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from India Insight:
Window closing on Prime Minister Singh’s planned visit to Pakistan
(Any opinions expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Thomson Reuters)
It is eerily quiet on the fenced border between India and Pakistan in the southern plains of Jammu and Kashmir. Farmers are planting paddy, you can hear the sound of traffic in the distance from both sides of the border, and sometimes the squeals of children. Overhead in high watchtowers that can be seen from a mile, soldiers peer through binoculars at the enemy across while in the rear just behind the electrified fence with its array of Israeli-supplied sensors, soldiers are strung out in a line of bunkers. It's a cold peace on one of the world's most militarised frontiers.
Now the young chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, wants to change that, by cracking open the border and allowing the movement of people and trade through a road and rail route that have been shut since Partition in 1947.
It can be transformative and he is not alone in trying to bring about such a change. Further down the border, the governments of the two Punjabs on either side of the border are moving even faster, building up infrastructure to handle greater trade through the Wagah checkpoint that has begun to flow since the two countries agreed to promote trade while trying to tackle long-running political disputes.
from India Insight:
From AlertNet: Water scarcity compounds India’s food insecurity
These are the personal views of Siddharth Chatterjee and do not reflect those of his employer, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Follow him on Twitter: @sidchat1
Since India’s independence, the mammoth task of feeding its hundreds of millions, most of whom are extremely poor, has been a major challenge to policymakers. In the coming decades, the issue of food insecurity is likely to affect almost all Indians. However, for the poorest amongst us, it could be catastrophic. India ranks 65 of 79 countries in the Global Hunger Index. This is extremely alarming.
from India Insight:
Will India’s Kashmir talks offer break fresh ground?
New Delhi said this week it will adopt "quiet diplomacy" with every section of political opinion to find a solution to the problems in India-ruled Kashmir about four years after it opened a dialogue with separatist groups there.
The response to the announcement is on expected lines -- the moderates welcoming it and pro-Pakistan hardliners reminding any effort at peace without involving Islamabad would be futile.
from India Insight:
Guess what is not on Thursday’s front pages in India?
It's actually on page 17 of the Hindustan Times. The Mail Today, which leads on liquor being allowed for sale in shopping malls, puts it on page 16. The Hindu, which also finds space for liquor sales liberalization on its front page, puts it on page 20.
What is it? News of the Indonesia quake and the Samoan tsunami. Last night, when these papers were being put to bed, we knew that hundreds (now probably thousands) of people had died.
from India Insight:
Is Sri Lanka “careering back to where it was” after election?
Sri Lanka's bloody 25-year conflict with the Tamil Tigers ended in May but commentators reflecting on the country's first post-war elections last weekend expressed little optimism about a peaceful future for the Indian Ocean island.
The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance swept to victory in Sinhalese-dominated Uva province and scraped a win in Jaffna, while the Tamil National Alliance -- political allies of the defeated rebels -- won control of Vavuniya. Both Jaffna and Vavuniya are just outside the shadow state which the Tigers controlled for decades.
from India Insight:
Indian PM’s media coup at Yekaterinburg
"I am happy to meet you, but my mandate is to tell you that the territory of Pakistan must not be used for terrorism." This was how Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began his crucial meeting with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Russia's Yekaterinburg on Tuesday.
The comment, made in the full glare of the media, hit Zardari like a well-aimed arrow as the embarrassed Pakistani leader quickly interrupted to ensure the reporters were asked to leave the room.
from India Insight:
Cricket in South Asia: critically injured?
This is not the first time cricket or cricketers were targeted in the subcontinent, especially Pakistan.
India's 1982-83 tour of Pakistan was disrupted after rioting marred the last Test in Karachi. Who can forget the sight of scared cricketers scampering to the pavilion as an angry mob invaded the pitch at the National Stadium.
from The Great Debate (India):
Is cricket in South Asia critically injured?
This is not the first time cricket or cricketers were targeted in the subcontinent, especially Pakistan.
Despite the threat to players' security, something which has led to postponement or cancellations of many tours, the subcontinent has always presented a united front which many will say was instrumental in the centre of gravity of world cricket shifting from England to South Asia.
from India Insight:
Obama in the White House – will he deliver?
Barack Obama takes over as the 44th U.S. President riding the optimism of millions of people and inheriting a recession and two wars that will test his skills.
Hopes are high the 47-year-old can conjure up a rescue that will jolt the world's biggest economy back to life and contain the financial crisis ravaging global markets.
from India Insight:
U.S. on Israel — double standards or a double-edged sword?
December 24 - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip ratchet up rocket fire towards Israel after Hamas ended a six-month ceasefire.
December 27 - Israel launches air strikes on Gaza in response killing more than 200 people in Gaza, the highest one-day death toll in 60 years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
