US exit from ISA: Consultative action needed to tackle issues, says India

India said it is closely tracking a proposed US Bill on Russian oil tariffs, reaffirmed its stance on energy security, and reiterated sovereignty claims over Shaksgam Valley

India on Friday said it is closely following developments relating to a proposed legislation by the US that seeks to impose up to 500 per cent tariffs on countries procuring Russian crude oil, and that the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will continue to advance its goals despite the exit of the US from the international organisation.

 

New Delhi also disapproved of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani writing a note to jailed activist Umar Khalid, saying public representatives should respect the independence of the judiciary in other democracies. In his handwritten note for Khalid — which the New York Mayor gave to the jailed man’s parents when they met him in the US last month — Mamdani conveyed his solidarity with him.

 

 

Addressing his weekly media briefing, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also expressed his concern over the killing of a woman by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis in the US. “We are concerned as we have a large Indian community in the US, including students, professionals, and others," he said. The woman, Renee Nicole Good, was shot dead by a federal immigration agent this week.

 

With US Senator Lindsey Graham moving the Bill that has proposed 500 per cent tariffs on countries procuring Russian crude oil, Jaiswal said, “We are aware of the proposed Bill. We are closely following the developments.”

 

“Our position on the larger question of energy sourcing is well known. In this endeavour, we are guided by the evolving dynamics of the global market and by the imperative to secure affordable energy from diverse sources to meet the energy security needs of our 1.4 billion people,” the MEA spokesperson said.

 

On Wednesday, Senator Graham said he had a “very productive meeting” with US President Donald Trump and that the president has green-lighted the Russia sanctions Bill that has been in the works for months. “This will be well-timed, as Ukraine is making concessions for peace, and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent. This Bill will allow President Trump to punish those countries that buy cheap Russian oil, fuelling Putin's war machine," Graham said on social media this week.

 

"This Bill would give President Trump tremendous leverage against countries like China, India, and Brazil to incentivise them to stop buying the cheap Russian oil that provides the financing for Putin's bloodbath against Ukraine,” he said. Earlier this week, Graham said that Indian Ambassador to the US Vinay Kwatra informed him about New Delhi reducing its purchases of Russian oil and asked him to convey to President Trump to "relieve the tariff" imposed on India.

 

On the US withdrawal from international organisations, including the ISA, the MEA spokesperson said that the ISA has made significant progress since its inception in advancing its mandate to promote solar energy deployment and cooperation among its 125 member countries, and that India will continue to advance its goals.

 

In a critique of the White House’s position, the MEA spokesperson said, “India stands for multilateralism and believes that global issues need consultative and collaborative action by all countries.”

 

‘Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory’

 

India on Friday slammed China's infrastructure development projects in the Shaksgam Valley and said that it reserves the right to take necessary measures to safeguard its interests as it is an Indian territory.

 

India’s reaction comes in the context of China and Pakistan announcing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC 2.0, on January 4, which envisages infrastructure development in Shaksgam Valley. Pakistan ceded 5,180 square kilometre (sq km) of Indian territory in the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963 from areas illegally occupied by it.

 

“Shaksgam Valley is Indian territory. We have never recognised the so-called China-Pakistan 'boundary agreement' signed in 1963. We have consistently maintained that the agreement is illegal and invalid,” Jaiswal said.

 

“We also do not recognise the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which passes through Indian territory that is under forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan,” he said, adding that the “entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. This has been clearly conveyed to Pakistani and Chinese authorities several times.”

 

“We have consistently protested with the Chinese side against attempts to alter the ground reality in the Shaksgam Valley. We further reserve the right to take necessary measures to safeguard our interests,” he said.

 

On Chinese military exercises near Taiwan, Jaiswal urged all parties concerned to exercise restraint. “India closely follows developments across the Indo-Pacific region. We have an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region in view of our significant trade, economy, people-to-people and maritime interests,” he said. “We urge all parties concerned to exercise restraint, eschew unilateral action, and resolve all issues through peaceful means without threat or use of force,” Jaiswal said.

 

India asks B’desh to deal firmly with attacks on minorities

 

India on Friday said that a “disturbing pattern of recurring attacks on minorities as well as their homes and businesses by extremists” has continued in Bangladesh. It asked Dhaka to deal with such communal incidents “swiftly and firmly”, and described as “troubling” the attempts to attribute the incidents to extraneous reasons.

 

“We have observed a troubling tendency to attribute such incidents to personal rivalries, political differences, or extraneous reasons,” Jaiswal said. “Such disregard only emboldens the perpetrators and deepens the sense of fear and insecurity among minorities,” he said.

 

There have been a series of attacks on minorities, including Hindus, in Bangladesh after the killing of radical youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in December. Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) recorded 51 incidents of communal violence last month alone. These included 10 murders, 10 cases of theft and robbery, 23 incidents involving occupation of homes, business establishments, and temples, and looting and arson.

 

In addition, four more Hindu persons have been killed in January so far, taking the total number of casualties to 14 since December, BHBCUC said.

 

Last month, India said the "unremitting hostilities" against minorities in Bangladesh are a matter of "grave concern" as it demanded punishment for the perpetrators involved in the lynching of Hindu youth Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh.