Pranay Sharma

The decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to share the drug with other countries in a crisis-situation like this, wherein a large number of people are dying every day, is commendable, writes Pranay Sharma.

The US is the worst hit country with nearly 300,000 cases and 8000 deaths, over 3,500 of them in New York alone.

Experts feel Delhi should not bring back the minority Sikh community as it would only demoralise the Afghan government and further polarise the fractious society.

The move to blame China for the current mess the world finds itself in began in the United States with President Donald Trump’s critical public utterances.

This is not a panic reaction to any particular development in the country or a comment on the government’s handling of the situation. It is a global exercise on the instruction of the US State department.

With the United States getting into exit-mode to leave the country and paving the way for an eventual Taliban-take over, India seems to be the last viable backer for the Afghan government of Ashraf Ghani.

Engaging in blame-game at this juncture could only lead to division at a time when there is a collective attempt to face the biggest challenge a globalised world has faced so far.

Modi was scheduled to travel to Bangladesh on a two-day visit from March 17 to participate in the “Jatir Pita”-- Mujibur Rahman’s birth centenary celebration programme -- but his trip was cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The communists, the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam and sections of students had held a series of protests in Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities this month to express displeasure with the BJP-led government in India in the wake of the Delhi riots.

Trump's decision to come to India without being assured that a trade deal will be on the table shows the value he gives to the country and PM Modi.

The G20 Summit, held for the first time over video conferencing, admitted the globe faced the biggest challenge it has since World War-II over 70 years ago

Modi engages SAARC leaders on anti-coronavirus strategy

Containing the coronavirus and restarting its factories soon will be a big task for China whose economy has slowed to a 6 per cent GDP growth

Pakistan is certain to extract its pound of flesh for bringing Taliban to the talks table with US. Anti-India terrorist activities could also get a boost

World economy is now interconnected and the impact of coronavirus is expected to be more pronounced compared to SARS outbreak in 2003

But, as dust from the pomp and circumstance settles down, it may be a legitimate question to ask: What the visit was all about?

Despite differences in some key areas like Indo-Pak relations or the situation in Afghanistan, having US on its side helps India in dealing with other players at the global stage, while also ­expanding its geo-strategic space.

For India, striking a balance between its two strategic partners — the United States and Iran — who have been at daggers drawn for long, has never been an easy task, writes Pranay Sharma.

If anything can be called a unifier in 2019, it is the street protests running around the globe—various skeins of outrage bound as a common strand.