Gunners Shot

VISTAS FROM YESTERDAY AND IMAGES OF TOMORROW   The Genocide the U.S. Can’t Remember, But Bangladesh Can’t Forget .... the Rwandan genocide, or the Holocaust, or the killing that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia, the genocide in Bangladesh that ended 45 years ago this week has largely slipped out of public awareness—even though the upper estimate for the death toll is 3 million.... . GENOCIDE For six days as I travelled with the officers of the 9th Division headquarters at Comilla I witnessed at close quarters the extent of the killing. I saw Hindus, hunted from village to village and door to door, shot off-hand after a cursory "short-arm inspection" showed they were uncircumcised. I have heard the screams of men bludgeoned to death in the compound of the Circuit House (civil administrative headquarters) in Comilla. I have seen truck loads of other human targets and those who had the humanity to try to help them hauled off under the cover of darkness and curfew. I have witne

Refs :-  Politico Military Fusion for a Future Ready India @  https://www.gunnersshot.com/2021/03/blog-post_10.html   Politico Military Leadership Challenges of 2021 @  https://www.gunnersshot.com/2021/01/politico-military-leadership-challenges.html   Corporatisation of OFB: High Time for Action @  https://www.gunnersshot.com/2020/09/corporatisation-of-ofb-high-time-for.html   Undissuasive Leadership, Undeterred China @  https://www.gunnersshot.com/2020/08/undissuasive-leadership-undeterred.html Preamble Economists told me that I was making fundamental sense in my article :  Chinese and Indian Defence Budgets – Comparative Hype and Reality . People with experience in handling defence budgets said I presented a very unique perspective. I got a left handed compliment for creating a positive narrative, even out of a not so positive situation. It was pointed out that urgent capability development needs, clearing backlog of AONs, carry over liabilities etc have not been met. That is exactly

IMRAN  : “Kashmir Is The Lone Irritant Between India And Pakistan”. ME : “Renounce It. Hand it back to India! Ghabrana Nahi.” After the LOC ceasefire, the next move in the Indo Pak chessboard is the  olive branch being extended to India. Imran Khan spoke recently of necessity of India taking the first step, the Kashmir issue being the lone irritant to  better Indo-Pakistan ties and indicated grant of access to resource-rich Central Asia if there was peace. The Pakistani COAS says that peace will elude the sub-continent until Kashmir is resolved,  and that it is time to bury the past and move forward. He also adds that the onus for meaningful dialogue rested with India by creating a conducive environment, particularly in occupied Kashmir. (He does not want to bury Kashmir but wants us to do so!). The Foreign Minister says Pakistan wants  co-existence and win-win cooperation and not be a part of any regional conflict.   My personal reaction is – sceptical pessimism. Pakistan and peace? I

Recently, I had a long conversation with Mr Srinivas of ‘Hindu Businessline’ who wanted to write an editorial on this issue. He told me that in the 500 odd words of an editorial all facets concerning the subject could not be covered. That is when I decided to pen down the article.  This article is not about our generation, but the next and the next and the next....  The Brahmaputra River originates in the Mansarovar area of Tibet and is called Tsangpo Yarlung there. It flows Eastwards till the Namcha Barwa Peak and swings south in a loop around it known as the great bend. It enters India through Kepang La near Tuting. It  is known as the Siang / Dihang till it hits the plains. South of Pasighat it is known as the Brahmaputra. The map below shows the drainage of the Brahmaputra basin. Very clearly , the river gathers most of its water from tributaries South of the Himalayan crest line. The main tributaries, as any ‘fauji’ who has North East experience would know, are the three Ss (Siom,