Saleem's Post

  In her article Re-shaping the Nation , Lena Schipper- South Asia bureau chief for  The Economist- Delhi makes eight major observations on India: 1. India is continuing on its path to majoritarian chauvinism. 2. As Western countries jostled to gain India's support in the   Russia – Ukraine War, prime minister Modi succeeded in styling himself as an essentially neutral advocate of resolving this conflict peacefully, managing to scold Putin while simultaneously resisting Western entreaties to join the anti-Russia coalition for good. 3. Despite Modi’s efforts to please both Russia and Western countries, his enhanced reputation abroad will not be good news for many Indians in 2023. 4. Modi’s growing clout in foreign relations will likely further reduce Western leaders’ already low inclination towards criticizing his government, thus removing one more check on his power at home. 5. The space provided to Modi due to the Western countries' reduced criticism of his do...

  Pakistan is again in the eye of the storm. This time after the controversial regime-change operation in March/April 2022. The present chaos in Pakistan can be likened to China’s Cultural Revolution which was a socio-political movement launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. However, whereas Mao and the notorious Gang of Four were blamed for destabilizing China during the Cultural Revolution, in Pakistan’s case the smoking gun points at ghost players many of whom are not yet definitively pinpointed. It is because there is a yawning gap between the opposite narratives.  The Cultural Revolution massively destabilized China, and so has the present socio-political-economic chaos in today’s Pakistan. The situation in Pakistan is being closely watched and analyzed by our friends and foes alike. However, save for the traditional rhetoric, a detailed appreciation of the train of thoughts of India, Pakistan's arch-enemy, is nowhere in sight. What are th...

  India and Pakistan gained independence from Britain in August 1947, with a difference of one day. The departing British colonialists had granted dominion status to both these South Asian colonies, with the proviso of full independence upon framing their respective constitutions. Imperial Conference of 1926 described Great Britain and the dominions as “autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations.” The newborn dominions, emerging after 348 years of indirect and direct British rule, had waded through rivers of blood caused by conspiracies, infighting, betrayals, famines, two world wars, and a protracted freedom struggle. Both of them had a  common historical background and socio-economic traditions. The British East I...