The game of one-upmanship by India and Pakistan, the two leading countries of SAARC, is likely to do immense harm to the cause of the poverty-ridden South Asian region, where concerted efforts at regional cooperation could be crucial in shaping its future development.
Read More »New Era in Russia-Pakistan Relations?
Bilateral ties have long been rocky, but a recent defense deal marks a turning point.
Read More »Demilitarizing Kashmir’s Demographic Question
As Kashmir votes, the modalities of Pandit resettlement will mark the limits of India’s rising saffron tide.
Read More »South Asia’s States of Denial
Increasing militarization of South Asia’s conflict zones has led to severe human-rights violations. From the extraordinary denial of the universal right to life, to citizen security and justice, the empirical realities of South Asia point to a systemic crisis, in which a situation akin to martial law exists within these conflict zones, without the government-in-question needing to declare it as such.
Read More »Terrorism, Kashmir and Indo-Pakistan Relations
Indian and Pakistani diplomats reflect on suspicions touching paranoia, especially over questions such as terrorism, in New Delhi and Islamabad. Maleeha Lodhi warns Pakistan that goodwill alone cannot substitute strategy while Satyabrata Pal insists that lasting peace can only come by resolving outstanding disputes over Kashmir, Siachen and Sir Creek.
Read More »The Many Faces of Kayani Effect: An Indian View
Pakistan’s powerful Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has announced that he will retire after a six-year term in office on November 29. While plenty has been written about him in the Pakistani media, the Indian media has failed to assess his tenure, despite knowing that he singularly ran his country’s security policy for India. Most of what …
Read More »Scoops About Spooks And ‘Embedded’ Indian Media
Come to think of it, retired General V. K. Singh’s recent disclosure about the Indian Army paying politicians in Kashmir had all the ingredients for a career-defining story reporters on the intelligence beat would have loved to scoop. Yet, despite all the cups of coffee they have gulped with spooks in plush restaurants, they had little idea about what …
Read More »Appeasement Has No Future in India-Pakistan Relations
There was speculation but little expectations about the (September 29) meeting between prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Indian government functionaries and almost all political leaders have fallen over themselves competing with the vociferous Indian media in consistently attacking Pakistan. In their near unanimous opinion, conditions were not conducive for …
Read More »Guarded Optimism in India, Pakistan over Singh-Sharif Summit
Media in India and Pakistan is carefully welcoming the September 29 meeting between Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Dr Manmohan Singh in New York. The guarded optimism in newspaper editorials is touching the limits of skepticism. A review of the editorials of leading dailies of the two countries reveals some identical views on the summit outcome. Newspapers on either …
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