IDR Blog
Pakistan needs to eliminate the malignancy
On December 16 Pakistan observed the first anniversary of the cold-blooded killing of its children in the Peshawar school massacre. As many as 132 children were killed in a terrorist attack that was carried out by the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan) and this dastardly act was seen at the time as the defining moment that would stiffen...
Indian Home Minister in China: What is the Takeaway?
Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to China (November 18 to 23) can be seen as a testing step to see China’s real commitment to earnestly combat terrorism in its entirety. Till now, Beijing’s track record on this issue has been patchy, narrowly focussed and politically maneuvered. There is a huge question here. Why does China deal with...
Towards an Action-Oriented Indo-Japan Partnership
When PM Shinzo Abe’s visit to India for attending the 9th summit was announced, even many informed observers had scepticism about its outcome. They believed that the single most important issue that would decide the success or otherwise of his visit would be the civil nuclear cooperation. This issue had been hanging in balance for over five...
Will Pakistan tame the snakes in its backyard?
Although there have been dissenting voices in both India and Pakistan about the resumption of dialogue between the two countries, there is an unarticulated belief that the latest initiative has a somewhat greater chance of success than the earlier attempts. Why has Pakistan agreed to the dialogue? One probable reason is India’s...
A Soldier with Two Wives
Lakshman Singh, a slim young captain had two wives when, in May 1962, he was told to join the ill-fated 7 Infantry Brigade on the Namkha chu (river) of the then North East Frontier Agency (NEFA); clouds had been gathering on the Indo-China border. Many officers and jawans must have been in his case. One wife was the ‘regular’ one; the...