IDR Blog
The Integration of Military and Civilian Development
I recently mentioned the new roads being built in Western Tibet (Ngari) towards the Indian border (G564 and G565). But that is not all. According to Kangba TV, the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) has created a basic integrated transport network, with a total road mileage of 82,500 km, five airports, 71 domestic and international airlines, as...
The New Age WhatsApp Soldier
It all started with a BSF soldier complaining of poor quality of rations, food and equipment. He also categorically stated that government was doing everything but officers were responsible for the poor state of affairs and the soldiers were being denied their basic dues. The media was quick to take note and it was everywhere – whatsapp...
India needs to re-craft its Beijing and Islamabad Policies
India-Pakistan relations have oscillated over the past 70 years between uneasy calm and open hostility, including wars. For Islamabad, the initial narrative on bilateral relations, based entirely on a religious divide, shifted dramatically after the liberation of East Pakistan and the emergence of sovereign independent Bangladesh. The tipping...
Where Is Article 370 Now That Rohingyas And Bangladeshis Are Being Settled In Jammu And Ladakh?
Jammu is up in arms against the authorities. This time, it is not against discriminatory policies being pursued by the successive Kashmir-dominated and Valley-centric governments in Jammu & Kashmir since 1947, but against the settlement of Rohingyas from Myanmar in Jammu and Ladakh, both strategically vital for national security. According to...
New Highway near Mount Kailash
The Chinese Law on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requires the State to consult the population about any new project; it is how some information on the new highway projects in Western Tibet (Ngari Prefecture) came in the public domain. Last week I had mentioned the construction of a 558 km-long highway connecting Xinjiang and Tibet,...