Modi’s speech
Prime Minister’s targeting Pakistan with special mention of happenings in Baluchistan and Pak-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) in his independence-day speech at Red Fort (New Delhi) is indeed a departure from the traditional way of bashing Pakistan. It is for the first time that India instead of being defensive on issue of Kashmir, has now become offensive by targeting Pakistan for atrocities committed in PoK. Only fear is that such tough stand may not be neutralised by any unwanted cordiality or gesture shown like was done by Prime Minister in his unplanned, surprise but shocking visit to Pakistan.

Prime Minister’s 90-minute-long speech was of course required to focus government’s achievements. But speech should have also focused solutions to problems like pollution created by ever-increasing vehicles, traders’ apathy in general because of overall fall in business-activities, increase in VVIP-racism, increasing rich-poor gap, increasing lawlessness, unholy making-unmaking of governments in states because of lack of much-required massive poll-reforms, legislative-judiciary tussle etc.
Madhu Agrawal, Delhi

Frontier
Vol. 49, No.7, Aug 21 - 27, 2016