avinash.godbole

The 2009 riots occurred because of the deep-rooted ethnic biases prevalent in Chinese society, coupled with the state’s hard handed approach and the sense of deprivation among Uighurs. Perceptive to the problem and alert to the situation, the Chinese government has introduced more economic incentives for the local population. However, the deep-rooted causes of the tension remain unresolved and repeated instances of violence only show that some of the policies may be backfiring. In a year in which China will see a political transition, Xinjiang is marked by an uneasy peace. Chinese leaders will be hoping that there is no more trouble at a time when stability remains their paramount objective. All the same, they will leave no stone unturned in their search for what is proving to be an elusive stability in the region. Summary of the Issue Brief published yesterday on IDSA, the full article can be accessed here

              Today's newspapers have the story of the release of a Pakistani convict from an Indian jail on humanitarian grounds. Indian express reports that the earlier meeting of the two prime ministers was cited by the Supreme Court judgement as one of the reasons for the release.               I would like to argue that there is a reason for India and Pakistan to delink bilateral relations from such individual humanitarian crises. Inadvertent border crossings and such instances should be treated on legal basis and not based on the state of the bilateral relations between India and Pakistan. Treating these people as victims instead of criminals would help unite estranged families and avoid the day to day tragedies that their families have to go through.                 better still, the two countries should set down the guidelines in fast tracking such cases whenever possible.                         On the other side of the spectrum, Sri Lanka's revenge of In

In India, civil military relations have been strained in the recent past due to a couple of instances. First, it was the date of birth controversy about the serving Chief of the Army. It involved a few missing documents and a legal tangle. Even as it was solved with all honours retained, other set of controversies seem to have emerged. These new controversies perhaps have been blown out of proportion, probably because the DoB controversy was still fresh in mind. During this second phase of the controversy, corruption, under-performance and under-preparedness came into picture.  However, the icing on the cake was the whole supposed coup expose by the Indian Express. Figment of imagination, undoubtedly at its worst, was at play in creating a script that would crate yet another dud like Agent Vinod! Has the media been mature on reportage and expose? Its one thing for a letter to be leaked, but its completely different for the media to publish it without even giving it a second thou