The South Asia Politics, News, and Analysis Thread

I thought it was kind of an open secret that US aid was because the State Department is too diplomatic to call them "bribes to prevent total governmental collapse and missing nukes"?

It is.

The scary part of it though is this: money alone won't keep it together. Several reasons for this. One, the more people Pakistan has, the more money they need to keep the people under control. Two, the longer Pakistan doesn't reform its institutions in a meaningful way (and it is in their political interests not to do so), the more money it requires to keep the ramshackle, colonial era institutions in place. Three, as said institutions fail anyway (such as the provincial police forces), the Army takes up the slack, leading to the increased possibility of a single point failure. All this as the nuclear arsenal gets so large and advanced that more money is required there too, to protect Khushab and other nuclear facilities.

In short, its getting exponentially more costly to maintain the status quo in Pakistan. Low oil prices have made the pressure there less than it was a few years back, but only in addition to the current firesale of government owned companies. The Army is doing imaginative accounting to make up for budget shortfall via the Fauji Foundation and redistributing some of their expenses (such as pension) in non-Army govt accounts. As soon as there is another financial crisis, Pakistan is screwed.

It's not a long term solution but it's a good way to kick the can down the road to a future administration, nukes are scary, in the end nobody wants to be the guy who was on watch when nukes went walkabout/a nuclear war occurred, the mess that woudl occur from fixing things is perhaps to great for any administration to be willing to go down in history as the one responsible.

Obama and Modi's unlikely friendship

I wonder how the whole Consulate drama fits into that relationship......

Consulate Drama?

Back in 2013-14 the Deputy Consulate General at the Indian consulate in New York was indicted for visa fraud related to a domestic worker. The arrest involved a strip search. Some tit-for-tat PNG expulsions ensued, as far as I know.

edited 6th Jun '16 8:30:15 AM by megarockman

Oh right I remember that.

So, Modi is visiting the US for the sixth time since he became Prime Minister.

India really wants a China-counterweight?

America really wants a China counterweight. India wants to get as much done as it can in general (be it nuclear reactors or defence deals) before the next person takes the presidency.

America sees India as a counterweight to China, and considering China's ties with Pakistan and that India is a bit behind China in space, technology and military, I guess the Indian govt is happy to do that.

Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has stated that he will not seek an extension to his term, and will hence leave the RBI in September this year.

Guess Subramanian Swamy is happy now. -_-

Also, I don't know if the Bollywood thread exists anymore, so... the movie Udta Punjab, about the drug problem in Punjab, has finally been released. The censor board were demanding some 18-20 cuts, about 15 minutes of a two-hour film, including all references to Punjab and places in the state (probably has nothing to do with the upcoming elections in the state, tho), the High Court (no pun intended) eventually allowed a release with one cut.

The thread still exists. Just not here. Revive that thread for Bollywood talk.

Some China nonsense: didn't know the fishermen were basically militia. I'd kind of wondered why they were so willing to endanger themselves for Chinese territorial claims, now it makes more sense. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36545565

Quite normal. "People's War in Maritime Conditions" they call it.

About as civilian as the old Soviet fishing fleet^note  aka. AGI. Mind you, it didn't mean other fishing fleets weren't used to gather intelligence on the side...

There is a seperate East Asia thread guys.

So, Yoga Day today...Did anyone here participate?

I really wish it was not as politicised and commercialised as it is, but eh. I guess it's necessary for anything that is popular.

Wasn't it Modi's inititative to essentially buy it back from the West where it got really commercialised? Although when it was announced that "aum" became a part of the exercises, they pissed off the Muslim population.

edited 21st Jun '16 9:47:13 AM by TerminusEst

Was it? I think it only added to the commercialisation, tbh. Or atleast didn't do anything to reduce it.

I can understand the Muslims being pissed, as "aum" is a Hindu term and it also probably as they are wary of Modi and BJP. Afaik they are allowed to say "Allah" instead.

edited 21st Jun '16 9:43:39 AM by FalKoopa

So "somebody" is putting up banners all over Pakistan urging General Raheel Sharif, current Chief of the Army Staff who is two months away from retirement, into seizing power for himself. The ISPR (Army mouthpiece) isn't saying anything, which is giving more credence that something might be up.

Hindu monk's temple mission in India a headache for Modi

Speaking as a Hindu, I hope to God that he does not give in, even after the elections in UP. I was wary of him in the run up to his election, but he proved surprisingly able and relatively unencumbered by the madness of the more right wing elements of his party. Indeed, I have come to the conclusion that he might not have even had much of a hand in the Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujurat when he was CM. But he was damned by association and he has only just recently climbed out of that. This issue, if he does it wrong, will send him back into the muck.

Plant a tree on the site.