Gautam Navlakha

With the National Democratic Alliance government pushing the entry of private corporations into the military sector, there are anumber of ongoing tie-ups between Indian corporate oligarchs and foreign original equipment manufacturers. The former are saddled with huge debts and have a sullied record, while the latter are reluctant to part with their proprietary technologies. Concurrently, the public defence sector is being hollowed out and is shedding jobs. How do these developments advance India’s strategic interests?

The blatant sidelining of technologically-competent public sector undertakings in defence procurement and the promotion of select private sector companies as junior partners of foreign original equipment manufacturers are deepening the country’s technological dependence in the design, development and production of armaments.

The Maoists have come under relentless attack and have suffered a setback in their main stronghold, the Bastar division in southern Chhattisgarh, but, contrary to official claims, they are far from being wiped out over there. Fifty years after the Naxalbari uprising, the resilience displayed by the Maoists provides continued political relevance to the “spark” that lit Naxalbari in May 1967. But there is a long road uphill and ahead.

Instead of penny-pinching over the “One Rank, One Pension” scheme, the government ought to save precious resources by withdrawing the army from “internal security duty” and pursuing diplomacy and a political resolution of the Kashmir dispute. But tragically, it has chosen to keep both its soldiers and the areas where they operate (within the country) “disturbed,” and then dishonour the soldiers by being miserly and close-fisted over the OROP scheme.

The approach towards Kashmir is based on the assessment that this phase of the azaadi movement will tire itself out. Instead, it is more likely that it will eventually result in the re-emergence of armed militancy. It is never too late to do the right thing and once the Indian state removes restrictions on civil liberties, it can reach out to the azaadi leadership for unconditional talks.

As anger simmers under the relative surface calm in Kashmir, a farce threatens to turn into tragedy. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on the floor of the Parliament on 18 July that referendum as a concept is “outdated and irrelevant.” It is noteworthy that he has unwittingly lent legitimacy...

When the Government of India has neither the intent nor the political will to offer greater autonomy, and Kashmiris refuse to settle for anything less than azaadi , armed confrontation is only to be expected.