Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management On January 16, 2015, at least three Shia Muslims were shot dead in Rawalpindi District while they were returning home from a religious gathering. The victims were identified as lawyer Fayyaz Hussain Shah (40), and his two nephews Mir Ghazi Shah (20) and Mir Hamza Shah (22). The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) 'spokesperson' Muhammad Khorasani claimed responsibility for the attack saying that lawyer Fayyaz Hussain Shah was active in his Shia community and was also a local leader of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Bucket list for Obama-Modi Republic Day Summit
The 2015 Republic Daycelebrations of India will mark the beginning of a new era of Indo-US relationship with the US President gracing the occasion as its guest of honour for the first time. Sujeet Sarkar explores the emerging possibilities of this growing tie and enlists the agenda lying ahead for both the incumbent leaders.
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management In a change for good, the five phase Assembly Election in Jharkhand held in the month of November and December 2014 passed off peacefully, with a record voter turnout of 66.47 per cent. According to the Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer P.K. Jajoria the State has not recorded this high a polling in any election - Assembly or Lok Sabha - since the creation of the State in 2000. Significantly, Inspector General (IG) of Police (Operations) M.L. Meena, who was a nodal officer in the Election Cell, added, "Since 1996, no election had been peaceful. Casualties were reported in 2009 and 2005 Assembly and Lok Sabha polls from Palamu, Dhanbad, Giridih, Khunti and Dumka." In the General Elections to the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Parliament) held in April-May 2014, eight persons - five Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) personnel, two poll officials and a cleaner of the minibus in which they were travelling - died in a landmine blast by the Maoists in the Shikaripada Police Station area in Dumka District on April 24.
Redefining Social Responsibility: Integrating CSR in the Ethos of the Organisation
In India, historically, Corporate Social Responsibility has been perceived as charity and/or philanthropy. However, in the last few years, corporate responsibility has gained significance in India as companies realize that for participation in the global economy, investment in sustainability is essential. It is still, however, at an experimental phase, as few companies have a well considered corporate responsibility strategy. This could also emanate from the fact that as recent as 2012 most companies in India had a lack of clarity on the definition of CSR, its agenda and reporting, hence leading to a lack of unified view. This was evident from a CRY commissioned research on corporate perceptions of CSR.
In a barbaric act of terror, a seven-member suicide squad of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed at least 133 school children and nine staff members, including the Principal, in an attack at the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar (capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, KP) on December 16, 2014. Another 121 persons, including 118 students and three staffers sustained injuries. The attack, which started at about 10 am (PST), ended after more than eight hours, when the seven-member suicide squad was eliminated. Nine personnel of the Special Services Group (SSG), a special operations force of the Pakistan Army, including two of its officers, sustained injuries during the operation. An estimated 1,100 students and staff members were inside the school at the time of the attack, of which some 960 were rescued.
Chhattisgarh: The Same Trap, Again
In a guerrilla ambush, showing sufficient elements of mobile warfare, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres killed 14 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel including two officers, Deputy Commandant B.S. Verma and Assistant Commandant Rajesh Kapuria, and injured another 14 on the outskirts of Kasalpar village, near Chintagufa and Chintalnar, close to the Dornapal-Jagargunda Road in Sukma District, on December 1, 2014. CRPF Deputy Inspector General (DIG) D. Upadhyay disclosed that the Maoists looted 10 AK-47s, including three UBGL (Under Barrel Grenade Launcher) attachments, 900 rounds, 30 UBGL grenades, an INSAS LMG with 300 rounds, an INSAS rifle with one magazine, four bullet proof jackets, a GPS and two binoculars, after the encounter.
Will the Unity Government Deliver for Afghanistan?
Afghanistan may be rejoicing with the formation of a unity government after a month of political deadlock and uncertainty, but the same may not augur well for the country in the long run, says Sujeet Sarkar who works as an international advisor on governance and civil society and has authored the acclaimed book: In Search of a New Afghanistan.
For over three weeks, beginning August 16, 2014, Constitution Avenue in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, have been the epicenter of violent demonstrations. Thousands of demonstrators, belonging to the Imran Khan led-Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri's Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), have thronged the venue. Constitution Avenue, also called Shahra-e-Dastoor, is the main road in Islamabad where prominent Government institutions, including Parliament House, Pakistan Secretariat, Supreme Court, Prime Minister's House, President's House, and Diplomatic Enclaves, are situated. The entire area has been designated the 'Red Zone' of Islamabad.
Odisha: Maoists - Hanging on a Thread
Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres abducted and killed a tribal, identified as Madan Hantal (35), of Karanjuguda village under Malkangiri Village-79 (MV- 79) Police limits in Malkangiri District on July 8, 2014. The Maoists had abducted Madan on July 6 and his bullet ridden body was found lying in a pool of blood a few metres away from the village. A letter left by Maoists at the spot declared that Madan had been 'punished', as he was passing information to Police. "We had warned Madan many times to maintain distance from Police but he didn't listen to us. Anyone who will try to act as a 'Police informer' will meet the same fate," the one page letter read. Police denied the Maoist allegation that the deceased was a 'Police informer'.
India's clear and present danger in Afghanistan
The attacks on Indian consulates would continue in Afghanistan, says Sujeet Sarkar who works as an international advisor on governance and civil society and has authored the acclaimed book "In search of a new Afghanistan".
Communalism and Indian politics
Communalism is a libertarian socialist political philosophy coined by Murray Bookchin. According to dictionary 'Communalism' is a system according to which each commune is different from each other.
While Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in a TV interview attacked BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the Gujarat riots and defended his own party in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after India Gandhi's assassination, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the Gandhi scion on the issue and asked him to explain the remark of his own father after the post-assassination massacres.