The downfall of Imran The Excelsior 19 Jun 2023 Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on release from prison, met Imran Khan with a message from the generals, who had thus far refused to talk to him, despite his pleading. Pakistan’s Friday Times stated that the message was unambiguous and that if Imran did not accept the ‘option’ being presented to him, […]
Ukraine and peace The Excelsior 17 Jun 2023 Addressing the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, post the induction of Finland into NATO, Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of State, mentioned that the US had warned Moscow of the costs of invading Ukraine. Blinken stated, ‘if Russia chose war, we would do three things: support Ukraine, impose severe costs on […]
Why a resurgent India needs to be wooed The Statesman 13 Jun 2023 India has been dubbed by anti-India groups as an ‘electoral autocracy.’ This is because they assume that the current Indian leadership restricts free speech, censor’s media, oppresses civil society organizations and cracks down on political opponents. The expelling of Rahul Gandhi from parliament, after his conviction, […]
Nine years of management of defence The Excelsior 07 Jun 2023 Assessment of the Modi government’s performance in the past nine years under various heads continues under discussion. In the defence sector, at the outset, the government came as a breath of fresh air, as Anthony, the UPA defence minister from 2006 to 2014, hesitated to sign procurements, fearing […]
Virtual SCO Summit plan sends the right signals The Statesman 06 Jun 2023 In a surprise move the government announced holding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit on 04 Jul in a virtual mode, chaired by PM Modi. No justification was given for the same by the MEA. It was assumed that the summit this year would be […]
Global visitors to Srinagar The Excelsior 01 Jun 2023 The G20 3rd tourism working group meeting was held in Srinagar last week. It was attended by almost 60 delegates from different nations including ambassadors of South Korea and Singapore. While China stayed away, Saudi Arabia and Turkey were represented by their travel industry representatives. Chief Coordinator of the G20, […]
Schism between India and China widens The Statesman 30 May 2023 China was expected to back Pakistan’s demand in objecting to the conduct of the 3rd Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting in Srinagar, and it did not disappoint. The Chinese spokesperson stated on the event, ‘China firmly opposes holding G20 meetings in any form in disputed areas and will […]
Ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha election, global toolkits burgeon to stain India’s image First Post 26 May 2023 The trans-Atlantic neoliberal cabal, known as the Bilderberg Group, met in Pestana Palace in Lisbon, Portugal, last week. Attendance for this meet is strictly by invitation and proceedings are secret. Those who attended included Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine’s […]
Zelensky and the west must accept diplomatic route The Statesman 23 May 2023 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrived for the G7 summit adding flavour to an anti-Russian environment. He met PM Modi who stated, ‘India and I will do whatever we can for the resolution of the conflict.’ In Hiroshima, India was the only voice advocating diplomacy to terminate the […]
Pakistan’s end state is unpredictable The Excelsior 22 May 2023 Addressing party workers in his first public appearance after has assassination attempt in Nov last year, Imran Khan stated, ‘if you want to live life in the true sense, free yourself from the fear of death,’ adding, ‘remember that death cannot come unless Allah is willing for it, and […]