It was August 12, 1947, three days before India became free. My father, a practicing doctor, summoned us, the three brothers, and asked what our plans were. I told him that I wanted to stay in Pakistan just as the Muslims would in India.
More gruesome details about the Alwar lynching have come to light. Rakbar Khan, the victim, could have been saved if the police had acted in time. In fact, the force stopped for tea and wasted three and a half hours in reaching the victim to the hospital. He bled to death. If one were to put all the pieces together, one would come to the conclusion that the police delay was deliberate.
The army in Pakistan seems to have devised a way where a particular person is elected even without a valid cause. Imran Khan is a product of such phenomena. Long before the latest elections, his name was tossed around.
I recall after the Independence, politician and diplomat Syed Shahabuddin articulated the Muslim point of view. He did not ask for separation but suggested a self-rule for Muslims within the country. Nobody took him seriously, not even the Muslims because the partition had brought misery to both the communities.
An autocrat can really unhinge a democratic system. This is what President Donald Trump is doing. But he is also turning into an imperialist power.
I feel honoured that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken notice of my criticism. Indeed, he praised me and said: “I respect veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar ji, he fought for freedom during emergency, he maybe a harsh critic of us but I salute him for this.” The prime minister and I are on the same page when it comes to the criticism of the emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister.
Certain dates are so important in a nation's history that they cannot be forgotten.
Pranab Mukherjee is a man of all-political affiliations. He has occupied the highest position as a Congressman and has also floated a political party with a few of his associates in the Congress. But one can call him a self-made man in the political arena. He has accepted the invitation to visit the RSS headquarters at Nagpur to address the cadre.
On December 6, the demolition of the Babri Masjid would be 25 years old. Instead of making amends for what the Congress government did in 1992 with the connivance of then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government is bent upon building a temple at the site where the masjid once stood.
Political parties all over the world have come to be closed shops. What is known as the “High Command” usually dictates on who will be installed as the president. Rahul Gandhi has been “elected” as the Congress president.
The press has been able to consolidate its freedom after several struggles. And today it is generally free from government pressure. There are still other forces which do not allow it to be completely free. Yet among all the democracies in the world, the Indian press is considered independent.
I think the Supreme Court's order to appoint an amicus curiae in Mahatma Gandhi's assassination case is important. More about how it happened and why are two points which need to be pursued.
The government of India has appointed Dineshwar Sharma, former Intelligence Bureau Chief as interlocutor to find a solution to Kashmir's problems.
The Election Commission has never done it before and had developed an independent status since TN Seshan. He had given it a stature which was admired by the electorate.
A gathering for a memorial a few days ago turned out to be disappointing. I thought that the meeting held to bring attention to the murder of Kannada journalist Gauri Lankesh at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, would draw many journalists, particularly the senior ones, to the venue.
Utttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that he would be taking five days off in a month to attend to his duties as head priest of the Gorakhnath Temple. Television networks ran this part of his speech only once.
Communist leader Jyoti Basu ruled West Bengal for two and a half decades. He fought relentlessly against the communal forces. It is surprising how the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has penetrated and practically taken over the state.
For some reasons, mainly male chauvinism, the Women's Reservation Bill has not yet been passed by parliament. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1996 when the then Prime Minister, Deve Gowda, was in office.
