A Biluchi Soldier and Hindu Trader of Sindh Courtesy: Archive.org
24 August 2017

The making of Bombay’s mini Sindh

Many of the Hindu Sindhi refugees who fled to India post Partition succeeded in rebuilding their lives afresh, their native entrepreneurial spirit enabling them to rise up from the destitution that displacement caused. Ulhasnagar, Thane district, which was a refugee camp 70 years ago, is a microcosm of how the community rehabilitated itself--with the help of a well dispersed and generous Sindhi trading network

old photos bombay Courtesy: Live Mint
15 August 2017

Bombay, Karachi, linked by sea and refuge

The 70th Independence Day for India and Pakistan – August 15 and 14 respectively – is a reminder of how Partition displaced 15 million people, causing untold hardship. What is less known is that the cities of Karachi and Bombay have had a shared colonial history and economy: the parting of ways left one bereft of a host of spirited citizens, who went on to rebuild their lives in the other

GH_GeoeconomicPushback Courtesy: Gateway House
10 August 2017

Geoeconomic pushback to China

The Indian government may block the acquisition of Gland Pharma by Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceuticals, a move that offers further confirmation of how China’s opaque business model is causing concern worldwide. This infographic shows some high-profile cases of acquisitions by Chinese companies that ran into local opposition

18954814573_2507b30c25_k Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
6 June 2017

A Modi-Sharif meet likely in Astana?

The 17th Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is being held in Astana this week at which Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif will be present. But no meeting is likely to take place between them--and even if it does, it will not advance peace between the two countries

28455374735_17cf79553a_b Courtesy: Flickr
31 January 2017

Saudi prince: not quite a game changer?

Prince Salman’s accession to the throne after the death of Saudi King Abdullah on 23 January 2015 has been a game changer, both domestically and in West Asian politics. Within days, he sidelined rivals within the House of Saud, and took on Iran with a confrontational policy. But two years later, the results of his new strategy disappoint

Shinzō_Abe_and_Donald_Trump_(1) Courtesy: Wikipedia
16 January 2017

A more robust Asia policy expected?

Trump’s cabinet has a preponderance of China hardliners, which has wider implications for the Asia Pacific region while some of its members view Narendra Modi as Reaganesque and a man of the times

gwadar cpec Courtesy: AP
6 October 2016

Balochistan: all sides may lose

India’s new focus on Balochistan has more to do with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) than with Kashmir. China understands that CPEC may not be achievable. But there are real dangers in reviving Pakistani fears of secessionism and in broadening the field of Indo-Pakistani conflict beyond the confines of Kashmir.

russia pak military exercises Courtesy: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
29 September 2016

Russia’s zero sum games in Asia

Russia's decision to go ahead with joint military exercises with Pakistan is the latest move in Putin's flexible and pragmatic Asian foreign policy playbook. However, whether it will be worth having provoked Indian ire remains to be seen.

india baloch Courtesy: The Wire
15 September 2016

Balochistan: India’s trump card?

Prime Minister Modi’s reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech, which coincided with the Kashmir unrest, sparked speculations of this being smartly retaliatory. But the province’s geo-strategic complexities mean that New Delhi will have to play the ‘human rights’ card carefully.