Archive for the ‘Afghanistan’ Category
Why Tahrir Square is not Possible in India?
It would be an understatement to suggest that the Tahrir Square protests in Egypt have profound implications for the theory and practice of democracy. Commitment to democracy has assumed dramatically different connotations both in terms of adherence by national governments and support of the international community. Removal of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is only the short term result of the 18 day uprising, the long term outcome including the conception and growth of democratic norms shall emerge with time. However, the apparent ‘success’ of the uprising has fired the imagination of the people not only in autocratic regimes but in functional democracies as well. One such instance is that of India. Social and mainstream media in India has suggested the possibility of emulating Egypt type uprising in India to challenge the corruption and inefficiency of the Government. Many observers have even drawn parallels between the Tahrir uprising and public protests in Srinagar in the summer of 2010. Though Egypt like uprising is unlikely in India, yearnings for such ‘revolution’ shall remain strong among the Indian populace. Click to continue…
Niira Radia Tapes and the Question of Journalistic Ethics
“The sole aim of journalism should be service. The newspaper is a great power, but just as an unchained torrent of water submerges whole countryside and devastates crops, even so an uncontrolled pen serves but to destroy. If the control is from without, it proves more poisonous than want of control. It can be profitable only when exercised from within.” Mahatma Gandhi, An Autobiography of My Experiments With Truth.
The issue of control from without and within lies at the root of the recent Niira Radia tapes controversy in India.
As India Prepares for President Obama…
India is getting ready for U.S. President Barak Obama’s visit to the country beginning on November 4th. Apart from the political and diplomatic dimensions of the visit, the most interesting aspect is the Indian media’s pre-visit coverage. Editorials in leading news dailies and comments by strategic observers in the run up to President Obama’s visit have a different tone this time. Visits by U.S. Presidents are usually hyped as historic, path-breaking and momentous. However, caution seems to be the more dominant sentiment this time.
Controversy Over Home Minister’s “Saffron Terror” Remark
India’s Home Minister P. Chidambaram during a speech at the conference of State police chiefs and Inspector-Generals of police cautioned against the emerging phenomenon of ‘saffron terror’. The Home Minister’s comments have proved controversial with the Opposition Party, Bharatiya Janata Dal (BJP) demanding an apology. Semantics apart, Home Minister Chidambaram’s comment was not frivolous.
Civilian Protests in J&K: [A]Part of Struggles in Rest of India?
Struggles for democracy and struggles of democracy may be different but are struggles nonetheless.
The civilian protests in the Kashmir region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir have been accompanied by a proliferation of literature on the intra-national dimension of the dispute, especially the issue of Human Rights. If you happen to read the columns by likes of Pankaj Mishra or Basharat Peer it is likely that your sympathies will lie with the people of Kashmir. Many others are of the opinion that the violent protests should stop to allow the Government to discuss the popular grievances. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has agreed that New Delhi is open to discussing the autonomy issue. Amendment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act is also under consideration. For the protestors, Prime Minister Singh’s assurance is another addition to similar pledges in the past. The Kashmiri youth demand ‘aazadi’ and refuse to be pacified by piecemeal political and economic packages. The Government fears that accepting the demands of the protestors at this juncture would legitimize violent protests as an instrument of popular pressure. Click to continue…
Discussing J&K
The street protests in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) are de javu for many locals. It is claimed that a new generation of youth in the state are turning to confrontational tactics as the state continues to define security in strictly militaristic terms. For the Indian side peace in J&K implies ensuring that separatists and militants supported by Pakistan are reined in and ‘democratic’ elections held every five years. The slogans of ‘aazadi’ echoing through the Kashmir Valley are dismissed as the voice of few misguided youth and miscreants supported by ‘foreign’ forces.
Limitations of the vocabulary of western political theory for post-colonial societies have created a dilemma for India and Pakistan. ‘Aazadi’ is interpreted as territorial sovereignty and arguments highlighting the improbability of it for J&K are promptly presented by the Indian side. Pakistan likewise claims to be supporting the Kashmiris in their struggle for self-determination. Looking at the concept of ‘aazadi’ from the perspective of J&K can connote a variety of political arrangements ranging from responsive governance and responsible administration to different degrees of devolution of political authority. The relation between the Indian Federation and its constituent units continues to remain problematic in other areas of the country as well. In the case of J&K, the struggle between the Federation and the units is subsumed in the master narrative constructed in 1947.
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Impressions from the Kashmir Protests
The recent tensions in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir have not surprised many. The nation-wide shut down on July 5th attracted more attention than curfew restrictions in parts of the Kashmir valley. However, the recent protest demonstrations do not strictly fall in the segment of terrorism related issues inflicting the state since the past two decades. A section of the Indian population dissatisfied with the Government is participating in protest demonstrations. At least 11 people have been killed in the Kashmir Valley in firing by security forces on stone-pelting mobs protesting against alleged human rights violations.
[Photo Courtesy: The Hindu]
UPDATE: With four civilians killed in the past 24 hours and 70 others injured as the police opened fire to quell demonstrations in different parts of Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday sought the Army’s help in tamping down mass protests that have not abated despite several days of curfew.
The Government of India is referring to it as a law and order problem prompted by separatists. The incident and follow up official reaction indicates that the Government’s priorities in the state are more security oriented than conditioned by requirements of ensuring stability. Maintenance of law and order and prevalence of armed forces can ensure security. Good governance and winning the ‘hearts and minds’ of the local population warrants stability.
Afghanistan Election Runoff - For Whom?
The runoff vote for Afghan Presidential elections has been scheduled for November 7. What is expected to emerge out of this internationally sponsored democratic exercise? Is the runoff an attempt to provide the Afghan people with a truly representative government or does the international community merely want to assert its partnership with the de jure and de facto Government of Afghanistan?
Is Flawed Democracy Better than Any Form of Authoritarianism?
The drama of the Afghanistan Presidential elections is not over yet. The results are expected to create unrest among the supporters of defeated candidates. It remains to be seen how the international community will react to outcome of the elections allegedly marred by reports of fraud and rigging. The political process may be referred to as ‘democratic’ but the quality of democracy and freedom remain doubtful for many.
Hundreds of people could not cast their votes in Zazi Maidan district of southeastern Khost province as the polling stations ran out of ballots papers, voters complained.
The polling station at Lashkar Gah in the Helmand Province was hit by rockets barely five minutes after opening.
In the traditional Afghan society the lack of female officers at the polling stations made it difficult for scores of Afghan women to venture out for voting.
What was surprising to me was the swiftness with which the two candidates- Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah- claimed victory in the elections. Their assertion of victory is an explicit approval of the election process. The post-result disagreement will not be a disapproval of the democratic process but merely an expression of dislike for the opponent.
There are two faces of the elections in Afghanistan: one that holds that a flawed democracy is better than any form of authoritarianism and the other which emphasize on socio-economic pre-requisites of democracy more than the formal process of voting.
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Afghan Community of the Bay Area on Presidential Elections in Afghanistan.
Pictures of burqa clad women casting their votes and long queues outside polling stations dominated the news headlines on August 20. Presidential elections in Afghanistan had become a global event. Scores of journalists were in Afghanistan to cover the elections and scholars in the U.S. provided expert views on the election process and its wider fall-out. While journalists travelled half way across the world to highlight the Afghan opinion, the huge Afghan population in the U.S. went about their business as usual. I ventured into an Afghan community of the Bay Area in California to see how these Afghans felt about the elections. My encounter exposed me to some most frank and some highly thought-proving responses. These people were keen to talk to me but not on camera; though vocal the Afghans are very private people. My interactions gave me a picture very different from the one portrayed in the mainstream media. Click to continue…