Indian elections no big news in Pakistan

Interesting insight. I don’t think the military in Pakistan will ever allow a full fledged democracy in Pakistan, so they will have to be ever enamoured of ours!

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For a country battling with religious and sectarian violence, the media in Pakistan can be excused for not giving enough coverage to the elections here in India, however The Dawn does have section dedicated to the Indian Elections, Mr Modi does get a lot of attention along with the usual dose of the atrocities on the Indian Muslims and the people of occupied Kashmir. I somehow fail to understand why the media on both sides always have a regressive viewpoint on every issue facing both the nations.

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Good they are ignoring us. Otherwise they would be sending hordes of jehadis to target our democracy.

By the way Vinodji, your editor, Vir Sanghvi, has written a nice article on why India should a tougher line against Pakistan. Could you enlighten me with your views on the issue?

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A tumultous Pakistan gives journalists enough fodder to keep them busy in their country. I don’t care if the Indian elections are closely followed in Pakistan or not. We’re in the process to elect the new government for the 15th time. Why should it be a big news in Pakistan?

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Granted that Pakistan is in the abyss of sectarianism, terrorism and is incomparable to India both in political and economic terms. I cannot, however, agree with these unqualified accolades to Indian Democracy. It is at best, oligarchy, typified by dynastic succession and close knit group of families represented in all shades of political parties. The ‘rule of law’ does rarely apply to these people and even their relatives cannot be prosecuted that easily as the open fatal shooting of Jessica Lal in New Delhi demonstrated. You can only imagine what it is like in the smaller towns and villages in the country.

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Why it is even neccessary for Pakistan to have great intrest in Indian Elections? For Indians and I must say the Hind-us-tan becasue Muslims in Hindu India have no rights to raise there voices, even though they are biggest minority of Hindustan.
For elections in Pakistan , India has never been a one point agenda and hate india politics, on the other hand Indian election runners have been trying to win the race of ” hate or aliminate Pakistan”.
I ampersonally not intrested in so called “Secular Hindustan” because it is the biggest lie and one more way to control ,divert and expedite the cultural and religious genocide of minorities of India and the supremacy of Hindu majority.
Pakistan has its own internal issues where India needs not to be involved at all, and recently there have been pictures of Gorgkhas fighting in Swat and paid by Indian army and Britsh Govt in the disguise of Talibans.
Pakistan and India can co-exist but only on equality basis or we will have this resistance till the end of time. India must except Pakistan as seperate and sovereign state and resolve the internal issues, seperation movements and above all right of minorities to show its faithfulness to Pakistan.

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Who blasted Makka Masjid in Hyderabad? Who exploded bombs in Ajmer & Malegaon? If the NIA can find answers to these questions, they can also find answers to the questions raised in the above article.

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These writers are real friends and chamchas of Rich companies. They do not want poor Indian farmers to prosper. If this writer arguments is correct then all the farmers in America and Europe must be the poorest of all. Because there, veggies are sold in super marts owned by retail chains and not from the basket over head or a thela. If the retail sector comes to India in an organized way, farmers will be able to get sell their products at one point and get their cash. There time will be saved which they can spend on forms cultivate even more. Their products will not be spoiled and rot if they are not able to sell. Quality of product will improve due to competition. I see that it as another step getting closer to developed economy.

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At a macro level view, wouldn’t this create more demand? As prices will be competitive and goods will be easier to obtain for the consumer.

More demand would lead to more consumption. More money flowing back to the retailer and supplier. While I understand some of that will be kept by the retainer, lots of it would go back to the supplier as well, right? Isn’t it better to have that, than to sit back and say no we cant do it because the farmer will lose? I think that’s quite pointless.

Using that logic, we should close down large malls, multiplexes etc. Pointless again.

This is just my opinion.

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Not sure how this gentleman even allowed to write misleading blog.. Its common sense that this will bring huge investments for creating supply chain, cold storage which will create huge jobs.. Kirana stores are cheat.. they sell inferior good at high price .. with no return policy. If you want to return something .. you are doomed … do you suggest , India should shop all over life in such a manner.. ?? When global retailers come.. competition will increase and consumer and suplier 9 farmer) will be benefitted.. If you are crying for those corrupt middleman than its fine .. they just contorl the supply and artifically increase the price … please do some research and then write… when computers came to india .. these kind of people said it will increase unemployment.. now India as over 25 M in computer related industry .. This is good chance to get rid of this corrupt trader lobbies.. I am coming from farmer background .. and traders will simply refuse to take your stuff if you ask good price … in the end you do not have choice to sell at reduce price as it will rot..

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These were the same concepts backward thinking folks always had , when computer technology & communication techology was freed and opened up in india 20 years back – their theory was india will lose lakhs of jobs…what would’ve happened to our youth of india today if then we had listened to them. Let the customer decide what they want and let india have investment in logistics and supply chain and customer front infrastructure…it will be best boon india could have when we look back 10 years from now in both manpower work force it will create and also the modern techology it will bring from Farm to the customer !!! The naysayers will always be naysayers….who have their own vested interests to keep the same old hoaders and middle man traders who are pinching money from both farmers and the customers

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Whatever paul…i too stay in usa for last 12 years and u are absolutely wrong. The single biggest reason for low food inflation in usa is Walmart’s every day low prices and highly efficient technology and logistics efficiency and smaller mom and pop thrives here too. There will be always be small nbr of haters of a company due to their vested interests…you cannot change their mindset. India needs to remove the 5 to 10 touch points between Farmers and consumers. The baniyawalas and trade mafiya unions have been making lot of profit by not paying the farmers and then making consumers asking high price to customers with low quality stuff this has been going on for last 60 years…. In case you do not know 40 to 50 % of india’s vegetables and fruits are damaged before reaching customers. I accolade this FDI opening rule change…this is the best change indian farmers and customers will have…competition is always a good thing. Do not make it far fetched by connecting walstreet demos to these…. You are correct this will be a big inflection point for india…but for good though…

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paul,
You are mixing Apples and Oranges. The FDI opening rule is for FDI in retail frontend and not for taking farm land from farmers !! In USA for generations it has been big land owned family farmers. I believe this fdi opening is fair and open and will benefit both in the increase of jobs for workforce in future and also improve our supplychain logistics.

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paul,
You are mixing Apples and Oranges. The FDI opening rule is for FDI in retail frontend and not for taking farm land from farmers !! In USA for generations it has been big land owned family farmers. I believe this fdi opening is fair and open and will benefit both in the increase of jobs for workforce in future and also improve our supplychain logistics.

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I don’t think any country’s model is good or bad. I do know that the free market should set prices. Capital should flow to wherever it is used most efficiently. If this means individual retailers will lose jobs, or small farmers will suffer, then that is what it will be. I’m sorry, but people should acquire new skills and make themselves more competitive. I’m not sure where you are going with the US pressuring anyone. The US has been a market to all countries and has allowed all producers to sell their products. In return, what have the other countries given? A whole boat load of protectionism. If now the US asks a country to open a market in return, what is the issue? If this whole process exposes India’s sub par productivity and underemployment, so be it. It cannot be sustained forever.

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So farmers did get a higher price? Sounds like farmers did get benefits. It takes time for things to trickle down. Once 3-4 big players become dominant, it will put downward pressure on prices. On the specific question of apples, more data is needed to determine causality. There may be other factors in play. But, one the whole, small farmers and small retailers are inefficient users of resources and are a cost to the economy. I get the moral argument. But, inefficient resources should find a way to get new skills, or be simply left behind. Yes – the world is cruel, I get it.

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1. CII is a lobbying body. Their statements are self serving. They don’t give a sh*t about the small retailers in India.

2. All this is happening just to allow walmart a foothold in India.

3. Small retailers and farmers are not equipped to handle competition from companies like walmart.

4. Efficiency won’t increase magically by just hand waving. There’s nothing walmart can do that we can’t do ourselves.

5. When Walmart begins to have lot of stores and thus more clout in India, they will become a MONOPOLY. Then they will start to pay farmers LESS. This is what happened in USA. It will happen here.

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Several countries, including many in the Arab world, have ties with Israel while supporting the Palestine cause. Why should India do things differently?

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Both Democratic and GOP have same policies towards India and whoever wins in next election will not make much difference but most probably Mr.Obama will win because GOP does not have any strong candidate.Regarding China we have to take care ourselves on eastern border by strengthen our armed forces with latest weapons and modern infrastructure and ballistic missiles with nuclear weapons.America always thinks her own interest first and there is no permanent friendship with any nation in their books and generally do not change its foreign policy easily.What Mr.Bush did it was good for both countries and not alone for India.My guess is Obama adminstration was disappointed when India decided not to buy 126 fighter planes and change his adminstrations attitude to wards India but it may change soon.

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This is perhaps the stupidest article I’ve read this month. The best corrective to the flawed nostrums about the true nature of the Republican Party is to be found by watching any of the dozen of the debates among the Republican candidates. Almost without exception, their number one priority is to side with Israel to the exclusion of all other foreign affairs. And they have been vocal in their intentions to start war with Iran if possible. They propose doubling down on Bush’s disastrous economic policies and deficits for as long as the eye can see, which needs must cause a drastic retrenchment of any US activities in the Pacific theater. Put very simply–and entirely from an Indian perspective–if you were to side with Republicans, you would lose medium-term certainty of an American alliance (surely you remember that China holds much US debt and may not continue to bankroll its own entrapment) and you would probably also lose attention in the short-term, since they are much worse at prosecuting the wars to your west THAT THEY STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE. If all the treasure rests between Israel and Iran, you’re only lucky that Obama is ending the Iraq war now so that maybe there can be some oxygen and political capital to tend to the Indian-American alliance.

Just remember: the mountainous debt problem that the US finds itself in was incurred because of Republican policies. That, and the expensive and distracting wars that the Republican war machine started in Southwest Asia has weakened America’s financial (and thus, military and diplomatic) position, exposed it to weakness via China, and distracted America from more determinedly cultivating relationships with partners in South and Southeast Asia. Note that the spiralling debt under Bush was enabled by China and the contours of that relationship allowed China to keep their currency low and embark upon a decade of economic growth by exporting to America. Thus, to the extent that Obama is able to reverse all of Bush’s messes, India and America may very well be brought into closer harmony. (You will remember that without a war in Afghanistan the Pakistan-American partnership would not have gotten so much play over the last decade, especially as India was liberalizing and could have served as a more preferable economic trading partner to China.)

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Why would you “love” Obama? He’s owned by the same private central banks he decries in his two-faced bs speeches. He’s taken more rights from Americans than Bush ever did with indefinite detention. He’s caught red-handed running guns that were used to kill police officers, and who knows who else, to Mexican drug lords; then has the nerve to use it as pretext to take more rights away from Americans. If you can’t see by now that Obama is not the swell guy he poses as for the fools, you’re a fool. He needs to go, and Ron Paul is the only choice that isn’t cosmetic and insignificant. The ONLY choice.

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On the balance of things, President Obama is likely to win the next Presidential term. This article has too many suppositions, assumptions, and presumptions. Even factually, everything may not be correct!

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Arnab,

You have to learn to skin your own catch. India needs to get off depending on someone else. Dependency eventually leads to weakness.

India’s main problem today is political. It is not a united country. It does not move at the speed that it needs to. It does not take its own defense seriously (e.g. its airforce and navy are basically not even equipped to its basic needs). In fact it seems to be backtracking its way to its old “Hindu” rate of growth. Until it fixes these, it will not be a player anywhere.

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Arnab Mitra is assuming too many issues. India – US relations reached their nadir during Nixon (Republican) presidency. George Bush inherited good relations from Clinton (Democrat). The assumption that Bush always supported India has also been laid to rest with the amount of military aid that was given to Pakistan despite evidence of same having been diverted to sponsor terror attacks against India. The real issue is not US position – Obama has also expressesd the hope that India gets ready to take on China & promised support for the same – but of Indian political leadership. Indian leadership has always been timid and this reflects in current lack of strategic intent in the government. Unfortunately, the entire political spectrum , including the Communists,BJP & all other parties, share almost the same thinking in foreign policy matters. The problem is not economic or military strength – India could easily sign a pact with US to counter a China specific aggresion – but unwillingness to take a stand & the resultant leadership role. India’s unwillingness to counter Pakistan’s terrorism by reasonable strong arm tactics – as opposed to its perinial pleadings to the International community top pass meaningless resolutions – is the reason why thousands of Indians have died in terrorist attacks every year for the last several decades. When India , at long last, found a Home Minister who took his job seriously, we find all politicians baying for his resignation. PC has easily been India’s most effective Home Minister, in the last 3 decades, and we see attempts being made to make CRPF & other para military organisations more responsive to internal security challenges. Yet , instead of allowing him to do the job, political parties are more concerned about how to dislodge him. China will be happier with this than with who becomes the US president.

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India should never go on muslim line India should support isreal , then to support terrorist muslim nations

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I am definitely interested as a Muslim in having good relations with the west Asian countries as Indian Muslims have to go on pilgrimage to Makkah & Madina! That does not mean that we have to be enemies with Israel, not at all. Israel is a foreign policy arm of the USA – when it goes to war, it is akin to the USA being at war with Israel’s imagined enemies. Iraq or Iran were never and will never be any threat to the US – but it destroyd Iraq and is now at the verge of launching a war against Iran – all in the name of defending Israel! Whereas the easiest route for Israel to keep peace in the neighbourhood is by accepting the Palestineans rights and allowing them to have a state of their own. However, the whole point of creating Israel in the middle east is altogetherly different, with which we have nothing to do. The Arabs and Muslims have lived in peace with the jews since the advent of Islam all over the middle east, whether in Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, algeria, Morrocco, Turkey… u name the Muslim country and there you would find Jewish people. Whereas Jews were persecuted all over Europe throughout history and were finally kicked out and sent to a newly-created state of Israel as good riddance. It is the extremist Zionists who in their quest for power, are creating mischief and trouble in that part of the world. Arabs and Muslims have no fear of neither the Zionists nor the RSS, we can easily take care of any challenge – the need is to balance things in India’s favour and that requires having best of relations with West Asian countries without licking the zionists’ boots.

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Please give the whole neo con agenda the proper salute that it merits. Flush the toilet and go on with your day

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Dont be in touch with brokers….varna loot liye jaaoge

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Sir bahut achi soch hai aapki keep it up sir

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I really would like to help this women to help her children to grow up healthy people in the society. this is my phone number 9711939302

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you should stay in Juhu my dear… sounds like your culture starts and ends there

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Bad journalism…cheap aspirations…lack of self awareness , misnformation and disinformation…all included in this article…if Barrista is your criterion for culture…that is sad,,,Many of these backpackers are probably more educated and richer than you….

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I’d advise Naomi to bath in the Ganges at Benares and dismiss once for all the idea the holy river is polluted. I bathed in it in the late 60’s and caught nothing after years in India….

Goa? ….Got what it deserved.! Alas. I prefer the local fishing community to any trance party. And now with the Israeli soldiers and the Russian mafias expect the worst.

A friend.

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ignorant, blinkered, biggoted – call yourself a journalist /

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