In the wake of current developments and all the tension between India and Pakistan, much is being spoken about “The Indus Water Treaty”, remember it’s the Indus that makes Kashmir the jugular vein of Pakistan.
Let’s look into the history of this treaty for a bit-
Early morning of 18th Sep 2016, terrorists, trained and equipped from Pakistan, successfully attacked an Army camp in Uri. 17 soldiers died on the spot. 30 more were injured. The injuries were serious and the fatalities have since increased. This is the single biggest terror attack since the swearing-in of the present dispensation in Delhi in 2014.
An important avenue for advancing public policy reforms is to locate or to discern relatively small measures which could potentially have disproportionately large leverage, i.e. positive impact on desired outcomes, and then implement them effectively, using a system perspective.
This story of Kashmir is about the Pakistani lies woven around “Azaadi” and “Plebiscite”, and it started with the decision of implementing two nation theory, which meant division of British India into Muslim majority Pakistan and Union of India.
The map, shown above, is of British India with all the princely states shown in pink-
In Thomas Harris’ cult classic “The Silence of the Lambs”, Special Agent Jack Crawford educates the bright but naïve trainee Clarice Starling, who is angered by the politics in the bureau that might potentially cost a young woman her life. He says, “Waste and stupidity get you the worst. Use this time and it’ll temper you.
The unprecedented attack on our Army base in Uri has a triggered a tsunami of anger. Indians are angry like never before. Irrespective of their political leanings they are demanding solid action and not just condemnations. They are deriding 'कडी निन्दा' kind of expressions. There are demands for making Pakistan pay heavily, punishing the perpetrators, breaking up Pak, and even annihilating it.
This is a humble attempt at unraveling the Kashmir issue – trying to analyze it from various perspectives. If this comes across as a biased narrative, I have failed abysmally in my efforts.
People rant for different reasons. Perhaps because they feel they have to say something even if they have nothing to say. Or maybe they labor under the illusion that what they say matters in the scheme of things. But mostly, people chatter when they feel a kind of emptiness arising from some deep loss.
The dastardly attack by terror agencies bred and propped by Pakistan on wee hours of September 18th on the Uri army base claimed lives of 17 army jawans and left 30 injured. This attack is one the deadliest attacks suffered by the Indian army in the last 26 years.
At around 05:30 AM on Sunday, an Indian Army Base in Uri, a place around 100 km from Srinagar witnessed a dastardly attack. 4 Terrorists attacked the base and inflicted significant damages to the base. The attack resulted in 17 jawaans losing their lives. Many causalities were caused when the terrorists lobbed grenades in the tents which resulted in some soldiers being burnt alive.
Since time immemorial the human race has always been fascinated by stars and space. We have looked at them and made segregated them into shapes of the zodiac, amongst other things. But our desire to know more about them has never been satiated.
Despite being one of the most popular contemporary chroniclers of Indian history, many consider Sanjeev Sanyal to be amateurish, or non-academic. He doesn’t mind such tags though, at least he says it as he sees it.
India is leapfrogging into future, ahead of advanced economies. It has been charting a unique course. It opted for democracy and universal franchise. It missed the manufacturing bus but it took the services flight. It ushered the green revolution and milk revolution. It started with a government dominated economy and switched a market economy.
Aadit Kapadia, Sunanda Vashisht and Pramod Kimar Buravalli in conversation with author and columnist Dr Michael Krugman. They discuss India's Pakistan policy, the Uri attacks, Kashmir, China and the US policy towards India and Pakistan.
The recently concluded state visit by Afghanistan President, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani fortified the long-standing Indo-Afghan relations. Buttressing Modi’s piquant call to impose sanctions on states sponsoring terror at the recent G-20 summit and the ASEAN Meet, Afghan President in the joint statement vociferously denounced the regional adversary for fomenting terror.
Dr. Richard Benkin is a human rights activist based in America. He is the co-founder of ‘Interfaith strength’ and is a journalist and author. He has authored various books and is associated with organizations like the ‘Islam Israel’ fellowship. He has raised the issues of Hindus in Pakistan in Bangladesh around the world. MyIndMakers talks to him about his work, books and human rights across the world.
Please tell us about your background and how you came to be associated with interfaith issues worldwide?
Despite being one of the most popular contemporary chroniclers of Indian history, many consider Sanjeev Sanyal to be amateurish, or non-academic. He doesn’t mind such tags though, at least he says it as he sees it.
The JNU Student Union (JNUSU) election results were declared on 9 September 2016. The LEFT union (SFI and AISA) clinched all the four seats in the elections. Post the declaration of results the campus predominantly witnessed sloganeering, primarily "RIP ABVP”.
Last week, RJD Supremo Lalu Yadav's protégé, Mohammad Shahabuddin (also known as Shahbu Miyan – AK 47 locally) and a "symbol of lawlessness" during the 15-year Lalu-Rabri rule in Bihar, walked free out of Bhagalpur jail ending 11 years of captivity.
On the festive occasion of Onam, we remember the celebrated Mahabali, counted among the foremost devotees in the Indic Consciousness. The grandson of another much loved devotee Prahlada is lauded by the poets who composed various versions of the story of Vamana Avatar.
The pride and glory of India, the iconic Silicon Valley which won laurels for the country is now straddling through chaos, anarchy, mindless destruction of public property. The 124 year long, unsettled dispute of the Cauvery waters is taking a toll on the peace and harmony of two South Indian States- Karnataka and Tamilnadu.
The themes of Governance, Regulation & Quality constitute the core of the superstructure of a national policy framework on education. Nonetheless, the National Education Policy fails to impress when it comes to this triad.
In the last few weeks, we have seen some gestures by the senior Congress leaders, which have been interpreted to indicate that the party is assuming a 'soft' Hindutva posture[i].
Recent Events – Teresa Canonization and Rahul’s UP Yatra
If the thoughts and ideals that enshrine a nation's philosophy, its aims, and the aspirations of its people are not challenged from within, if outlets to legitimate airing of grievances are not available to the people, then the nation and its state becomes susceptible to systemic rot from within, as well as to challenges that emanate from external sources.
With the Center releasing a statement about Special Package to Andhra Pradesh, it would be a worthwhile effort to ascertain the original commitments and their current status, as listed in the AP State Reorganization Act 2014 [1] and, additionally, the 6 point amendments the then PM Manmohan Singh had made in the Rajya Sabha.
In the 163 year old History of Indian Railways never has one witnessed the railways undergoing reforms at such a tremendous pace as has happened over the last two years.
Kashmir burns yet again. Many lives lost and many more injured in the name of "Azadi". Whenever I see pictures of young Kashmiri boys pelting stones or lying wounded, I often search for one face who could be son or relative of any Kashmiri separatist leader.
With the successful operational launch of GSLV F-05 rocket that hoisted the meteorological satellite INSAT-3DR into the geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), ISRO has entered into a new phase of self-reliance. Till now, PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles), the trusted workhorse adorned the prestigious crown of ISRO with over consecutive 30 successful launches.
Dear Nobel Laureate Malala, Let me begin by saying that your grit and courage is an inspiration to all young girls worldwide who yearn for an education but are denied it by religious fundamentalism. I also think that you are yet too young and not well-informed on all political matters across the world.
I still remember the time Steve Jobs took the stage on 29th June 2007, when he unveiled the iPhone for the first time. It was almost like a magician pulling off his best trick ever. His sarcastic jibes on how phone companies built phones during those days is very evident in his presentation.
The Greeks, John Murray writes in his Book; the History of India,have described Indians as tall and active. Their bravery was always spoken of as characteristic; their superiority in war to other Asiatics is repeatedly asserted and appears in more ways than one.
India’s foreign policy under PM Narendra Modi has been dynamic and innovative. It has taken a break from usual ambivalent foreign policy that India adopted over the last 5 decades. Ever since independence India has followed the Nehruvian Doctrine of Non Alignment and Pacifism as the pillars of India’s foreign policy and world view.
The term ‘jizya’ often comes up during debates about the tolerance of Islam. Yet, much ambiguity remains about its true nature. This article seeks to comprehensively analyze the concept of jizya and through it, the level of tolerance that Islam provides to the followers of other religions, especially the Hindus.
The era of the then fading Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi witnessed the first telecom revolution in India, when Local/STD/ISO booths reduced the physical distance to the wired receivers. A decade later, the arrival of mobile phones in India witnessed another revolution. Although the tariffs were high for both outgoing and ongoing calls, they gradually reduced.
21st century is termed as Asiatic century. Marking the resurgence of the Asian continent, Tiger economies of the South East Asia gave a head start to the economic aspirations. Emerging as burgeoning commodity markets with unsatiated appetite, Asian countries registered phenomenal growth and attracted investments from developed nations.
When our constitution was being written, it was decided that we would follow the Westminster form of government. The Prime Minister being the elected representative along with the Union Council of Ministers exercise executive authority.
Whenever I pass the busy Ho-Chi-Minh Road in South Delhi, I am invariably reminded of an extremely cordial and thriving friendly relationship between India and Vietnam. The foundations for bilateral relationship were laid by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Vietnam’s founding father Ho-Chi-Minh.
Rio 2016 Olympics marks the most significant historical event of the year 2016 for India. It is the symbolic representation of a number of aspirations of modern India. As P.V. Sindhu entered finals in Badminton, national sentiment in India ran high, and even the most high profiled leaders expressed hopes and wishes for gold, posted messaged on twitter and other media.
The high octane diplomatic activity between India and US culminated in signing of Logistics Exchange and Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) one of the four “foundation agreements” between the countries taking the strategic partnership to the next level.
Part 1: THE BACKGROUND: Once upon a time, Amir Khusro, One of the Greatest Poet of our Country said a couplet in Farsi:Gar firdaus ruhe zamin ast, hamin asto, hamin asto, hamin ast." (If there is heaven on earth, it's here, it's here, it's here!)
But what comes to mind when one thinks of Kashmir today?
The Indian Civilization is one of the oldest civilizations, which has grown continuously without a break and has a recorded history of almost 5000 years.
PM Narendra Modi twice in August 2016 announced India’s support to Balochistan and intention of reclaiming POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) from Pakistan. This is a well studied and planned move by the Indian Government. It is a change and a new direction to Indian foreign policy in engaging two difficult neighbors Pakistan and China.
“You can resist an invading army; you cannot resist an idea whose time has come”, this oft quoted statement somehow defines the state of affairs on the Indian soil which is undergoing a series of new-age reforms across the spectrum. They are being, but obviously, claimed transformational by the official propaganda machinery.
The agenda for the second Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, commencing on August 30, 2016 in New Delhi, suggests that though the focus of the discussions will primarily be on geo-political, geo-economic, and geo-strategic issues of mutual interest, India is also likely to strongly urge for an early conclusion of the Totalisation Pact or the Social Security Agreement (SSA) with the US.
In the present world of shrewd diplomacy and complicated international relations, secrecy in defence projects is considered to be a must. The recent leak of key details regarding French designed Scorpene submarine has not only been a case of great concern but has also posed a serious threat to India's abilities in naval combat.
