Maj Gen Harsha Kakar
The Exploitation of Ukraine
In early November the US State Department, in a note, post Biden releasing an additional USD 400 Million for military assistance to Ukraine mentioned, ‘This will bring the total US…
100 Days of Taliban Rule
Last week Taliban completed 100 days of power in Afghanistan. The interim government (as it terms itself) was imposed by the Pak ISI, with the DG ISI visiting Kabul and…
Xi-Biden Summit Flops
The over-hyped Xi-Biden summit held last week ended up as ‘much ado about nothing.’ The nearly three-and-a-half-hours summit was mainly both sides projecting their views with no joint statement being…
Iron Brothers have Similar Traits
The Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Xie Feng, speaking to his US counterpart, Wendy Sherman, last week, stated, ‘The desire to seek hegemony or territorial expansion is simply not in the…
Summer is around the bend
The Indian armed forces have gained immense experience, over the decades, on the impact of the weather along its troubled borders. Hence, the army maintains separate summer and winter postures.…
Divergences between India and China on Ladakh
The CDS, General Bipin Rawat, stated at the Raisinadialogue, ‘I think India has stood firm on the northern borders and we have proven that we will not get pushed. And…
Playing with the Officer Cadre
A recent press report stated that the army is considering directly recruiting JCOs to fill vacancies in the officer cadre. They will be eligible for promotion upto the rank of…
India-Russia Divergences
The recent two-day visit of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, to India was followed by a similar duration visit to Pakistan. While in India he held discussions with his…
Stumbling blocks between India and Pak
General Bajwa, addressing the Islamabad Security Dialogue stated, ‘We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward.’ He added, ‘Kashmir dispute is obviously at the head of…
Entry and Exit- Decoding the Chinese Game
The disengagement process in Ladakh is well underway. This will be followed by de-escalation and finally de-induction, ending, hopefully, the most serious crisis which engulfed the country in recent times.…
Subtle Messages sent this Republic Day
Republic Day celebrations have traditionally been occasions of displaying Indian military might, soft power and national culture. As a tradition, spanning over five decades, it has always had a foreign…
Does Indian Foreign Policy need a Rethink?
Chatham House, an international affairs think tank in UK stated in a recent report, ‘While giving India the attention it deserves, the UK government needs to accept that gaining direct…
Farce Behind Pakistan’s FATF Actions
Pakistan goes into sleep mode on actions against global terrorism immediately after Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meetings. As the next review appears, its courts and security agencies move on…
Chinese Interference in South Asia
Recent reports indicate that Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) has busted a 10-member Chinese module operating a terror cell in Kabul. Since the incident came to light, China had…
Will Biden’s policies be better for India
The headlines in an Indian newspaper on Biden winning the US Presidential election stated, ‘Modi send congrats, relief in Delhi as known Indian ally is back.’ Biden has been a…
Protests in Pakistan
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of all major opposition political parties, launched recently with Maulana Fazlur Rehman as its head, has already shaken the establishment. As per Pakistan’s…
China will attempt to influence US elections
China has been facing the wrath of the US on all fronts and finding it difficult to respond. The US-China trade war is growing worse, with major Chinese companies currently…
Why does the Pak army fear the PTM and BLA?
Pak, post 1971, only concentrated development in Punjab and Sindh, ignoring its western provinces. They were secure in their belief that these areas which were under-developed, lacked education and inhabited…
India and Pak at the SCO
The recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference attended by the Prime Minister at Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, dominated headlines mainly because of the cold shoulder given to Pakistan. By…
Destabilizing the Neighbourhood
Imran Khan’s comments while on his visit to Iran opened a can of worms. He stated, ‘I know Iran has suffered from terrorism (perpetrated) by groups operating from Pakistan. …we…
Can we trust Pakistan?
Post the Pulwama attack, the Pak foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, claimed that Pak and its supported terrorist groups had no role in the attack. He sought to justify this…
Pak hyping up Kashmir
The Kashmir solidarity day is observed every year in Pakistan on 05 Feb. It organizes rallies and statements are issued by the top leadership in support of the ongoing agitation…
India needs to get over its Pak fixation
During her speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Sushma Swaraj, India’s external affairs minister, devoted approximately half her speech on Pakistan. This has been the norm over the years.…
US responsible for mess in Afghanistan
The US has been in Afghanistan since 2001, all through seeking a way out. Its entry was an act of retaliation to 9/11 and justified, but since then, it has…
US Sanctions and Indo-Russian Arms Deals
Post its annexation of Crimea in 2014, sanctions began being applied against Russia. With the US claiming Russia’s active interference in its Presidential polls, sanctions only increased. The diplomatic cold…
Pak’s Attitude would only Worsen Ties
There were a few adverse comments from Pak in the press recently. Firstly, post the encounter last weekend resulting in 13 militants being eliminated, Pak leadership termed it as a…
Doklam re-emerges into Limelight
Doklam went into slumber post the mutual withdrawal by both forces, after a tense 73 days standoff. One adverse incident during the standoff could have snowballed into an embarrassing situation…
Kulbhushan as a tool of Diplomacy
Twenty-two months after Kulbhushan Jadhav was kidnapped from Chabahar in Iran by the Taliban, sold to Pakistan’s ISI, was his family, comprising his mother and wife, permitted to meet him.…
US at loggerheads with Iran
Trump was screaming against the Iran nuclear deal all through his election campaign, promising to pull the US out, when he came to power. When it was time to certify…
Why does the Military face Shortfall in Officer Ranks?
Shortage of officers in every branch of the armed forces continues, despite captivating advertisements, variety of service options and interactions with the younger generation in almost all educational institutes, spread…
An ode to the Gunners
The Regiment of Artillery, also termed as the ‘Gunners’ would celebrate their 190th Raising day on 28th Sept. It was on this day in 1827, when the first Indian Artillery…
Changing Kashmir strategy
The Government’s Kashmir strategy is moving steadily from defensive to offensive. Earlier all actions were defensive in nature, with restrictions on engaging Pak posts, violating the ceasefire and use of…
Countering Pak propaganda in the Valley
The army and the nation have immense experience in handling insurgencies. We have been battling them since the fifties. The Naga insurgency began in 1958 and the Mizo uprising…
Needed : A full time Defense Minister
The Indian system of governance, in the manner it has evolved post-independence, is unique, especially as it concerns the functioning of the military. Fear and lack of trust on the…
Sukhma Encounter and Aftermath
The recent ambush on the personnel of 74th Battalion CRPF, in Sukhma was the severest in the past seven years. It was preceded by an ambush about twenty Kms away…
The Politico-Military Disconnect in Kashmir
The recent statement by the Northern Army Commander and the army chief requesting all stakeholders to come together to bring peace to the flaming valley as also participate in supporting…
Necessity of Armed Forces Special Powers Act
In recent days there has been immense discussion across various forums over the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). It was commented upon by the Supreme Court and recently by…
Is Kashmir a Disputed Territory?
Post the elimination of Burhan Wani, the Indian security forces have been working overtime to bring the situation in the valley under control. Throughout the crises, Pakistan continued to stoke…
Jealousy: thy name is Pakistan
Post the successful test of the Ashwin interceptor missile in mid- May, there were violent cries from Pakistan about India changing the balance of power in the region. This has…
Engage South Asian Nations
South Asia continues to be in a state of flux. Maldives, which recently faced political turmoil, now appears to be stabilizing. Sri Lanka, post the last election, has seen…
Will India and Pakistan ever talk peace?
There have been a series of articles in various publications and similar views echoed by politicians of this state that the only solution to improving Indo – Pak relations is…
Single point advice on military matters
The recent announcement by the defence minister to the air force, that it cannot have any more Rafale fighter aircraft but should plan to induct the modified and indigenously developed…
