Author: ForumIAS

Plea contests jury trial in Parsi special courts Context Half a century after the case of a young Parsi war veteran, Commander K.M. Nanavati, sounded the death knell for the jury system in India, the Supreme Court on Friday agreed to take up the case of a Parsi woman, who has challenged the jury system… Continue reading Plea contests jury trial in Parsi special courts

Who’s hiding behind Padmavati? Context The violent assertion of Hindu masculinity is masked as concern for a woman Sati being Evangelised All disputes about history and myth are about the present. Nearly two centuries after sati was abolished, the myth of a woman who embraced death to protect medieval honour is being evangelised by an upper-caste… Continue reading Who’s hiding behind Padmavati?

States of healthcare Context Data from Global Burden of Disease study will help states chart their individual trajectories. They need to beef up disease monitoring systems? The Global Burden of Disease study  It was initiated 26 years ago to chart the changing patterns of disease-related death and disability from 1990 onwards Since then, estimates are… Continue reading States of healthcare

Doval for cooperation on cybersecurity Context National Security Adviser Ajit Doval said all stakeholders, including States and the private sector, need to cooperate to mitigate the negative effects of cyberspace, especially amid emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence and internet of things Key Point Faster exchange of information key Suggestions The security agencies of… Continue reading Doval for cooperation on cybersecurity

Terror games Context Hafiz Saeed walks free again, posing another question mark on Pakistan’s commitment to tackle extremism Backdrop This was the seventh time that Saeed, head of the terrorist Jamaat-ud-Dawa/Lashkar-e-Toiba, was arrested, and the sixth time he was released by the Lahore High Court Saeed, who was designated under the UN Security Council’s 1267… Continue reading Terror games

Lest 26/11 come Context India needs to revamp its security architecture, reform and rejuvenate police forces India is the third most affected According to the US Country Reports on Terrorism 2016, India is the third most affected country after Iraq and Afghanistan in the number of attacks perpetrated on its soil It is estimated that… Continue reading Lest 26/11 come

The Chabahar Checkmate  Context Pakistan must abandon isolationism, worry more about trade and development Backdrop First Consignment: India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through the Iranian port of Chabahar; in the following six months it will send six more Changing Relations: This will also take almost all the Afghan trade out of… Continue reading The Chabahar Checkmate 

India, Sri Lanka to expedite projects Context Expediting decisions on joint projects and “solving the problems that have emerged” was at the top of the agenda as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and President Ram Nath Kovind during his two-day visit to Delhi, officials… Continue reading India, Sri Lanka to expedite projects

The China plan — On Myanmar-Bangladesh deal on Rohingya Context The devil will be in the detail of the Myanmar-Bangladesh deal on Rohingya repatriation China’s 3 point Plan The agreement reached between Myanmar and Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingya refugees suggests that the Chinese proposal has found some traction as a solution to the crisis Bilateral Talks: Under… Continue reading The China plan — On Myanmar-Bangladesh deal on Rohingya

Endgame in Syria  Context Unless the peace dividend is visible soon, regression to anarchy cannot be ruled out Backdrop: Flurry of political activity  Ceasefire: between government-allied forces and rebel groups Following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) at Abu Kamal, its last Syrian redoubt, military activities are being framed by the tenuous ceasefire between… Continue reading Endgame in Syria