Monday, May 27, 2019
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
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सूखे आंसुओं से जन्मे पत्थर की मार |
Pankaj Sharma]
27 April, 2019
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भस्मासुरी कलियुग से सनातनी सतयुग की ओर |
Pankaj Sharma
20 April, 2019
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Sri Lanka: No election gimmick |
Modi’s mention of Sri Lankan carnage stresses less on terrorism and more on his image as a competent fighter against it
Pankaj Sharma
28 April 2019
Never before has any Indian Prime Minister tried taking political advantage of terror blasts in any other country the way Narendra Modi is busy doing during his electioneering for the Lok Sabha elections. In the garb of condemning terror attacks on Sri Lanka, Modi is asking people to vote for his Bhartiya Janata Party to eradicate terrorism. As people say 'yes' upon being asked by him if they think that terrorism should be completely wiped off, keeping aside all the decency of public life, he asks if there can be anyone other than Modi who can fight terrorism? Modi tells people in his election rallies that a vote for BJP is a vote to destroy terrorism of the sort Sri Lanka has suffered. Also Read - Nursing grievances His mention of Sri Lanka blasts is a part of his ongoing efforts to exploit high-octane nationalism by adding more fuel to an already ugly politics of patriotism and national security. To turn the national conversation away from its spotty economic record, BJP has made every effort to exploit issues related to Pakistan and China too in the past few months. Also Read - A defeated purpose After terror attacks in Sri Lanka, there are pertinent questions floating in the skies across the world. The first and foremost question is who is really behind the attacks carried out by National Thowheed Jamath (NTJ), an Islamist terror group? According to Sri Lankan authorities, NTJ has multiple links to foreign countries. Sri Lanka's Muslim population is less than 8 per cent of the country's entire population. Therefore, it is not easy for any local Islamist group to stage such massive attacks. An attack of this magnitude is not possible without the active involvement of a foreign state or state intelligence agency. Which could be that country? Which could be that state intelligence agency? There are reports that the Indian government had sent at least 10 very serious advisories to Sri Lankans based on intelligence inputs about the plans of terror attacks during the past several weeks. India has been actively assisting Sri Lanka in countering terror outfits since the days Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister. I recall the days of 1987 when I covered the operations of Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) in the forests of Jaffna. I spent days and nights with the soldiers and interviewed Maj. Gen. Amarjit Singh Kalkat who was heading the IPKF in Sri Lanka and retired as a Lt. General. Vested international interests are busy throwing various mischievous theories and raising questions about the timing of attacks in Sri Lanka. They argue that as Sri Lanka defeated LTTE years ago, the atmosphere of peace that had prevailed may well have created a false sense of security that was ripe for exploitation. They are trying to connect the dots that suit them. Sri Lankan episode needs an answer for several questions. Why Easter bombings that killed more than 350 people in Sri Lanka including foreign nationals received far less foreign media coverage than Christ Church terrorist attack? Why was the intelligence warning which came on April 4 ignored and even withheld according to Sri Lankan minister Lakshman Kiriella? Why ISIS claimed the responsibility after three days of the terrorist attacks? How ISIS, which is decimated in the Middle East, managed to carry out such massive coordinated attacks in Sri Lanka? These are the questions circulating at different forums of media — print, tv and social digital handles. It is still not clear if the Sri Lankan suicide bombers planned and executed the attacks since the Christchurch killings or if they were planning such bombings for a longer period and then linked it to Christchurch. It is also not clear why Sri Lanka has been chosen when it doesn't have anything to do with the Christchurch shootings. Nor has it played any role in the West's wars in the Muslim world, a common excuse the IS gives for its attacks on western countries and civilians. Sri Lanka also doesn't have a history of Islamist terror. Though IS does not actually represent the victims in New Zealand, they perceive the Christchurch killings as an attack on Islam. So, for a self-proclaimed defender of the faith, they are 'duty-bound' to retaliate. IS believes in the philosophy that an act against Islam by Christians is not an act of just one terrorist but a crime committed by 'crusaders' and 'Romans'. Therefore, IS, as the 'true believer' of Islam has to punish them. This mindset gives IS a free hand to take action against Christians anywhere in the world. IS operated through a centre-periphery model. Its 'centre' was the seized territories of Syria and Iraq — the proto-state from where 'Caliphate' functions. Rest of the world is the 'periphery' where recruits could be found. The IS' centre has now been decimated. The Kurdish militia in Syria, and the army and the Shia militia in Iraq have destroyed IS bases from where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ruled. But despite the destruction of its organisational structure, its ideological apparatus is intact. Sri Lanka carnage compels us to develop a deeper understanding of terrorism itself. We have to ask serious questions about ISIS because it has claimed the responsibility for the carnage. How did ISIS emerge? Who is helping to sustain ISIS? Who created Daesh? Who sired Al-Qaeda? It is not a hidden fact that many of the terror outfits we know today are linked to geopolitics and the pursuit of global dominance and power. So, could there be any China hand, even remotely, behind the attacks on Sri Lanka because it has been seeking to manipulate the power balance in Sri Lanka for a long time now? A section of Sri Lankan leaders has been resisting these attempts because they are in favour of an independent foreign policy that aims at securing win-win situation with India, China, and Pakistan. Or, could there be a Pakistan hand, through its 'non-state actors'? Pakistan these days is playing the same games for China that it has been playing for the USA until a few years back. Indian and Sri Lankan security apparatus are probing links between Pak-based terror groups and Lankan extremist groups. No one can say that this is a lone wolf attack. Unless experienced hands are involved, it is impossible to acquire the quantum of explosives used in the attack. The precision with which attacks were made also indicate the role of experienced hands. This type of attack requires extensive training. In this context, there is a need to probe the links between Lankan extremist groups and extremist elements in South East Asia and Maldives. Terrorism has once again shown it is prepared to stop at nothing in creating human victims. An end must be put to this. It cannot be done by making it an election issue to fetch votes in favour of a particular political party. Prime Minister Modi must focus on solving the Sri Lankan puzzle with required seriousness so that India could be saved from such attacks. Even during electioneering, he needs to behave as the Prime Minister of India and not as a 'swayamsewak' or merely a BJP leader. (The author is Editor & CEO of News Views India and a national office bearer of the Congress party. The views expressed are strictly personal)
http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/sri-lanka-no-election-gimmick-350869?fbclid=IwAR2cbaiBWXyFTcOLyLp2i0_MTiBjjRY-_KcVP7Wtyq3Xasjay7mw5R91pPU
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China on the lookout |
Beijing’s concern over India’s new government is futile unless it diligently stresses on improving bilateral relations with New Delhi
Pankaj Sharma
21 April 2019
The ongoing elections in India are being closely watched around the world, but Beijing is the keenest watcher of them all. The foremost concern for China is of what policy any new government in New Delhi will adopt towards Beijing. China is worried about the image it carries among the Indian people and trying very hard to improve its overall perception before Chinese president Xi Jinping visits India at the end of this year after the political sky is clear. Also Read - Nursing grievances In the last few years, India-China relations have gone through a tumultuous phase. A series of disputes between the two countries have been instrumental in provoking anti-China sentiments among the Indian masses. China's fervent opposition to India's potential membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG); Beijing's shielding of Pakistan and blocking Indian efforts within the UN to designate the Pakistan-based terrorist, Masood Azhar, head of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), as a global terrorist; the Doklam crisis that went on for more than two months; and India's open opposition to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have created a strong feeling of trust deficit in common Indian minds. Also Read - A defeated purpose These incidents have cast a long shadow on bilateral relations. Following the Doklam conflict and the BRICS Summit thereafter, both New Delhi and Beijing took some steps to stabilise the relationship. But with the bitterness in ties and the continuing competition between China and India, there was no significant effect in improving the relations. Both countries still need to make herculean efforts to lay a strong foundation for improving meaningful relations that are sustainable for the future. In the backdrop of the bumpy road on which China and India drove their diplomatic vehicles in the past few years, it is natural that China is deeply concerned about its future interests in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy has been largely about managing China's rise. Very few of the many expectations that were raised by Modi's taking over in the economic sphere have been met. As chief minister of Gujarat, Modi had an image of a business-oriented leader who had actively sought and received large-scale investments from China. However, Modi as prime minister could not attract many Chinese investments. The Chinese president made several economic promises during his first state visit to India after Modi took over, but none of them materialised over a period of five years. Setting up of two industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra and USD 20 billion investment in five years have yet to see the light of the day. 'Make in India' also received only lip service from the Chinese. Therefore, the results of the Indian general elections are consequential from the Chinese perspective. In my opinion, no matter who comes to power, Beijing should expect a continuation of difficult relations with India, unless Chinese leadership decided to address the real issues. New Delhi will always be capable of maintaining a sustained focus on foreign policy, including its dealings with China. During my last visit to Beijing, I could observe a shadow of pretention among Chinese scholars and researchers that regardless of the election results, relations between the two countries will keep developing in the future. They spared no opportunity to indicate that no matter which party is at the helm of affairs after the general elections in India, China will be able to ensure its share of dividends in the region. Initially, the discourse during election campaigns was dominated by Pakistan and China both and we would be witnessing its glimpses in coming days too. More than Modi it is because of the structural realities surrounding India. But yes, Modi has been sparing no stone unturned, in positive as well as negative direction, to take political advantage of it since he became the prime minister. He made efforts to give hype of all his positive and negative moves vis-à-vis relationships with Pakistan and China. Whoever comes to power would be forced to deal with the consequences of China's rise. Managing the China conundrum would be any Indian government's first priority. Modi, in his election campaign, is defining India's relations with China and Pakistan in such a way that even after a change of government it would not be easy for any prime minister to immediately adopt a softer line for improving relations with these two neighbours. Those who dislike Modi are in the open in full force and those who idolise him are rallying strongly. Irrespective of the fact that Modi is liked or disliked and whether he again holds the reins or sits in the opposition, his imprint on the (failed) foreign policy will not disappear easily. In his zeal to project India on the global stage, to give the nation a new voice on international forums, to make the world listen to India's aspirations and to show strongly that his foreign policy is distinct from the past, Modi has set such benchmarks that any other government will have to initially follow the similar diffidence with much more confident assertion in the name of Indian interests. Therefore, as India assesses its strategic environment, its political leadership, irrespective of party affiliations, it will have to contend with the China factor more and more. New Delhi's outreach both towards the East and the West will be heavily circumscribed by the growing Chinese footprint. India's engagement with Washington has been shaped by the conviction that India and the United States have overcome "the hesitations of history". To reach this level of diplomatic understanding between China and India, Beijing and New Delhi will have to walk hundreds of extra miles. The recent indications from Chinese leadership have risen some hope in this direction but consistency factor remains to be gauged. China needs to review its opinion on India's Indo-Pacific vision. It also has to address the concerns of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It must realise the need to emphasise on the cultural connection to reach out to its neighbours. China has to be positive when India reimagines its strategic geography towards the Bay of Bengal. It is not only China's prerogative to have a central role in the region. India equally has a right to stretch from the shores of Africa to those of America. India's growing footprint and diplomatic engagement in the Middle East and its attempts to deliver connectivity from Southeast Asia to Africa underscore this. The Communist Party of China's (CPC's) mouthpieces now regularly carry reports of elections being held in India. The criticism both overt and subtle that is found in Chinese analyses of Indian elections reflects the CPC's insecurities. Let's hope, China will walk on the path of mutual understanding between our two countries with more maturity and sincerity in times to come. (The author is Editor & CEO of News Views India and a national office bearer of the Congress party. The views expressed are strictly personal)
http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/china-on-the-lookout-349890?fbclid=IwAR0vjVv0wn-5EjhgxzOwxtbszYRH9rvgBi-FlFw8_sV1u9NQkZgAyF8trZY
http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/china-on-the-lookout-349890?fbclid=IwAR0vjVv0wn-5EjhgxzOwxtbszYRH9rvgBi-FlFw8_sV1u9NQkZgAyF8trZY
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A pattern from Kargil to Balakot |
BJP’s determination to extract political mileage by politicising military ventures is detrimental to the roots of our democratic polity
Pankaj Sharma14 April 2019
http://www.millenniumpost.in/opinion/a-pattern-from-kargil-to-balakot-348914
A pattern from Kargil to Balakot BJP’s determination to extract political mileage by politicising military
ventures is detrimental to the roots of our democratic polity Pankaj Sharma14 April 2019 11:01 PM Nothing could be more serious than the fact that for the very first time in the history of Independent India, eight former service chiefs, including another around 150 veterans, had to write a letter to the President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Ram Nath Kovind, urging him to intervene against politicisation of the military in the Lok Sabha elections. Though the letter endorsed by 156 prominent army-men requests the President to take all necessary steps to 'urgently direct all political parties' that they must forthwith desist from using the military, military uniforms or symbols and any action by military formations or personnel for political purposes or to further their political agenda, the timing of the letter clearly shows that the army veterans are deeply upset with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to first time voters to dedicate their vote to the memory of Balakot and Pulwama. Modi had even gone to the extent of telling the young voters that if they will push the lotus symbol in EVMs, their vote will directly reach him. Also Read - Nursing grievances Election Commission has also expressed serious displeasure on Modi's speech in an election rally at Latur in Maharashtra in which he made every effort to take political advantage of the unfortunate incident in Pulwama and a fitting reply by Indian army in Balakot. Prime Minister Modi shows no sign of any hesitation in tearing apart the election code of conduct whenever he gets an opportunity to attract voters. At different times during assembly elections held in the past five years, he never bothered to respect the basic spirit of elections in a democracy. Also Read - A defeated purpose Modi has within him strong defiance for any democratic norm. He always tried to take political advantage of the achievements of Indian Forces after taking over as the Prime Minister. I recall the last day of January 2017, when the then President Pranab Mukherjee mentioned about the surgical strikes in his address to the joint session of Parliament. Modi thumped his desk the loudest and his body language was giving all the credits to this achievement to himself. After September 2017 surgical strikes by the army across the Line of Control, Modi has spared no stone unturned in making such actions the central theme of his government's stellar achievements. Prime Minister Modi never bothered to consider the negative consequences of using military operations to garner votes for his Bhartiya Janta Party. Even his lieutenants such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath have gone to the extent calling the forces as "Modi ki Sena" without giving a thought that it will impinge adversely on the moral and fighting efficiency of those who selflessly serve the nation in uniform. On this, Union Minister (Retd.) Gen. VK Singh also had to criticise his party fellow UP Chief Minister. Modi government had also turned a deaf ear to 21 opposition parties who condemned the blatant politicisation of the armed forces and criticised Modi for not convening an all-party meeting amid the rising Indo-Pak tensions. Modi does not believe in the principle that national security must transcend narrow political considerations. BJP president Amit Shah had announced at the time of the elections in five poll-bound states that two key planks of his party's electoral campaign would be demonetisation and surgical strike. But then he chose to sideline the demonetisation issue as it was heavily counter-productive and BJP focused on singing the song of surgical strikes. Similar is the situation in ongoing general elections. BJP is busy snatching the credit of various important security operations from the armed forces and scientists and adding it to its political kitty. The real issues of ruined economy, worst job market, inflation, social disharmony and rise of crony capitalism have deliberately been washed away from the national discourse. Some may argue that when Manohar Parrikar is no more amongst us, it is unfair to make any comments on him, but let us not forget how he has been credited with planning and conducting the surgical strikes of 2017, which he also had attributed to his 'RSS training'. The fact is that Parrikar those days was spending more time in Goa for the preparations of Assembly elections than in strengthening the country's defence. I have no idea what is there in Modi's mind for the warriors of Balakot? But you may like to recall that how one-and-a-half year back he could make the surgical strikes the most highly decorated single operation in the history of Indian army by giving 32 awards to personnel who carried out the plan. Soon after that when Parrikar attended a BJP rally at Lucknow, the banners and posters carrying the pictures of director-general of military operations Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh, who was the public face of the surgical strikes, surrounded by the photographs of Modi, Shah and Parrikar were seen at the rally venue and all over Lucknow streets. That was a trailer of BJP's keenness for the politicisation of army. The current general election is watching a full feature film of this mindset. It is not accidental that Modi has demanded the votes from first-time voters as a return gift to him for what he has done in Balakot. He wants them to believe that only he can ensure India's safety and security. There is a particular pattern from Kargil to Balakot through which BJP tries to fetch votes in its favour. By creating a political hype of army operations, the issues of colossal intelligence failures at strategic and tactical levels are brushed aside. BJP's determination to extract maximum political mileage from military achievements is dangerous. We sleep safely at night because tough men stand ready all the time, but we spent sleepless nights when we see people weakening the very roots of our democratic polity by misusing army ventures to harvest their political aims. Enlightened leadership is always spiritual—spirituality not as some kind of religious dogma or ideology but as a domain of awareness. Our political system is fast losing the values of goodness and compassion. Unless we have insight and focused attention to change the scenario during this general election, the Indian dream will shatter for decades to come. Therefore, the electorate, especially our first-time voters have much more responsibility this time. Let's hope for the best! (The author is Editor & CEO of News Views India and a national office bearer of the Congress party. Views expressed are strictly personal)
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