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Links After the initial reports it was being said that the militants who struck Mumbai on Wednesday night ‘may have Pak links’ as they were speaking Hindi and Urdu. Later on security forces had recovered some boats which they had used to the enter the city through sea route. There were many rumors about the way the militants entered the city. Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh’s address to the nation on Thursday clearly indicated that the terrorists had foreign links and he also had warned to take a strict action against the rouge state. It is the other fact that no one has taken the warning of the ’soft PM’ seriously. How can a government take a strict actions against the origin of the terrorism which itself has failed to control the communal violence inside some of its states.

Arrests During the operation against the militants security forces had arrested three persons in connection with the Mumbai attacks. All the arrested persons are residents of Multan in Pakistan’s Punjab province. One militant named Ajmal Amir Kamal, was arrested by the security forces when he had got badly injured in the gun battle. He is the resident of Faridkot near Multan of Punjab province. During the investigation they revealed that they were a group of 12 militants who had left the port city of Karachi in a merchant vessel which was on its way to Vietnam. They got down from the vessel and reached Gateway of India after rowing 10 nautical miles in Indian waters. After it they divided themselves into five groups and attacked various places inside the city before entering the Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Nariman House.

Evidence Though these are initial reports but Government of Indian has spoken openly about the Pak links with the terrorists. Security forces are busy to flush out the area and it is being expected that government will take an appropriate action after the situation is brought under control. But it is being expected that terrorists’ Pak links will have a far reaching affect on the relations between both the countries. It must be learnt that terrorists have attacked US, British and Israeli citizens that indicates that they are linked with Al-Qaeda. But arrested terrorists have admitted that they are the members of a terrorist squad that has attacked the Indian city. It indicates that Pak government has failed to keep its promise of not allowing its territory to be used against India to launch terror attacks. Though a little known terror outfit ‘Deccan Mujaheddin’ had taken the responsibility of the attack but phone intercepts, weapons, sea entry route and the training indicates the Pak links.

Operation Ends NSG commandos backed by military and police succeeded to free the landmark Taj Hotel on Saturday morning, after 62 hour long fierce fighting with the militants who have killed almost 200 hundred innocent people in their attack on the financial capital. On Saturday, NSG had declared that they have killed all the militants hiding inside the Taj Hotel after intense night-ling battle but had not declared that the operations were over. Many dead bodies were found in the Taj but authorities have not revealed the exact figure but initial reports indicate that the causality figure may be more than 200. NSG commandos had launched room-by-room search to confirm that there are no more terrorist inside the building.

Night-Long Battle In the night long battle, grenades and explosives were used by the militants. Initial reports indicate that the militants had planned to blow up the Taj Hotel but their plan failed because of the its stone structure. Earlier, commandos had believed that there is a lone gunman holding out but as they increased pressure it became evident that their were more than one militants still alive and waging war. Militants exploded grenades and set off fires to divert the attention of the commandos. At the end three militants were killed and an AK-47 and explosives were recovered from them. According to some eyewitnesses, dead bodied were scattered at some places. “They were the kind of people with no remorse — anybody and whomsoever came in front of them they fired,” Said a commando.

Nariman House On Friday evening, NSG commandos had ended the Nariman House siege after storming the building and killing two terrorists hiding inside the building. But they could not save the five people who were held hostages by the militants as they all had been killed long before. But commandos had succeeded in rescuing 14 people from the building. An NSG commando also lost his life during the operation. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from the dead militants. According to the Commandos, militants were highly trained as they were changing their positions from floor to floor at continuous intervals. They had also covered all the window panes with curtains to hide the internal movement.

Trident-Oberoi Earlier, in the noon, NSG commandos had killed two militants who were hiding inside the Trident-Oberoi hotel. Two AK-47 rifles, one pistol and some hand grenades were recovered from them. Indian army and police personal also had helped the NSG in the operation. 24 dead bodied were recovered from the hotel with which death toll had risen to 143. commandos had rescued many people and most of them were foreigners.

Reports On Saturday some reports had emerged that suspected of the involvement of two British citizens in terror attacks. It was also being said that some of the militants were staying inside the hotel for many days prior to the attack and had collected huge cache of arms and explosives. Another report had emerged which suspected that one of the militants had worked as a chef in the hotel but the Indian Hotels Company Ltd CEO and Managing Director Raymond Bickson had denied about the involvement of any of their staff member in the terrorists attack. A report had claimed that one of the militants had worked in the hotel as a chef for almost 10 months. Police has claimed that nine militants have been killed and one has been captured alive. According to NSG spokesperson a total of five militants were killed inside the Taj Hotel. There is a lot of contradictory reports and a clear picture will emerge only after some time when Indian government officially declares the end of the operation.

Death Former Prime Minister of Indian V P Singh who was also known as ‘Raja of Munda’ breathed his last on Thursday, November 26 at the Apollo Hospital in Now Delhi. He was suffering for Blood cancer and renal failure. He was 77 years old and has been survived by his wife, Sita Kumari and two sons. His last rites will be performed in Allahabad on Saturday. According to the Hospital statement he was suffering form the multiple myeloma and chronic renal failure for a long and was undergoing treatment at the Apollo Hospital, the Mayo Clinic (US) and the Bombay Hospital for last 12 years.

Mr. Clean He is remembered most for implementing the recommendations of the Mandal Commission favoring reservation for Other Backward classes in government jobs. He formed India’s second non-Congress coalition government and was Prime Minister of India from December 2, 1989, till November 10, 1990. His government had fell after Bharatiya Janata Party had withdrew its support to his government over the arrest of its leader L K Advani in Bihar during his course of Rath Yatra. He was also called ‘Mr. Clean’ because of his honesty. During his tenure as the finance minister in the Congress government headed by Gandhi, he shot to fame by taking on the suspected tax evaders by launching high-profile raids. He had initiated investigations against the Reliance Industries Ltd’s Dhirubhai Ambani and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan. Rajiv Gandhi had sacked him as finance minister following his raids Congress supporting industrialists. But he was so popular in the public that Rajiv Gandhi preferred to make him Defense Minister. But as a Defense Minister he initiated investigations into the defense procurement and Bofors defense deal. Bofors investigation could damage Prime Minister’s reputation, so the congress party, headed by Rajiv Gandhi decided to sack him. So he was sacked form the Cabinet, and he resigned from the primary membership of party and Lok Sabha in protest.

Jan Morcha After his exit form the Congress he floated his own party named, Jan Morcha. Arun Nehru and Arif Mohammad Khan were his two key associates. On October 11, 1988, Jan Morcha, Janata Party, Lok Dal and Congress(s) merged and formed the Janta Dal. Janta Dal along with various regional parties including the DMK, TDP, and AGP, formed a new alliance which was given the name of National Front (India). V P Singh, who was the president of the Janta Dal was elected convener of the National Front and N T Rama Rao was elected as President. National Front fought the general elections of 1989 with the support of right-wing BJP and Communist Left Front and earned a simple majority. After it he became the 10^th PM of India. But he could stay in the office only for less than a year because the BJP had withdrawn its support to his party. After it he retired from the active politics and preferred to pursue matters related to social justice. He relaunched Jan Morcha in 2003 and started to unite smaller parties. But his political career was cut short by his prolonged illness.

Affected As the National Security guard Commandos have intensified their fight to flush out the remaining terrorists who have been trapped in some key building of the financial capital of India, Mumbai, sounds of fire exchange and grenade blasts were heard even after the 24 hours of the attacks. Till Friday afternoon almost 130 people had been reported to have died in the Mumbai terror attack and more then 300 had got injured. The dead include 14 policemen, one home guard jawan and 6 foreigners and the remaining are public. But the figures could vary as they are not fully based on confirmed reports. According to some eyewitnesses, the militants had sorted out the the British and American citizens before allowing the others to flee. According to some unconfirmed reports at least two to four Australian citizens have been killed in the attacks but Australian department of foreign affairs has confirmed only one death. There are many rumors floating in the air but they lack credibility. According to the home ministry 327 people have been injured in the violence that includes 26 policemen, 284 Indians and 7 foreigners.

Situation After the terror attack in Mumbai on Wednesday night, state government had shut all the schools and colleges in the city and had also taken some other precautionary measures. Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange also remained closed on Thursday. People of the city also remained indoors. Militants who had entered the city through sea route had attacked almost 10 to 12 places before taking refuse in some famous buildings like Taj Hotel, Oberoi Hotel and Nariman House. NSG, Military Police, Army and Navy commandos were waging a war against the holed up terrorists. There are some reports that, militants had taken some Israelis as hostages. But government has denied hostage like situation and any possibility of dialog with the terrorists. There are reports that scores of people are still trapped inside all the buildings who had bolted their rooms’ doors from inside and had contacted their friends and relatives and told about their situation through mobile phones. Government had sent six army columns and 200 NSG commandos to take part into the action.

Taj On Friday, NSG commandos had flushed out and cleared the new building of Taj Hotel and handed over it to the police. Marine commandos had recovered 30 dead bodies from the building where around 200 people were held hostages by the militants. There spokesperson told in the press conference that the militants were well aware about the layout of the Hotel building and knew very well all the entry and exit points of the hotel. That is why they gave a stiff resistance to the security forces. Militants were equipped with AK series rifles. A Mauritian national identity card, some credit cards, 1200$ and Rs 6000 were recovered from the militants. The recoveries indicate that militants were prepared enough to fight a long drawn battle. They were also carrying bags full of almonds. Many rooms in the Taj Hotel were still bolted from inside and people inside were not responding.

Call Off The seven One Day International cricket match series between India has been called off in the wake of recent terror attack in Mumbai on Wednesday night in which more than 100 people have been killed and almost 300 have got injured. Both the sides had played five matches and were yet to play two more when ECB cut short the series against India. Both the sides were to play in Mumbai on Wednesday. English side had planned to stay at Taj Hotel which has been attacked by the terrorists. N Srinivasan, Secretary of the BCCI has said in a press release that ECB had requested BCCI to call off the One Day series in wake of the recent terror attack in Mumbai and BCCI has accepted ECB’s request. After the one day series both the sides were to play two test matches and decision about them will be taken later.

Safety and Security ECB has expressed condolences to the families and friends of those people who have been killed or injured in the terror attack. ECB has reviewed all the security arrangements to ensure the safety and security of the team. Board had taken the decision to remain in Bhubaneshwar instead of going to Guwahati on Thursday afternoon. It must be learnt that British and American citizens were one of the main targets of the militants.

5^th ODI Earlier, on Wednesday India won their fifth game against England on the trot. India after winning the toss elected to field. England openers once again failed to give a solid start to their side as they had lost their first wicket in form of Alastair Cook (11) at the total score of 33. He was caught by Tendulkar at first slip off Zaheer Khan. His opening partner Ravi Bopara (24), too, could not stay for a long and was held at backward point by Yuvraj Singh of Zaheer. Skipper Pietersen and Collingwood added 89 runs for the third wicket. They both struggled in the initial stages on their batting but later on got settled and played some good shots. Collingwood had got a good start but lost his wicket under pressure of increasing the run rate. He was caught by Zaheer off Harbhajan Singh at the score of 40. England has not yet recovered form the jolt of departure of Collingwood when Ishant Sharma got Flintoff caught for blob. But Shah, who joined Pietersen on the crease, gave good support to his skipper and played some good shots. They both added an unbeaten 112 runs for the fifth wicket. Pietersen completed his seventh ODI century and remained not out with 111 runs. Shah remained not out and made 66 runs.

India Chasing the victory target of 271 runs both the Indian openers Sehwag and Tendulkar gave a good start to their side and added 136 runs for the first wicket. The first to go was Tendulkar who completed his 90^th one day fifty and was bowled out by fast bowler Steve Harminson. Yuvraj could not stay for long on the crease and was caught and bowled for six runs. He was followed by Sehwag, who was trapped leg before wicket by Stuart Broad. Sehwag made 91 runs from 73 balls that includes 15 fours and a six. After the double loss of Sehwag and Yuvraj, skipper Dhoni and Suresh Raina took the reins into their hands and steered their side out of the danger ‘zone’. They both completed their fifties. Raina remained not out and made 54 runs. Sehwag was declared Man of the Match.

Terror Attack After recent serial bomb blasts, it was the most violent terror attack on the Indian soil on Wednesday, November 25 in which more than 101 people have been killed including some foreigners in Mumbai. Except it more than three hundred people got injured when militants struck at some of city’s most high-profile targets by using heavy machine guns including AK 47’s and grenades. The toll could rise as hundreds of people were still trapped inside some hotel and other buildings and that had been surrounded by the city police, military and NSG commandos. According to the latest reports almost 11 police personal have also lost their lives while fighting against the terrorists that includes, chief of the anti-terror squad Hemant Karkare, additional commissioner of police ( Mumbai east) Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar.

Police Terrorists attacked various high-profile targets that includes Taj Hotel at the Gateway, Oberoi Trident at Nariman Point, Santa Cruz domestic airport, Cama and GT hospitals near CST, Metro Adlabs multiplex and Mazgaon Dockyard. According to some eyewitnesses militants sprayed bullets and lobbed grenades at people before entering some important buildings. More than 10 militants have been hold up inside the Oberoi and some other buildings. Security forces had launched ‘flush out’ operations immediately after the terror attacks. On Thursday, commandos had saved all those people who had been trapped inside the Taj Hotel building since Wednesday night. There are some rumors that terrorists have taken more and 40 American and Britain citizens as hostages. But Indian government had denied any such report.

Terrorists A little known terror outfit Deccan Mujahideen has taken the responsibility of the attacks. The name indicates that Deccan Mujahideen may be another wing of Indian Mujahideen, the terrorist outfit that is responsible for the recent serial bomb blasts in the various cities of India. In the overnight gun battle police had killed five terrorists and had arrested one. It is being said that the terrorist had entered the city through sea route as some explosives laden boats were found at the sea shore. This indicates that some of the terrorists may be Pakistani nationals. This indication is based on the information given by the captured terrorist. But Maharashtra deputy chief minister who also holds the home portfolio has refused to give more details by saying that it is not the appropriate time to disclose the information.

Basics As the Lok Sabha elections are nearing all the small and large political parties of India have stepped up their efforts to know that which party will form the next centre government. From Mamta Benerjee to Mayawati every ‘chief’ is asking their near and dear ones that to which side air is blowing. All the small and large parties have knocked at every door, from astrologers to ‘ground level’ worker to help the party to get to the right decision. For BJP and Congress it is the time to form ‘strategies, planning and campaigning but for small parties, it is the time to take right decision so that is can form an alliance with the future winner of the coming elections and to ‘arrest’ power at any cost. In the election season, every political party forgets its ideology and ‘sticks to the basics’ of politics.

Forecast After some initial hesitations BSP and Left parties have formed an undeclared alliance and it is being expected that it will give a bag challenge to both Congress and BJP. Political pundits have predicted that next government cannot be formed without the support of Mayawati led ‘Third Front’. But the problem is that Mayawati will not share the ‘dais’ with Congress Chief Smt Sonia Gandhi and Left parties will prefer to Congress instead of BJP. Amid such ‘weather forecasting reports’ no one is taking the ‘third front’ seriously. There is no doubt that Left’s ‘hurdles thrown in Manmohan Singh’s way have saved the country from economic crisis otherwise India could have been the worst suffering country. Despite government’s claims, thousands of employees have lost their jobs. Though inflation rate has come down but ‘aam janta’ has not benefited from it because people do not eat ‘iron’. In such circumstances, there is no doubt that people want change but it is not possible to predict that in whose favor pendulum swings.

Bomb Though Manmohan Singh had succeeded to save his government without the support of his ‘left friends’ but it is being expected that Congress will have to ‘mend its way’ to return to power. Global economic crisis has also worked in favor of the left parties, whom employees see as their ‘messiahs’ amid crisis. It has also established the view that Communists can never be ignored and politically rooted out. In India they will always be seen as the third option. India is changing very rapidly and with it a lot of surprises are happening. First of all people of Kashmir surprised everyone by overwhelmingly turning out at the polling stations. There will be no surprise if ‘Third Front’ emerges strongly in the coming Lok Sabha elections. For L K Advani, who was being seen as the future Prime Minister of India a few months ago, hopes have faded away with the change in circumstance. With the arrest of a sadhvi and a seer in connection with Malegaon blasts, a lot has changed for BJP. Though, Mumbai ATS’ has failed to establish links between BJP and some terrorists despite their ‘relentless’ efforts but there is no doubt that people are curious to know the ‘truth’ and every rumor will work as a nuclear bomb as for as BJP’s future hopes of returning to power are concerned.

Percentage 65 to 70 per cent voting was recoded in the second round of Chhattisgarh assembly elections for 52 constituencies on Thursday, November 20. It was being expected that the poll percentage will increase as reports were being waiting from some areas. The polling was by and large peaceful as no incident of violence was reported from any area despite some minor accusations of violence by the rival groups. It was the second and the final polling phase of the worst Maoist hit state and people took part in the elections overwhelmingly. Situation remained peaceful as compared to the first phase of the assembly elections. During the first phase of the polling on November 14, incidents of violence, fire exchange between paramilitary forces and Maoists and EVM snatching were reported form many parts of the state. Maoists had blocked road links by felling trees to stop the free transfer of polling material and staff to the required destinations. Government had to use helicopter services at some Maoist hit areas to transfer the staff and the polling material. An AFI helicopter pilot had been killed during a Maoist attack. Polling was held for 39 constituencies on November 14 and 55 percent polling was reported on that day amid violence.

Interesting Incidents Some interesting incidents have happened during the second phase of the elections. Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi was attacked by some villagers when he visited a poll booth in Girihar. People of the area pelted stones at his vehicle and smashed its window panes. But the Jogi camp has said that it were the political rivals who attacked his vehicle. At the other hand some BJP workers have claimed that Jogi was attacked when some of his supporters tried to capture the booth. Meanwhile state BJP unit had complained to the Election Commission that former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi had got his name registered in the electoral roll at two different places. If these allegations are proved true then Jogi will have to face trouble as this is prohibited under the law. In another significance development a case has been filed against Chief Minister Raman Singh for campaigning on radio during the prohibited period. Election Commission of Indian was reported that CM had campaigned on 104.8 FM and 94.3 FM channels during the prohibited time which in turn asked Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer to file cases against the Raman Singh and the accused radio channels. People of Pamgarh, Chandrapur, and Sakti in Janjgir-Champa district, and Raigarh and Dharamjaigarh in Raigarh district made their presence felt when no one at these stations exercised their franchise as a protest against the non-fulfillment of promises by the government.

Security Government had deployed 300 companies of paramilitary forces to provide security and ensure peaceful elections. Except it services of National Cadet Corps and National Service Scheme volunteers had also been taken to assist the security personal and polling staff. 687 candidates, including 58 women are contesting for the 51 Chhattisgarh assembly seats. There are 88,14,228 voters who will decide the fate of the candidates. BJP and BSP has contested for all the 51 assembly seats. Congress has fielded its candidates from 48 seats while NCP is contesting from three seats.

Problems Chhattisgarh is one of the most poor states of India but rich for its natural resources. It is famous for its iron mines and crop of jatrotha. Despite of its its rich natural resources it is still a backward state and state politicians are responsible for it. It got the status of statehood in 2000 and after that it has developed very rapidly. But benefit of development has not reached the poor sections of the state as only 20 per cent of its population is urban. Ajit Jogi, who was the first Chief Minister of the state is a controversial leader. Its second Chief Minister is Dr. Raman Singh. Except it some other prominent political figures are Vidya Charan Shukla and Motilal Vohra. State is going through the worst phase as Maoists have emerged as one of the biggest threat to he internal security of the nation. Unfortunately Chhattisgarh is one of their strongest bases. Except it state is suffering from many other problems as poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, corruption and poor health services.

Ban It is not only north Indian migrants that are facing problems in Mumbai but now the Bhojpuri film industry too has faced the music. A recently released Bhojpuri film named ‘Deshdrohi’ has been banned in Maharashtra. This all happened because of the political crisis that has been created by the MNS led anti-north campaign. This film has been directed by Kamaal Khan. He also has acted in the film. This film revolves around the idea of problems faced by the migrant laborers especially Biharies in Maharashtra. Through in his film he has tried to convey the message that ‘Indians are a big family and there is no you and me’. Some Mumbai policemen had seen the special screening of the film and had even appreciated Kamaal Khan for his unique effort. They all had approved the film and had submitted ‘no-objection’ report to the home minister. Later on the censor board also had passed the film without any cut.

Objection According to a Maharashtra state government rule every industry should appoint 80 per cent local people as its employees. But a few days ago a report that was based on a survey had published in all the major news papers of the state that claimed that more than 95 per cent employees in private and public sector of the state are Marathi people and the rest are the migrant workers including the Biharis. Though, to some extent MNS’ anti-north campaign is based on legitimate grounds but it can not be denied that their method of objection is not the write one. There is nothing wrong as for as the film is concerned as it is very near to the reality. If someone tries to object it then we can say that he does not want to accept the problem and he, himself is, to some extent, responsible for the creation of the problems that are being faced by the migrant laborers. It is not good on the part of Marathi people to object anything that is associated with the Biharies.

Advertisement It is the social and political crisis in the state that ‘Deshdrohi’ has been banned. Now there are rumors that Bhojpuri film industry will shift from Mumbai to Bihar. If it happens then it will be a big loss for the Maharashtra state and it will be difficult to determine that, which the real ‘deshdrohi’ is. Though by banning this film the Maharashtra government has tried to keep the ‘law and order’ maintained in the state but at the same time the ban has worked in favor of the film as it has become an ‘issue of prestige’ between people of two states and it has got a lot of ‘advertisement’ also.

Surprise It is difficult to understand the Kashmiri character, a prominent J&K leader had said a few day ago after the first phase of 2008 state assembly polls which surprised everyone when a heavy turnout was recorded and people had overwhelmingly participated in the polling despite separatists’ poll boycott. A few months ago when the Amarnath land issue had not cropped up we had witnessed that the state was heading towards normalcy after two decades of violence and unrest. But Amarnath land issue had one again revived the dying ‘Hurriyat’ which exploited the public frustration with the government and tried to project it as a freedom struggle. They tried to project themselves as the ‘whole and sole’ leaders of the people of Kashmir but they never could become ‘whole’(united) and ‘sole’ leaders as they internal differences surfaced during a public meeting when one of their leader had claimed himself ‘the only leader of the people’ and had said that Kashmir is for ‘Muslims’.

Sensitive Issue Every ‘true’ Kashmiri was shocked when Gilani revealed his ‘fundamental’ approach to solve the Kashmir issue. Everyone knows that ‘fundamental’ approach has given only ‘terrorism’ and some ‘failed’ states to the world. Separatists’ agitations have contributed only to the unrest of the state and except it they have achieved nothing. It will be wrong to say that their agitation led to revival of the cross LoC trade links because it was one of the CBMs both the nations had discussed and were working to open up the LoC. Kashmir issue cannot be solved by carving out some lines on a ‘white paper’. It is a very sensitive and comprehensive issue that requires time of many years to get solved. Those who have witnessed ‘partition’ know it well that for India how much sensitive this issue is.

Ballot Vs Boycott There is no doubt that people of Kashmir are very sensitive and years of violence have made them introspective also. They can differentiate very well between ‘ballot’ and ‘battle’. They first rejected gun and now have rejected separatists’ election boycott call. It is the clear sign of positive approach of the people of Kashmir who have preferred the positive ‘B’. They have preferred to ‘ballot’ instead of ‘boycott’. About 65% turnout was recorded in the second phase of the J&K assembly elections on Sunday, November 23. It must be learnt that two anti-poll protesters were killed in police firing in Baramulla on Saturday. Some incidents of violence were reported from some other parts of the state but the situation remained by and large peaceful.

Change India and Pakistan’s peace process is Kashmir centric and people of the state have and will get the benefits. There is no doubt that, what both the countries has achieved is very less as is being expected by the people. But it is also the truth that it is only dialog process through which everlasting peace can return to the valley. Valley has witnessed only, violence and bloodshed during last two decades of militancy. Now cross LoC trade has started. It could become possible only after the ‘guns fell silent’ on the Line of Control. Now people can differentiate between peace and violence very well that is why they have ‘chosen their own path instead of someone other’s.

War on Terror As the militant attacks inside Pakistan and Afghanistan have increased, Pakistan military has intensified its offensive against the Taliban and Al-Qaida militants who are hiding in the tribal areas in its North West Frontier Province. After recent months’ terrorist attacks, world’s ‘war on terror’ has become Pakistan’s own ‘war on terror’. Though in the initial stages of ‘war on terror’ Pakistani rulers had half-heartedly supported the US offensive just to keep their nation safe form its ’side-effects’ but it could not happen. They had tried to evade the responsibility that they needed to take in the war against Taliban terrorists. As they shirked to take action against the Taliban militants, militants kept on increasing their power inside Pakistan and after some time became a threat to Pakistan’s unity.

Approach Taliban was being helped by some Pakistan’s ‘internal government elements’. Despite Pakistan government’s open support to the US led ‘war on terror’ some Taliban had not lost the support of some government sympathizers. After the downfall of Taliban regime in Kabul, they had established themselves in the tribal area of Pakistan and had started strengthening their ’safe heaven’ by taking control of the local administration into their hands and had increased their attacks on the Pakistani establishment. During this process Taliban had burnt many schools and banned the girls’ education. Local tribal people who had sympathy with the Taliban had lost their interest into them. But Pakistan government was still reluctant to take action against the ‘national threat’. After change of government, international pressure, Pakistan government changed its approach against the Taliban.

Sovereignty But till then it was very late. Pakistan had reached near to get the status of a ‘failed nation’. Its economy was (still is) in shambles. Its sovereignty too was at stake as US forces had started to attack inside its territory against the Taliban terrorists. Despite Pakistan government’s protests US drone attacks are still a reality. Now week has passed without US drone attacks since last month. It is only after continuous international pressure and terrorist attacks, that the Pakistan government could understand the grim reality. Now Pakistan has, though reluctantly, accepted the US missile attacks inside its territory. In recent weeks Pakistan military has intensified its offensive and had started to take control of the Taliban occupied areas. But it is facing a stiff resistance from Taliban militants. It could control a very few areas even after weeks’ of battle. At the same time, coalition forces have also launched an operation against the Taliban militants in the border areas with the help of Pakistan military.

 Lashkars There are some positive news also for the war on terror. Local tribal people have stood up against the Taliban and have formed lashkars (groups of fighters) with the help of government to fight against the militants. With the formation of lashkars, battle between militants and the government has intensified. At the same time lashkars have started to take on the Taliban militants. According to some recent reports a severe fight had broken out between a lashkar and Taliban militants. Lashkar was ambushed by dozens of militants and in the fight score of people from both of the sides had died. Pakistan military had launched an air operation when the fight had broke out and in which most of the tribals had been killed. In the air strikes 17 Taliban militants including some foreigners were killed.

Win India was declared winner of the third ODI of seven match series with England by 16 runs through Duckworth/Lewis method as the match had started late and ended early under fading light. With this win India is leading in the seven match series with 3-0. At the other end it has frustrated the English side which was confident of winning the third game. The match had started late and it had been truncated to 49 overs. Indian chasing the victory target of 241 had made 198 for five in 40 overs when the bad light ended the match abruptly. Later on result was declared in favor of India according to the Duckworth/Lewis method as they were 16 runs ahead of the required score from 40 overs.

Indian Top Order When the match ended the match was in a balanced conditions and could switch to any side as India had lost five wickets and needed 43 runs to win with the last recognized pair of batsmen on the crease. Opener Virender Sehwag was the top scorer for his side with 68 runs from 76 balls that included 8 fours and 1 six. He along with Rohit Sharma (28) steered his side out of danger by adding 73 runs for the third wicket after India had lost two early wickets of Gautam Gambhir (14) and Suresh Raina (1) for 34 runs. It was also a much improved display by the English players as compared to their earlier two games. Gambhir was caught at long on by Stuart Broad off Flintoff. He was soon followed by S Raina who played a delivery of Broad onto his stumps. But Sehwag and Rohit Sharma denied another quick success to their opponents and played some good shots to keep the score board ticking. Sehwag completed his 31^th One Day fifty by hitting Graeme Swann for a six .He was caught at point by Collingwood off Flintoff. Flintoff tormented the Indian batsmen in his first spell of 5-0-13-1. He also sent three key Indian batmen, Gambhir, Sehwag and Yuvraj packing by giving just 31 runs.

Middle Order Rohit Sharma once again failed to convert a good start into a big score and fell to Swann. Then centurion of first two matched Yuvraj Singh(38) came in to join captain Dhoni and was welcomed by the crowd with thunderous applause. They both added 52 runs for the fifth wicket from 64 balls. But Flintoff struck again and cut short Yuvraj’s journey by getting him caught by Broad at square-leg fence. But skipper Dhoni along with Yusuf Pathan (12) kept their side ahead of Duckworth/Lewis equation by scoring some quick runs amid fading light.

England-Batting Earlier in the morning skipper Kevin Pietersen won the toss and elected to bat first. England opened with a changed batting order. Both the openers, Ravi Bopara (60) and Ian Bell gave a good start to their side by adding 79 runs for the first wicket. Though Indian batsmen got swing earlier in the morning but luck did not favor them. Munaf Patel drew the first blood for his side when he got Bell caught behind by wicket keeper Dhoni. Skipper Pietersen, who joined Bopara slammed Yuvraj for a six but could not face Harbhajan Singh successfully. Harbhajan Singh, who was later on declared man of the match, took three wickets for 31 runs and kept a tight leash on the scoring. His other two victims were, out of form Paul Collingwood (1) and Owais Shah (40). He completed his 200 wickets in ODIs when he dismissed Owais Shah. He was caught at boundary by Zaheer Khan. England’s forth wicket to go was Bopara whom Dhoni stumped off Yuvraj Singh. Ishant Sharma sent Samit Patel and Matt Prior packing off his successive balls. All-rounder Yousaf Pathan trapped Flintoff leg-before wicket when he was on 26. Zaheer Khan dismissed S Broad while Munaf’s second wicket was James Anderson. Harbhajan Singh was declared Man of the Match.

England’s much improved performances indicates that the next games will be fought closely.

Chalukya Dynasty After the death of Harshavardhana, it was the Chalukya dynasty that ruled larger parts of southern and some parts of central India. They ruled from 6^th century to the 12 century. They were three individual dynasties but associated with each other because of their links to the same family. Their rule is considered as the golden age in the history of south Indian state Karnataka. Despite of various beliefs it is believed that Chalukya were the the descendants of Kadambas of Banavasi. They took over the control of former Kadambas’ territory. The first Chalukya ruler was Paulakesi I who established himself as the lord of Vatapi or Badami in the middle of the sixth century, now situated in the Bijapur district of Bombay. He declared Badami as the capital of his kingdom and constructed a strong fort on the top of steep mountains surrounded by rivers. Jayasimha Vallabha (500–520) and Ranaranga (520–540) were his elders. We can assume that his predecessors were chiefs of small areas.

Expansion After  Paulakesi I’s death his son Kirtivarman I succeeded him around 566 as the next Chalukya ruler. He expanded his rule by subduing some adjoining area of his state. He married a Kadamas princess and thus established his relations with the rulers of Shimoga district. He ruled for 31 years and died in 597 AC. He was succeeded by his brother Mangalesa because his son was too young to rule the state. He was an ambitious and energetic warrior. He attacked some of the adjoining territories but could not expand his kingdom to much extent. He suppressed some rebellions and included Kokan into his territory. Instead of surrendering the throne to Paulakesi II he himself wanted to rule the state. It forced Paulakesi II to rebel against his own uncle to whom he defeated and killed with the help of his friends around 610 AC in the battlefield of Elapattu-Simbige .

Golden Age Paulakesi II is considered to be the greatest Chalukya ruler who ruled the state from 608 to 642. He was contemporary of Harshavardhana. After defeating his uncle Mangalesa he had to face stiff resistance to consolidate his position. War between Paulakesi II and his uncle Mangalesa had encouraged many feudal lords who had declared themselves independent. Appayika and Govinda were the strongest among them to whom Paulakesi II defeated on the banks of river Bhima. During his rule the power of the Chalukya dynasty reached its peak. He expand his empire towards west by winning the Banavasi, Talakad, South Kanara, Kokan, port of Puri, Gujarat and Malwa. He married the daughter of Ganga king Durvinita who gave birth to Vikramaditya I. He won the state of Kosala, Kalinga, Vengi region and some coastal areas to expand his territory towards eastwards. He appointed his brother Kubja Vishnuvardhana as the ruler of eastern areas who later on became the founder of the dynasty of Eastern Chalukyas. Towards south he attacked the territory of Pallva King Mahendravarman. Though he could not completely defeat him but won some of his territories. His most famous victory was against the King of Kanauj, Harshavardhana. A battle was fought between them on the banks of river Narmada. Harsha suffered heavy losses in the battle and later on both the kings entered into a treaty. According to the treaty, river Narmada was declared as a border between the states of both of the kings. But in his last days, he had to face defeats in the hands of Pallava king Narasimhavarman I. It is believed that during these battles Paulakesi II had been killed around 642.

Navy Action Indian Navy had taken lead against Somali sea pirates who have emerged as one of the biggest threat to the sea business route in the Gulf of Aden in recent weeks. According to Indian Navy they fought a small battle with the Somali sea pirates and destroyed their vessel on Wednesday. The speed boats that were accompanying the ‘mothership’ sped away when it was blown up later on. Indian government has deployed INS Tabar, an Indian navel warship to provide security to the Indian vassals that navigate through the pirate-prone sea area. Indian government had taken this step after some Indian shipping firms had said that they were loosing almost $450,000 a month and delays in deliveries.

Battle According the Indian Navy claims they had spotted the pirate vessel at 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening. When it was asked to stop for investigation it did not stop. Some people, armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers were spotted on board of the suspected vessel. Instead of following Navy’s orders they opened fire on INS Tabar. According to the Navy statement the pirates had threatened to “blow up the naval warship if it closed on her”. Pirates then opened fire on the navel ship that was retaliated by the Navy with resulted in blasts on the navel vessel following which it sank. The explosions on board of the pirate ship indicate that there were some explosives stored in that vessel. Some of the pirated had succeeded in escaping in two speed boats to which Indian sailors gave chase. One of the speedboats was later on found abandoned. INS Tabar is patrolling the pirate infested area since October 23 to escort Indian ships to travel safely through the Gulf of Aden. A few days ago Indian marines had saved an Indian merchant vessel from being abducted by the Somali pirates. Till now Somali pirates have attacked and abducted almost 90 vessels some of which released only after paying hefty ransom amounts. Somali pirates have last seized some sea vessels that includes a Greek bulk career, a Hong Kong flagged ship, a Thai fishing boat and a Saudi Supertanker carrying $100 million oil.

Appreciation World community has appreciated Indian Navy’s action against the Somali pirates. International Maritime Bureau, that is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has termed it a ‘rare victory in the sea war against Somali pirates. Its chief Noel Choong said that he was heartened by INS Tabar’s success. Many other warships are patrolling the area to provide security to the sea vessels but despite their presence pirate attacks have increased. To counter the problem some forceful action needs to be taken and Indian Navy has taken the action that everybody was waiting for.

Yuvraj It was one of the best days of Yuvraj’s career as he hit his second century on a trot and took four wickets for 28 in the second match of the seven match series between India and England, played in Indore on Monday, November 17. He not only scored his second consecutive century but also steered his side out of danger when they were 29 for three at one stage. He then ‘rolled his arm’ and proved his ability as a left-arm-spinner by taking four wickets for 28 from ten overs which included prized scalps of Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen and Owais Shaw. His second consecutive century, first led a massive Indian total of 292 runs from 50 overs and then his bowling helped India defeat England by 54 runs.

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Engand Bating Chasing India’s total of 292 runs, England could score only 238 runs in 47 overs. It was Yuvraj Singh who opened the flood gates for his side as he took first four out of five wickets on a sluggish pitch. England could not get a good start as it had lost its first wickets in the very first over of their inning. Suresh Raina’s ‘Jonty Rhodes’ act resulted in the downfall of their first wicket of Ian Bell. His accurate throw found Bell short of his crease and he was declared run out. But Mathew Prior and Owais Shah helped England to recover from the earlier jolt and added 96 runs for the second wicket. Yuvraj ended their ‘dream run’ by removing both of them in his successive overs. The first to go was O. Shaw (58) who had completed his half century by hitting a six off Yuvraj Singh. He was followed by Matt Prior (38). Yuvraj forced both of them to their backfoot with his angle and pierced through their defense leaving England at a balanced position with three down for 109 from 24 overs.
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Partnership Skipper Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff took over the reigns and kept England’s hopes of victory alive. Yuvraj again struck twice in his same over and ended their ‘racy partnership’ of 74 runs for the fourth wicket by first removing K. Pietersen and then trapping Flintoff leg-before-wicket. Pietersen made 33 runs while Flintoff made 43 off 35 balls with four fours and three sixes. Flintoff had made 21 runs by hitting three sixes in an over of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Only Samit Patel (20) and S Broad (22) could reach double figures from rest of the English batsmen as England lost their remaining five wickets for 49 runs. They both were sent back by Sehwag. Sehwag’s third victim was Harminson (6) whom he got stumped out. Harbhajan Singh took the wicket of Paul Collingwood (2) while Ravi Bopara (3) was sent back by Y Pathan.

Toss In the morning, skipper Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first. But India was pushed into a deep trouble as it had lost its first three wickets of Sehwag (1), Suresh Raina (4) and Rohit Sharma (3) for just 29 runs. India’s top batting order was ripped apart by S Broad who took three wickets for 14 runs from his first spell. All the first three Indian batsmen lost their wickets without getting used to the sluggish pitch. Yuvraj Singh, who came to play after Sharma’s departure, was tested by Broad and Flintoff with some short pitched deliveries that angled across. He struck two sixes and 15 fours to make 118 runs in 122 balls. He added 134 runs from 136 deliveries for the fourth wicket along with Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir made 70 off 76 balls which included six fours and one six. He was bowled out by Pietersen when he drove one of his sharp off-break deliveries onto his stumps. He was soon followed by Yuvraj Singh who was caught by Prior off Broad. Skipper Dhoni could make only 15 runs and was bowled out by Collingwood. Harbhajan Singh (8) and Zaheer Khan (1) got run out while R P Singh was bowled out by Harminson. Another attraction of the day was Yusuf Pathan’s maiden half century of 29 balls that included two fours and four sixes. He and Munaf Patel remained not out. At the end of the match Yuvraj Singh was declared Man of the Match for his outstanding performance in both fields of the game, batting and bowling.