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Baluchistan dissidents have a cas

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By K.N. Pandita – Foreign Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan in New Delhi are just concluded. What actually transpires between the parties in such high level talks is seldom made public. However, clues come in trickles and the entire gamut comes under focus sooner or later.

The process of bilateral talks on a number of outstanding issues between the two neighbours has been going on for a long time. Given the nature of their strained relations for so many decades, nothing startling is to be expected from these talks.

While the talks are on or off, Pakistani side cannot step out of Kashmir obsession. It is now habitual for them to reiterate that no progress in talks is possible unless Kashmir issue is resolved. “Resolving” Kashmir issue is Pakistan’s other way of saying that India should handover Kashmir to her.

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“Either with us or with our enemy”

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By K.N. Pandita – “You will be brought down to your knees if Pakistan does not cooperate with you. Remember my words if Pakistan and ISI are not with you, you will lose in Afghanistan”, thundered General Pervez Musharraf in his September 30, 2006 interview with the BBC. Evidently, he had two-week (September 4 – 17) ‘Operation Mudesa’ in Panjwai district of Kandahar in mind in which NATO forces were reported to have killed 1100 Taliban. Many of the 160 captured were Pakistani nationals who made startling revelations about the support structure that sustains terror and insurgency in South Afghanistan.

A week after the General’s bluster, one NATO Commander said, “Our boys in Southern Afghanistan are hurting because of what is coming out of Quetta.” The Canadian Commander, who was in charge of ‘Operation Mudesa said, “It is time to tell Musharraf you are either with us or with our enemy”.

On October 10, a leaked document prepared by Defence Academy, a British think-tank linked to its Ministry of Defence, said that ISI indirectly backed terrorism by supporting religious parties in Pakistan.

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Saddam and the History of Islam

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By K.N. Pandita

Will there be a realization in the ummah of what has befallen it with death sentence for Saddam given by a court whose judges are appointed not by the people of Iraq but by an external aggressor?

The ummah has once again lost the opportunity of wriggling out of the shackles of conservatism and stepping into the era of modernity and internationalism.

Saddam, when in power, was the symbol of a new Islam desirous of separating politics from religion. Prior to him, such efforts were either not made or made but faced with failure. History will record that he also failed but not because of his “wrongs”. Iraq has been conquered, devastated and may be even fragmented. The barbarous Hulagu had done her little less harm way back in mid-13th century.

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