Propaganda is a double-edged weapon. And yes, it is a weapon. For the last year or so, the state apparatus has engaged in high-spend messaging in the Kashmir Valley, highlighting ‘normalcy’ and attacking terrorism. Believe it or not, the major vehicle for this effort has been the army and other forces. Officers of such forces […]

  SRINAGAR: The painful, heart-wrenching memories of the early 1990s were once again returned to shake our collective consciousness as, amid target killings, another exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is underway in Kashmir. Besides the Kashmiri Pandits, who had returned to their ancestral lands with a renewed hope following the government’s initiative to bring them back, […]

The last few weeks in Kashmir have been extremely tragic as once again this unfortunate land has turned red with the blood of innocent people splattered by the Pakistani backed terrorists. Off-duty policemen, a TV artist and most notably, multiple Hindu employees have been targeted and brutally murdered in a fresh wave of terror violence. […]

  NEW DELHI: In a major development in the FCRA violation case involving NGOs, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested 14 people, including six public servants, on Wednesday. The arrests came a day after CBI carried out searches at over 40 locations across the country. The agency has also recovered cash to the tune […]

  Three different anniversaries have come around this 15th of April. It marks 50 days of the war in Ukraine. It’s exactly eight months since the Taliban took Kabul. And today is exactly 22 months since the Galwan battle in Ladakh. The way all three have played out has made India shine geopolitically. Now that […]

Many of us have analysed the ongoing battles in Ukraine as a proxy war by the US against Russia. As proxy contests go, however, that may be outstripped by the trial of strength between the world’s major agencies in the power games that are likely to play out in Pakistan in the next few weeks. […]

The killing of a freelance filmmaker-journalist in Ukraine on Sunday stirred up some long-latent memories. I was reminded of the day I learnt the meaning of the word, speechless. I couldn’t utter a sound, try as hard as I might. Not for several interminable minutes. It was the summer of ‘94, and I had just […]

Developments in Ukraine, and the world’s responses, have given India an extraordinary opportunity to try and bring Russia closer to the West, by playing a proactive role in negotiating peace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been called and acknowledged by top leaders on both sides, could even invite the two presidents for talks in […]

What is happening in Ukraine right now is replete with obvious parallels from recent history — parallels from which Russian President Vladimir Putin ought to take lessons, as should policymakers in capitals such as New Delhi. One obvious parallel is the Cuban missile crisis. Like President John F Kennedy in 1962, Putin has dug in […]

That Prime Minister Modi concentrated on attacking the Congress in his public rally in Goa on Thursday clearly indicates that the ruling party sees its major challenge in that state from its traditional rival more than from the newer options. At least until the last week or two, the campaigns of major newer entrants, TMC […]