The G20 Presidency offers India a rare opportunity of rising as a leading contributor to the global recovery from the Covid pandemic, as an advocate of collective action in tackling environmental challenges and climate change, and as an active participant in the efforts to pull the world out of economic stagnation in general and the food and energy crisis caused by the Ukraine-Russia military conflict in particular.
India’s sane voice on various global issues has been heard and appreciated by the world community and there is little doubt that while steering the G20 Presidency through the year ahead, India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi would further strengthen its position as a major world power and as a trustworthy global counsel.
The country’s handling of economic development has served our national interests well, however, a major challenge is to safeguard our internal security against the threats of terrorism and radicalisation.
Although the democratic world is united against the new faith-based terror, India is left on its own to strategise against the threats posed by the Sino-Pak alliance working specifically against the country. Even the US is not excessively bothered with the added threat of terrorism from the Pak-Afghan belt after the return of Taliban Emirate at Kabul – following the withdrawal of American troops from the war-torn Afghanistan – or with the adverse impact of the consolidation of strategic links between China and Pakistan in a situation where geopolitical hostility between US and China was coming to the fore.
The two adversaries of India are our neighbours as well, and apart from the mischief they can cause on the borders, they have every intention of using an opportunity of disturbing India’s internal peace and cohesion. India has to take preventive measures on multiple fronts to deal with this situation. India is now militarily prepared to respond to any Chinese aggressiveness on LAC particularly in eastern Ladakh and is an active partner in the US-led Quad to work for ‘rules-based order’ in the Indo-Pacific and strategically counter Chinese designs against India on the marine front.
