South Asia has always faced a power struggle of influence between India and China. China, in its bid to consolidate its string of pearls, has sought to win over India’s neighbourhood through multiple means. It interfered directly in internal affairs of Nepal after investing in the country through the China-Nepal economic corridor (Trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network), claimed Bhutanese territory, provided […]
Farce behind Pak’s FATF actions The Excelsior 21 Jan 2021 Pakistan goes into sleep mode on actions against global terrorism immediately after Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meetings. As the next review appears, its courts and security agencies move on an overdrive sentencing terrorists and locating those which it has declared as missing. All these actions, just prior to […]
Skirmishes on global vaccine battlefield 19 Jan 2021 As COVID 19 rampaged the globe, nationalism rose to the fore. Countries transited in reverse from globalization to isolationism. Nations closed their borders, blocked movement of people, equipment and medicines. Pharmaceutical industries were employed to first serve domestic sectors prior to being utilized to boost diplomatic and economic gains. The provision […]
Return of Kashmiri Pundits NAAD Jan 2021 It has been 31 years since Kashmiri Pundits were forced out of the valley. The hint that the situation is changing began around mid-eighties with the hanging of Maqbool Bhat and the opening of Babri Masjid for Hindu’s. The rigged elections of 1987 were the icing on the cake. It witnessed the […]
Approach towards Kashmir in 2021 The Excelsior 14 Jan 2021 The year 2020 commenced with the UT under the spoke of security forces as a fall out of abrogation of article 370. COVID 19 restrictions added to those already prevalent in the region. Senior politicians, representing major political parties, remained under detention, to be released in turn as the […]
Disabled officer cadets deserve better support 12 Jan 2021 Joining the armed forces is a calling. An article in The Print of 24 March 2020 states, ‘According to available data, approximately 4 lakh people apply for NDA exams every six months, of whom approximately 400 are finally selected, which is 0.1 per cent of the total applicants.’ With a […]
Chinese interference in South Asia The Excelsior 08 Jan 2021 Recent reports indicate that Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has busted a 10-member Chinese module operating a terror cell in Kabul. Since the incident came to light, China had been pressing the Afghan government to hush up the case and prevent it from causing global embarrassment. These individuals […]
Prognosis for Pakistan 2021 CENJOWS 06 Jan 2021 The year 2020 ended on a bad note for Pakistan. Financially it was moving downhill. It had to borrow from China to repay loans from Saudi Arabia. In addition, understanding its financial decay, China demanded additional guarantees for financing its ML1 railway line, as aspect which has shaken Pakistan and conveyed […]
It is time to ignore Chinese statements on Tibet 05 Jan 2021 President Trump last week signed the Tibet bill termed as Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020. This bill determines official United States policy on succession of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including the Dalai Lama. It states that determining the successor of the Dalai Lama is solely for […]
DDC elections and beyond 31 Dec 2020 The elections for the District Development Councils (DDC) in the Union Territory of J and K have successfully concluded with an overall voting percentage of over 51%. The elections were billed as a battle between the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a combination of valley based political parties, on one side, […]