Home & Away

Indrani Bagchi The Gujarat police, NSG and our numerous intelligence and security agencies are currently on an all-India lookout for 10 terrorists who may have “sneaked” into India from Pakistan (terrorists always “sneak” in, though over the years, they may have found other less sneaky ways of coming across). Not only are the top metropolises on high alert – the alert has spread from Gujarat to Delhi, to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Cyberabad. Smaller cities like Lucknow, Vijaywada, Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, and the list goes on, are all on hyper alert. Some of the Mahashivratri celebrations in the Somnath temple were cancelled fearing that amidst the dancers celebrating Lord Shiva could be suicide bombers. For the past 48 hours the nation has been on tenterhooks. In other words, the nation has been terrorised without the terrorists having shown themselves. There are intel alerts and then there are intel alerts. Over the years, despite the ones that got away,...

Indrani Bagchi The Uri terror attack has made us a nation of “jabra” (jaw) fans (as SRK would have said)! Our national bloodthirst also has a cyclical timeline - 2001, 2006, 2008, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and it will go on. Governments have changed, but some things have not. At least in our columns and in our studios, we have inflicted unacceptable damage on Pakistan, after what is arguably the worst attack on Indian security forces (Pathankot was the worst, until Uri happened). In the couple of days since the attack, the Indian diplomatic system has swung into action with practised ease. The world is prepped and on India’s side, as it has been since the Mumbai attacks of 26/11. Honestly, the world has not actually moved from our side. As Pakistan has continued on its path of becoming the world’s best known jihadi entity, global sympathy has been with India. Global opinion is positive to the extent that the US Congress has introduced legislation seeking to declare Pakistan a stat...

Indrani Bagchi New delhi, November 14, 2012 With the thinning down of NATO forces in Afghanistan a reality, Hamid Karzai, said they would use “all means available” to deter Pakistan from using terrorism against them. “We will use all means available” to convince Pakistan to abandon support to terrorism, said Afghan president, Hamid Karzai in an exclusive conversation with TOI. Karzai said, “terrorism and extremism is now causing Pakistan more danger than Afghanistan or in India. It is from this new situation, that I have changed my approach to Pakistan. I am much more conciliatory than the situation demands.” As if in response, Pakistan on Wednesday, agreed to release several Afghan Taliban leaders to begin a “reconciliation” process with the Afghan government. What will be the roles of the US and India in Afghanistan post 2014? Karzai said “India has a massive role in Afghanistan to educate and train Afghans and set up institutions.” India and Afghanistan, he said wou...