US, China and root cause of terrorism in South Asia

(Samjhauta Express carrying some 150 passengers left Lahore railway station for New Delhi on March 4, 2019) There were three key elements in the remarks at the press briefing in Washington on Tuesday by Robert Palladino, deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, regarding India-Pakistan tensions, while flagging that “there’s a lot of private diplomacy …

Why is Pakistan muzzling its terrorists?

‘The Pakistani move to ban militant outfits and placate international opinion and Islamabad’s openness to a UN security council resolution on Azhar — instead of beseeching China to cast yet another veto — enables Islamabad to occupy the high ground,’ notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar. Continue reading…

US kept ‘cool’ during India-Pak crisis. This is why

(Indian soldiers patrol along the fence at the India-Pakistan border) With the India-Pakistan standoff somewhat waning, the time is ripe to put under the scanner the stance taken by the Trump administration through the crisis situation developing since the February 14 terrorist attack in Pulwama.  On the face of it, Washington was strongly supportive of …

Russia and China offer the SCO platform for India-Pak de-escalation

(Foreign ministers of Russia, India and China on the sidelines of the RIC meet at Zhejiang, China, on Feb. 27, 2019) Saudi Arabia is pushing forward as mediator between India and Pakistan with a messianic zeal that patently enjoys US backing. The Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir is arriving in Delhi …

Do not barter away national security interests

There has been an avalanche of reports in the international media quoting western diplomats and security officials to the effect that India’s “intelligence-led… non-military preemptive strike” on a big terrorist camp in Pakistan on February 26 was all baloney. Apparently, these reports say, there was so such terrorist camp in existence in Balakot. Incredibly enough, …

US checks India-Pakistan tensions from spiking

The crisis situation following the Indian bombing of Pakistani territory on February 26 — described as “intelligence-led… non-military preemptive action” against terror targets — and the swift Pakistani retaliation the next day in the form of an aerial attack on military installations in Jammu and Kashmir, leading in turn to a ‘dog-fight’ in the sky, …