South Asia Investor Review

Yogi Adityanath, the radical Hindu Chief Minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, canceled his plans to lead a delegation to the 2023 World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. The cancellation came after a criminal complaint was filed against the Hindu Nationalist leader who is widely seen as Prime Minister Modi's successor.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L), UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (R) Adityanath was planning to lead a delegation to the World Economic Forum-2023 meeting at Davos, Switzerland, according to reports in the  Indian news media . The state government put up a pavilion to showcase Uttar Pradesh as “the best investment destination”. The complaint was filed under the principle of “universal jurisdiction” by law firm  Guernica 37 . It alleges that Adityanath ( real name Ajay Singh Bisht) “ordered the false imprisonment, torture and murder of civilians between December 2019 and 2020” and that “these acts may amount to crimes against humanit...

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its flagship  China-Pakistan Economic Corridor  (CPEC) were the stars at Davos, not US President Donald Trump, according to a  New York Times  report. The geopolitical momentum lay with Beijing, not Washington, the report said. The forums on BRI and CPEC were among the best attended forums at the World Economic Forum 2018. CPEC Session:  New York Times said "a senior Chinese diplomat helped introduce the prime minister of  Pakistan  at a breakfast meeting. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi used his talk to praise the rapidly expanding Chinese investments in his country, including to build power stations and a large port". Inclusive Development Report: More and more  Pakistanis are sharing  in their nation's development, according to  World Economic Forum (WEF) report  released in Davos. Pakistan ranks 47 among 74 emerging economies ranked for inclusive development by WEF release...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in support of globalization and talked of his commitment to diversity in his country. Modi's Rhetoric: Prime Minister Modi warned that "forces of protectionism are raising their heads" against international trade and commerce. "Bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations have come to a kind of standstill," he said. He also praised his country's commitment to democracy and diversity. "For a society with diverse religions, cultures, languages, attires and cuisines, democracy is not just a political system but a way of living," he said, adding that inclusion is the "main principle" of his government. Is Modi living up to the ideals of globalization and diversity that he spoke of in his Davos speech? Let's compare these words to his government's actions. Globalization: In December 2017, Modi's government imposed stif...

Brand India has lost its luster at Davos in 2011! Poor governance and corruption are endemic in India, and have been the talk of the town at Davos this year, tarnishing the meticulously crafted image of "Shining India" at the World Economic Forum since 2006. The immediate effect is that that India's foreign direct investment (FDI) is already down by a whopping 36% in 2010 from 2009 , and there is no recovery in sight yet. Meanwhile India's current account deficit is exploding, accounting for about 3.5% of GDP. In 2006, the "India Everywhere" campaign orchestrated by Indian planning commission officials and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) dominated the ambiance of the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland. They spent two years and more than $4 million and put together an elaborate marketing and PR campaign to ensure that the "India story" got prominent play and did not get drowned in the noise at Davos. The success of the initiat...

The economic growth numbers and the rising stock markets during 2004-2007 persuaded many investors to buy into the Bollywood style "Shining India" hype made in Mumbai. However, now that the growth has slowed and the Mumbai stock market is returning back down to earth, the passive consumer of India's well-cultivated image as "peaceful, stable and prospering" investment destination is beginning to scrutinize the reality behind the hype. Many are surprised to learn from the National Counter-terrorism Center (NCTC) in Washington that the death toll from terrorist attacks in India between January 2004 and March 2007 was 3,674, second only to that in Iraq. (In the same period, 1,000 died as a result of such attacks in Pakistan, the "most dangerous place on earth" according to the Economist, Newsweek and other vendors of geopolitical insight.) The recent Hong Kong-based Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. has rated India as the riskiest of 14 Asi...

"Judge economic performance, the welfare of people and political stability," President Musharraf told business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. "Please don't judge (us) on maybe unrealistic Western perceptions of democracy and human rights." According to Reuters, he went on say, "The elections must be free, fair and transparent. And I've added another word -- peaceful, we will make sure that they are peaceful." President Musharraf, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Fakhruddin Ahmed, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih and Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai together appeared at a panel discussion in Davos Thursday to discuss 'The Quest for Peace and Stability.' Earlier, Mr. Musharraf met with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on the sidelines at Davos. After this meeting, Rice praised him as a steadfast ally in the war on terror whose country would continue to receive substantial U.S. support. Bu...