&w=3840&q=100)
India's purpose should be to re-establish deterrence, says Ajay Bisaria
During his tenure as India's envoy to Pak from 2017 to Aug 2019, Bisaria had a front-row seat to India's response to the 2019 Pulwama attack and argues that India now needs to re-establish deterrence
Bhaswar Kumar Archis Mohan Delhi
Listen to This Article
After the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam killed 26 people, mostly tourists, India-Pakistan relations have sharply deteriorated. The attack has prompted diplomatic downgrades and treaty-level measures, and raised the spectre of escalation amid a widely anticipated Indian military response to Islamabad's continued support for cross-border terrorism. Against this backdrop, former diplomat Ajay Bisaria — India's last High Commissioner to Pakistan and subsequently envoy to Canada — sat down with Business Standard's Bhaswar Kumar and Archis Mohan to unpack the timing of the attack and the response it demands from India. During his tenure as India's envoy to Pakistan
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'How do you eat pizza?' Internet grills Republican for mocking Zohran Mamdani eating with bare hands
US Congressman Brandon Gill was brutally criticised by the social media users for his "racist" commentary on New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. The internet dug up photos of Brandon Gill's in-laws after he criticised Zohran Mamdani (L) for eating with bare hands.(X) Gill had raked up a storm on the internet after he reposted a video of Mamdani eating rice with his bare hands and asked him to "go back to the Third World". The internet was quick to lash out at the congressman, from grilling him to digging up the family photos of his Indian-origin wife. Social media users also had questions for the congressman, as to how did he eat food items like pizza, fries and tacos if he disliked eating with his hands so much. "How do you eat hamburgers, pizza, hot dogs, tacos, burritos, fried chicken, french fries, onion rings, and chicken wings ya racist ***? Ugly," a user wrote. A British-American journalist posted a family photo of Brandon Gill with his Indian-origin wife Danielle D'Souza Gill and her father Dinesh D'Souza. "Brandon Gill's father-in-law Dinesh D'Souza was born and raised in India and has definitely eaten with his hands. Is he going to ask his father-in-law to leave the US too?" he asked. Another picture is going viral on the internet, that shows Brandon Gill's in-laws sitting in a restaurant and posing for a photo. It shows food kept in front of them and pieces of what looks like a 'naan' in their hands. "If you're gonna be a giant racist douche against Indians, don't go marrying an Indian," a post that shared the picture said, slamming Brandon Gill. Gill's post, Indian-origin wife's defence Brandon Gill had made comments, which many termed "racist", against Zohran Mamdani, sharing a clip of him eating with his bare hands. "Civilized people in America don't eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World," Gill wrote. Even as social media users used Brandon Gill's Indian-origin family ties to attack him for dissing Mamdani, the congressman's wife Danielle came forward in his support. 'I did not grow up eating rice with my hands and have always used a fork," she said in a post. Her post came after many users online drew parallels between what Gill said and Danielle's Indian heritage. They said many South Asian countries to eat with hands and that Gill's wife probably does too. "I was born in America. I'm a Christian MAGA patriot. My father's extended family lives in India and they are also Christian and they use forks too. Thank you for your attention to this matter," Danielle further wrote. Zohran Mamdani, son of Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair, is a 33-year-old self-declared socialist. He recently defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo in New York City's mayoral primary. If Zohran Mamdani wins, he would be New York's first Muslim mayor.
India Gazette
22 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Suriname's National Assembly newly-elected chairman Ashwin Adhin takes oath in Sanskrit
Paramaribo [Suriname], July 1 (ANI): Suriname's newly elected National Assembly chairman Ashwin Adhin took his oath in the Sanskrit language. He is now the second leader in Suriname to take his oath in Sanskrit. The Indian Embassy in Suriname shared a video on the social media platform X, which showed Adhin taking the oath. In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Suriname stated, 'Newly elected the Chairman of the National Assembly, Mr. Adhin, became the second leader in Suriname who took his oath in Sanskrit, a classical language of India.' India's Ambassador to Suriname, Subhash Gupta, attended the inaugural session of Suriname's National Assembly (NA) on June 29, during which Ashwin Adhin was elected as the NA Chairman. Subhash Gupta congratulated Ashwin Adhin for his election. 'Amb @subhashpgupta, witnessed the inaugural session of National Assembly (NA) on 29 June that elected Mr. Ashwin Adhin, a PIO, as NA Chairman. He became 2nd leader who took his pledge in Sanskrit. Later, the ambassador congratulated him for his election,' Indian Embassy in Suriname posted on X. Earlier in 2020, Suriname's President Chandrikapersad 'Chan' Santokhi took oath in the Sanskrit language during his inauguration ceremony. India and Suriname share close, warm, and friendly relations, reinforced by cultural and people-to-people contacts, which are bridged by the Indian Diaspora's arrival dating back to one and a half centuries, according to a statement from the Indian Embassy in Suriname. Several high-level visits have been exchanged since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Suriname in 1976, with the Indian Embassy opened in Paramaribo in 1977 and the Surinamese Embassy in New Delhi in 2000. According to the Indian Embassy in Suriname, the Indian diaspora currently constitutes over 27 per cent of Suriname's population of about 6.2 lakhs. (ANI)
India Gazette
24 minutes ago
- India Gazette
Indian Navy's latest warship INS Tamal to be commissioned today in Russia
New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): The Indian Navy is all set to commission its latest stealth frigate, INS Tamal, in Russia on Tuesday. This would be its last warship to have been built outside the country. In a social media post on X, the Indian Navy shared a video on INS Tamal, describing the journey and specifications of the warship. The commissioning ceremony will be presided over by Western Naval Commander Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, as the Chief Guest, in the presence of many high-ranking Indian and Russian government and defence officials. The ship is christened as 'Tamal' and is the eighth of the series of Krivak class frigates inducted from Russia over the past two decades, with Tamal itself being the second ship of the Tushil Class, which are the upgraded versions of their predecessors, Talwar and Teg classes, having three ships each. 'India as part of the broader contract for Tushil class is also building two similar frigates called the Triput class at Goa Shipyard Limited with transfer of technology and design assistance from the Russian Side,' read an official statement from the Ministry of Defence. When the series of ships finishes building, the Indian Navy will be operating ten ships with similar capabilities and commonality in equipment, weapon and sensor fit over four different classes. Tamal's construction was closely overseen by an Indian team of specialists from the Warship Overseeing Team stationed at Kaliningrad, under the aegis of the Embassy of India, Moscow. 'At Naval Headquarters, the project was steered by the Directorate of Ship Production under the Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition,' the statement added. Tamal has been built at Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia, and is the last warship to be inducted from a foreign source, while still being in line with the Centre's impetus on 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat ' and ' Make in India ' initiatives. 'The ship has 26 per cent of indigenous components, including the BrahMos long-range cruise missile for targeting both at sea and land. The ship has significant upgrades in its arsenal in comparison to its predecessors, such as vertical launched surface-to-air missiles, improved 100 MM gun, new age EO/IR system in addition to the standard 30 MM CIWS, heavyweight torpedoes, urgent-attack anti-submarine rockets, and a host of surveillance and fire control radars and systems,' the statement added. Force multipliers include Air Early Warning and Multi Role helicopters, which can operate from the deck of Tamal. The combat capability of the ship is augmented by a host of Network Centric Warfare capabilities and an advanced Electronic Warfare suite. Tamal punches well above its weight with a very high tonnage to firepower ratio, extended endurance, and a top speed of over 30 knots. The frigate's crew comprises over 250 personnel who have undergone rigorous ashore as well as afloat training in extremely challenging winter conditions of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad, Russia. Tamal has successively completed extensive sea trials undertaken over three months to prove its systems, weapons and sensors. The ship's name symbolises the mythical sword used for combat by Indra, the King of the gods. The ship's mascot is inspired by the congruence of the 'Jambavant', the Immortal Bear King of Indian Mythology, and the Russian National Animal--the Eurasian Brown Bear. 'The ships' crew collectively takes great pride in calling themselves 'The Great Bears'. Tamal stands as a testament to the long-standing Indo-Russian cooperation and friendship, which has stood the test of time. The ships' motto, 'Sarvada Sarvatra Vijaya ' (Victorious Always Everytime), signifies the Indian Navy's undying commitment to operational excellence in every mission,' according to the official statement. The warship weighs around 3,900 tonnes and is 125 meters long, and was made in collaboration with Indian naval specialists and the Severnoye Design Bureau of Russia. enhancing indigenous content of the ship has been enhanced to 26 per cent, and also doubled the made-in-India systems to 33. Talking about its weapons capability, the official statement mentioned, 'Tamal is equipped with the latest technology in warfighting, including the BrahMos supersonic missile system for anti-ship and land-attack capabilities, Surface Surveillance Radar complex and HUMSA NG Mk II sonar with the anti-submarine weapon firing complex amongst a host of cutting-edge weapon and sensors of Indian Origin.' Notably, the ship also features modern communication and data-link systems, navigation equipment and critical infrastructure, making the ship a powerful asset for naval operations. Upon commissioning, Tamal will join the 'Sword Arm' of the Indian Navy, the Western Fleet, under the Western Naval Command. It will not only be a symbol of the Indian Navy's growing capabilities, but also exemplify the collaborative strength of the India-Russia partnership. On December 9, INS Tushil (F 70), a multi-role stealth-guided missile frigate, was also commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad. (ANI)
