Mar 05
“Recently I had the occasion to see a long eulogy on U-Tube, on India by Mr Shashi Tharoor, on the rising power, or as he termed “SOFT POWER”
What a piece of rubbish! This is true India, where 40% of entire population has no toilet facilities in the house and they excrete in the streets.
Does Mr Tharoor know about it?
Next time he talks about INDIA, he should do his homework.”
If you are Indian, or of Indian descent, I must preface this post with a clear warning: you are not going to like what I have to say. My criticisms may be very hard to stomach. But consider them as the hard words and loving advice of a good friend. Someone who’s being honest with you and wants nothing from you. These criticisms apply to all of India except Kerala and the places I didn’t visit, except that I have a feeling it applies to all of India, except as I mentioned before, Kerala. Lastly, before anyone accuses me of Western Cultural Imperialism, let me say this: if this is what India and Indians want, then hey, who am I to tell them differently. Take what you like and leave the rest. In the end it doesn’t really matter, as I get the sense that Indians, at least many upper class Indians, don’t seem to care and the lower classes just don’t know any better, what with Indian culture being so intense and pervasive on the sub-continent. But here goes, nonetheless.
India is a mess. It’s that simple, but it’s also quite complicated. I’ll start with what I think are India’s four major problems–the four most preventing India from becoming a developing nation–and then move to some of the ancillary ones.
Continue reading »
Tagged with: India
Mar 03
By Zahid U Kramet
The penny appears to have finally dropped. Diplomatic niceties aside, the media in the United States, at least, have concluded that the positions India and Pakistan have adopted on their differences are much too hardened to be resolved bilaterally.
Two of the most influential journals in America, the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor, independently ran editorials on February 26 highlighting this fact while openly calling for US intervention.
The New York Times editorial, titled “India and Pakistan (Barely) talk”, argued for “nudging the two sides harder”. Meanwhile, the Christian Science Monitor in “Obama and India-Pakistan talks: US can be a better go-between” argued that the US could”certainly do more to push the two back to the negotiation table”.
The exploratory talks held between India and Pakistan’s foreignsecretaries on February 25 in Delhi were in any case not expected to amount to much. Held at the urging of American officials they were meant to serve as an ice-breaker. The ice was broken.
The softer positions adopted by India’s Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and Pakistan’s Salman Bashir were initially indicative of a thaw developing. Rao observed that the talks were “a first step towards rebuilding trust” with the promise to “stay in touch”. Continue reading »
Tagged with: India • Pakistan
Mar 01
By Riyaz Wani
At long last, a series of conferences and engagements has given us tentative hope for the resolution of the 62-year-old Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. If these efforts reach their goal, they might not only transform the long-troubled relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors; they may also substantially contribute to peace in nearby Afghanistan.
Kashmir has been at the center of a long-standing territorial dispute between Pakistan and India, resulting in several wars, as well as ongoing military operations by India against Kashmiri separatist militants. The decades-old rivalry and suspicion between India and Pakistan have persuaded both to act at cross-purposes in Afghanistan. Pakistan wants a pro-Islamabad regime in Kabul to achieve its goal of strategic depth as a cushion against India. India, on the other hand, seeks a pro-New Delhi government to deny Pakistan this advantage.
A solution in Kashmir would considerably reduce the trust deficit between India and Pakistan and most likely promote cooperation in Afghanistan. Continue reading »
Tagged with: India • Kashmir
Feb 17
Laskhar-e-Taiba Al Alami, a hitherto unheard terror outfit, today claimed it carried out the Pune blast because of India’s “refusal” to discuss the Kashmir issue with Pakistan. The claim was made by a man who called Nirupama Subramanian, the Islamabad-based correspondent of The Hindunewspaper. The caller identified himself as Abu Jindal and described himself as the spokesman of the LeT Al Alami (international).
The caller claimed his group carried out the attack in Pune that killed ten people because of what he described as India’s “refusal” to discuss the Kashmir issue in forthcoming talks with Pakistan. He also said his group had split from the Laskher-e-Taiba (LeT) because it “took orders” from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
The man said India’s “alliance” with the US was another reason for the attack. Asked if there were any other reasons, he said: “These are the only two reasons.”
“Joh bhi America ka ittehad hoga, hum uskey khilaf jang ladengey, chahey who India ho ya Pakistan (We will wage war against any ally of America, whether it is India or Pakistan),” the caller reportedly said. Continue reading »
Tagged with: India
Feb 05
IF INDIA IS DEMOCRATIC WHY IT DOESS NOT GIVE THE RIGHT OF SELF DETERMINATION UNDER THE UNO RESOLUTION
“Kashmir Day” is celebrated every year on the 5th of February by Pakistanis and Kashmiris all over the world to show solidarity with the freedom fighters, demanding their legitimate right of self-determination from India. The day reminds the continued sacrifices of Kashmiri people against Indian state terrorism which still continues.
The misfortune of Kashmiris who comprises 94 percent in Jummu and Kashmir,started in1846 when their territory was sold by the British colonialists to a Hindu, Gulab Singh who continued his brutal policies—memories of which remain alive today. During the Dogra rule (1846-1947), Kashmiri Muslims were leading so miserable life that it was difficult to differentiate them from beasts. Slave labour and capital punishment and living under constant terror was order of the day. Continue reading »
Tagged with: India • Kashmir
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