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The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) confers special powers upon the Indian army in disturbed areas, and legitimizes any actions they may take. The law, however, has been misinterpreted by many. Are calls for the revocation of the AFSPA warranted or misplaced?
Rather than flounder, “India and Indians really do want Pakistan to win” blogs Prashant Agarwal. Here are five pieces of brotherly advice for our neighbour.
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A change has come about after 9/11: the ideologies grouped as “Al Qaeda” has morphed, from a group directed by a few individuals, it is now disaggregated. Due to this change, NATO is empowering it's future foes in the Arab world by its continued belief in the camouflaged jihadis.
Philip Oldenburg, Professor at Columbia University, comments on the fragile relationship between India and Pakistan, and also discusses his new book "India, Pakistan, and Democracy: Solving the Puzzle of Divergent Paths".
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The U.S. Justice Department is slowly but surely clamping down on Pakistani terrorist activities, as is evident not only by the recent arrest of Kashmiri propogandist Ghulam Nabi Fai but also in open claim that the ISI Security Directorate "overseas militant groups".
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As soon as something happens in any country, a clamour begins in all the other capitals. Governments are importuned to do or say something. Does saying and doing nothing alter the dynamic of a movement, slow it down or derail it? Are the demands articulated feasible for a government to accept and implement?
In the last few months, South Asia has gone from being just a global security headache, to a region with new possibilities. Teresita C. Schaffer, former US ambassador to Sri Lanka, and Howard Schaffer, former US ambassador to Pakistan and Bangladesh, discuss the major challenges that confront the US in South Asia.
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Today, Kashmir is very much part of the cauldron that is "Af-Pak", the storm that is raging across the Pashtun belt in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As in Af-Pak, the base for the jihad that is being waged in Kashmir mainly comprises a small fringe of a single community – the Valley Sunnis.
