Mehbooba Mufti, The J and K chief minister recently appealed to the centre to declare a unilateral ceasefire in the valley commencing from Ramzan to the conclusion of the Amarnath Yatra in end Aug. Her intentions were noble and aimed at stopping the unending cycle of violence which has gripped the valley, involving elimination of local militants, wanton killing of […]
A few recent events in the valley need to be assessed in totality to draw relevant deductions. Firstly, since the nineties, when terrorists including locals who had joined terror groups, began implementing their own brand of justice by killing Kashmiri’s against whom they had a grudge, such incidents have been rare. It was this wanton killing which drove a wedge […]
There are many nations which are falling into the Chinese debt trap. In some cases, it is involvement with faulty projects with Chinese funding, while in others it is a case of being unable to clear loans linked to the Belt Road Initiative (BRI). Some of these nations are being compelled to part with strategic assets as they are unable […]
The Indian government’s refusal to attend the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Pak in 2016 had pushed the organization almost into a state of oblivion. With India leading the charge, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan had turned down a desire to attend the summit in Pak. As per rules of SAARC, even if one nation turns down […]
The army chief in a recent press conference stated a few facts, which merit further justification. His major comment included that ‘Azadi’ is not feasible and those who challenge the army or demand ‘Azadi’ will be fought against. Secondly, numbers of militants killed are irrelevant as others would join, ensuring that the cycle continues. Thirdly, the Indian army fights with […]
The two Koreas appear to be moving forward post the successful summit between the two leaders. The agreement signed, details of which were released later, indicates steps taken between the two nations to create an environment of peace, post the rise of tensions in the peninsula, after North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year. Within days of the meeting […]
There are press reports that the home ministry is considering the deployment of National Security Guard (NSG) teams in the valley. The proposal involves deploying a unit of Black Cat Commandos in the Kashmir valley for highly specialized anti-terror operations particularly to deal with hostage situations. Presently, these tasks are being conducted by the army’s Special Forces (SF), who are […]
Based on a demand from across the nation on the need to establish our own memorial for those military personnel who laid down their lives in service of the country, the government announced the construction of a new war memorial in Oct 2015. This issue was pending for decades with every government looking for reasons to delay its decision. Even […]
The Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) rose from the extra judicial killing of a young Pashtun man by a police team led by Rao Anwar in Karachi early this year. From its humble start, it has marched on and threatened the power of the most powerful institution of the country, its army. Its largest rally was in Peshawar where it drew […]
Bangladesh goes to the polls later this year. In Asia, this election will be closely watched. It will be of special interest to India and China. Politics in Bangladesh is run by two major political parties, both led by dynastic rulers. The present ruling party, the Awami League is headed by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the founding father of […]