From an IAF veteran of the 1962 war
Indian Air Force was ill-prepared for a war with China Air Commodore (retired) S. Murugan, who commanded the only modern radar with the IAF in 1962, sent me this email. It was in response to the...
View ArticleRawalpindi’s diplomatic service
Retired ISI chiefs as back-channel interlocutors Forget the official Foreign Service of Pakistan. Rawalpindi’s very own diplomatic service is the next big thing in town. David Ignatius revealed last...
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The No Love chart
Pakistanis view of the United States (2002-2012) 2004 – US starts drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas 2005 – Massive earthquake in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. US rushes in with a big relief effort...
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Where golf meets army meets Islam
At Lahore garrison Courtesy Ahmad Rafay Alam, a plaque at the Lahore Garrison Golf & Country Club. It tells you that the game of golf is actually Islamic in origin, played by the Prophet with his...
View ArticleOne plus one equals half
Nehru and social capital In the 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index, India ranks 138 on the Social Capital measure of the Index—the fifth-worst country globally, ahead only of Burundi, Georgia, Benin and...
View ArticleThe framework of Islamic law
A simple explanation Aakar Patel, in a well-argued column in the Mint Lounge, talks about the three geographical areas of the Indian subcontinent where Muslims are a majority. The continuity across...
View ArticleFour years ago
Remembering the Mumbai terror attacks Lest we forget. It’s not over yet. Ajmal Kasab was just the tip of the jehadi spear wielded by the Pakistani establishment. The real perpetrators of Mumbai terror...
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December 16, 1971
The delusion and the reality This is the front page of Pakistan’s major English-language daily, Dawn of December 17, 1971 (via Husain Haqqani on Twitter) And this is after what had happened in Dhaka on...
View ArticleTill the next rape case
Same questions. Obvious answers. The news of a 23-year old student being raped in a private bus in Delhi yesterday evening has outraged most concerned citizens. Even our parliamentarians have taken...
View ArticleWhat utter nonsense
General Durrani’s abominable comment about Indian Muslims General Mahmud Ali Durrani has a column in today’s The News. He holds forth — as is his wont and what earned him the sobriquet of General...
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