Karnataka High Court will have no bearing on what the Supreme Court decides, and there’s a possibility that the apex court will reverse the judgment altogether. However, doing so depends entirely upon the appealing parties’ ability to prove that ‘hijab is essential to Islam,’ and not simply ‘essentially religious.’ Karnataka High Court’s verdict has been built solely upon this argument. As you can see, moving the words around can change the entire meaning. Based on past precedents in law, it will be difficult for the appealing parties’ to prove that the reverse is true.

Essentially the court says that appealing parties’ have failed to prove that the hijab forms a ‘core’ pillar in the practice of Islam. It begs us to ask – can a ‘core’ religious practice ever be a choice? On the one hand, several Muslim men and women have argued that the hijab is a ‘choice,’ and a woman has the right to choose what she wants to wear. While I agree with that, I can’t help but point out that it contradicts the very idea of a practice being ‘core’ to a religion.

Another crucial aspect of the court ruling forms the second part of my observation. It is clear from the judgment that its contents are only applicable to educational institutions. This is the reason why we aren’t in France (yet). The respondents argued that the ‘ban is in place only in the college and not the entire state’, and hence ‘the students’ fundamental right to live with dignity has not been violated.’ This argument in itself proves that a state-wide ban would be a violation of fundamental rights and therefore, in the current socio-political & legal scenario, it could not be upheld in a court of law. The state could either be testing waters or be aware that such a drastic step would not be met kindly by a constitutional court.

This is important to note because ever since the verdict, social media is rife with posts by women & men whose ‘hearts go out to the young Muslim women who can’t wear the hijab.’ To me, this is nothing but an attempt to create controversy where there is none. Through such posts, the authors expose themselves on two fronts. Firstly, they haven’t read the judgment carefully enough. I give them the benefit of the doubt, given court judgments are often extremely long and detailed. It is a tedious task to read them, but we must still make the effort of going through the fine print. Secondly, if they’ve read the judgment carefully and they’d still claim that their hearts bleed for the ‘affected parties,’ then they must reflect upon which battles they need to fight. By insinuating that this is the end of the world, you only prove that you’re a part of the problem.

What happens in the apex court remains to be seen. There is a possibility that other religious ‘markers’ such as the Sikh turban, the Hindu tilak, and the Christian cross come under scrutiny, but going ahead, I’d request my readers to think about the following.

Firstly, those using the court ruling to spread panic on social media and instigate communities must stop. Call out the armchair warriors with reason, this is not about them. This ruling affects hundreds of young girls who’ve been told to stop wearing the hijab. Whether it was their choice or manufactured consent is irrelevant. It turns out what they felt was essential didn’t hold up before a court of law, so they can’t do it anymore in school. Some of them must be at odds in deciding whether to protest for what they feel is their right versus adjusting for their education. This isn’t the time to make them feel like victims of a great injustice. Instead, the transition to a new normal should be made more comfortable. It would require Muslim women, men, and religious leaders to reassure parents and young girls that removing the hijab in school doesn’t make their child a ‘bad’ Muslim. Parents & students need to know that their fundamental right to religion is not under threat, and this ruling merely focuses on the right of educational institutions to prescribe a dress code.

Secondly, schools must do their bit too. School authorities and teachers need to be sensitive while dealing with students who are in the process of accepting the new normal. This means students can’t be turned away from the gate, nor should they be cornered. Instead, a decent way would be to have designated changing rooms at the premises. It would allow young girls and women the dignity to remove their hijabs/burqas away from the public eye, as we’ve seen in several uncomfortable-to-watch videos.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, the debates and ruling of the Karnataka High Court reveal the true core of any religion- evolution, and change. History is witness to the fact that many religious practices continued for centuries or decades not because they were ‘essential’ or even logical, but because nobody questioned them. What did reformers do? They asked for reasons and rationale, and since there was none, it ultimately resulted in several religious practices being banned or withering away. Society today is better off without them.

The Karnataka High Court ruling is an opportunity for the progressive Muslim voices of India to play their part as religious reformers. The key lies in striking a balance between what entails being a ‘good practitioner’ of the faith and practices, which by virtue of being a choice, don’t define your religious identity. With reason and rationale, Indian Muslims must help create the template for the evolution of Islamic practices.

One would be curious that how Kerala, a state with the highest literacy rate is highly involved with dowry, a sad irony. All this is happening when the state is constantly highlighting the vitality of investing in gender reforms and public education. However, this is also a state influenced by gold and exuberant weddings. A state which is passing on dowry either in the form of cash, property, gold or expensive gifts. These transactions which are made directly and discreetly which set the respect and social status deserved by the woman’s family. In fact in the recent times a number of deaths have also been reported in the state due to issues where the man’s family has not been satisfied with the dowry made available at the marriage. When it comes to the Crime statistics over dowry they explain a more dreadful scenario. In accordance with the crime records of the Kerala state police- 66 cases have been reported for dowry-related deaths and over 15,000 cases of harassment at the hands of husband/relatives have been registered in the last five years. Additionally, the state women’s commission brought forward another set of records which specifies about 1,100 cases reported for dowry-related harassment since 2010 in Kerala. It is saddening to see the capital district of Thiruvananthapuram being host to about half of the cases filed at the center. The figures emphasise that the state’s southern districts are infamous for channelizing the felonious practice.

Dowry is a setback of a larger problem, where the women are not treated equal to men. Even if they are permitted to educate themselves, it is mostly related to a few specific jobs like a nurse or a teacher. The women have restricted mobility and decision making and are still not permitted the space to make autonomous decisions due to which there is a wide gender disparities still exist in the labour market. The data exhibits that Kerala has the highest female unemployment rate in the country according to various rounds of NSSO surveys on employment and unemployment.

Even though the women have achieved a lot in their respective fields they still succumb to dowry deaths or harassment in India. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports on an average, every hour a woman becomes a victim of dowry death in India. It doesn’t really matter where and what woman earns, her identification and the right to live is defined in accordance with the kilos of gold, cash, latest automobiles and appliances she brings in dowry for her in-laws.

Despite of being given equal rights the women in our country are still treated differently as compared to men. Change is needed right at the grass-root level, where parents are happy to invest in a girl child and help her prosper. Parents need to use the money to help the child achieve her dreams and not just save up resources for her dowry. The youth is also an effective source to help abolish this evil practice. They need to take a stand to combat the menace of the dowry system. The state and union governments are the top authorities who need to act at the earliest and devise stricter actions, more welfare schemes, more career opportunities for women to create “honest, efficient, and committed means to overcome this heinous act.

Demanding strict action against those who have been caught trying to harm the peace and harmony of the state, Chadha claimed that Arvind Kejriwal is trying his best in order to protect the peace, harmony, brotherhood and unity of Punjab.

He said, “This is a very worrisome matter. With full seriousness and responsibility, the Aam Aadmi Party wants to urge the Punjab Police and the Captain Government in Punjab that they should take all possible measures to safeguard the brotherhood, peace, and love within Punjab.

Slamming the Congress, he added, “In Punjab, the responsibility of law and order is entirely on the state government. It is the responsibility of the Captain Government that unity, love, and peace thrives and continues between the people of Punjab and that no situation that wedges a divide between the people arises.”

While the Congress is yet to respond to AAP’s allegations, it is quite certain that the politics in punjab heating up ahead of the Punjab assembly polls.

People have approved the central government’s moves to fulfilling promises being made since long by the ruling party, BJP. These are Nullification of Article 370, clearing the way for Ram Mandir reconstruction (though this issue was resolved through court of law, the way government supported post judgement actions gave people a positive feel), banning Triple Talaq and CAA, that provides huge relief to minorities residing outside India and suffer worse persecution in Islamic neighbourhood because of their religion. They believe that the party they chose, stands by its promises.

Covid travelling from Wuhan is the biggest challenge to the world and worst pandemic the world has seen in its history. It is bound to have fall out on the government. However, Prime Minister who scored highest public approval ratings during the first wave of the pandemic, has suffered heavy erosion in the second wave. The surprising part is that people hold central government more responsible for control of the pandemic than the state governments, who actually are the owners of health management. I see two reasons behind it.

One, Modi ji got the credit for the first wave management, so he will also get the discredit for the second wave. Two, people have no faith or expectations from the state governments, they are looking upto centre for every solution. This is not a good development for our democracy. The federal approach to manage the country, the state and the local bodies including Panchayats is a well thought out system. But, the political shenanigans of local politicians and their interest only in making money has eroded people’s confidence in local level politicians.

Blaming Kumbh mela for second wave is the success of left illiberal lobby. Uttarakhand government had agreed to Kumbh mela arrangements when wave 1 had subsided. It had very strict protocols for entering the mela site. Number of infect people was lowest possible even at its peak during the Kumbh and also later on because of strict protocols. Studies now tell us that Farmer rallies mainly from Punjab was a major contributor to spread of the second wave. It is also clear that the second wave, which was like a sudden tsunami came from states which had no elections. Beginning from Maharashtra. Worst management evidenced by figures was in non-BJP ruled states. As soon as the tsunami hit us, PM Modi got into fire fighting mode. But, he or his government did not find time to explain to the people what had actually happened and how the fire fighting has turned the tide within a couple of weeks. In the meanwhile, the opposition which has governments in many states created enough chaos to shift the blame entirely onto BJP and PM Modi.

Covid vaccination was going better than most countries. However, our opposition played vicious politics against India manufactured vaccines that led to unprecedented vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine centres were mostly under populated after initial rush. But, blame goes to Modi ji.

People feel, and rightly so, that Modi ji shouldn’t have addressed rallies. But, they forget that all political parties addressed rallies, including most vocal Rahul Gandhi. They also forget that in 2020 Bihar elections, opposition parties refused to go for virtual campaigning as suggested by Election Commission. They also forget that Panchayat election was imposed on UP by the courts despite UP government asking it to be postponed due to Covid. It shows that people have such high trust in PM Modi that they have different yard stick for Modi ji as against that of opposition leaders.

40% of the people are asking the government to take back Farm laws though they were passed by their own chosen parliament. However, it is revealing that 30% of rural population that really understands farming, doesn’t wish the government to drop Farm Laws. It shows that urban population is exhausted by this unseemly confrontation. It just wishes to chose easier path, while more sturdy rural populace is not moved so easily.

If you analyse these views, it shows major failure of communication from government. Whether it was CAA, or Farmer Bills or handling of Covid crises. Will BJP as a party understand this serious problem, or will it lurch from elections to elections, winning most, losing some?

More seriously, people seem to have no expectations from state government, nor have politicians and opinion leaders have been able to educate people about responsibilities of the central, state bodies and local bodies. This does not bode well for grass root democracy. This can go against opposition parties who wish to thrive only on negative perceptions.

The so-called civil society movements have become agenda driven with no interest in educating people and galvanising them into action. I say, so-called because most of these, definitely not all, movements are elite class movements, not grass roots. We need to work more honestly at grass roots with people who are direct beneficiaries or sufferers of the government policies.