Courtesy: TheU.S.Army/Flickr
The 10-year old war in Afghanistan has reached a hazy stage as the U.S. announced a quicker withdrawal of troops, with NATO countries soon to follow. The South Asian region will undergo another makeover, hopefully opening doors for New Delhi and Islamabad.
Five young Pakistani fishermen, held in a Mumbai jail, received a pleasant visit from a rather unusual couple of citizens - 18-year-old Ria Mirchandani and 80-year-old Sarla Kripalani. In this realm of diplomacy, the citizens of India and Pakistan are taking action.
Courtesy: DanielHauptstein/WikimediaCommons
Although the Indo-Pakistan foreign secretary talks did not grab all the headlines, bilateral relations have seen notable developments. The former single-minded approach to discuss terrorism was modified, in turn allowing both nations to progress in terms of friendly and nuclear confidence building measures.
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Even ardent supporters of Pakistan are unable to explain to Washington, and indeed the rest of the world, how Osama Bin Laden lived in a mansion with the Pakistani military and ISI as his neighbours. The implications on US-Pak relations are likely to be heavy.
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Osama Bin Laden’s death may not have an immediate effect on Al Qaeda’s ability to conduct operations nor may it deter the ‘democratic’ protests of the Arab Spring. Pakistan though, will now have to answer to global questioning and may reshuffle its stance with the Taliban and other terrorist groups.
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The circumstances involved in the execution of Osama bin Laden make clear the connections between the Pakistan military and the Taliban-Al Qaeda. Will it finally slow the U.S. descent down the Wahabi-friendly trail?
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Pakistan is unlikely to collapse anytime soon, but the imbalance of power between its civilian and military branches needs to be addressed if it is to become an effective modern state. Washington must stop coddling Pakistan’s military and instead work patiently to support the country’s civilian authorities.
The Navy, Coast Guard, Police and maritime companies now encounter new threats, as piracy threatens the Indian seas and our trade routes. This calls for a united approach in combating threats and even more so, for a single governing body for maritime issues.
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As Pakistan's military dictators are proving to be more prosperous than its “democratically” elected leaders over the past two decades, Harini Calamur explains the history behind the country's capitalist foundation.
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Now that Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has accepted his Indian counterpart's invitation to the the World Cup semi-final match between the two countries, speculation is rife about what possible good could come out of this cricket diplomacy.
