Hello,
The shockwaves of the Taliban ascendancy in Afghanistan are reverberating across the world. The reality of the USA's “strategic defeat”, the stunning capitulation of the Afghan security forces, and the snapping up of Kabul by the Taliban, is still sinking in.
Nayanima Basu of ThePrint, perhaps the only staff reporter from an Indian news organisation in Afghanistan, chronicled events in Kabul, the morning after the Taliban takeover – the atmosphere of terror and uncertainty, Taliban raiding hotels and offices, establishing checkpoints throughout the city and sealing off the Green Zone, the VIP area, where the foreign embassies are situated.
Mojo Story and The Citizen discuss the implications of this geopolitical revolution in Afghanistan on India as it faces its “biggest foreign policy challenge” in years. They also discuss if strategic imperatives dictate that India chooses pragmatism over idealism and does the unthinkable of opening channels with the Taliban, at least as a tactical option.
Article 14 looks at the recent Jantar Mantar hate-speech incident against Muslims and traces a common thread between this event and other incendiary incidents in the recent past in the NCR and Haryana. It concludes that common ingredients in the events were – “common instigators”, police turning mere bystanders, and gatherings, otherwise banned under the pandemic, being allowed.
And, SC Observer examines the record of Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman, who retired from the Supreme Court last week. He has been part of several significant cases, including privacy rights, right to life, freedom of speech and equality, amongst others.
For these stories and more from our grantees, please read on.
Warmly,
Sunil Rajshekhar
IPSMF
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