So president Musharraf finally buckled under government’s pressure and resigned in televised swan song which ended with appropriate farewell "Bye-Bye Pakistan". Yet another Bush’s foreign policy failure – after 9 years in power and siphoning tens of blns of dollars of American aid, Mr Osama bin Laden is still free and roams somewhere in this South Asian country.
Mush’s peaceful exit should not come as a total surprise to anybody as Pakistani army apparently refused to entertain his desire to dissolve parliament and impose president’s rule.
This is my take on situation on war between Russia and Georgia over the latter's separatist regions and its consequences for antagonists and Russia-Western relations.
I am writer (history and guidebooks), living in self-imposed ;) exile in India, recently I was asked by diplomatic magazine to write an article about Tibetan question.
So presidency of George Bush Junior is nearing its end. Some say it was catastrophic. Americans may breathe easier and hope for better administration and better management of international affairs by whatever administration takes over next January. What chances are for significant change in atmosphere and content of international politics?
Despite stern warning from Indian foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee to Dalai lama not to indulge in political activities on Indian soil Delhi's elite was spellbound by this Buddhist monk when he recently visited Indian capital to participate in workshop. Many privately (without TV crews or press) went up to his room on 6th floor of run-down government hotel Ashoka to seek his blessings and some shared their feelings in press. Let's see what they say.
I took some time from my busy schedule to write a little about Tibet as Dharamsala where I live witnessed growing unrest among exile Tibetan community.
Warning: This is personal apolitical travel diary and has nothing in common with upcoming elections in US;
This is I hope the first part of photodiary covering my current journey around Indian subcontinent. Any travels are tiresome, especially if it's a kind of business trip so we had to admire much-maligned journalists of MSM who used to produce and transmit results of their travels immediately.
I did not want to post any words here (just photos), but after some consideration I decided to keep them at minimum.
Yesterday I read good article about what bothered Indians in 2007 and decided to share it with you offering mini-dictionary (imperfect but still) to explain proliferated cryptic words incomprehensible for many foreigners.
Happy new year!
Former Pakistan's PM Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007) has been assasinated yesterday evening on outskirts of Rawalpindi, the city to the south of Islamabad, famous for numerous security and army institutions (Pakistan army headquarters located there) and infamous for the ongoing serie of suicide attacks by Islamists on them. Now high-profile politician fell victim to suicide squad, apparently from the same stables. Morning newspapers with identical headlines
Controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, 45, is on the run from Islamic fundamentalists, who issued fatwas against her in 1994. She was in Kolkata, flied to Jaipur, then now she is hiding in Delhi.
Taslima by profession is doctor however it was her literary activities which completely changed her life. Her novel Lajja (Shame) was banned by the Bangladesh government in 1993, and the following year she went into hiding then Taslima left Bangladesh in 1994 after violent street protests. She was granted refuge and citizenship in Sweden. She returned to the region in 2004, living in Kolkata on a renewable visa.
This story is going on and nobody knows how it will end. I compose this diary from excerpts of old interviews and articles and with some moderate input, expressing my bewilderment at Indian explosive mix of modernity and ancient prejudices. As it's usual in India every such story has potential to trigger sharp political crisis, from accusations in condoning fundamentalism to playing vote-bank politics.
I have been keeping silence here as the pace of events in and around Indian subcontinent became so fast so there was no time for reflections and analysis. Nepal's Maoists are quitting Parliament, in Bangladesh 1,700 people died in cyclone, in Sri Lanka Tamil Tigers political smiling face Tamilselvan is killed, in Delhi Communists gave a green go-ahead with riders to the government on the talks with IAEA because they faced difficulties over Nandigram recapture by violent CPM cadres (this theme is of main interest for Indians as it may indicate the demise of Communist ideology in the country), there are some news on Burmese and Tibetan fronts also, et cetera.
By priority the first come Pakistan.
Photo from tehelka.com article (link see further).
Indian press routinely devote lot of space for developments in neighbouring country though the public remains largely uninterested. I also usually give a miss to news from other side of the border (it's just 100 km from here) and their problems remain on the fringes of my consciousness. It's a pity as developments there are very important for stability in the entire region and they reached a dangerous explosive level.
I received requests to continue with my travel diaries but it will take time, maybe some months;-). Now I can share with you three days I spent in lovely Hampi (South India) last year. For all who love India dedicated.
The weather in this part of Himalayas where I am is just fine. While plains swelter from scorching sun here we have intermittent showers with swirling rivulets, in the evenings chilly fog is creeping up enveloping everything that I cannot see adjacent buildings and in hazy mornings we are spared of relentless heat of glorious Indian sun. I hear local boy playing on flute from neighbouring rooftop cafe. He is apparently waiting for customers so he has time to practice how to lure local girls.
Swollen streams take away accumulated junk like time swallows memories of distant lands I visited and wonderful people I met. I know, time should take its course, like swollen river, taking junks that pile my mind and after a while I will see what was important in today's travels and worthy of keeping in memory. Like three days I spent last year in Hampi.
Hemakuta temples
This part deals with purpose of my journey through high-altitude terrain of Ladakh towards the vale of Kashmir and further down into India. When one is exposing his personal diaries he (or she) would be tempted in turning oneself into someone heroic, exaggerating hardships and difficulties, highlighting achievements and good deeds. I had no such intention trying faithfully to share with you my excitement on the brink of trip through Himalayas and exhaustion after it was completed in Part I and what I did observe in Ladakh in Part II. Photos I made by usual soapcase camera are very imperfect but I believe they can help you to visualize my trip, people I interacted with and sceneries I was in awe.
Dal lake from shikara
So Frodo style I climbed Tanglang La pass (5,325 m) in distressed mood probably caused by sheer altitude and growing headache. What I could expect in Ladakh, I wondered looking at cragged gloomy peaks covered by dark clouds.
On Tanglang La
This travel diary is my introduction to Daily Kos. I usually participate in European Tribune blog and very rarely here. I'm from Russian Far East but usually spend my time in South Asia.
Today I want to tell you about my journey last october to one of the extremely remote places on earth - Ladakh. Lha Dags, the land of snow passes, is situated at the extreme north of Indian subcontinent and is separated from my temporary abode in Dharamsala only by mountain ridge. Yet there are not many people around who can boast they visited it - for this ridge is the Great Himalayan.
Himalayas from Likir gompa
