Reflections

JOINING HEARTS VS POINTED GUNS : THE DEBATE CONTINUES Article in India Today : Pointed Guns Article in Times Of India : Joining Hearts An effort of peace, of bridging the gap, in the backdrop of blazing guns... and not the first, either. I was part of one such initiative :  Jodey Dilon Ko , which was an interesting experience. In this post, I had observed : "Will this interaction {culture + trade} bridge the divide? All that lies in the future, and depends upon a peaceful coexistence between the two of us, devoid of terrorist attacks, and cross-border violence. That is the core, the non-negotiable reality. The ball is firmly in Pakistan's court; I just hope the moderates in Pakistan win the day..." Today, as we stare at yet another violation in the backdrop of this peace process, it is time for us to try and analyse whether these efforts are worth it, or are they a complete waste of time and energy. This is especially so, since we now have a Government...

The only good histories are those that have been written by the persons themselves who commanded in the affairs whereof they write; rest is hearsay - Michel Eyquem Montaigne, {from the Preface of the current book} This is the second book by General V P Malik - and it is as good as the first; and in some ways, far more reader friendly. While the first - Kargil - was a deep and involved analysis of the Kargil War, this is one comprises a set of real-life incidences from his Army Experience; incidences which are known in almost every educated household in India. This takes up half of the book; the second half is a short, and to-the-point analysis of Military Diplomacy. Again, in this part as well, the author has delved into his personal experience, which gives the reader the entire story from the horse's mouth, so to speak.  THE FIRST PART This part will be the interesting part for those readers who are not too interested in Military Diplomacy or Foreign Policy. This p...

‘Capt. Kalia’s case can’t be taken up on global fora’ ‘Justice for Captain Kalia’ campaign reaches UNHRC  The government has informed the family of Kargil martyr Captain Saurabh Kalia that it would not be “desirable” to take up his case at the international level as India was committed to resolving its differences with Pakistan only through bilateral negotiations. “Defence Minister A.K. Antony has said the government cannot deal with Capt. Kalia’s case under the Geneva Conventions. Raising the case on an international forum would not be desirable,” Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a release. The Minister had told him in a letter that, “India is committed to settling differences with Pakistan only through bilateral negotiations. ” Union government bales out of Captain Saurabh Kalia's case " In his letter, the minister has mentioned that as per the Simla Agreement, India has pledged to settle all differences with Pakistan through bila...