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Panchayati Raj institution at risk

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By K.N. Pandita

Militants are aware that if this phenomenon is allowed to stabilize and proliferate, a day will come when they will lose all the support and sympathy they have been eliciting from the masses of people albeit at the point of gun. It will be the beginning of total paralysis of their violent movement.

From this point of view, attacks on Panches are a real threat to the integrity of the state. Cowards will say that the State should not have initiated revival of Panchayati institution. But now that most of the work is done, government has no option but to stand up and face the challenge.  Continue Reading…

PM speaks to the nation

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By K.N. Pandita

Except for two occasions, viz. national days, Prime Minister of India very rarely addresses the nation through television. It is not that there is any rule or convention to inhibit him from going on air, but since he is perennially in touch with the people of India through the parliament and peoples’ representatives, he avoids the television.   Continue Reading…

Liberalizing visa regime

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By K.N. Pandita

Visa liberalization, like grant of MFN to India, has been on the anvil for a long time with the civilian government in Pakistan. Previously it did receive green signal at civilian official level but was shot down by the Army.

How did Pakistani COAS, Gen. Kayani let it go through this time is a question analysts are trying to sort out.  Is it pressure from Washington or economic compulsions driving Pakistan to wall? Whatever, Kayani has made history.   Continue Reading…

Chessboard of Silk Road politics

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By K.N. Pandita

The fabulous trade route of ancient times called Silk Road is fast emerging as the new chessboard of international politics. Two major players of contemporary history, China and the US, are heading towards cutthroat rivalry for grabbing the untapped mineral wealth and hydrocarbon booty of the vast Central Asian region straddling westward from Xinjiang-Kazakh/Kyrgyz border to the western shores of the Caspian Sea.  Continue Reading…

Indo-Pak reconciliation roadmap

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By K.N. Pandita

Indo-Pak Foreign Ministerial meet in Islamabad was meant to review the progress of on-going bilateral dialogue.  Satisfied that it proceeded in the right direction, the two ministers have raised hopes of more concrete results flowing from the exercise in due course of time. This marks the success of the meeting.

Critics and sceptics at home will call it another exercise in futility. Past history of infertility of such dialogues has been the source of their pessimism. Moreover, they find stark contradiction between what is said in the conference room and what is actually happening on the ground.  Will the deep freeze melt?  Continue Reading…

Fanning tentacles of terror

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By K.N. Pandita

Karnataka police have arrested eleven persons for alleged links with premier Pakistani terrorist organizations, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba and Harakatu’l-Jihad-i- Islami. Disclosures made by the arrested persons are significant. Firstly, they have revealed that vital nuclear, naval, army and industrial installations in the country were the targets they had identified for their planned attacks. Secondly, they have revealed that terror sponsored from across the border is designed to spread its tentacles far and wide in Southern India. Their accomplices have been picked up from Naded in Maharashtra and from Hyderabad in Andhra for interrogation and further investigation.   Continue Reading…