Praful Bidwai

NEW DELHI – Exasperated by what it regards as “a continuing pattern of evasiveness and denial in Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attack on Mumbai,” India seems to be fashioning a two-pronged approach towards Islamabad to get it to act firmly against terrorist networks based on its soil. If one element in this approach is … Continue reading “‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ Approach to Pakistan”

NEW DELHI – Exasperated by what it regards as “a continuing pattern of evasiveness and denial in Pakistan’s response to the terrorist attack on Mumbai,” India seems to be fashioning a two-pronged approach towards Islamabad to get it to act firmly against terrorist networks based on its soil. If one element in this approach is … Continue reading “‘Good Cop, Bad Cop’ Approach to Pakistan”

Following the late November terror attacks in Mumbai, India has passed two tough laws being seen by rights activists as potentially eroding the country’s federal structure and limiting fundamental liberties. Parliament – meeting under the shadow of the November 26-29 attacks on India’s commercial hub resulting in close to 200 deaths – approved the legislation … Continue reading “New Anti-Terror Laws Draconian Say Activists”

NEW DELHI – Chances of the United States-India nuclear deal being completed have greatly receded with the release by a key US lawmaker of a so-far-secret Bush administration document which says Washington will not sell sensitive nuclear technologies to India and will terminate nuclear commerce with it if India conducts a test. The disclosures by … Continue reading “Lawmaker’s Disclosure May Torpedo Nuke Deal”

NEW DELHI – Even as the Jammu region of the strife-torn Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is settling down to normality and peace, a two-month-old turmoil in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley shows no signs of abating. The Kashmir unrest, which unseated the elected government of the state in July, now threatens to become a … Continue reading “Dialogue Missing as Kashmir Erupts”

NEW DELHI – As the tortuous negotiations for the United States-India nuclear deal enters its final stage, it becomes clear that India seriously underestimated the discomfort and opposition the agreement would arouse in many countries because of the special privileges granted to India, largely on New Delhi’s terms. The emerging situation has thrown Indian policymakers … Continue reading “US-India Nuclear Deal Headed for Fiasco”

The Indian government has taken a major step towards completing its controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States by moving the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for approving an inspections (safeguards) agreement it signed last year with the IAEA secretariat pertaining to civilian nuclear reactors. The news has been greeted … Continue reading “Deceptions Surface in US-India Nuclear Deal”

NEW DELHI – India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has plunged his Congress Party and the country’s ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government into a grave crisis by staking his personal reputation on pushing through a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal. In the balance is not only the survival of the government, but also the ability … Continue reading “India’s Singh Pushes for Nuclear Deal”

ISLAMABAD – As Pakistan stumbles toward democratization amid domestic political uncertainty, armed unrest led by Islamists along the Afghanistan border, and strained military relations with the U.S., a broad consensus in favor of the peace process with India survives – almost miraculously. However, proponents of the process on both sides of the border will have … Continue reading “India-Pakistan Peace Survives, Somehow”

NEW DELHI – Faced with continuing domestic opposition to the United States-India nuclear cooperation deal, the Indian government has launched "one last push" to complete negotiations before the window of opportunity slams shut. But the chances of success for its latest bid appear to be no higher than they were some weeks ago. Going by … Continue reading “One Last Push for India-US Nuke Deal”