Last month has been witness to massive attacks on the population of Kabul. A strike on the Intercontinental Hotel claimed 20 lives, following which was the explosive laden ambulance suicide attack which claimed over 100 lives. This is still the winter season and under normal conditions the Taliban and their affiliate the Haqqani network spend this period recouping and preparing […]
The recent comments of the army chief stating that ‘the time has not come for any rethink on the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)’, at a press conference last week, has drawn criticism from many quarters, including editorials in leading newspapers. He was accused of crossing his limits as the head of the organization and commenting on topics beyond […]
Military power determines the standing of a nation in the international domain. A strong military is always respected and nations flock to engage with it. The other elements of power, economic and diplomatic, are only effective if backed by resolute military power. All nations who presently have a strong international standing possess strong militaries. A weak military would never be […]
The parliamentary committee on external affairs in its report to the government last month, suggested reviving stalled talks with Pakistan. It stated that despite bilateral relations plummeting due to support for terrorism and the treatment meted out to Kulbhushan Jadhav, ‘geopolitical realities’ make such a process a necessity. The present government has been stating that no dialogue is possible without […]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address in the Raisina dialogue was noteworthy and realistic. He stated, ‘The weak don’t survive. The strong survive. You make peace with the strong. You ally with the strong.’ It thus implies that the nation is only as strong as its military is. It is also a well-accepted fact that a nations economic and […]
Doklam went into slumber post the mutual withdrawal by both forces, after a tense 73 days standoff. One adverse incident during the standoff could have snowballed into an embarrassing situation for both nations. There were press reports from the Chinese side threatening India, which it ignored, indicating its maturity. India also rightfully handed over the crises for resolution to the […]
The world is moving towards realpolitik, ignoring previous relations based on history, commonality of religion and humanitarian considerations. India is a growing powerhouse in both economic and military terms and thus is being sought after. It is a market for every nation seeking to expand trade as also a net security provider in the larger Asian region. With this changing […]
The recent incident in which an isolated part of an army administrative column came under stone pelting, attempted burning of vehicles and snatching of a weapon as also near lynching of a JCO in Shopian, resulted in the army opening fire in self-defence. It led to two deaths and a few injured. The CM, Mehbooba Mufti immediately called the defence […]
The recent incident in Shopian, Kashmir, when the army opened fire to disperse stone pelters who were seeking to lynch army personnel accompanying a convoy and burn their vehicles, resulting in the death of two civilians has dominated headlines. The police, on the orders of the state government, registered an FIR against a Major accompanying the convoy and one more, […]
Dear Prime Minister, As a veteran I would request you to consider directing your bureaucracy for issuing a policy for honouring martyrs who gallantly lay down their lives battling anti-national elements in various parts of the nation, Kashmir, North East and even Naxal infected regions. These are soldiers, from different security agencies belonging to various parts of the country, who […]