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Letter to the Editor – Ethnic cleansing of the valley

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Daily Excelsior

Sir,
Apropos “Ethnic cleansing of KPs” by Ashok Bhan (DE 24 March), we have a well-written piece on the much talked about subject of ethnic cleansing of the valley of its Hindu minority community. Who are the perpetrators of the heinous crime is a question deliberately but unnecessarily made controversial by the vested interests. Ashok Bhan has answered this question in a very dispassionate manner. Himself a victim of the tragedy, he has been able to bring the onus of the crime to the doorsteps of the real culprits. It will go down as a historical document. Continue Reading…

Drone warfare: India needs building drone strike power

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By K N Pandita

Drone, usually called Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) is a new and effective weapon that has found a place in modern warfare. Its role in future wars is likely to be crucial.

Big powers and others have developed drone technology but in the last few years, China has taken big strides in developing drone manufacturing technology. India has lagged and drone balance has tilted in favour of Pakistan because China has sold 50 Wing Loong II armed drones to her besides five CH-4 unmanned aircraft and armed drones. CH-4 developer claims it has shown a 99 % kill rate. Continue Reading…

Do the Democrats respect democracy in real?

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By K N Pandita

India abstained from voting on the US-sponsored resolution on the Ukrainian crisis in the Security Council’s 26 February meeting. 11 out of its 15 members voted in favour of the resolution while three members, China, India and the UAE abstained.

The US was very unhappy as it did not expect India to abstain keeping in view the lately closer relations between the two countries. India also abstained in the two subsequent meetings of the UN. Continue Reading…

Will Congress leadership shun hypocrisy?

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By K N Pandita

G-23 wants to get the Congress party rid of the dynastic trio and replaces it with “elected” office-bearers. After spending decades in an environment of hegemonic dispensation some senior Congress leaders have begun to ruminate over the party election, democratic dispensation and adherence to a certain set of norms. Continue Reading…

How long the alliance of the evil?

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By K N Pandita

Pakistan’s interference in Afghanistan from early days of creation of Pakistan has been motivated by two main objectives. One is to acquire strategic depth westward and the second is to oust Indian footprints from Afghanistan. Continue Reading…

The Ukrainian conundrum: a political game-changer

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K N Pandita

After the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991, the western powers began nursing the misconception that the entity now named Russian Federation may not deserve to be given the appendage of a super-power. The Americans were pleased not only for their proxies – Afghan Mujahedeen and Pakistani non-state actors – forcing the invading Russians out of Afghan territory but also for having raised a lawless fighting force of Islamic fundamentalists in a very sensitive region that would not allow the communist ideology a foothold south of the Badakhshan Mountain range. Continue Reading…

Ukrainian conflict: a test for Indian statesmanship

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K N Pandita

The conflict between pro-Russian groups along Ukraine’s border with Russian Federation and the Ukrainian nationalists has been going on for more than a year. Russia had strong reasons to believe that the US and the EU were encouraging Ukrainian leaders to become part of NATO. Continue Reading…

Imran Khan wants TV debate with PM Modi

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K N Pandita

An interview with Imran Khan before his departure for Moscow was released by the media soon after his arrival in Moscow. He was on a two-day visit at President Putin’s invitation. Pakistani newspaper the Dawn of 24 February wrote that Khan would like a televised debate with his Indian counterpart on India – Pakistan relations. Russian foreign minister Lavrov had visited Pakistan nine years ago and a Pakistani Prime Minister would be visiting Moscow after twenty-three years. Continue Reading…

Unnecessary row over Padma Awards

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By K N Pandita

This year’s Padma award event has met with an awkward situation. Two things have happened and both have given the nation moments of anxiety. The first is the rejection of the Padma Vibhushan award that the government had announced in favour of the former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The second is the row over Ghulam Nabi Azad, the senior Congress leader being nominated as the recipient of the award. Continue Reading…

Tehreek-i-Taliban-i-Pakistan has not an easy go

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By K N Pandita

A by-product of Al Qaeda, the TTP claims that its armed struggle aims at establishing an Islamic political system in Pakistan based on the group’s interpretation of sharia, a task it says was the main goal for establishing Pakistan in 1947. Continue Reading…

Injecting pragmatism in Indo-Afghan relations

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By Kashinath Pandit

It will be almost six months that Taliban are back in power. The regime is stabilizing itself steadily and with patience. Its initial appeal to world powers for formal recognition did not receive favourable response. The past history of Taliban regime was a hindrance. But the time has come when world powers will voluntarily announce the recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). Continue Reading…

The controversy over Padma Awards 2022

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By K N Pandita

This year’s Padma award event has met with some clumsiness. Two things have happened and both have given the nation moments of anxiety. The first is the rejection of the Padma Bhushan award that the government had announced in favour of former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. The second is the row over Ghulam Nabi Azad, the senior Congress leader being nominated as the recipient of Padma award. Continue Reading…

Kazakhstan disturbances: A warning bell in the CARs

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By K N Pandita

The sudden eruption of public disturbances in Zhanaozen, the western town in the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan on January 2 last, and its quick proliferation in the rest of the Republic is the first signal of public disapproval of structured governance which the CARs inherited from the Soviets. Continue Reading…

Pakistan-Taliban bonhomie under stress

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By K N Pandita

The Afghans were not very happy with the creation of the Dominion called Pakistan to the east of their country as a result of the partition of India in August 1947. They had more than one reason to be cheerless. The newly created dominion was the handiwork of the colonial power which the Afghans did not trust. The Durand Line drawn by the British meant dividing the Pukhtoon community that lived on either side of the line. Afghans knew that “divide and rule” was the old game of the colonial power and the Durand Line had no other purpose for the British. Continue Reading…

India and Central Asian Republics to forge close relations

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By K N Pandita

India belatedly woke to the importance of establishing closer and more favourable relations with the Central Asian Republics after they declared their independence in 1991. Perhaps India wanted to play discreetly with the imploded Soviet Union from which five Central Asian and two Trans-Caspian States separated to form sovereign republics. The Central Asian region, traditionally known as Turkestan, had remained almost out of bounds for the outside world during the Soviet era. India was no exception although the Soviets had generously allowed her to open a notional cultural office in Tashkent, the capital of the State of Uzbekistan. Continue Reading…

India faces a threat of destabilization

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By K N Pandita

Stating the issue

India faces the threat of destabilization by external aggression and internal subversion. External aggression can be from China and/or Pakistan, her two contiguous hostile neighbours. Aggressive and intimidating, the two in tango are implicitly conniving at her implosion. The internal threat emanates from intensified intra-societal conflicts and disorder. The two are interactive to a large extent. Continue Reading…

Caught up in deadly arms race

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By K N Pandita

Never before has the world seen its denizens making a bigger effort of self-destruction than what we are witnessing today. Powerful advanced nations have always sought to manufacture more and more lethal weapons to be used on land or sea or in the air. The smaller nations that are economically far behind the superpowers are also trying to fill their arsenals with as many sophisticated weapons as they can. Continue Reading…

Afghan Crisis and Regional Strategy: A Hindsight

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By K N Pandita

The withdrawal of the American and NATO troops from Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 was more ignominious than the departure of the Soviet troops from their Afghan incursion in 1991. The latter had impacted the regional strategy while the former dealt a frontal blow to the ideology of democracy having an edge over modern totalitarianism. Continue Reading…

Taliban outreach, a myth or reality

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By K N Pandita

Taliban have often reiterated their policy of Taliban fighters not fighting in a foreign land. How come the rumour of the Taliban possible outreach to Kashmir has been receiving media hype? Taliban outreach is a craving Pakistan has been nursing. Continue Reading…

Will the AUKUS alliance eclipse the Quad?

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By K N Pandita

The trilateral alliance among Australia, UK and the US (AUKUS), recently announced by President Biden from the White House, has given rise to two controversies. One is whether it undervalues and supersedes the Quad-4 that is presumed to be an important feature in the security dynamics of the Indo-Pacific region. Continue Reading…