I have always wondered about what the right to self determination means. According to the United Nations “All peoples have the rights of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” This statement raises more questions than answers. Can my neighbor claim [...]
Shangri-La is a mythical Himalayan utopia. If you are a fan of rock like I am then I am sure you have listened to the song “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin is one of the all time bands and Kashmir in my opinion is their best work. The song is a tribute to their [...]
Recently a co-worker of mine who is a Muslim from the Middle East asked me whether Indians like the people of Pakistan. I explained to her that an average Indian citizen probably has never heard of Pakistan and would not be able to point out Pakistan or Kashmir on a map (an average Indian most [...]
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat addressed the state assembly of the Kerala RSS in Kollam today. In his speech (which was delivered in Hindi) he said that “Intolerance also creates problems. The votaries of intolerance resort to even mass killings to make others toe their line. Only Hindutva tolerates everything in the world. [...]
Last week leaders of 70 nations met in London to discuss the future of Afghanistan. The goal of the Western nations is to increase the size of the Afghanistan security forces to about 300,000 by mid next year. This will enable the NATO and other forces to drop down the number of military personnel and [...]
During his visit to Kashmir yesterday the Prime Minister of India said that there are no preconditions for talks with Pakistan but Pakistan must curb terror. He mentioned that “the talks cannot make headway unless there is effective control of the terror groups operating in that country”. His comments are to some extent
The Israeli consulate in Mumbai has launched a Hindi and Urdu version of their website called “Namaste Israel”. In addition the Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a web site called “Gaza Facts” which provides a lot of detail about “Operation Cast Lead”.
China International Institute for Strategic Studies (CIISS) has indicated in a report recently that Beijing can easily break up India into twenty to thirty independent states with the help of friendly countries like Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan. This article was published a few days before India’s 62nd anniversary of its independence from Great Britain. The [...]
