There is cause for some optimism as the war clouds have seemingly dissipated following the “surgical strikes” by the Indian Army across the Line of Control (LoC) on the night of September 28-29. The Indian government has indicated that the military strike inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has achieved its stated purpose of neutralising “terrorist launch pads” and that it has no immediate plans for further military action. A statement by the Indian government said that the military action had caused “significant casualties on militants preparing to infiltrate from Pakistan”. The Indian military response came in the wake of the terror attack on its base in Uri on September 18, which resulted in the death of 19 Indian servicemen along with four terrorists involved in the operation.
The government of Pakistan, however, claims that there is a lot of hype surrounding the “surgical strikes”, while its Army vehemently sticks to its stand that no physical violation of the LoC took place on the night of September 28-29. Pakistani diplomatic and military officials claim that what actually happened was a short military intrusion accompanied by intense shelling of a Pakistani military post by the Indian Army. According to sources on the Indian side, Indian paratroopers sneaked across the LoC to engage the Pakistan Army and succeeded in inflicting “heavy” casualties. The number of Pakistani casualties initially given out by Indian government spokesmen seems to have been slightly inflated. The Pakistan Army says only two of its soldiers were killed and nine others were injured. The Pakistan military had issued a statement immediately stating that if there is a “surgical strike” on its soil, “it will be strongly responded to”.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
