This smart ass move by India has Pakistan fuming. Here’s Why
An insight into the Map Bills and Map Wars
It was probably a Whatsapp message few days back from a friend with the line, “India to fine Rs. 100cr for wrong depiction of the country on a map.” At that point I thought this was just some joke but for the moment it has Pakistan up in arms and I’m guessing China will pissed off like anything too.
What is the Indian government up to?
India is planning to pass a bill known as the Geospatial Regulation Information bill, 2016. What it does is give the government exclusive right to grant license to map makers and other organisations who wish to show a map on their content. This license also comes with a clause the the organisation will have to take permission of the Security Vetting authority a new body to disseminate any information.
Why did government go for this?
There are primarily two reasons why the government believes this is a good idea:
1) The first one being that terrorist use services like google maps to collect data about Indian base of operations. India has been requesting time and again to block out sensitive areas to companies for security reasons but to no avail. Some government officials feel that Pathankot attacks were that strong due to terrorist being able to map out. The government wants to send out a strong message to the world that no company can take its security concerns for granted.
2) Another aspect has been the territorial disputes. For long Google maps and global news agencies like BBC have always shown Kashmir as part of Pakistan or disputed whereas a UN resolution says it is an integral part of India. Some other agencies have also shown Sikkim and Arunachal as a part of China. Recently Twitter faced a lot of flak for showing Kashmir as a part of China. To avoid such incidents and save themselves from further embarrassment the government will now control the map that gets displayed by the organisations.
The confusion
This bill has a lot of open areas which need to be addressed. The bill proposes a fine of upto Rs 100 crore or about $214 million and carries with a jail term of up to 7 years. It will be applicable to anyone who wishes to use geospatial info but does not say how to fine organisations wholly outside of India. Neither does it have any provision about secondary organisation who use the main data like Google maps whose data is used by Uber or Zomato. Further it is speculated that such licensing may increase prices on some services such as app based cabs.
The controversy
One country visibly pissed is Pakistan. The bill means that the whole of Kashmir will now be shown as a part of India. It also means that China would soon be pissed when the map shows Arunachal, Sikkim and Kashmir in India.
Another view
Perception is one game which works if played nicely. India may also hope to gather support by building the perception all across the globe that Pakistan is an illegal occupant in Kashmir and must be gotten rid of.
Final Take
While this is a controversial bill that will hit a lot of places and can create controversy politically, it is also highly impractical as India cannot regulate those organisations that work in other countries though it’ll be interesting to see what India does when such a time comes. While the bill is still out there for public comments, it would be great if the general public gives out its views. Whatever the viewpoint one thing is clear, this move is India flexing its muscles and showing to the world that it cannot be taken for granted any more.
#TVI
