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The Gujarat home minister Amit Shah’s evasion upon being summoned by the CBI is the latest in a litany of disgrace where the law of the land has been openly flouted. more... FDI could be a powerful catalyst in the Indian retail revolution if handled carefully. more... The tragedy of “Kashmir” from the start has been that the part has been conflated with the whole. Kashmir is less than J&K. more... Innovative reforms are required to cope with crippling urban snarls, fast spreading from metros to medium and even smaller towns. more... Everybody, it seems, wants to be declared “backward” in order to move “forward” on crutches. more... Natural resources are national assets that belong to the people and ideally exploited by the public sector, but conservation, pricing and technology need examination. more... Responding to Pakistan’s Water Concerns and Challenges. The Indus Treaty has worked well. Why derail it? more... Bhopal was no “accident”. It was an accident waiting to happen. Priority must be given now to a genuine healing and cleanup – not just abstract “justice”. more... Rehearsing the past does not answer the challenge of the future. Where then do we go from here as the Maoists keep tormenting state and society with people’s war and class annihilation? more... From junior ministers sounding off out of turn and sordid influence peddling for control of the airwaves to “paid news” scandals, a litany of disorder. more... The Thimphu meeting on the margins of the SARC summit between Dr Manmohan Singh and Yousaf Raza Gilani could usher a welcome thaw in Indo-Pakistan relations. more... It is time to declassify material and open it fully to public scrutiny. Only then can we have an “Indian” version of history. more... Any agreement with the NSCN-IM is likely to exercise a profound influence on other warring groups. more... Some silver linings as Pakistan’s civilian leadership appears to be in the ascendant rolling back authoritarian holdovers but the military still calls the shots. more... Ideologues and jihadis many cavil at cooperation and ground realities, but climate change will not respect boundaries or political sophistry. more... Called by a Tribunal at long last, the vehemence of Narendra Modi’s protestations appears proportionate to his own sense of guilt over the genocide of Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. more... The women’s reservation Bill got rough passage through the Rajya Sabha. In the teeth of opposition from caste-based parties, the Congress has thus far stood firm. more... The Indus Waters Treaty has worked well in a harsh environment of recurrent war and recrimination under the watchful eye of the Indus Commission. more... Both the Naga and the larger Indian leadership and societies need to abandon outworn notions to embrace emerging opportunities. more... Quiet discussion and tutorials after a pause have their place too. The Prime Minister is not alone in seeing value in engagement with Pakistan after the post-26/11 stand-off. more... Despite the violence and missed opportunities, Manipur, the Northeast’s most thorny issue, could be resolved with the right medicine. more... It is time the government stood up to the Shiv Sena’s hooliganism and said “No.” The movie My Name is Khan screened despite the threats, and rightly so. more... Standards are vital for if India is truly to become an emerging “power” it must strive for the highest standards, which are hallmarks of leadership. more... A nation that does not learn from history risks repeating its mistakes. It is time to examine good governance and take steps in the right direction. more... There is an optimal numerical and areal span for good governance. But small is not necessarily ideal, nor big bad. more... The Shopian expose by the CBI and a panel of doctors shows no evidence of rape. It was a set-up. Now the separatists are upping the volume. more... The “sale” of paid news packages for slanted electoral coverage has gone from low-level viral outbreak to full-blown epidemic. more... After 17 years, the Liberhan Commission produces a 1,000-page report that sheds little light. In any event, many of the actors are now dead. more... As India relives the horror of 26/11, Pakistan protects those responsible yet reels in a terror inferno of its own making. What is the way forward? more... More sittings for Parliament and some overdue reform could enable this august body to come to grips with real debate and issues. more... Respected individuals, NGOs and others could act as intermediaries to establish contact, bring emissaries from the two sides together and play a catalytic role. more... More jihad over J&K may hurt India but threatens to destroy Pakistan which confronts an end-game. more... Outlook magazine excerpt from BG Verghese’s memoirs, First Draft: The Making of Modern India, to be published by Tranquebar Press/ Westland Ltd, in February 2010. more... The State is not at war with the Maoists but it is certainly engaged in enhanced law and order operations against a misguided movement. Yet, the door to dialogue should remain open. more... The East Asian summit in Bangkok may provide in the margins an opportunity for Indo-Chinese dialogue to clear the air on both the border and the Brahmaputra. more... As the noose tightens around Pakistan’s military over missing billions, it is time for the country to doff its camouflage green and return to humanistic Sufi Islam. more... Bangladesh and India have much to share and learn from one another as each has accomplishments of which it can be proud. more... Pakistan “confessions” on terror and the hit-India knee-jerk policy are pouring forth. What is the way forward? more... Singh’s singular effort to seek a new beginning in his book “Jinnah”, should trigger debate on how things can be mended rather than buried in barren acrimony. more... From Kathmandu to Copenhagen: A Vision for Addressing Climate Change Risks and Opportunities in the Himalaya Region more... India’s plurality finds expression in its secular and democratic ethos that has withstood constant buffeting. more... The common peril of climate change could foster a new beginning for the Greater Himalaya countries. more... The Indus Water Treaty is a triumph and must be worked into the Indo-Pakistan peace process to ensure stability and insure against climate change. more... Political speculation and media reaction to the Pakistan nuclear build-up indicates a jumpiness that encourages thoughtless adventurism. more... The BJP has shot itself in the foot with Jaswant Singh’s expulsion and lacks coherence and maturity in responding to real issues he raised regarding Jinnah. more... India and Bangladesh need to find common ground on water sharing. Tipaimukh dam will moderate floods and aid fisheries, navigation, and salinity control. more... With Pakistan struggling to find its identity, regardless of any rapprochement with Delhi, there will always be a search for a substitute “Kashmir problem”. Farzana Shaikh, explains why in her latest book, Making Sense of Pakistan (Hurst Press, London, 2009). more... The Kashmir Dispute: Making Borders Irrelevant, by P RChari, Hasan Askari Rizvi, Rashid Ahmed Khan, S Suba Chandran. Samskriti. New Delhi, 2009. 130 pages. more... Summer heat and addled minds from West Bengal to Pakistan as the BJP too grapples with its Hindutva and identity. more... Waiting for the rains – again – as climate change takes it toll. It is time to start managing India’s water future. more... The CPM's failure has meant that a considerable number of tribals, dalits and peasants have been driven into the hands of the Maoists. more... While there is room for a moderate Right, nothing will change for the BJP unless it gives up its Hindutva ideology and breaks free of the bondage of the RSS and its Parivar. more... With a fresh mandate it is time for the government to get down to governing, disciplining unruly MPs, dealing with neglected sectors and reviewing the balance between need and greed. more... Jinnah’s first secular and open address to the Pakistan Constituent Assembly has gathered mould. Now, new opportunities beckon for India and Pakistan to stand shoulder to shoulder. more... The Quattrocchi affair is a disgrace but, fortunately, not all cover-ups remain permanently under wraps. more... It is shortsighted for Tamil Nadu to force the Centre into pressuring Colombo on behalf of the LTTE, a proscribed organization. more... India faces grave danger from the narrow, intolerant “cultural nationalism” spawned by the Sangh Parivar. more... The J&K polls have been a triumph of self-determination over the gun. Kashmir is neither a “Muslim” issue nor a “disputed” territory as the West blindly believes. more... We need to strengthen democratic forces in Pakistan, and they in turn must stop living in a world of make-believe. India is not out to destroy Pakistan. more... The heroism must be applauded. But anti-terror operations need a clear chain of command, better communication, and a coherent public face. more... Lessons from the global economic debacle and why the government should plough some of its foreign exchange reserves into agriculture, health, housing and infrastructure. more... Combating terrorism requires cool heads and sober leadership, not lynch-mob rhetoric and finger-pointing. more... The government has called the separatists’ bluff with the decision to hold the Jammu & Kashmir elections. more... The DMK’s action in holding a gun to the government’s head, demanding the Centre intervene on behalf of the LTTE, is fraught with peril. Here’s why. more... Seeds of social hatred must be countered. Hindutva is not Hinduism. The latter is tolerant, catholic and accommodating. more... What Nano proves is that India too can dream and innovate. Now wait for the multiplier effect. more... The Maoists were surprised by their own success in a fair and open election. Their task will now be to keep exuberant youth cadres in check. more... The Supreme Court's dismissal of frivolous cases against artist M F Husain is to be lauded. The question is, what kind of India do we want? more... | |
SPOTLIGHT Gujarat’s record on pursuing justice and permitting the law to take its course after the sordid 2002 carnage has been scandalous. If today an Amit Shah is caught, can Narendra Modi be far behind? more... |
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