President Trump recently announced with much fanfare his new policy towards South Asia, concentrated on US commitment in Afghanistan. It was eagerly awaited and when it was finally announced, it had all ingredients which were expected, with no new surprises. The policy, which had been under debate for months, was expected in Jul, but finally released a month later. In […]
Lt Col Prasad Srikant Purohit was released on bail after nine years in custody for the Malegaon blasts of Sep 2008, which killed seven and injured over a hundred. Initial investigations led to the involvement of a hard-line pro-Hindu group, Abhinav Bharat. Subsequent investigations led to arrests of Sadhvi Pragya Thakur, Major Ramesh Upadhyay (retired) and Lt Col Purohit, a […]
Extremism and violence is a latent quality in every individual, which remains subdued, unless ignited by an external force. This force may be an extreme belief in religion or an orator with the ability to mould his audience by the power of his speech or a violent incident which impacts the individual. The most dangerous orator is one who invokes […]
The Doklam standoff has been ongoing for almost two months. What commenced on 18th Jun, shows no signs of abating. Rhetoric continues in Chinese media almost daily, threatening India with war, with occasional comments from their defence ministry and foreign office. Indian response has remained matured, seeking a diplomatic solution, neither escalating nor threatening. Bhutan, on whose behalf India interceded […]
Doklam is a narrow plateau which lies near the tri-junction of India, Bhutan and China. The plateau is at the base of the Doka La, a pass China claims and is located on the watershed. The plateau is fifteen Kms from Nathu La, the border trading post between India and China. It was through this post that Indians participating in […]
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has issued its latest sanctions against North Korea. It has compelled the nation to cut down its exports to two billion dollars a year from the current three. These have impacted export of coal, iron and iron ore, as also restricted the number of workers it can send abroad to work each year, which […]
India is celebrating seventy years of its independence. Over the years, state borders have been changed or states carved from larger states as the need arose, to meet the aspirations of the masses. The boundaries of J and K, the most diverse state of the nation, have remained unchanged, though it should ideally have been split into manageable and contiguous […]
Every time a local militant is killed, the valley breaks out in protests. The most violent and prolonged protest in recent times was after the elimination of Burhan Wani, a militant who was more a poster boy, avoiding clashes with security forces. He was eulogised by the separatists, with Geelani announcing that he would be honoured with the “Tangma-e-Azeemat” (medal […]
In recent times, there has been an intense debate on the legality of Article 35 A of the Indian constitution, specifically as it concerns J and K. This article empowers the state legislature to define ‘permanent residents’ of the state, their special rights and privileges. It was added to the constitution through a presidential order of 1954 with the concurrence […]
The writing has been on the wall for a long time, yet the government hesitates to act. Management of defence at the national level, desperately needs restructuring. The Ministry of Defence (MoD), in its present form is unsuitable for meeting the challenges of the twenty first century. It is the only MoD, amongst all international military powers, which is more […]