Courtesy: US Embassy in Pakistan
Pakistan continues to receive succour from its long-time ally, the U.S., despite blundering about in its neighbourhood unabashedly- be it through righteous indignation or through generous courtesies. The external affairs ministry needs to improve its approach towards U.S. officials who are visiting India in order to better its relation with the country.
Courtesy: livemint.com
Pakistan's righteous indignation about national sovereignty—over India's Myanmar counterinsurgency program—is out of sync with the country's actions in the past. Experiences from history serve as proof
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affair, Flickr
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s completion of the South Asia circuit demonstrates the importance of the neighbourhood in his government’s foreign policy. The improved perception of India in the neighbourhood, especially in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is a positive, but the neighbours must recognise that India’s federal structure makes decision-making slower and more difficult on issues that affect neighbouring Indian states like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
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While China will seek India’s cooperation on its ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road’ project during Prime Minister Modi’s visit this week, Indian policy makers must soon articulate a definite stand on this transnational corridor by bridging the country’s security concerns and the benefits of such an engagement with China.
Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
Afghan president Ashraf Ghani visited India from April 27-29. Ghani accords a very different priority to India than his predecessors – both the timing and the outcome of his visit reflected this. He is choosing to play to Pakistan, by keeping India out of Afghanistan's security sector
Courtesy: Arya News
Afghanistan president Ghani has placed his eggs in the Pakistani basket and is waiting to see whether its actions match the plentiful words. However, New Delhi knows it enjoys a depth of support in Afghan society and can bide its time while Ghani tests the waters, as he will likely reach the same conclusions as most others
Courtesy: CentralMaine
Huge threats to human rights continue in Afghanistan. President Ghani has pledged to end official tolerance for torture, and his government must also protect the freedom of the media, ensure that more women participate in peace talks, and bring transparency to negotiations with the Taliban. These correctives are overdue
Courtesy: South Asia Media
Representative democracy has resulted in coalition governments, comprising parties with opposing agendas, gradually being formed across the world. The Afghan unity government and the BJP-PDP coalition in Jammu and Kashmir are two such coalitions that share numerous similarities, not least of which is the role of Pakistan.
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Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar’s visit to SAARC countries from March 1 is an opportunity to examine the political trajectories in the region. While democracy in some countries like Sri Lanka is on an upswing, in others, like Bangladesh, it is in decline. With China’s growing economic influence in South Asia, can Indian democracy be an effective counterpoint?
Courtesy: Saddahaq.com
The SAARC Yatra to be undertaken by foreign secretary S. Jaishankar from March 1 is an opportunity for India to improve relations, resurrect stalled projects and create new synergies with its neighbourhood. An initiative like this could hold the key to India shedding the ‘hegemon’ tag and pursuing mutually beneficial policies with its neighbours