The Jammu and Kashmir Government is discriminating between victims of the Kishtwar riots of August 9, 2013 in matters of relief, on grounds of being ‘State Subject’ and ‘Non-State Subject’. While the exact compensation to be disbursed to the victims is still undecided, the Government Order cited by Chief Secretary … Read More
Egypt may be poised for fresh turmoil after the army-controlled Supreme Court ruled on August 19 that ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak was not guilty of misusing State funds to finance construction of his presidential palaces and ordered his release in another corruption case, even as the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide … Read More
Should India go to the 2014 general elections with the old paper ballots, or should it trust its luck with the new age voting machines? The question assumes urgency in the wake of serious lacunas that have come to light vis-à-vis the electronic voting machines (EVMs) that were supposed to … Read More
Each time an election takes place in Pakistan or a new leader comes to power in that country, and each time a few weeks pass without a major incident in Jammu and Kashmir, the professional peaceniks start clamouring for a ‘solution’ to the problem of the State, beginning with removal … Read More
Uttarakhand’s highly auspicious pilgrimage, the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, held once in 12 years and considered the Kumbh of the Himalayas, faces cancellation on account of the relentless fury of the rivers. The Char Dham Yatra was the first to be cancelled when torrential rains fell in June; on … Read More
There is an urgent need for Governor’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir on account of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s inability to control the violence that broke out in Kishtwar district on Friday, after anti-India slogans were raised after the Eid namaz. So far, two persons have died in the rioting, … Read More
How does a civilisation born in the deep meditative silences of Himalayan caves and verdant forests, which touched the peaks of material abundance in the valleys of silt-laden rivers, shrug aside a sacred legacy like some youthful indiscretion? The shameless commitment of Uttarakhand’s political leadership to the builder lobby, its … Read More
It is strange that no human rights activist or political party in India has demanded that the UPA Government immediately destroy the vast biometric data of citizens that it collected illegally, even after Edward Snowden exposed the mass surveillance programmes being run by the Governments of the United States and … Read More
Escalating incidents of aggression on the western frontier make it imperative that we separate the wheat from the chaff of political rhetoric before we err into the abyss of diplomacy with a neighbour whose unprovoked hostility is once again being glossed over by the Congress-dominated UPA Government. Islamabad is speaking … Read More
Consistent with the step-motherly treatment meted out to citizens of Jammu province, Hindu migrants from the districts of Reasi, Udhampur (Pauni, Mahore, Gool), Doda (Ramban, Doda), Rajouri (Rajouri, Budhal) and Poonch, who were forced to flee at the height of militancy in 1996, continue to rot in the Talwara camp, … Read More
