The Indian Weekender, 10 March 2023

16
WORLD
The Australian High Commissioner,
Barry O’Farrell, Monday said Australia’s
respect for India’s sovereignty is
unwavering, and the Khalistan referendum in
his country has no legal standing.
The envoy, who was talking to
reporters ahead of Australian PM Anthony
Albanese’s visit (March 8 to 11), said that
Australians were horrified at the incidents
of vandalism at places of religious worship,
including in Brisbane.
“The police are very active in trying to
track down those who are responsible…
Australia’s respect for India’s sovereignty
is unwavering,” he said, adding that the
Australian government has made it clear
that the Khalistan poll has “no legal standing
either in Australia or in India”.
Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell.
“Freedom of speech does not give you the
right to engage in violent protests in hate
speech or vandalism. And those matters are
taken seriously in Australia,” O’Farrell said,
responding to questions. He also said the
Adani Group has successful businesses and
Friday, 10 March, 2023
Australia’s respect for India’s
sovereignty unwavering: Envoy
continues to be the largest investor from
India in Australia.
The Australian envoy also said that
the impact of the Hindenburg report on
the Adani Group is a matter for India’s
regulators and that there have been no
reports about the business group ceasing
operations in Australia.
“Mr Adani’s investments in Australia are
fully functioning and providing resources.
There have been no reports that his
operations have ceased. So, he is still a
significant investor from India… In countries
like Australia and India where you have an
Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement,
people make decisions on the basis of their
interest. These matters are not for the
government,” he said.
Afghanistan is world's most repressive
country for women, says UN
Since the Taliban takeover
of Afghanistan, the
country has become the
most repressive in the world for
women and girls, deprived of
many of their basic rights, the
United Nations said Wednesday.
In a statement released on
the International Women’s
Day, the U.N. mission said that
Afghanistan's new rulers have
shown an almost “singular focus
on imposing rules that leave
most women and girls effectively
trapped in their homes.”
Despite initial promises of
a more moderate stance, the
Taliban have imposed harsh
measures since seizing power in
August 2021 as U.S. and NATO
forces were in the final weeks of
their pullout from Afghanistan
after two decades of war.
They have banned girls'
education beyond sixth grade
and women from public spaces
such as parks and gyms. Women
are also barred from working
at national and international
nongovernmental organizations
and ordered to cover themselves
from head to toe.
“Afghanistan under the
Read online www.iwk.co.nz
Australia and Japan PMs bound for India, China elephant in the room
Afghan women students stand outside the Kabul University in Kabul. (AP)
Taliban remains the most
repressive country in the world
regarding women’s rights,"
said Roza Otunbayeva, special
representative of the U.N.
secretary-general and head of
the mission to Afghanistan.
“It has been distressing
to witness their methodical,
deliberate, and systematic
efforts to push Afghan women
and girls out of the public
sphere,” she added.
The restrictions, especially
the bans on education and
NGO work, have drawn fierce
international condemnation. But
the Taliban have shown no signs
of backing down, claiming the
In the backdrop of China
hiking its military budget
by a whopping 7.2 per cent
to USD 225 billion, QUAD allies
Australia and Japan are bound
for India to deepen defence and
economic cooperation even with
Beijing’s “no limit ally” Russia
hitting out at the informal yet
powerful forum of India, US,
Australia and Japan.
Australia PM Anthony Albanese
(left), PM Narendra Modi (centre)
and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
While Australian Prime Minister
Anthony Albanese is scheduled
to visit India from March 8-11,
Japan Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida is arriving in Delhi on
March 19 for a one-day official
visit on March 20.
Both countries are very close
partners of India with late
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe and Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi virtually cofounders
of revived QUAD.
Although the three countries
along with the US have a
very close relationship with
information exchange on virtually
any topic, the hot topic of
discussion this time will be forging
defence cooperation and setting
up resilient global supply chains
due to the ongoing Ukraine war
and Chinese belligerence in the
Indo-Pacific.
bans are temporary suspensions
in place allegedly because women
were not wearing the Islamic
headscarf, or hijab, correctly
and because gender segregation
rules were not being followed.
As for the ban on university
education, the Taliban
government has said that some
of the subjects being taught
were not in line with Afghan and
Islamic values.
“Confining half of the country’s
population to their homes
in one of the world’s largest
humanitarian and economic
crises is a colossal act of national
self-harm," Otunbayeva also
said.
The Xi Jinping regime has hiked
its military budget to USD 225,
which is more than the combined
budgets of India (USD 73 billion),
Australia (USD 48.7 billion) and
Japan (USD 51 billion).
To make matters worse,
the Chinese military budget is
higher than the released figure
as revenues from its growing
military-industrial complex are
ploughed back into military
“It will condemn not only
women and girls, but all Afghans,
to poverty and aid-dependency
for generations to come,"
she said. "It will
“It further isolate
has been Afghanistan
distressing from its
to witness their o w n
methodical, deliberate, citizens
and systematic efforts and from
to push Afghan women
and girls out of the
the rest of
the world."
public sphere.” T h e
U.N. mission
to Afghanistan
also said it has recorded an
almost constant stream of
discriminatory edicts and
measures against women since
the Taliban takeover — women’s
right to travel or work outside
the confines of their home
and access to spaces is largely
restricted, and they have also
been excluded from all levels of
public decision-making.
“The implications of the harm
the Taliban are inflicting on their
own citizens goes beyond women
and girls,” said Alison Davidian,
the special representative for
U.N. Women in Afghanistan.
spending and this figure also
runs into billions of USDs. The
strategic intent of the increased
spending is to prepare China
against three major dangers:
invaded (read Taiwan), toppled
(read Sinkiang or Xinjiang) and
separated (read Tibet).
The picture of which countries
China considers as adversaries
become clear as any military
emergency over Senkaku Islands
or neighbouring Taiwan will
seriously impact Japan, and
military consolidation in Tibet and
Xinjiang will put pressure on India.
Backed by ambitious Beijing, the
Chinese PLA is in an expansionist
mode and is running into friction
with Australia as Xi Jinping forges
military cooperation in the Far
Pacific and along with Russia has
hit out at the AUKUS alliance.
The AUKUS alliance will
strengthen Australia's maritime
capability by providing
US "Indo-Pacific
Strategy" seeks
to create Asia-
Pacific version
of NATO: China
China's Foreign Minister Qin
Gang slammed the US-Indo
Pacific Strategy, saying
that it was created as an attempt
to gang up to form "exclusive
blocs" by plotting an Asia-Pacific
version of NATO and added that
it is "bound to fail."
Gang said, "The US-Indo Pacific
strategy while purportedly
aiming at upholding freedom
and openness maintaining
security and maintaining
prosperity in a region is, in fact,
an attempt to gang up to form
exclusive blocs to provoke a
confrontation by plotting as Asia
Pacific version of NATO."
"The US claims to shape the
strategic environment in which
China operates actually reveals
the purpose of its Indo-Pacific
strategy which is to encircle
China, such an attempt will only
disturb ASEAN-centered open
and inclusive regional cooperation
architecture, and undermine the
overall and long-term interests of
regional countries.
It is bound to fail," he added.
The press conference was held
during the first session of the
14th National Press Conference
and it is also Qin's first
appearance in two sessions since
he took office three months ago.
Earlier, talking about its
relationship with Russia, the
Chinese Foreign Minister said
that their relationship set a good
example of international relations
and is based on no alliance, no
confrontation.
Gang said, "China and Russia
have found a path of major country
relations featuring strategic trust
and good neighbourliness, setting
a good example for international
relations."
"China-Russia relationship is
based on no alliance and no
confrontation and it doesn't
target any third party. It is not
a threat to any country, nor is
it subject to any interference or
discord sewn by any third party,"
he added.
Canberra with nuclear-powered
conventionally armed submarines
to patrol its area of influence.
Albeit the situation all along the
3488 km Line of Actual Control
(LAC) with China is stable, there
has been no de-escalation of PLA
forces from the border since
Beijing tried to unilaterally change
the ground situation in May 2020
in East Ladakh. While the Indian
opposition parties are trying to
provoke the Modi government
into some misadventure with
China, the Indian Army is all
prepared for any emergency
with its plans in case of a
worst-case scenario.
Among India, Australia and
Japan, Indo-Pacific is one of the
main agendas with expansion
of Chinese Navy and its
intermediate-range conventional
and nuclear missile arsenal a main
concern.