Several Pakistani nationals visiting India started returning home through the Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar on Thursday, a day after the Centre set a 48-hour deadline for them to leave the country. The decision came after India announced a raft of measures, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, and the immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post in view of the cross-border links to the horrific terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians on Tuesday.
There is more than sufficient space for this amongst the electorate in India that will respond definitively and favourably to a credible alternative. Nitish Kumar has an excellent chance of capturing this space through the inclusive politics of third front formations, says Seema Mustafa.
'The only logical explanation for the sudden hanging of Afzal Guru,' feels Seema Mustafa, 'is the fact that general elections are around the corner. And the Congress in its usual cynical manipulation of votes is trying to eat into the majority constituency with this action.'
It is for the Congress to ensure that the revelations do not eat into its vote bank in the crucial assembly elections. And it can do that by one, instituting a transparent and credible inquiry into the allegations; two, by taking action where it is due; and three, by disassociating itself from Vadra, says Seema Mustafa.
India and Pakistan that will not tolerate a sneeze from the other side without opening the entire paraphernalia of forensic science, stand like dummies when the US manipulates both at will, says Seema Mustafa.
Those in Pakistan who always preceded the possibility of talks with a 'Kashmir being the core issue' argument are now insisting that dialogue is the only way to peace, and both countries should work together to ensure all around stability and peace, says Seema Mustafa.
The genesis of Assam's violence and the manner in which it has escalated are yet another reflection of government apathy and neglect compounded by political ambitions and interests, writes Seema Mustafa
The CPI-M's decision to support Pranab Mukherjee came at great cost, and given Mamata's Banerjee's decision to back him, clearly without any political dividends. Left unity at this crucial juncture was cracked, with the CPI deciding to abstain, says Seema Mustafa.
The slow lethargic response of the government in the Surjeet-Sarabjit drama and the hyper, superfast response of the media can make for a lethal dose in India-Pakistan relations, says Seema Mustafa
There is a growing feeling within that country that these might provide a fresh start by bringing a new, and perhaps less corrupt and more responsive, government to power, says Seema Mustafa
The appointment of aggressive campaigners like Varun Gandhi, Uma Bharti, Ananth Kumar and Ajit Shah in senior positions within the party is a clear indication of which way the BJP wind is going to blow.
Was the man killed in the exchange between an army convoy led by then Brigadier Bikram Singh in March 2001, a labourer or a terrorist?The court verdict could impact Lieutenant General Singh's appointment as the next army chief.
The average of three to four meetings a year between the prime minister and the Service chiefs was reduced to just one in 2011. This year not a single meeting has taken place so far despite the controversy surrounding the Indian Army and its modernisation plans, reveals Seema Mustafa.
The next few days will demonstrate whether the decision to appoint the Justice Verma committee was yet another political gimmick or whether there are some leaders left in government who are interested in making a difference, notes Seema Mustafa.
A group of noted social activists, writers, filmmakers, journalists, advocates and retired army officials have come up with an online petition seeking support to endorse the name of retired Justice Rajinder Sachar for the post of President of India.
The comparison, cleverly engineered, appears to work for Modi each and every time as he is a better orator, better informed, a politician of the masses, and certainly not diffident or shy. One almost feels sorry for Rahul Gandhi pitted against a politician who has calibrated his rise so successfully, and is still working to ensure national and international acceptability, says Seema Mustafa
Judging from the almost juvenile reactions from the Congress leaders on the Vadra and Khurshid issues, it is clear that they have not understood that the poor voter is fed up of corruption. Completely and totally fed up because he has linked it now to price rise, to underdevelopment, to the lack of opportunities he is being forced to live with, says Seema Mustafa
There is this sudden silence after the cacophony following scam disclosures, with both the BJP and the Congress reeling under the impact. Seema Mustafa listens in.
Seema Mustafa on how Pakistan voted for change this time in the hope that the new government will do what it is supposed to do govern.
Islamabad and New Delhi need to learn lessons from Sarabjit Singh's tragic saga and accord importance to evolving a prisoners' policy. And until then there will be many more Sarabjit Singhs as the years roll by, notes Seema Mustafa.
US Secretary of Defence Leon E Panetta's two-day visit to India last week to reinforce bilateral strategic defence and strategic cooperation seems to have gone well for the US, but will the India side take initiative and grasp the aggressive US hand? Seema Mustafa reports
The report by the three interlocutors is a highly conservative document that does not deal honesty and truthfully with the situation on the ground. And having failed in this assessment, it stands to reason that the conclusions arising out of this are faulty, says Seema Mustafa.
It is amazing how the political class, instead of learning lessons from costly mistakes in Jammu and Kashmir that took a toll on life itself, seeks to repeat them, writes Seema Mustafa in an article exclusive to rediff.com
The media's obsessive coverage of the presidential election lost sight of a few pertinent points thrown up in the chaos and confusion, says Seema Mustafa
The Assad government has overcome the first flush of crisis by getting the support of all sections of the people ahead of the country's first parliamentary elections. Seema Mustafa reports
'The political world in Delhi is getting increasingly polarised... those who work, live and breathe with the ruling elite and the handful of 'others' who are really the outsiders, the critics, the rebels and run the risk of being dubbed 'anti-national' by the groupie nationalists at any moment in time. This is largely because they have refused to milk the system.'
'Mango men in a banana republic.' That one phrase by Robert Vadra gave more insight into the man, than years of Vadra watching by inquisitive scribes, says Seema Mustafa
The prime minister should resign with the admission that he is not fit for the job assigned to him. He and his party must realise that there cannot be a government of any merit, without a prime minister to guide it, says Seema Mustafa.
Mulayam Singh's bid to get a third front on his side is to get into a position where he can barter for the prime minister's job with the support of either the BJP or the Congress, says Seema Mustafa.
This Nam summit presents a great opportunity for India to get back into the drivers seat of the developing world, says Seema Mustafa.
The US and Israel, using the guise of the Arab Spring, have decided that they have the authority and the mandate to change regimes for the people of the Middle East regardless of what the people think, says Seema Mustafa.
'It was impossible for bin Laden to live in the luxurious building with a huge compound in Abbotabad without the knowledge of the Inter Services Intelligence or the Pakistan military.'
The indifference, apathy and inaction in Kashmir by the governments both at the Centre and the state has added to a rush by the young people to become the masters of their own destiny, says Seema Mustafa.
Nothing offered by Rahul Gandhi and his family has worked and the Congress will have to take stock of the ability of its first family to not just deliver the votes, but to pull it out of the doldrums where it has been left after this assembly election, says Seema Mustafa.
'General Singh does not have the reputation of a greedy, grasping, man. Far from it, and his word along with the records should have carried weight with the government. Unfortunately, the pettiness of the ruling class has pushed the senior officer to a corner where not wanting to, he has had to approach the civilian courts as a last resort.'
Although the Al Qaeda is not present in large numbers, they are lethal and very determined, says Syria's Vice Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Seema Mustafa reports
Unfortunately the new trends in Pakistan are going unnoticed by the myopic strategic establishment of India, and if television news channels are anything to go by, the Indian perspective of Pakistan is stuck in decades past, notes Seema Mustafa.
'It is still hoping that the intensity will pass, and the National Conference or the Congress or the governor depending whose rule it finally is, will be able to handle the situation.'
With Azadi's Daughter -- The Journey of a Liberal Muslim Woman, Seema Mustafa chronicles her journey from the violence-ridden 1980s when she covered riots in Assam, Punjab and Kashmir. She says the book heavily borrows anecdotes from her personal life, and presents her views on not only her personal journey but also reflects upon the issues that riddle the Indian Muslim.
The Congress might take pride from its apparent revival but unfortunately in the process it has further marginalised the poor and the oppressed of India, writes Seema Mustafa
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