The other pillars of democracy, the judiciary and media, must remain steadfastly independent and impartial guardians of the Constitution. The people still repose their greatest faith in them to protect their rights and uphold their aspirations
N.Q. Dias: Sri Lanka’s Clausewitz, a Man With a Strategic Vision for the Island
Dias promoted civil–military cooperation on an unprecedented scale, facilitating the large-scale settlement of Sinhalese populations in the dry zone as a bulwark against Tamil separatism. In some respects, this approach resembled the Jewish settlement policies in the British Mandate of Palestine, which may have influenced Dias’s thinking.
The Iran Conundrum, Trumpian Dilemma and the Shifting Sands of West Asia
Ray Takeyh, senior fellow for Middle East studies at the CFR believes that the West could have got much better dividends without this war. He says that Araghchi had tabled proposals that called for the suspension of uranium enrichment for several years before allowing it to then resume at low levels. Linda Robinson, CFR’s senior fellow, also feels that there will be mass American casualties if special forces are deployed. Already Arab States are upset with these joint operations with Israel. The consensus among CFR experts is that Trump’s ambitious objectives cannot be achieved merely with joint assaults by air or sea.
Custodial Killings with no Judicial Remedies: A Sad Tale Across Two Punjabs
Was this the legacy that the great freedom fighters from Punjab – or extend that logic to rest of India and Pakistan where custodial deaths are common – would have wanted their land and its future generations to inherit? As if the breakdown of the country and its gory partition with a divided Punjab were not enough to torment them in their graves, wouldn’t this thought leave them completely shattered and desolate: this divided land is united in its conviction to perpetuate the very colonial mindset they fought.
Bangladesh's Recent Election was Neither Free nor Fair
The Interim Government arranged extensive state protocol and privileges to the government-sponsored party, National Citizen Party (NCP), parties close to IG like Jamaat e Islami (JI) and their alliances, almost as if they were the government themselves. Similar privileges were given to the BNP and its allies. But no such facility was extended to the JP.
More on Perspective
Importing wheat for India’s food security is an imperative
Thus, more than one third of the world’s hungry and undernourished people are in India, which is alarming and embarrassing, if not shameful. India’s rank in the global hunger index also (GHI) has dropped to 101 out of 116 countries
Rupee convertibility: Can it make the Indian currency stronger?
Days are ahead when the rupee will tend to become fully convertible. Full convertibility means fully capital account convertibility in the balance of payment. It opens the market for foreign investors, businessmen and trade partners
Is Bangladesh heading for stagflation?
Bangladesh is going through a tough economic situation; the government’s two largest sources of foreign currency revenues are the export of readymade garment products and remittances from overseas. Remittances are already suffering
On their 75th independence anniversary, peace pilgrims from India bring message of love to Pakistan
This is part of a long tradition of celebrating the two countries’ independence days together, started by activists like the late Dr Mubashir Hasan, Nirmala Deshpande, Asma Jahangir, Kuldip Nayar, and others. Peace groups on either side have been doing this for a couple of decades now, even as administrations in both countries try to prevent them
Indian cultural diplomacy - and creation of a South Asian identity
The basis of all Indian philosophy is the recognition of divinity in the human species and giving respect to all faiths and shades of opinion
Indian Navy’s all-woman aircrew creates history
Over the years, women officers in the Indian armed forces have begun notching various types of achievements
Welfare spending is not freebie culture
It must be understood that welfare spending is essential to partly redress the widening inequality in Indian society
Ameliorate plight of cross-border prisoners: Joint appeal by South Asian organizations
Release prisoners on completion of jail term, decriminalise inadvertent border crossings, especially for fisherfolk and minors
Misuse of Indian Army uniforms has dangerous consequences: Army’s distinctiveness must remain paramount
Uncontrolled proliferation of the existing combat uniform has led to many cases of breach of security of military establishments and personnel and, while it has been a cause of concern, not enough action has been initiated
Save the children: Millions of children victims of acute malnutrition, hunger and diseases in Afghanistan; girls shut out of education
The country is already one of the worst places in the world to be a child, And, in the past year, the situation has become grimmer because of crippling poverty, violence, and drought, according to UNICEF.
Militants, separatists better than opposition: Imran Khan's remark shows Pakistan's deteriorating democracy
His remarks came days after some media reports indicated that the Pakistan Army could try to facilitate a dialogue or deal between Khan and the ruling coalition to create a consensus on early elections, which remains Khan's primary demand, writes Shraddha Nand Bhatnagar for South Asia Monitor
Pakistan’s ruling coalition dealt yet another blow, its legitimacy in crisis
The decision to oust Imran Khan ultimately allowed him to hijack the anti-establishment tag in his favour. Khan’s repeated reference to the government as the “imported government” and to the military as “neutrals” further reinforced his perception as a popular civilian leader
India's 15th President Droupadi Murmu, hailing from the tribal community, says she embodies dreams of the country's poor
In that sense, her choice by the dispensation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, otherwise seen as an autocratic leader who has been accused of undermining many of India's democratic institutions, is seen as nothing sort of revolutionary, both by the standard of the country's conservative political and social norms
Why is India resilient to oil volatility despite overdependence on imports?
In India over 75 per cent of electricity is generated from coal-based thermal plants. Oil accounts for less than 2 percent of electric power, writes S. Majumder for South Asia Monitor
