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Jaishankar’s Afghan agenda in Doha, Indo-Pacific in Manila

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Jaishankar’s Afghan agenda in Doha, Indo-Pacific in Manila

India will engage with Qatar in Afghanistan as its position differs from that of Pakistan, which has close ties to the Kandahari faction rather than the ISI-backed Haqqani network. Strengthening the relationship with the Philippines after BrahMos’ after-sales is a priority for EAM Jaishankar.
From left: Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, EAM S Jaishankar and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin.
Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will today engage with his Qatari counterpart on Afghanistan, bilateral investment and the Comprehensive Energy Partnership, ahead of his trip to the Quartet Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Australia on Friday.
Following the four-way talks, the Indian foreign minister will visit Manila for the first time in nine years to cement bilateral ties with the Philippines after the Philippines signed a $375 million contract to buy the BrahMos anti-ship missile system. The Brahmos hypersonic missile, which has a range of less than 300 kilometers, will act as a deterrent to China, which has been in a territorial dispute with Manila in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Philippines has signed a $375 million BrahMos missile procurement contract. (HT file photo)
According to diplomats in Doha and New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar will meet Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani to discuss work in the ultra-conservative Sunni The issue of stability in Afghanistan after the Taliban took over Kabul. Haqqani Network, a designated terrorist organization.

Qatar’s position and goals in Afghanistan are understood to be based on the stabilization and re-emergence of the Taliban Kandahari faction, which has been marginalized by the Pakistan-backed Haqqani network in Kabul. Qatar has close ties to traditional Taliban leadership such as Mullah Baradar and Sher Mohamed Stanekzai, who were members of the Taliban’s political office in Doha. Not only has Qatar been providing humanitarian aid to Taliban-occupied Kabul, which has a similar status to the West, but unlike Pakistan, it does not need to provide aid in Kabul’s name. Despite Pakistan’s deep state intrigue, India has also been delivering humanitarian aid to Kabul.

While Afghanistan will be at the top of the bilateral discussions, EAM Jaishankar will also review energy ties with its Qatari counterpart, with Doha supplying nearly 40% of India’s natural gas needs. The two countries have decided to upgrade their energy relationship to a comprehensive long-term partnership that goes beyond a buyer-seller relationship. The working group established in 2020 is already working on a comprehensive partnership and has made progress at three meetings over the past year.

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With Qatari Foreign Minister Al Thani also chairing the Qatar Investment Authority, New Delhi is considering investing in natural gas supplies for Indian cities in Doha through dedicated terminals, pipelines and energy grids. This is because India wants to move to a gas-based economy, rather than being stuck in an unstable crude-oil-based network.

EAM Jaishankar is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Manila on February 13 to cement ties with key players in the Indo-Pacific region. Instead of waiting for a general election in the Philippines, EAM Jaishankar decided to land in Manila on Sunday to maintain continuity in relations with the Indo-Pacific, which is at the top of the agenda.
While Vietnam has been discussing the possibility of buying BrahMos missiles from India for the past decade, the Philippines became the first major power in East Asia to buy supersonic anti-ship missiles. Unlike Vietnam, the Philippines has been unequivocal about China’s bellicose behavior in the South China Sea, and Beijing has disputed Manila’s claims to the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal. The Philippines hopes that China will abide by the law of the sea and allow free navigation in the South China Sea.

Complete News Source – HINDUSTAN TIMES

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HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

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December 21, 2024

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HT Rewind 2024: Teja Sajja says HanuMan kicking off the year in style is the moment he’d been ‘waiting for’ | Exclusive

In conversation with Hindustan Times, Teja Sajja decodes the success of HanuMan and other Telugu films, talks about his upcoming projects, and more.
When Prasanth Varma’s superhero film HanuMan, starring Teja Sajja, was announced to be released alongside big films like Mahesh Babu’s Guntur Kaaram, Venkatesh’s Saindhav and Nagarjuna’s Naa Saami Ranga in January this year, no one expected the underdog to emerge on top. And yet, the film, made on a budget of under ₹50 crore, managed to collect over ₹300 crore at the box office worldwide in 25 days, becoming one of the highest-grossing Indian films for the year. (Also Read: Ranveer Singh met HanuMan actor Teja Sajja, complimented him even after his Prasanth Varma film Rakshas got shelved)

Ask Teja about the moment he realised his film had not just fought against the tide but also risen to the top; he tells Hindustan Times in an exclusive conversation, “Since I returned to acting (as a lead actor after being a child artiste since 1998), this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. When everything from the HanuMan teaser to the songs was grabbing attention, we knew we had hit a gold mine. But I don’t think we imagined it would cross the ₹300 crore threshold. We were so satisfied with the opening numbers; everything else was a bonus.”

‘Success has given me fear of disappointing people’

Teja acted in Zombie Reddy, Ishq and Adbhutham before HanuMan, but they are what you would call ‘critical successes’, adding to his repertoire as an actor who can perform. But things have changed for him now, says Teja, who is being picky about the roles he says yes to. “Success either makes you overconfident or gives you the fear of disappointing people; I have the latter,” he explains.

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Teja admits he wants to chart out his career in Hrithik Roshan’s footsteps, but not in the way you think. “I have such a fondness for Hrithik due to Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish. No matter how well he performed after that, these left a lasting impression on me; I’m sure 90s kids will agree,” he says, adding, “Similarly, I’ve realised that I have an audience in children now. I want to be conscious of that when I pick roles. I want to make films families can enjoy together.”

But despite people in places like Mumbai or Delhi recognising him, Teja says he’s clear that he wants to cater to the Telugu audience first. “I am conscious that I am making films for my playground – the Telugu states. This is the sensibility I have grown up with, and I don’t know if I can cater to everyone else. Will I promote my films in other languages? Sure. But I also can’t be part of films that aren’t authentic to what I know or understand,” he explains.

‘Rootedness has put us on the world map’

And authenticity seems to be the need of the hour. Be it Baahubali and RRR or the recently released Pushpa 2: The Rule, Kalki 2898 AD and Devara: Part 1, certain kind of stories seem to be finding success. “Rootedness and going local is proving to be such a boon for us, be it in Devara or Pushpa or HanuMan. Kalki 2898 AD was our version of a Hollywood film (the sci-fi concept) with actors from across languages in predominant roles; it put us on the world map,” reflects Teja.

However, the actor admits Tollywood went through a phase of Bollywood-inspired rom-coms and family dramas that worked in their favour for a while. “That wasn’t easy to replicate either, but it’s just that these local stories are what the audience seems most interested in now. It can’t just be chalked up to religion, too. It’s about the morals these films are hinged on, the fighting for righteousness, and how an underdog can find their strength. Introducing Mahabharata or Ramayana to a new audience in a cool way is just a perk,” he says.

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And it’s this rootedness that Teja says his next films, Mirai and Jai Hanuman (the sequel to HanuMan), will also have ample of. “Mirai is also a superhero film that caters to kids, but it’s not an origin story like HanuMan. It has a pan-Asian and Buddhist touch because the story is based on King Ashoka’s ideologies. I hope that I will get to deliver something new to the audience again. I will only feel like I’ve arrived if Mirai is equally, if not more, successful,” says Teja.

Rishab Shetty will headline Jai Hanuman, but Teja also looks forward to shooting that. “I can’t wait to be on that set; it’ll be exciting. Now that we know India is ready to watch our films, I want to step it up. I want to shift gears and shoot for at least two films in 2025,” he says. As for what he will do next, Teja says he wants to up the ante. “When I got a SIIMA award for Zombie Reddy as a debutant, I remember telling Prasanth this would be the last award I get. But now that I won a Radio City Cine Award for Best Actor, I hope more awards will follow,” he signs off cheekily.

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