Mission Kashmir Having consolidated his position at home, the President of Pakistan is clear that any diplomatic advance in Agra will be measured against India's willingness to review its position on Kashmir. Can Prime Minister Vajpayee oblige his guest?

Mother Fury
M. Karunanidhi and other leaders of the DMK may be out of jail, but retribution and rehabilitation will continue to define the
Jayalalitha Raj.

Trust Betrayed
India's largest mutual fund scheme, US-64, takes a tumble for the second time in three years. As pressure mounts to stem the rot and chairman Subramanyam goes, the small investor is left in the lurch.

The Gender Gestapo
A controversial sex-selection procedure widely available in India skirts the law and prevents the very conception of female babies.

FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the world has changed dramatically. Some of yesterday's bitter enemies, like the two Germanys, have kissed and made up and others, like the two Koreas and the Israelis and Palestinians, are making a very serious attempt to end strife. Unfortunately, India and Pakistan have so far made little progress in either narrowing their differences or lowering the levels of conflict in the region. Both are nuclear powers and there is understandable concern in the world that South Asia could become a nuclear flashpoint. Of late a number of thrillers have centred on this dangerous possibility.

Whether we admit it or not, Pakistan and India are each other's obsession. We tend to even view the world through the prism of this unresolved conflict. No wonder the forthcoming Agra summit between Prime Minister Vajpayee and President Musharraf has gripped both countries. The irony of the encounter is inescapable-Vajpayee went to Lahore in 1998 to make peace; Musharraf was the man who destroyed it in Kargil the following year. Consequently, the summit is fraught with both possibilities and pitfalls. In the past few weeks, Musharraf has stolen the initiative. He has prepared for the summit by legitimising his authority at home, rallying domestic opinion and spelling out his agenda with cold clarity. By contrast, the Indian side has struck a very cautionary note. Our cover story deals with the pulls and pressures on both sides. Associate Editor Harinder Baweja knows Pakistan thoroughly, having reported from there on 10 different occasions, and Assistant Editor Shishir Gupta has followed Indian foreign policy closely. Backed by the views of experts, they tell us what to expect and what not to hope for from the talks. Says Baweja: "It's important to not get overwhelmed by the atmospherics." That's a word of caution but in this case there's no harm in hoping for the best.

(Aroon Purie)

MetroScape

Frames Of Life
Nina Shivdasani Rovshen Sugati's Conceptual Art Imageographs, on show at NCPA's Piramal Gallery till July 14, attempts to capture the "essence of people and situations" as she lets her subjects "reveal themselves" to her.
more...

Looking Glass

Bangalore Entertainment:
Jaamba Jungle

Mumbai Luxury Yacht:
Sea King

Hyderabad Store:
Giant Hyper Market

With the Trinamool-Congress alliance gone sour, Mamata Banerjee is desperate to be back in the NDA. Is she being inconsistent or opportunistic, asks INDIA TODAY's Correspondent Labonita Ghosh in
About Turn