South Asia Investor Review

India's Tata Group is going through a major boardroom crisis. Noel Tata, the Chairman of the Tata holding company, has been removed from the Tata Group's board by N. Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons. Noel Tata has declared the decision illegal, a stance the board disputes. The crisis has been precipitated by a 2022 decision by India’s central bank to order the company to seek a stock market listing for Tata Sons, to comply with new rules governing systemically important investment firms. Tata Sons is considered an investment firm because it holds stakes in Tata subsidiaries and can inject capital into them. Noel Tata, who heads the bloc of charities that owns two-thirds of Tata Sons, vehemently opposes a listing. Ratan and Noel Tata India's Tata Group is known for its deep philanthropic engagement in the country. Tata patriarch Jamsetji Tata, who laid the foundations of large-scale steel manufacturing in colonial-era India about a century ago, created trusts that would...

The summit meeting of the leaders of China and the United States in Washington appears to signal a rapprochement between the two superpowers.  President Trump has repeatedly referred to what he calls "G2", without mentioning "G7" or "G20", the groups that include many more countries. This development is seen as positive for world peace but it diminishes India's significance as a "counterweight to China" and the benefits Indians expected to flow from the US-China confrontation in Asia.  President Trump Personally Welcomed President Xi at Andrews Air Force Base The fact that President Trump personally received President Xi at Andrews Air Force Base upon his arrival is yet another indication that the US now recognizes China as a peer competitor. President Xi, for his part, has talked about the need for the two superpowers to avoid the "Thucydides Trap", a reference to the potential for war between an established superpower and a rising...

Like many other countries, Pakistan has a geographic digital divide. Residents of remote areas of the country have significantly lower access to the Internet than those in the urban centers. While the mobile internet usage in the urban areas has reached 65%, only 50% of those living in rural areas have access to it, according to a recent GSMA report titled "State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026".  Digital Connectivity in Rural Pakistan To bridge this rural-urban digital divide, Pakistan government is expanding telecom and high-speed internet services in remote and rural areas through the proposed National Connectivity Plan, satellite broadband integration, and multi-billion-rupee Universal Service Fund (USF) projects. Fiber optic cables and satellites will provide backhaul high-capacity communication link to solar-powered 4G/5G cell towers in rural communities.  Solar power is being used to bridge the digital divide in the country by providing reliable off-grid electrici...

Pakistani auto industry, currently dominated by Japanese automakers building ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, is expected to be transformed with the arrival of Chinese new energy vehicles (NEV) manufacturers. Beyond Your Dreams (BYD), Chang'an, Great Wall Motors (GWM) and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) are planning to build plants in Pakistan.  Coming on the heels of the ongoing  solar revolution  in the country, these new EV entrants are helping accelerate Pakistan's  transition to clean energy.   These auto plants also create an opportunity for Pakistan to become a significant exporter of electric vehicles to developing nations.  BYD EV. Source: CNBC BYD, operating in Pakistan through a partnership with Mega Motor Company (a subsidiary of Hubco), has started building a $150 million assembly plant in Gharo, Sindh. Its initial target is to produce 25,000 units annually, with the capacity to scale up to 50,000 units a year. It...

"When you claim that your civilization is superior, is older, is the mother of democracy, is the mother of science....you  antagonize  others".   Christophe Jaffrelot , French Political Scientist, speaking to Indian journalist Karan Thapar after expressions of outrage against BAPS Hindu leader’s recent visit to Eiffel Tower.  In an  article  published by Carnegie Endowment, Jaffrelot explained that "the majoritarian inferiority complex is to some extent irrational—in India like elsewhere. The Hindu complex of inferiority vis-à-vis others (including the Muslims) crystallized in the 19th century when the British not only emphasized the division of Hindus along caste lines and sectarian lines but also invented communal stereotypes". He has noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has close ties to BAPS which is building massive temples around the world. Many of these temples have been inaugurated by Mr. Modi. BAPS Guru’s Photo at Eiffel Tower, Paris, Fra...

What is the difference between intelligence and consciousness? As AI agents becoming more intelligent and some are even going  rogue , can they attain consciousness like human beings? To answer this question, it is important to define "intelligence" and "consciousness".  Yuval Harari on Intelligence vs Consciousness Israeli public intellectual Yuval Harari defines Intelligence as the capacity to pursue and achieve material goals, while consciousness is the ability to feel pain, joy, love, and suffering. For example, AI can win chess games or process data without experiencing any feelings or emotional states. AI can also convincingly imitate emotions to build deep personal relationships, even though it remains entirely devoid of consciousness. What distinguishes humans from artificial intelligence is that consciousness and intelligence go together in humans. In interview with  Economist  magazine's chief editor  Zanny Minton Beddoes , Harari s...