Dr. Ashok K.Behuria is a Fellow and Coordinator of the South Asia Centre at MP-IDSA. He is a Ph.D in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has worked on “India-Pakistan Relationship During the Eighties” for his Ph.D. He joined IDSA in 2003 and before that he worked as Assistant Director at the International Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi. Dr.Behuria has also been Editor of International Studies, the prestigious research journal from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and has been in the Editorial Boards of Journal of Peace Studies and Strategic Analysis, the flagship journal from IDSA. He has taught at the University of Delhi and JamiaMilliaIslamia, New Delhi. He is a close observer of developments in South Asia and has been awarded the prestigious K Subrahmanyam Award for excellence in strategic studies for his work on Pakistan in 2009. He has published many research articles on strategic issues related to Pakistan, India-Pakistan relations, Sri Lanka, Nepal and South Asian security environment in Indian and foreign journals. He has edited several books on South Asia and continues with his research on internal politics in Pakistan, evolving strategic scenario in the Pak-Af region, radicalisation of religious discourse in the region, India’s engagement with the neighbourhood, regional security, and inter-state cooperation.
The underlying message of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit is to convey to Pakistan, the US and the others that India has strategic interests in Afghanistan.
Various reports on ‘Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan’ produced by the US Department of Defense, 2010 (in coordination with some other departments) have struggled to paint an optimistic picture of the Afghan situation, to maintain the morale of the troops. However, a tacit admission that the Afghan War is not going anywhere can be deciphered from the cautious language used in these reports.
S.M. Krishna should reassure the people of Nepal that India has always acted in the interests of the Nepalese people and that it has no intention to interfere in the internal politics of the country.
It is a truism to say that the elite in Pakistan has used Islam to perpetuate its hold on power ever since the state came into being in 1947. The judiciary in Pakistan has been the latest to emphasise its Islamist credentials to legitimise its rise as an important constituent of the influential ‘quartet’ that is ruling Pakistan today.
While the US may continue to keep its contacts with the Pakistani army and its political leadership and strengthen its presence in Pakistan, can it contain the tide of Islamic radicalism prospering within Pakistan?
The peace process between India and Pakistan came to an abrupt halt with the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008 (26/11). Ironically, the attacks were carried out by Pakistani terrorists minutes after the foreign ministers of both countries met in New Delhi and pledged to take the composite dialogue process forward. Ever since, Pakistan's unwillingness to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice has come in the way of resumption of the composite dialogue. There have been many false starts, but the process continues to be in a state of suspended animation.