Hafiz Saeed's expected release

Hafiz Saeed's expected release should not come as a surprise. What can the courts in Pakistan do, if their government did not pursue the matter seriously? Lakhvi, another key player who orchestrated the Mumbai attacks, was given all facilities in jail, including conjugal rights.

One needs to be reminded of the response of the then Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Mr. Salman Bashir, to our dossiers submitted. He trashed them as "piece of literature".

American and Israeli citizens were also targeted in those attacks, and now it is high time that we join efforts with Israel and US to isolate Pakistan globally on the issue of terrorism. Wonder, how long can Pakistan's chief patron China, keep shielding Pak based terrorists at the UNSC?

India needs to play a key back channel diplomacy in ensuring the relations between US and Iran are back on track. If that is accomplished, then India could facilitate the supplies to US troops in Afghanistan via Chabahar port in Iran, thereby effectively denting a key advantage which Pakistan has vis-a-vis US now, and that is, of providing routes via its soil for supplies to US troops in Afghanistan.

Demonetization Exercise

One can debate endlessly on the merits and demerits of demonetization exercise. The key factor would lie in having credible information on the jobs created in the informal sector, which was hit badly last year due to cash crunch.

The government must make all out efforts to identify those badly hit, extent of job losses, and dole out loans on soft terms to such entities so that they are able to stand back on their feet, with greater vigor and energy, besides creating many more jobs than what were lost.

Perhaps, the gains made by RBI via decrease in its liabilities on account of those notes which have not entered the banking system as yet, as well as from the unaccounted cash seized from various bank accounts or other sources, could part finance such an initiative.