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:: Ground Zero - News from conflict zones |
Ladakh - 'unheard sufferer of India-Pakistan partition'
New Delhi, February 25: Ladakh has suffered considerably due to the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 and the plight of people there is overlooked in the larger spectrum of the Kashmir conflict, says a former Harvard professor.
Story of a Hindu party worker for the Pakistan Muslim League
Rawalpindi, February 24: The elections are over, the results are out, and sitting in his wall-papered drawing room in Rawalpindi, 52-year-old Saroop Chand is juggling with two incessantly ringing mobile phones.
More women in Pakistan polls signals 'political freedom'
Islamabad, February 23 (IANS): For the first time in Pakistan's history, an increasing number of women stood for elections in Monday's polls that also saw women coming out to vote in larger numbers - an encouraging trend signalling "freedom for women in politics".
After polls, Pakistani youth cautiously hopeful of nation's future
Islamabad, February 23 (IANS): Two days after the two largest political parties announced their plans for a coalition government, Pakistani youngsters, most of whom voted for the first time, are clear-eyed that while the elections herald new hope, past history makes them wary of being too optimistic.
Forget about clothes, hair most important for Lankan women
Beauty-conscious Sri Lankan women attach more importance to their hair than to clothes or make up and often judge others by the way they have dressed their tresses, a new survey has revealed.
How a phone rouses crowds in Pakistan
Islamabad, February 22: Pakistan's deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, was most effective when he reached out to lawyers in Karachi and Lahore over a phone line broadcast live. But he isn't the first one to use the simple tactic.
Tale of two cities in Pakistan
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are known as twin cities, but they certainly were not identical in their response to the election day. The capital city was deserted, as most of its residents, being government officers, had left for their home towns to enjoy a four-day holiday from Friday, thanks to the poll.
Bilawal studies in Oxford as Pakistan votes
London, February 18: As a nervous Pakistan went to the polls Monday, young Bilawal Zardari Bhutto - son of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto - spent the day hard at work, his guardian said.
I want to have dinner with my kids just once: Samjhauta survivor
Rana Shaukat Ali from Pakistan cannot hold back his tears as he talks about wanting to have dinner "at least once" with five of his children who died in the Samjhauta Express terror blast exactly a year back.
Anatomy of a Pakistani election rally
Rawalpindi, February 17 (IANS): In India, it would be like a small neighbourhood corner meeting. But security concerns in Pakistan turn even a small rally into a major headache for the local police.
A year on, Samjhauta terror probe heads nowhere
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
Pakistani voters, fearful of safety, urged to vote
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
Fear is palpable, as Pakistanis prepare for elections
Karachi, February 13: In the elite drawing rooms of Pakistan's largest city, they are whispering to each other to stock up on kitchen items in case the situation gets "really ugly" in these days ahead of elections in the country.
After 35 years in jail, Indian shifted to Pakistani hospital
Islamabad, February 12 (IANS): An Indian national languishing in a Pakistani jail for 35 years has been shifted to a hospital after he was spotted by a minister, an official here said Tuesday.
Is Kashmir finally breathing an air of peace?
Srinagar, February 3: With a steep fall in violent incidents and militants on the run, peace may be finally descending on the Kashmir valley. But after years of bloodshed, people are wary though hopeful.
Remembering BB, 'who in death has become bigger than life'
"In her death she's become bigger than her father ever was, even bigger than when she was alive," said well known Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi, a slight tremor noticeable in his voice as he remembered former prime minister Benazir Bhutto at a memorial reference.
'Pakistan Army suffering significant defections'
Washington, January 20: The Pakistan Army is for the first time suffering "significant numbers of defections", with soldiers reluctant to fight in tribal areas, says the International Herald Tribune.
'Jackpot awaits overseas businessmen of Indian origin'
Colombo, January 21 (IANS): The sky is the limit for businessmen of Indian origin spread across the globe if they establish links and strike deals with each other, says a Sri Lankan tea tycoon with roots in Tamil Nadu.
Does Hurriyat unity indicate yearning for elections?
Srinagar, January 17 (IANS): By getting two high profile leaders to rejoin, the moderate faction of Jammu and Kashmir's Hurriyat Conference has got a shot in the arm. It is a significant move any way you look at it - whether the separatist amalgam is preparing for assembly polls due this year or whether it is firming up resistance against it.
English litterateurs defy bombs to rendezvous in Sri Lanka
Colombo, January 17 (IANS): Ignoring the bombs going off in the vicinity, leading lights of English literature from across the globe are meeting in the quaint Dutch-built city of Galle in south Sri Lanka for a four-day bonanza of lectures, readings, panel discussions and book launches.
Indian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan
This news comes as a shock to me because I had never heard that Indian soldiers were being involved in Afghanistan. But last week, the Hindustan Times reported that two Indian soldiers were killed in a suicide bomb attack in Razai village, in the southwest province of Nimroz.
India policy towards Burma should change, suggests HRW researcher
A lot has been written about India's military policy towards neighboring country of Pakistan. But in a recent article published in Open Democracy, Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch (and former Time South Asia correspondent for many years), says that doing the right thing in Burma, could be the beginning for India to take leadership role in global politics.
Pakistan's 'disappeared' still remain an unfinished business
Karachi, January 13 (IANS): Emergency has been lifted and a brand new apex court set up in Pakistan, but the bench still refuses to entertain cases of human rights violations, specially those of enforced disappearances, says former law minister Iqbal Haider.
Bohras brave bomb blasts to congregate in Colombo
Undeterred by the series of bomb blasts and terror attacks in and around the Sri Lankan capital over the past few days, over 30,000 Dawoodi Bohras from various parts of the world have congregated in Colombo for a 10-day religious ceremony.
Of green colour and salt politics in Kashmir
Waving a green handkerchief, showing a piece of rock salt - both symbolic references to Pakistan - and questioning Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India, sometimes even openly. These have become potent tools for leaders, who otherwise claim to be secular, to exploit the religious leanings of gullible Kashmiris.
Indian diaspora should be bridge between ethnic groups
Colombo, December 26: Overseas Indians should venture beyond fighting for their ethnic rights and become a bridge between various ethnic groups among whom they live, says P.P. Devaraj, a Sri Lankan of Indian origin who has been elected president of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).
When a Pakistani sought forgiveness for Kargil
New Delhi, December 26: The 1999 Kargil intrusion that brought India and Pakistan on the brink of a nuclear clash may no longer be such a thorn in the relationship between the two countries. But it continues to be an issue at the people-to-people level with some Pakistanis still seeking "forgiveness".
Adivasi insurgency creates new terror front in Assam
Guwahati, December 26: A shadowy Adivasi insurgent group in Assam with definite links with some of northeastern India's frontline separatist groups and a possible nexus with the Maoists could well turn out to be the new terror front in the state, security officials said Wednesday.
Marrying English education with militant Tamil nationalism
Colombo, December 24: While in the rest of Sri Lanka nationalism means rejection of the English language, in the areas controlled by the Tamil Tiger rebels, virulent Tamil nationalism coexists with an eagerness to promote English education.
'Ramchand Pakistani' espouses values of 'peace, trust'
Angry Ramchand Kohli, a Pakistani Dalit boy, sprints away too far. His father tries to stop him but both end up crossing the border. They land in an Indian jail, are interrogated as suspected spies and the mother back home fights the consequences.
Dying Dal gives livelihood to its destroyers
Srinagar, November 25: Every dawn, the Dal Lake in the heart of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir jostles with business activity. A serpentine queue of boats loaded with fresh green vegetables makes its way to a floating market there.
Two bakers and how human rights went wrong in Kashmir
As Kashmiri leaders across the political spectrum vociferously condemned - and rightly so - last week's killing of a baker allegedly by the Indian Army, four days later another baker in the same area fell to bullets - this time from suspected militants. But the second incident attracted no political or public outcry.
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