If you can not defend your own home-turf and boundaries: outsiders or by-standers will start giving you unsolicited advice! That is the case with my India which has just been humiliated by another terrorist attack.

On CNN, Campell Brown today asked Mr. Fareed Zakaria and another expert and both nodded that appointing an Observer for Kashmir would be a good idea ( as one may be aware, Obama -the President -elect had came up with this novel idea) and now we see Zakaria welcoming it! For what? I am dismayed that a person who has his roots in India- implying that he at least understands the Kashmir issue in depth- is sailing in the flow instead of trying to rationalize the issue!
This is also a lesson for India that if you can not act with diplomatic maturity, people (read other nations) will jump into the fray and come our with their own theories and solutions!

Another issue that has come into sharp focus after this Mumbai 2008 attack is the preparedness and readiness to face such emergencies. CNN today reveals that CIA had warned India almost a month back that sea route may be used to cause another terrorist attack in Mumbai. And foreign press is not mincing words how we dealt with this attack: the extra slowness with which commandos and army was summoned, that NSG was not even present in Mumbai, it had to be called from Delhi, and that once they landed in Mumbai, they were taken to the scene by local city buses (BEST service).
The world seems to buying the idea at least this time Pakistan’s role in these attacks on Indian land. The American media is even contemplating whether India will strike back? People across the world have taken a grim view of these attacks and Pakistan will have difficulty in deflecting the attention from this ‘accusation’!

Back home , heads are rolling. The inept Home Minister -Shiv Raj Patil- has resigned (made to resign, actually). His parameter for success as a Minister- had been how pleased his boss- Ms Sonia Gandhi – had been ! He had openly stated this in last few weeks. This is the work -ethics in our politics in India. It may be remembered that Shiv Raj Patil is one of those politicians who are well edcuated and have some substance. But it seems that Mr. Patil has lost his shine over last many years.