Md. Muddassir Quamar replies: The I2U2 is a mini-lateral initiative among India, Israel, the United States (US) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the stated objective of “expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia, including through trade, combating climate change, energy cooperation, and increasing maritime security.”

S. Samuel C. Rajiv replies: The Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG), a Chinese company, won a tender in 2018 to build and operate a new terminal at the Haifa Port. The new container terminal was operationalised in 2021. Some concerns have been raised by the US about the security implications of allowing a Chinese company to operate a terminal at a port which has both military and civilian usage. US warships routinely visit the Haifa Port, where the Israeli Navy is also based.

Adil Rasheed replies: The Uyghur Muslim population of Xinjiang Province has suffered one of the worst forms of cultural aggression and forced demographic change since 1949, when it became part of China.

Adil Rasheed replies: According to the Ministry of External Affairs, “India’s support for the Palestinian cause is an integral part of our nation’s foreign policy”.

Md Muddassir Quamar replies: The Taliban is a religious fundamentalist organisation with ideological roots in radical Islamism, jihadism and ethnic nationalism. The movement was nurtured in Islamic seminaries across Pakistan and came into prominence during the Afghan civil war following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989. The Taliban, with support from Pakistani agencies, subsequently gained control of most of Afghanistan including Kabul and declared the formation of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Adil Rasheed replies: Although the US has recently become the largest oil and natural gas producing country in the world, the OPEC states still produce about 40 per cent of the world’s crude oil with Middle East (or West Asian) states producing about a third of the global output. The global oil market is seamless and any disruption in supplies by one supplier impacts global oil prices simultaneously. As the adage goes, “We all sip from the same cup”.