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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kanchan Lakshman

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Profile of Kanchan Lakshman

Articles by Kanchan Lakshman

The Cat's Paw Again

The Cat's Paw Again

Jul 09, 2008

Despite selective military operations in the FATA and NWFP, there is no indication that Pakistan has any intentions to cut the Taliban's lifeline on its soil.

Dying Embers Of Terror?

Dying Embers Of Terror?

Jan 30, 2009

Diminished violence does not indicate a necessary decline in the capacity for terrorism, and there are clear indications that the infrastructure that supports and sustains the Kashmir jihad remains intact in Pakistan...

Creating New Terror

Creating New Terror

Feb 25, 2009

The 'peace deal' in Swat will produce not more than a brief lull before a rising storm, even as Islamabad's manifest weakness is exploited in new theatres across the country, creating expanding spaces for extreme violence.

Darkness Visible

Darkness Visible

Jun 01, 2009

The ongoing military operations against the Taliban have invited a predictable backlash from the militant network. But, to be effective, the Taliban-Al Qaeda combine will have to be targeted not only in the Malakand division of NWFP but also in the w

Complicity Uninterrupted

Complicity Uninterrupted

Jul 21, 2009

Whether or not we de-link terror from dialogue, there is ominous intelligence of LeT and other Pak-based groups planning next big-ticket terrorist attacks in India.

Fighting For Survival

Fighting For Survival

Jun 16, 2009

The battle between against the Taliban has intensified and is clearly widening across Pakistan. According to official data, 1,400 'militants' have been killed so far in a military offensive that commenced on April 26, 2009, even as the conflict has l

Momentary Decapitation

Momentary Decapitation

Aug 10, 2009

Within weeks of Nek Muhammad’s death, Baitullah Mehsud had emerged as the principal ‘commander’ for Taliban. The TTP remains intactIt will survive Baitullah Mehsud’s death.

Aid For Terror

Aid For Terror

Sep 10, 2009

Pakistan may have "categorically rejected" the NYT of illegally modifying the Harpoon missile and P-3C aircraft for potential use against India, insecurity regarding its nuclear arsenal and use of American aid for jihad persists

An Education In Failure

An Education In Failure

Oct 02, 2009

Seven years after its inception, the Madrassa Reform Project has been an unambiguous failure. The state lacks both the will and the capacity to dismantle this radical network.

Assassins From The Epicentre

Assassins From The Epicentre

Oct 12, 2009

This is the second terrorist attack on the Indian mission in 15 months, and the fourth attack in the embattled Afghan capital, Kabul, since August 2009 - and it won't be the last...

Speeding Into The Void

Speeding Into The Void

Oct 20, 2009

Little in the evolving scenario suggests that Pakistan’s hurtle into chaos will be halted by the trajectory of current developments in Waziristan.

Respite From A Proxy War

Respite From A Proxy War

Feb 06, 2008

Though violence levels are down -- as the terrorist focus shifts to the Indian heartland -- and there is a perceptible improvement in normal life patterns in the state, there is no compelling rationale for a lowering of guard.

The Expanding Jihad

The Expanding Jihad

Feb 23, 2008

Terrorist violence was down in J&K in 2007 but it was paralleled by a shift in the Pak-backed Islamist terrorists' focus to the heartland from Varanasi, Lucknow and Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, Ajmer in Rajasthan, Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Panipa

The Cat's Paw In Nimroz

The Cat's Paw In Nimroz

Apr 16, 2008

Pakistan's covert assistance to the Taliban in Afghanistan, and its efforts to recover 'strategic depth' in that country through this proxy, will inevitably continue, though its scale may be calibrated to ensure that it does not provoke US ire and re

Distress Deals

Distress Deals

Apr 30, 2008

Pakistan's new government has clearly begun on a disastrous note by caving into the demands of the Taliban, to engineer an unequivocal retreat for the state -- the fourth such 'non-military' attempt since military operations commenced in July 2002

A Seething Fury

A Seething Fury

May 15, 2008

Balochistan, which has long remained on the periphery of Pakistan's projects and perceptions, is one of the theatres of conflict where "dialogue with those who are up in the mountains" is presently unraveling.

Negotiating War

Negotiating War

May 28, 2008

While the militants seek to reverse President Musharraf's "reluctant rupture with his one-time jihadist allies," J&K and the Indian hinterland could witness a significant resurgence of terrorist violence in the foreseeable future.

Inescapable Entanglements

Inescapable Entanglements

Jul 01, 2008

The peace processes with the Taliban, initiated by Islamabad, is now rapidly unraveling, under belated pressure from USA and Afghanisan as massive operations are initiated by Pakistan Army in the Bara area of the Khyber tribal region

Heavy Weather Ahead

Heavy Weather Ahead

Aug 04, 2008

By shifting the theatres of violence from J&K to elsewhere, Pakistan looks for greater 'deniability', while furthering the communal divide, but it not a radical departure or even as a nuanced reorientation of the ISI/jihadi agenda

The Slipping Frontier

The Slipping Frontier

Aug 21, 2008

In the absence of a national policy on combating the multiple insurgencies afflicting Pakistan, a currently clueless provincial government has little chance of success in its efforts to end the NWFP's "descent into chaos".

Dropping Off The Edge

Dropping Off The Edge

Sep 04, 2008

The collapse of Pakistan's five-month old coalition on August 25, 2008, a week after General (Retired) Pervez Musharraf resigned as the President, has not only enlarged the political vacuum in Islamabad but has also aggravated the multiple insurgenci

The Battle For Bajaur

The Battle For Bajaur

Oct 17, 2008

It is now the nerve centre for military operations targeting the Taliban- al Qaeda combine. It would have its impact not only on how Pakistan prosecutes its campaign against terrorism and on the trajectory of conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan, but

Darkness And Light

Darkness And Light

Jan 01, 2007

2,765 victims of terror in 2006: 41% J&K, 27% from Left Wing Extremism across parts of 14 states and 23% in the multiple insurgencies of Northeast

New Confrontations, Old Coercion

New Confrontations, Old Coercion

Feb 22, 2007

Even as Nepal prepares for a landmark election in its transition process, a new conflict, inherently separatist in nature, is gathering pace in the country, as fatalities mount in the ongoing ethnic unrest that is affecting the southern part of Nepal

Taliban's War Within

Taliban's War Within

Apr 05, 2007

The Taliban consolidation and violence on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which shows every sign of consolidation over time, could have disastrous consequences over the long run, for both Islamabad and Kabul.

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