Imran Khan's Intentions

Imran Khan's intentions are fine indeed where Indo-Pak relations are concerned, and as it is believed that he has the backing of Pakistan Army, we can draw some comfort that our bilateral relations can see much needed improvement.

Not too long ago, General Bajwa too echoed similar sentiments where our relations are concerned.

But, if history is any guide, then while we can remain optimistic but without letting our guard down.

The Simla Agreement of 1972 can serve as a reference point. That no one in Pakistan even mentions about it today, should say it all. Why can't Imran Khan make a mention about it boldly?

Then, can't forget the over-optimism created in the media when our then PM Rajiv Gandhi visited Islamabad for SAARC summit in 1988, and was welcomed by his counterpart PM Benazir Bhutto. Their youth and charm created so much of hype out here, that it appeared "no-brainer" that all was great with our bilateral relations. That a year later, terrorism raised its ugly head in Kashmir with able backing from Pakistan was a rude jolt for us.

Other rude jolts were to follow :

* the famed bus ride by our then PM Vajpayee in February 1999 was followed by Kargil war,

* the hijack of IC 814 in December 1999 saw the release of Maulana Masood Azhar who was granted shelter in Pakistan,

* the over-hyped Agra summit in July 2001 was followed by an attack on our Parliament in December that year,

* Impromptu visit by PM Modi to Islamabad was followed by Pathankot terror attack etc etc

Above all, no one knows if the perpetrators of Mumbai attacks would ever be brought to justice.

In a nutshell, our approach vis-a-vis Imran Khan's government (assuming he is sworn in as PM) should be one of cautious optimism, without letting our guard down, or once again engulfing ourselves in "smoke screens" created by our own illusions.

New Disruptions by Reliance Industries

Reliance Industries Ltd's 41st Annual General Meeting, has put not only the telecom, but also e-commerce, and home entertainment players on notice.

While the likes of Airtel, Vodafone, Amazon, Walmart-Flipkart, Netfix, and other smaller players in such segments are likely to up the game with aggressive strategies to further consolidate their respective positions, the key strategy for RIL would be to get the first mover advantage in 5G connectivity, besides fixed broadband fibre connectivity to reach millions of households, not only in metros but in tier 2, 3, and 4 cities as well.

The state-of-the-art IT infrastructure with focus on data analytics, artificial intelligence, supply chain management systems, and customer relationship management systems are the critical minimum requirements, as RIL transitions from a mainly B2B entity to a B2C entity.

Further, the transition from an oil and gas behemoth to a telecom and e-commerce conglomerate is going to be big challenge for the third generation Ambanis, who will need to change the culture at RIL to meet the aspirations of the bright talent needed to spearhead such a massive transition, which would be the key to such a transition.

Now, the million dollar question is, "How long can the Walmart-Flipkarts and Amazons keep bleeding themselves just to keep their market shares?"

While RIL is a public listed company, is sensitive to the expectations of its shareholders, and norms of corporate governance, the e-commerce biggies are not so transparent in their financial disclosures as of now.

And finally, it has set its sight on education, healthcare, and education as well, courtesy 5G related technologies. What's left for others?