Carry on IPL games with normal security...

Added later: Sharad Pawar is still in Congress alliance, but has done enough maneuvering to become PM if the opportunity presents itself. Taliban is murdering it's way to Islamalabad and it is out of the reach of drones due to fears of collateral damage. The puppet Pakistani government is watching the Taliban mayhem with concealed glee and fake outrage. The IPL is now in South Africa, but at times designed for an Indian audience.

Now that Sharad Powar is out of Congress, there should be no expectation of extra security. This year, the IPL should go on with normal security and with Indian players. Some foreign players will drop off and there will be many more available to fill up the spots. There will be overseas revenue losses as pay per view viewers are just not sure if the events will take place or not. So the organizers have to come out with positive statements soon.

It does not pay to act as if India is a part of Pakistan in matters of security and well-being. The terrorists may be a great threat, but don't expect things to get better next year or the year after that. Thanks to the drones, terrorists have moved their business to places that are more crowded. They do not risk being killed by a missile, where hiding behind women and children does not work.

The current Pakistani government should be able to sputter on for another six months or so before one more merciful intervention from the military, with support from America.

India has to be more worried about the Pakistan/America nexus in the long run. When the Americans and Russian left Afghanistan last time, Afghanistan turned into a living hell. All those terrorist cowards may flock towards Indian borders for more security and to avoid being "droned" to death this time around.

The American policy is veering dangerously close to the Pakistani policy towards terrorists: "Don't bother us and we will praise you and even protect you. We will not call you enemies and will give you back your "dignity" ". Apparently this is working in Iraq. Americans do not seem to understand the power of their own dollars and they are mistaking bribery for cooperation. Just like they thought these same terrorists were freedom fighters the last time they were around these areas. They want to revert back to the same philosophy as it will protect US citizens at the cost of a few dollars.

This is a great policy for US citizens, but at the cost of blood of Indian citizens as terrorists are being given every incentive to move out of the Afghanistan border so that "success" can be declared. Hopefully India will take some steps to protect it's own interests and avenge the terror attack on Mumbai in the process.

Mr. Mallya and the Gandhiji items.

90% of the Indian politicians could have bought the Gandhiji items on the auction block. But ofcourse that is not white money. So they are all reduced to "taking credit". 

Mr. Mallya has showed continued risk taking without rewards, be it the IPL team, developments around Bangalore and now the buying of items. Hopefully India will pay him back in kind in the near future.

World's problem, Pakistan.....

For a lot of Pakistanis, this is actually a source of pride. They were merely India's and Afghanistan's problem with their wide assortment of "freedom fighters" and merciless killers. Now they have ambitions of killing Sri Lankans, Americans and other assorted Europeans.

The Pakistani media have now seamlessly moved from "We are not the problem" to "This is the world's problem". The lack of responsibility is appaling, but understandable; as any conscentious voice will be gunned down pretty quick, given the total breakdown of law and order in that country. The Pakistani media is speaking in wide hyperboles about how "the innocence has been lost" in the recent cricket attacks. They lost their innocence long ago by paying reverence to violent people and calling them martyrs and heroes.

Terrorism is a business and an economic activity and so these terrorists will not lay down their guns and go back to being watchmen. So Pakistanis will get to enjoy the feeling of being the "innocent victims" for quite some time time, a feeling they so gleefully heaped on their neighbors by harboring a cancer that has now turned on itself.

There are big concerns for India down the line. Once America loses its interest in Afghanistan, the now American trained Pakistan military(and their close relatives, the terrorists) will come back with renewed vengeance to their favorite playing grounds of India and Afghanistan.