This election is different. It is no longer simply about governance or welfare. It is about identity, fear, and who belongs. The BJP has successfully shifted the terms of the debate from what the government has delivered to who the real Bengali is and who is an outsider, points out Ramesh Menon.
'China continues to perceive its relations with India through the prism of India-US relations, with the US using India to counter balance against China in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.'
'The Pakistani State has to realise that the pigeons have come home to roost.'
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and setting up of 'mechanisms' to ensure lasting peace after days of violent clashes along the border that left several soldiers, civilians, and terrorists dead on both sides, officials said on Sunday.
A furious Taliban leadership has decided to send their fighters to Islamabad as a reaction to the army operations in the Swat valley on the troubled border with Afghanistan.
Because it treats soldiers as human, and concentrates on their emotions as much as their bravery, Border 2, probably without meaning to, speaks out against war, observes Deepa Gahlot.
'India has been preparing for the last 15 days... it won't be easy for Pakistan if it tries to dominate escalation.'
Pakistan responded to what it called 'unprovoked' attacks by Afghan forces in border areas, destroying several Afghan border posts, training camps, and terrorist hideouts, security sources said on Sunday.
New Delhi might have loudly welcomed an age of multipolarity, hedging and strategic autonomy. But it seems the winner in that game is Islamabad, not us, points out Mihir S Sharma.
Where Dhurandhar leaned into aggressive bloodlust through its acerbic storytelling, Ikkis moves in the opposite direction, asking us to see people beyond uniforms, slogans, or sides, observes Mayur Sanap.
In a veiled attack on India, Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif on Saturday accused it of "creating instability" through ceasefire violations and supporting militancy in different areas of the country.
The family of Ranjit Singh, an accused in the murder of two policemen in Gurdaspur, who was killed in an encounter with police, staged a sit-in demanding a CBI probe into his death and a fresh autopsy.
'Critics say the political leadership abandoned the army chief or did not back him. I disagree. 'Military leaders are trained to take decisions when given a free hand.' 'This was a clear go-ahead from the prime minister to the army chief.'
General Qamar Bajwa, his colleagues say, is a firm opponent of extremism and terrorism. He may prove even more forceful in the fight against terrorism than his predecessor, who is credited with launching Operation Zarb-i-Azb, which helped lower the frequency of terrorist attacks.
In a culture where children take up the profession of their father, her becoming a politician was seen as natural and acceptable.
Titled Sangbaaz (stone-pelters), the song expresses solidarity with the youth of Kashmir.
In a strong retort against Pakistan in the United Nations Security Council, India on Monday said its neighbour as a country that 'bombs its own people' and conducts 'systematic genocide'.
Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif will visit Afghanistan tomorrow to meet the new leaders there and discuss security issues, including the thorny one of Pakistani Taliban militants hiding there.
'...and the country should be impoverished completely.' 'Once this is done, the political class would take over and then play a part in real democracy where the army is under the control of the government, not vice-versa.'
If approved, the fighters would help the IAF to build its reducing squadrons, especially after the MiG-21 was decommissioned last year.
The Pakistan Army has vowed to respond to Indian air strikes that targeted locations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Punjab. The strikes were carried out from within Indian airspace, according to the army spokesman, who said that Pakistan will respond at a time and place of its choosing. The army is currently assessing the damage caused by the strikes.
In view of the seriousness of the law and order situation in Baluchistan, prominent human rights activists have told United States lawmakers that it is the Pakistan Army and its spy agency that is running a "reign of terror" inside the restive province.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district killed two Pakistani terrorists affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in an encounter. One of the deceased is believed to be a notorious JeM commander, Saifullah, who had been active in the region for five years.
Vice Admiral K Swaminathan highlights concerns over Pakistan's arms procurement and China's growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean Region.
India has to fill in all the critical gaps in missiles, ammunition, sensors and stockpile in the fastest possible manner, focusing on the critical instruments that worked this time, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The appointment of General Raheel Sharif as the new army chief of Pakistan has come as a surprise to many. Rajiv Dogra, former ambassador and India's last Consul General to Karachi, speaks to Aabhas Sharma about the appointment, what it says about the priorities of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and most importantly, what it means for India.
'There are active terror modules across the country who will find new ways and new targets. From intelligence agencies to an alert citizenry, we all have to play our part.'
India and Pakistan on Monday agreed to exercise restraint and take steps to defuse tension on the Line of Control.
'What the Pakistan army lacks is not resources, but will. It needs a clarifying message that the support of terror will directly hit its interests rather than those of the over-burdened citizens of Pakistan.'
Asim Munir will have to find a well trusted aide to fill the crucial ISI post's when Asim Malik retires soon.
The Pakistan army has admitted that it is in contact with Afghan Taliban leaders, including Mullah Mohammad Omar, and can bring them to the negotiating table with the US if its concerns with India are addressed.
The intense exchange of fire between the two sides lasted several hours before the guns fell silent. Reinforcements have been deployed to strengthen the cordon and neutralise the terrorists, the officials said.
Several individuals were detained for questioning as a massive search operation to flush out terrorists entered the third day in the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Tuesday, officials said.
Indian Army's Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai claims Pakistan lost over 100 military personnel along the Line of Control during Operation Sindoor and at least 12 aircraft during the conflict in May.
'The lesson Beijing would have learned is that there is, cost-benefit wise, no better option than to keep the Pakistan military supplied with its most advanced armaments, certain that in hostilities with India these would be used for maximum effect.'
'In such a scenario, Iran could proclaim itself victor, rebuild, re-enforce its diminished regional proxies to further destabilise neighbouring nations and take control of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.'
'What the Americans want is to destabilise Iran. For destabilising Iran, you need access. 'One access is through Iraq. The other access is through Pakistan.'
Sections in the US State Department and Pentagon have always felt more comfortable dealing with all powerful Pakistani generals instead of elected civilians, points out Rana Banerji, who headed the Pakistan desk at RA&W.
The attack came less than three months after a suicide bomber killed 12 people in a blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad.
'Pakistan cannot sustain a war with India for more than four days. They are in such dire straits. At best they can sustain war for one week.'
