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Following the US' imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, Michael Kugelman, a Washington, DC-based South Asia analyst, emphasised that India had to respond to these tariffs, given the strong comments made by President Donald Trump.
"India had to respond, given how strong the comments were," Kugelman told ANI. He emphasised the importance of India maintaining its position and not being intimidated. "It is important for India to put out its position that it won't be intimidated," he added. The analyst highlighted that "Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam are competitors of India in textile exports and since they face lower tariffs as compared to India." "India could be disadvantaged if it does not adjust. I am sure India has already thought through walk-arounds," he added. Kugelman suggests that to mitigate the effects of the tariffs, he suggests India should focus on concluding new trade deals with key export destinations, such as the European Union. "It will be significant for New Delhi to step up and conclude new trade deals with other key export destinations such as the EU, and we know that there have been talks between the two recently. It could reduce the potential danger the tariffs could pose," Kugelman said. Trump's decision to impose tariffs on Indian goods has drawn criticism and concern, even as Industry stakeholders expressed confidence in their long-term resilience. On Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's nuclear threat, Kugelman remarked: "The context in which the Army Chief reportedly made these comments was at a closed private, off-the-record event." "Since Operation Sindoor, Pakistan's position has been that it supports peace and that India is the aggressor, and to have these comments cuts against this narrative. It reflects how concerned Pakistanis are, including the very top, about India's decision to hold the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, which is a non-military punitive step," he added. Regarding the potential use of nuclear weapons, Kugelman stated that Munir's comments seem to reassert Pakistan's long-standing position of rejecting a No First Use Policy. "Based on what the army chief seemed to suggest about Pakistan's threat to use nuclear weapons if it has to, it seems to re-assert Pakistan's long-time position of rejecting a No First Use Policy when it comes to nuclear weapons," Kugelman said. Kugelman's remarks come after Munir's comments in Florida, where he reportedly said Pakistan could use nuclear weapons to take down India and "half the world" in the event of an existential threat. (ANI)
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