A parliamentary delegation from the tiny Himalayan kingdom witnessed the log-jam in Indian Parliament on 10 August. The combined Opposition's Rajya Sabha tirade against the government over allegations of corruption involving ruling BJP's ministers was the main reason for the log-jam in the Indian Parliament.
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Analysis
The confirmations about the death of Mullah Omar, who is said to have died in 2013, may not have taken many by surprise. His absence from the public domain for years led to various theories about his possible whereabouts. Many also believed that Mullah Omar was unable to escape the initial US bombardment in 2001 and had died at the time of the American invasion itself. Although Mullah Omar has been proclaimed dead by the media on several occasions in the past, the official acknowledgment by the Taliban of the death of their supreme commander has removed any doubts about the credibility of the most recent reports.
What has been striking, however, is the timing of the reports. The fact that such revelations - said to have been leaked by Afghan government officials to the media - were made just days before the second round of official talks between Kabul and the Taliban representatives were set to take place has raised a number of questions. At a time when the peace talks were at a critical juncture, such an announcement was always likely to upset the delicate situation.
While Mullah Omar may not have contributed much towards the actual military strength of the Taliban, his symbolic importance was a crucial factor and its removal could make the situation worse for pursuing the peace talks.
Stalled negotiations
There is significant opposition within the Taliban to the peace talks. A number of factions and commanders have resented the attempts of their senior leadership to reconcile with the Afghan government. Such a sentiment is perhaps more prevalent among the younger fighters, who have become more radicalised than their more senior counterparts and are more susceptible to the global jihadist ideologies of groups like al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS). Such militants are not in favour of making any concessions to the state, especially at a time when they continue to possess the ability to pose a serious security threat to the Afghan government.
Although the inaccessibility of Mullah Omar had caused much chaos and disenchantment among the Taliban, his ideological aura - and the myth created around him - as the Supreme Commander was strong enough to not only maintain the general unity of the movement but also lend some form of legitimacy to the Taliban’s decision to pursue peace talks. Statements issued in his name over the past two years, especially the ones that extended support to the peace process, helped the Taliban commanders acting as the de-facto leaders of the movement to cement their place and pursue their own agenda.
The fallout of the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death on the peace talks is already evident. The second round of talks that were supposed to be held at the end of July were called off by the Taliban. The Taliban’s new leader Mullah Mansoor, a close of confidant of Mullah Omar and who had been running the show for the past few years, condemned the peace talks and vowed to continue the jihad till over foreign troops had withdrawn from the country and an Islamic Emirate has been established in the country. The recent spate of high profile attacks in Kabul have stalled whatever momentum had been generated by the first round of talks, at least for the time being.
Fragmentation to the fore
Mullah Mansoor has generally been seen as one of the moderate leaders, who was in favour of finding a political solution to the ongoing Afghan war. Any analysis of his statement should then be tempered by the knowledge that Mullah Omar’s exit from the scene is likely to make it tougher for the new leadership to keep the movement together.
Mullah Mansoor is facing a serious internal crisis as the internal opposition to his appointment continues to grow. A number of Taliban commanders, including Mullah Omar’s son, have condemned his appointment with some going as far as to call him Pakistan’s puppet. There were also reports that the Taliban had called for a meeting of its senior leaders to resolve the standoff over the leadership issue.
The situation is further complicated by the looming presence of IS. The Taliban has made great efforts to keep the IS at bay, which has made significant inroads in Afghanistan in the recent months. Even before the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death, a number of mid and junior-level Taliban fighters had pledged their allegiance to the IS. There is a growing fear that the IS will seek to capitalise on the messy succession issue within the Taliban and provide an alternative to the Taliban militants that do not agree with the direction in which their parent organisation is moving.
This naturally makes Mullah Mansoor’s task of engaging in peace talks with the Afghan government tougher. In order to win over his detractors, maintain the internal cohesion and prevent any mass defection from the movement, Mullah Mansoor cannot afford to be perceived as someone who is willing to make any concessions to Kabul or is engaging in peace talks at the behest of the Pakistan military.
As such his standoffish behaviour may be the most natural course of action under the present circumstances. While this still keeps the possibility of reviving the peace talks alive, the longer it takes for the process to resume the more is the pressure going to be on the Afghan government to deliver on its promises of stabilising the country.
(The writer is an Associate Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)
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Bangladesh: A historic enclave-exchange with India
Joyeeta Bhattacharjee
With exchange of enclaves, India and Bangladesh have officially resolved all land boundary disputes on July 31. The enclaves are small pieces of territory surrounded by another country and India and Bangladesh jointly has 162 enclaves. The exchange will have significant impact on the lives of the enclave dwellers who had been living in stateless condition since the partition of India in 1947.
Enclave dwellers, deprived of facilities of citizens due to remoteness from the mainland, are hopeful that their enclave will now have schools, hospitals etc and will march fast in the pace of development. The enclave dwellers were given the option of choosing their nationality and almost all of them have decided to remain where they lived for generations.
Out of the 51,000 enclave dwellers living in 162 enclaves, 17,000 people, who had been living in 51 Bangladesh enclaves, will get Indian citizenship. Around 1000 of 34000 people living in the 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh have opted to migrate to India. The rest opted for Bangladeshi citizenship.
Historically, enclaves are the outcome of a chess game played between the kings of Cooch Behar and Rangpur in the early 18th century. Also, some academics claim that they are the outcome of a peace deal between the Mughals and the king of Cooch Behar. The partition of British India changed the fate of the enclave dwellers as Cooch Behar first remained independent and later merged with India in 1949 while Rangpur went to Pakistan and later to Bangladesh. Since then, enclave dwellers were facing identity crisis.
Efforts to resolve the enclave problem started in 1958. This issue was discussed between then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Feroz Khan, but nothing came out of it. After the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, India and Bangladesh started discussing this issue and signed an agreement in 1974. The agreement, well-known as Mujib-Indira accord as it was signed by late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and late Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was aimed at resolving the land boundary problem between the two countries.
The agreement could not be implemented for various reasons, including the ratification by India to facilitate its implementation. A fresh initiative to resolve the enclave problem was taken by India and Bangladesh during former Indian Prime Minister Dr Manhoman Singh’s visit to Bangladesh in 2011 and this resulted in the signing of a protocol to the 1974 agreement. The last obstacle to the implementation of the agreement was removed after Indian parliament passed the 100th constitutional amendment that facilitated passing of the land boundary agreement, including the enclave swap in May 2015.
With the initial euphoria over the exchange of enclaves over now, it is time for real work of implementing the treaty. The two governments have an agreement on the timeframe for the implementation of the agreement. According to that, the entire process should be completed by 30 June, 2016. This includes the transfer of population. Some of the initial problems highlighted are: 1) proof of ownership of the land as many lack land records since lot of these lands are inherited and did not maintain proper records. This is a major problem which needs intervention from both the government; 2) rehabilitation of the population who will be migrating to India. In this regard, the two governments should work on a system that would make remittances of the property of the people migrating to India smooth.
The exchange of enclaves is certainly is a landmark development for India and Bangladesh. By resolving the enclave problem, the two countries have shown the highest level example of neighbourly relations. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the swapping of enclaves as the end of Berlin Wall.
(The writer is a Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, Delhi)
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Country Reports
Afghanistan
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Pak criticised for attacks
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in an address to the nation this past week blasted Pakistan for the recent spate of attacks in Afghanistan. He claimed that while such deadly attacks against Afghanistan continued from Pakistan’s soil there could be no progress in the bilateral ties between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He urged Pakistan to take stronger measures against the insurgents operating from its soil. President Ghani’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah also claimed that the recent attacks are a reminder of Pakistan’s lack of sincerity. In the meanwhile, Afghanistan’s external intelligence agency, the National Directorate of Security also declared that suicide bombers are being trained in Pakistan to be used against Afghanistan. In an attempt to stabilise the situation, a high-level delegation of Afghan leaders including the foreign minister, and the acting defence minister, visited Pakistan to discuss the outstanding bilateral issues.
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For more information see: "President Ghani Addresses Nation, Blasts Pakistan", Tolo News, 10 August 2015;
"Abdullah Questions Pakistan’s Sincerity Towards Peace", Tolo News, 10 August 2015;
"NDS Blames Pakistan for Recent Kabul Bombings", Tolo News, 12 August 2015;
"Candid Bilateral Talks Held in Pakistan", Tolo News, 13 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">AQ leader pledges allegiance to Mullah Mansoor
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the chief of al Qaeda, has pledged allegiance to the new leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mansoor. This declaration was made via an online audio statement in which he called Mullah Mansoor the "leader of the faithful".
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For more information see : "Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri pledge allegiance to new Taliban chief", Khaama Press, 13 August 2015
Bangladesh
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Death of blogger
In yet another incident of attack on the secular bloggers Niladri Chatterjee Niloy was killed this week. Security agencies suspect radical group Ansarullah Bangla Team to be behind murder of the blogger. This is the fourth incidents of attack on the secular bloggers by radicals.
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For more information see : "Police suspect Ansarullah used Ansar-Al-Islam smokescreen to claim blogger Niloy murder credit", Bdnews24.com, 11 August 2015;
"Killing of Blogger Niloy: Detectives in Bangladesh arrest State Minister Chunnu’s nephew ", The Daily Star, 14 August 2015;
" ’Same militant outfit’ kills Bangladesh bloggers ", The Daily Star, 11 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">17 Islamist militants jailed for 2005 serial blasts in Bangladesh
A court this week sentenced 17 activists of banned Jamaatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh ( JMB ) to 10 years’ of rigorous imprisonment for their involvement in the serial bomb blasts in Gazipur on August 17, 2005. On August 17, 2005, JMB has carried out country wide bomb blast.
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For more information see : "17 Islamist militants jailed for 2005 serial blasts in Bangladesh", The Daily Star, 11 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Joint drive against counterfeiters
To tackle cross border smuggling of fake currencies India and Bangladesh are planning to carry out a joint drive against it. The joint drive will start after the two prepare and share respective criminal databases.
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For more information see : "Bangladesh-India to go for joint drive against currency counterfeiters", Dhaka Tribune, 14 August 2015
Bhutan
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Govt to visit Gewogs
The government is set to visit all the 205 gewogs in the coming months to get feedback from the people on the policies of the government. In the month of July Prime Minister, TsheringTobgay visited 4 gewogs of TranshibjiDraketenLangthel and Tangsibji in Trongsa.
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For more information see : "Govt to visit 205 gewogs", Kuensel, 6 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">More cars hit roads
At least 8,000 cars were imported in the year between July 2014 and July 2015, though the government has dissuaded from buying more cars, said a World Bank study. The government had introduced taxes and lowered the amount of loan for buying cars.
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For more information see : "More cars hit Bhutan’s roads despite measures to curb import", Bhutan Broadcasting Service, 12 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Stolen statue recovered
The Gomo statue from NamgyelTsheLhakang, Selwa in Punakha that had gone missing in 2009 was recovered by the Royal Bhutan Police’s Special Investigation Team and returned to the Lhakang on 3 August. The statue was recovered from a 29-year old man from Thimphu.
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For more information see : "Stolen statue recovered and returned after six years", Kuensel, 7 August 2015
India
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">PM equates session with emergency
With the monsoon session being a washout, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday directed NDA MPs to fan across the country to "expose" the Congress whose disruption of Parliament he equated with Emergency when the party wanted power to be concentrated in one family.
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For more information see : "Congress displaying attitude of Emergency days: Modi", The Hindu, 13 August, 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Cases against judges stayed
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the orders passed by the Gujarat High Court to proceed against 27 sitting and retired judges of the apex court and the High Courts in connection with the allotment of residential plots to them in 2008.
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For more information see : "Action stayed against 27 judges in land case", TheHindu, 13 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Relief for ’Maggie’
The Mumbai High Court’s partial reprieve to Nestle’s Maggi today is the latest in a series of events which had unfolded in the last more than two months surrounding the case. Potentially, this can be a serious blow to the claim made by the department of consumer affairs.
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For more information see : "HC reprieve to Maggi puts greater onus on complaint filed by Consumer Affairs dept", The Business Standard, 13 august 2015
Maldives
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">PG appeals Nasheed’s case
Even as the chances of former President Mohammed Nasheed being able to contest the 2018 presidential polls began slimming, the Prosecutor-General’s office filed an appeal in the High Court against the trial court verdict in the case. The PG said that the petition included the points flagged by Nasheed’s defence earlier, but not the more recent ones as by then the appeal had already been filed.
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For more information see: "State appeals Maldives ex-president’s sentence",
Haveeru Online, 12 August 2015; "Ex-president’s lawyers submit points for appeal",
Haveeru Online, 12 August 2015; "Clock ticks down on Maldives ex-president’s hopes for 2018 polls",
Haveeru Online, 11 August 2015; "PG decides against prosecuting Ali Waheed",
SunOnline, 12 August 2015; "MP Anaaraa calls to serve punishments after conducting proper trials",
Miadhu, 12 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Adeeb visits Malta
In the second leg of his foreign tour after taking over last month, Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb visited Malta, after going to Egypt. In Malta, he handed over a letter from President Abdulla Yameen to counterpart Marie-Louise Coleiro and also met former Prime Minister Laurence Gonzi.
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For more information see : "Vice President concludes visit to Malta",
Miadhu, 12 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Oil, gas exploration
As if a follow-up to German seismological studies off the Maldivian seas, a private firm the UK has since offered to undertake exploration for oil and gas in the country. This, even as the Maldivian Government seems falling back on China more than ever and praised Chinese investments and technological support even more.
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For more information see : "UK firm offers oil, gas exploration in Maldives",
Haveeru Online, 12 August 2015; "’Grand’ Male-Hulhule bridge will be like no other, Maldives minister says",
Haveeru Online, 12 August 2015; "Maldives capital to get ’island-like’ facelift",
Haveeru Online, 11 August 2015
Myanmar
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">President axes Shwe Mann
Thura U Shwe Mann has been ousted from the post of the leader of the Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) after a midnight police swoop on party headquarters on 13 August. The removal of the chair was among other revisions that the party announced on the day.
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For information more see : "President axesShwe Mann", Myanmar Times, 14 August 2015;
"Shwe Mann purged", Democratic Voice of Burma, 14 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Concern over security forces
A spokesperson from the U.S. Embassy in Yangon, expressed U.S. government’s concern over the use of security forces called by the President Thein Sein on 13 August. The British government also joined the U.S in showing concern about the recent developments that saw the ouster of USDP Secretary-General MaungMaung Thein and USDP President Thura U Shwe Mann.
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For information more see : "British Embassy expresses concern over USDP crisis", Mizzima, 14 August 2015;
"US Embassy voices concern over use of security forces in USDP rift", Mizzima, 14 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Call for impeachment law
The Union Election Commission (UEC) has called on Union Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann to enact an impeachment law for proceedings for lawmakers. The UEC in a letter on 13 August to the Speaker said that the inability of the Parliament to pass a bill on impeachment has deprived voters of their constitutional right to recall elected representatives.
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For information more see : "Election Body to Shwe Mann: Pass Impeachment Law ASAP", The Irrawaddy, 14 August 2015
Nepal
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Protests against federalism
Jumla and Jajarkot have become the flashpoints of the protests taking place in Karnali and Bheri zones against the six-state federal set-up. More than 30 people were injured in clashes with security personnel in the two districts on 13 August.
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For information more see : "Protests continue against six-state federal set-up", eKantipur, 14 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Demands for ’Hindu state’
Police fired several rounds of teargas canisters at New Baneshwor to disperse the agitating cadres of RastriyaPrajatantra Party-Nepal (RPP-N) in Kathmandu on 14 August. A clash ensued between the security personnel and RPP-N cadres after the latter tried to enter the prohibited zone during their protest demanding reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu state.
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For information more see : "RPP-N cadres, police clash at New Baneshwor", eKantipur, 14 August 2015;
"Now, Muslims in Nepal also demand a Hindu state", DNA, 13 August, 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Constitution Bill soon
The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has started preparing a final bill of the new constitution. A meeting of the CDC held in Singha Durbar today has directed its task-force to complete a final bill of the new statute and submit it at the full committee. The task-force will prepare the final bill based on the report tabled at the CA meeting submitted by the Constitutional-Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee (CPDCC) and the direction given by the CA, said CDC Chairman Krishna Prasad Sitaula.
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For information more see : "CDC assigns task-force to prepare final bill in 2 days", Republica, 14 August, 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Quake risk on
There is an increased risk of a future major earthquake in an area that straddles the west of Nepal and India, scientists warn. New data has revealed that the devastating quake that hit Nepal in April did not release all of the stress that had built up underground, and has pushed some of it westwards.
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For information more see : "Risk of future Nepal-India earthquake increases", BBC, 7 August 2015;
"Nepal quakes caused ’minimal damage’ to Everest trails", Reuters, 7 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Aid to fight iodine-deficiency diseases
India today gave an aid of NRs 51.75 million as part of assistance to Nepal for supplying iodised salt in a bid to fight iodine-deficiency diseases like goitre.The MoU for the Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme, earlier known as Goitre control Programme was signed on August 3 last year during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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For information more see : "India gives NRs 51.75 million aid to Nepal", The Economic Times, 7 August 2015
Pakistan
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">I-Day truce in Balochistan
On the occasion of Pakistan’s independence day, on 14 August 2015, around 400 militants lay down their weapons to celebrate the nations independence during a ceremony in Quetta. Militants, who fought against the state for decades are "abandoning violence and adopting peaceful lives in a positive stride", according to Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Nasir Khan Janjua.
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For information more see : "400 militants in Balochistan lay down weapons on Independence Day", Dawn, 14 August 2015.
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Milestone forex reserves
As per statements by the Finance Minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the nations current forex reserves are around $19 billion and should reach the $20 billion milestone in upcoming weeks. Following the recent economic growth in Pakistan, the finance ministry increased the Benazir Income Support Programme’s (BISP) budget to Rs 102 billion.
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For information more see : "Country to achieve $20 billion forex reserves mark soon: Dar", The Express Tribune, 14 August 2015.
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Woman killed in firing
During an incident on the Nezapir Sector of the Line of Control, a woman - along with her husband and daughter, fell victims to cross-border shelling. Tensions between both nations remain high during a period of escalated tensions in Kashmir, however Sartaj Aziz, the nations National Security advisor, is hoping for a breakthrough in the issues straining between both rivals during his visit to India on 23 August, 2015.
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For information more see : "Woman killed by Indian shelling in Kashmir", The Express Tribune, 14 August 2015.
Sri Lanka
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">UPFA back
After the first round, fought in the early days of campaign for the 17 August parliamenbtary polls, President Maithripala Sirisena and predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa have begun fighting a second round over the prime ministerial nominee if their SLFP-UPFA combine won. Rajapaksa snubbed President Sirisena over the latter’s five-page letter asking to help select another PM nominee, by asking him to respect the people’s verdict, whatever it be.
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For information more see :
"Maithri seeks Mahinda’s blessings to choose a senor SLFPer as PM",
The Island, 13 August 2015; "MR asks Maithri to respect people’s verdict",
Daily Mirror Online, 14 August 2015; "Senior UPFA members want MR as PM- Susil",
Daily Mirror Online, 14 August 2015; "SLFPers proposed by MS for PM’s post reject offer",
The Island, 14 August 2015; "Court dethrones Premajayantha and Yapa through enjoining order",
The Island, 15 August 2015; "Susil, Anura expelled from SLFP",
Daily Mirror Online, 14 August 2015; "Former CJ challenges President’s move", D
aily Mirror Online, 14 August 2015; "Ranil to protect country with President Sirisena",
The Island, 15 August 2015; "PM expects Aug. 17 victory to consolidate alliance with Prez",
The Island, 13 August 2015; "Vote for any animal but not betel leaf: CBK",
Daily Mirror Online, 13 August 2015; "Power devolution through ’Grama Rajya’ system: Ranil",
Daily Mirror Online, 13 August 2015
< class="heading12boldGeorgia">Rajapaksa non-committal on land-bridge
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at present self-styled prime ministerial nominee of President Maithripala Sirisena-led SLFP-UPFA, has said that it was too early to comment on the repeated Indian ministerial/political pronouncements on a land-bridge connecting the two countries.
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For more information see: "Bridge project: MR non-committal",
The Island, 9 August 2015; "Local business community turns to UPFA to halt fast-tracking of CEPA negotiations",
The Island, 9 August 2015; "China discouraged investing in SL after Port City project: G.L.",
Daily Mirror Online, 10 August 2015
Primary Documentation
Afghanistan
Press Release regarding the repatriation of 338 Myanmar fishermen from Indonesia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 August 2015
Bangladesh
Statement
Speech for Hon’ble Foreign Minister on the occasion of the 48th Anniversary of the founding of ASEAN at the Royal Thai Embassy, Dhaka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 8 August 2015
Press Release
Bilateral talks held between Bangladesh President and Vietnam President in Hanoi, Vietnam, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 10 August 2015
Bhutan
Prime Minister meets Ambassadors of South Korea and Australia, Cabinet Secretariat, 11 August 2015
Myanmar
Press Release regarding the repatriation of 338 Myanmar fishermen from Indonesia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 12 August 2015
Bibliography
Afghanistan
Opinion pieces
Karim Khoja,
"Afghanistan Calling", Foreign Policy, 12 August 2015
Stephen J. Hadley and Andrew Wilder,
"Four Steps to Afghan Reconciliation", The Washington Post, 12 August 2015
Kate Clark,
"The Triple Attack in Kabul: A message? If so, to whom?", Afghanistan Analysts Network, 10 August 2015
Bangladesh
Op-eds
RukhsanaHasib,
"Rising Religious Extremism in Bangladesh", The Huffington post, 10 August 2015
BiruPaksha Paul,
"Is six percent growth a trap for Bangladesh?",The Daily Star, 11 August 2015
Bjorn Lomborg,
"Towards a consensus on Bangladesh priorities" The Daily Star, 14 August 2015
Bhutan
Opinion Pieces
Kuensel,
"Benefits of sharing resources", Kuensel, 14 August 2015
India
Opinion Pieces
ShailajaBajpai,
"When MPs embarrass their kin" The Indian Express, 13 August 2015
P Chidambaram,
"Across the Aisle: An open letter in reply to the Finance Minister", The Indian Express, 9 August 2015
RichaSekhani,
"India preparing to join Apec club", The Pioneer, 10 August 2015
Myanmar
Opinion Pieces
Sithu Aung Myint,
"Military precision as election nears", Myanmar Times, 12 August 2015
Nepal
Opinion Pieces
Praveen Kumar Yadav,
"Change agents", Republica, 11 August, 2015
Dharma Adhikari,
"The Reporter", Republica, 11 August, 2015
Pakistan
Opinion Pieces
AasimSajjadAkhtar,
"What freedom?", Dawn, 14 August 2015.
MehrTarar,
"Sexual abuse, a taboo?",The Express Tribune, 14 August 2015.
F S Aijazuddin,
"Imran’s Marxism", Dawn, 14 August 2015.
Dr Pervez Tahir,
"Obama creating his legacy", The Express Tribune, 14 August 2015.
Sri Lanka
Opinion Pieces
Ameen Izaudeen, "Politicians bow before the court of the people: who told more lies?",
Daily Mirror Online, 14 August 2015
Lynn Ockersz, "De-militarisation of IOR and neighbourhood perceptions of India",
The Island, 13 August 2015
N Sathiya Moorthy, "Sri Lanka polls: Tough choices and the way ahead",
India Writes, 13 August 2015
Shamindra Ferdinando, "General Elections-2015: Unitary status, Re-merger of NP with EP and other critical issues",
The Island, 12 August 2015
N Sathiya Moorthy, "Sri Lanka: What India can do at UNHRC?",
The Sunday Leader, 11 August 2015
Jehan Perera, "His election has also offered voters a middle path",
The Island, 11 August 2015
N Sathiya Moorthy, "Parties, politics and poll-time promises",
The Sunday Leader, 9 August 2015
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Contributors:
Afghanistan : Aryaman Bhatnagar;
Bangladesh : Joyeeta Bhattacharjee;
Bhutan & Myanmar : Mihir Bhonsale;
India: : Shubh Soni and Pushan Das;
Maldives & Sri Lanka : N Sathiya Moorthy;
Nepal : Pratnashree Basu and Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhuri ;
Pakistan : Zuber Singh
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
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