India has assumed the leadership of the G-20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) for 2023, and has planned a series of meetings. While defining the thrust of India’s G20 presidency, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has often talked about India serving as “The Voice of the Global South.” Acting on this concept, the government took the decision to convene a virtual […]

The good news is that there is some new evidence that despite all the adventurism and brinkmanship, the top echelons of the Pakistan Army have, by and large, remained rational and not radicalised players. The bad news is that the Pakistan Army’s bluster and grandstanding have injected exaggerated notions of its military prowess in the minds of most Pakistanis, who […]

On April 20, 2023, a Policeman, identified as Sitaram Kudiyam (40), was injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) exploded while he was trying to neutralise it during an area domination operation near Bangapal village under Nelasnar Police Station limits in Bijapur District. The device is suspected to have been planted by Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres, to target […]

The Center for New American Security says the US has to defend India for the sake of Indo-Pacific security The US think tank, Center for New American Security (CNAS) in its report published in March, recommends that US policymakers must “closely monitor” the Sino-Indian border conflict and be prepared to respond “quickly” if the conflict escalates. The authors of the […]

That Hindus and Muslims have co-existed in India for centuries is an indisputable historical fact, but Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah didn’t think so. In 1940, while delivering the All India Muslim League’s presidential address in Lahore, he argued that Hindus and Muslims “belong to two different civilizations which are based mainly on conflicting ideas and conceptions” [Emphasis added]. He […]

On April 8, 2023, the Assam Police arrested three active suspects linked to the banned Islamist radical Popular Front of India (PFI) and its student wing, Campus Front of India (CFI), from the Barpeta District of Assam. The arrestees were identified as PFI ‘state secretary’ Zakir Hussain, PFI cadre Abu Sama, and CFI National Treasurer Shahidul Islam. INR 150,000 in […]

Uncertainty arose over their proposed power supply to Bangladesh after the Hindenburg Report imploded the Adani empire. Kolkata-based Adani Group executives, however, had always maintained that there would be no problem with power going to Bangladesh from the Godda plant in Jharkhand. In fact, this has happened, although a little delayed, 450 MW of electricity went to Bangladesh from Godda […]

Bangladesh, India and Japan are going to hold an event in Tripura of India on April 11-12 on connectivity initiatives to harness the commercial potential of the region. Asian Confluence, a think tank from North East India, is organising the meeting in collaboration with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, according to India-based news outlets. Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs […]

The recent search for Amritpal Singh, a self-styled Sikh preacher in Punjab who has been declared a “fugitive” by India’s police following his escape after a car chase earlier this month, has raised the specter of militant violence again in the province. Throughout the 1980s, the cause for an independent Sikh homeland – Khalistan or “land of the pure” – […]

India continues to be wary about military alliances despite having multiple international military cooperation projects The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), comprising countries from Europe and North America, has informally sought a partnership with India in an expanded effort to contain Russia and China. Apart from 32 full members (including Finland), NATO has 40 partners around the world in Asia, […]