The 21 May meeting is being viewed as a damage-control exercise after some political parties questioned the credibility and independence of the Election Commission.
When Israelis pushed out Arabs in 1948, they didn’t think that embittered refugees would turn into a permanent threat to their new state. This was a catastrophic miscalculation.
ISKP, a sub-continental branch of the Islamic State, is said to have vowed to extend operations in Kashmir, on encouragement from Pakistan’s security establishment.
Pakistan’s army has been a rentier force available to a reasonable bidder. It has never come to the aid of any Muslims including Palestinians or the Gazans, except making noises here and there.
The first phase of voting, in 91 constituencies, has gone off well. That is the core function of the ECI. The sheer logistics of enabling 900 million Indians to choose their next government. On being seen as a neutral umpire, the record is a little uneven. The point to be noted is that the game it is meant to referee is not being played by truant teenagers. On both – actually three – sides of the political divide, the participants are senior figures from our public life, many holding high constitutional office. They should be regulating themselves most of the time, not waiting to be called out by an outraged ECI. Would Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru really require the ECI to tell him what was permissible, what was not. 2. Second, all institutions should pick up their share of the weight. The apolitical nature of the armed forces is known to all. Truly one of our sacred cows. So why should Nirvachan Sadan alone show the card. The letter sent by 150 retired officers will stop this now in its tracks. Three serving chiefs could have been equally effective.
The first phase of voting, in 91 constituencies, has gone off well. That is the core function of the ECI. The sheer logistics of enabling 900 million Indians to choose their next government. On being seen as a neutral umpire, the record is a little uneven. The point to be noted is that the game it is meant to referee is not being played by truant teenagers. On both – actually three – sides of the political divide, the participants are senior figures from our public life, many holding high constitutional office. They should be regulating themselves most of the time, not waiting to be called out by an outraged ECI. Would Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru really require the ECI to tell him what was permissible, what was not. 2. Second, all institutions should pick up their share of the weight. The apolitical nature of the armed forces is known to all. Truly one of our sacred cows. So why should Nirvachan Sadan alone show the card. The letter sent by 150 retired officers will stop this now in its tracks. Three serving chiefs could have been equally effective.