Tag: Narendra Modi

Indo-Bangla bonds rise to new heights
8Aug By Nectar GanNo Comments
Opinion, Politics

Indo-Bangla bonds rise to new heights

By resolving longstanding disputed issues and increasing trade, the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India have reached new heights.According to diplomatic sources, the bilateral relations, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have risen to their historical best though some pending issues, including the much-talked-about Teesta water sharing, are yet to be resolved.In order to end the 41-year-drought of statelessness to the residents of enclaves, the then prime ministers of Bangladesh and India signed the historic Land Boundary Agreement in 1974. But, the deal was finally inked under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina and Narendra Modi, who also came to power in 2014 and visited Bangladesh in June 2015.Another longstanding di...
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Jammu and Kashmir: A year without Article 370
8Aug By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Jammu and Kashmir: A year without Article 370

It has been a year since the government of India scrapped Article 370 (and Article 35A), taking away the special status of Jammu & Kashmir and bifurcating it into two Union Terrirtories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Undoubtedly, August 5, 2019, was a watershed moment, popularly dubbed as “historical blunder being corrected in one stroke”. Of course, the cynics cried foul – ranging from the killing of a democratic polity, recommitting a historical blunder, a betrayal, to a sinister ploy to alter Kashmir’s demography, so on and so forth.Nonetheless, it was a monumental step taken by the Narendra Modi government to seal Kashmir’s fate. In one stroke it removed all the ills of Kashmir misfortune, which boosted national domestic confidence, struck a deadly blow to Pakistan’s ostentatious
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Statehood only after ‘rectifying blunders’ of previous governments: BJP
5Aug By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Statehood only after ‘rectifying blunders’ of previous governments: BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the current ruling political party of India has made it clear that the decision to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) would be taken only “after rectifying the historic blunders committed by successive state governments by abusing Article 370 and 35-A”.“After the abrogation of both Articles, our main focus is to establish a system with accountability and transparency as successive regimes in J&K have brazenly abused these Articles to bulldoze democratic institutions and deprive marginalized sections of their constitutional rights,” J&K president of the BJP, Ravinder Raina said in a statement.Raina said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had committed that statehood to J&K would be restored after the normaliza
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Demand of some Kashmiri Pandits to restore Art 370 illogical, lacks historical support
4Aug By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Demand of some Kashmiri Pandits to restore Art 370 illogical, lacks historical support

In a vibrant democracy like India’s, every decision can be challenged and the same happened last year on August 5, with the Central government announcing to abrogate Articles 370 and 35A, creating two Union Territories out of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). While the local political parties, which had warned of serious consequences, have been immobilized and national parties have turned cautious in voicing their objections, an organization named ‘Reconciliation, Relief and Rehabilitation’ headed by Satish Mahaldar demanded the restoration of Article 370 in J&K.The organization comprises Kashmiri ‘Pandits’, which itself is a highly ambiguous expression since the term used to indicate Shaivite Pancha Gouda Saraswat Brahmins of Kashmir and there is nothing wrong in identifying
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The coming India–China conflict and a higher calling for India
2Aug By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Conflict, Opinion

The coming India–China conflict and a higher calling for India

On July 3, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the border region of Ladakh for the first time since Chinese troops killed 20 Indian soldiers in the Galvan Valley on June 15. And judging by China’s official reaction, the Communist Party didn’t see Modi’s response coming.Modi showed support for his troops, and also tapped into the growing anti-China sentiment that has been provoked by Beijing’s coronavirus-era brazenness. His visit placed the fighting in Ladakh in the broader context of China’s global expansionism. Speaking in Leh, Modi directly admonished Beijing for its expansionist policies.“The age of expansionism is over, this is the age of development,” he said. “History knows that expansionist forces have either lost or were forced to turn back.”Instead of calling out China’s
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How people sitting in cozy rooms provoke Kashmiris to pick up guns
29Jul By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

How people sitting in cozy rooms provoke Kashmiris to pick up guns

On August 5 last year, the Central government in India took the decision to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, bifurcating the valley into two Union Territories —Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.While on one side, the decision by the Narendra Modi-led government has paved the way for integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India, on the other side, it is alleged that many people, sitting in the far-off US, are using the abrogation of Article 370 to incite Kashmiris to pick up stones and guns.One such man named Tony Ashai, who describes himself as a “Kashmiri-American dedicated to Kashmir and its people” on Twitter, has been posting tweets to incite violence.“Why do I feel that Kashmiris living in Kashm
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Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?
24Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Xi plays tough, but can China afford to make an enemy of India?

In the high-altitude Himalayan no man’s land claimed by India and China, both countries’ forces have agreed not to carry guns, to diminish the chance of the long-running territorial dispute flaring into open war.So the People’s Liberation Army had dammed up mountain streams, which they unblocked as the Indian troops approached. The rush of water knocked many off their feet, and then the Chinese soldiers swept down, brandishing sticks encrusted with nails.The units fought hand to hand for hours; several Indians tumbled down the mountain to their death. And when the battle was over, at least 20 Indian soldiers were dead, dozens more injured and several taken captive. China had losses too, although it has not revealed figures.Before last week’s battle, no soldier from either side had died in
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24Jun By Stuart WhiteNo Comments
Opinion

Savage horror of India-China border clash serves as a warning to avoid the unthinkable

What really happened on the night of June 15 in the disputed Aksai Chin-Ladakh region in the western Himalayas?So far, all we know about the worst bloodletting between India and China in 60 years of border tensions is what Indian media reports. They are mostly unverified, nationalistic, one-sided accounts citing anonymous sources, but will have to suffice in the absence of more official details about what went down in one of the most desolate places on the planet.The showdown at 14,000 feet came after military commanders on the ground had agreed that both sides would pull their troops away to create a buffer zone above the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers.All hell broke loose when an Indian colonel took a group of soldiers back to the scene to ensure the People’s Liberation Army w
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Government will not allow any unilateral change of LAC, reiterates Centre
23Jun By Yusara AskariNo Comments
Asia

Government will not allow any unilateral change of LAC, reiterates Centre

The Indian government has said that attempts are being made in to give mischievous interpretation to remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all-party meeting, countering Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's claim that India "surrendered to the Chinese aggression".Prime Minister Modi had, after an all-party meeting on Friday about the LAC row with China, said that Chinese troops did not intrude into the Indian Territory.The Central government, in a statement, said that the Prime Minister was clear that India would respond firmly to any attempts to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC).In fact, he specifically said that in contrast to the past neglect of such challenges, Indian forces now decisively counter any violations of LAC.The all-party meeting was also informed that this time,...
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