 |
Sunday,
September 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
SPECIAL FOCUS: A FIELD REPORT FROM GANDHINAGAR
Black Cat commandos get their moment in the sun |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Attack on temple exposes chinks in national security How a Principal looks at it
The mood changes as subtly as the season
Harihar Swarup
Ambika behind Amarinder’s dharna
Attack on Akshardham sends shock waves
|
SPECIAL FOCUS: A FIELD REPORT FROM GANDHINAGAR DESPITE loud chorus about the involvement of Pakistani fidayeens in the attack on the Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar, one of the two killed in the encounter was apparently a local boy. Two similar handwritten Urdu letters recovered from the bodies of the two terrorist boys, claimed to represent the Tehrek-e-Kasas (movement or revenge) has created panic among the Sangh Parivar outfits in Gandhinagar. State CPM secretary Arun Mehta says, the real cause for the attack was the Gujarat carnage. If such a revengeful programme was unleashed, nobody can say who will be the next target, according to a moderate BJP minister. This implies that nobody will endorse the Advani-BJP tactic to divert people’s attention from the Gandhinagar incident to the Kashmir imbroglio. During the live coverage on TV, there was confusion about the exact number of terrorists involved in the attack. Were they two, three or four? Confusion still persists. A blatantly pro-Modi Gujarati newspaper, Sandesh, which has reported this, invited immediate contradictions from the anti-terrorist squad. However, on September 27, Sandesh reported that one of the two terrorists shot dead was a local boy. It reported that modern weaponry was found in a school building in Gandhinagar’s Sector 24, close to the temple and that a third terrorist, who had escaped, has been nabbed while protecting this weaponry, although the anti-terrorist squad refutes the theory of third terrorist. This vindicated the stand of the Editors’ Guild of India on misreporting by Sandesh about the Gujarat carnage. The incident once again exposed the government’s failure in maintaining law and order. When Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani made the statement “we will not allow the enemy’s aims to fructify”, it raised a volley of questions. This newly born ‘Sardar’ was making the statement in the presence of the ‘Chhote Sardar’ Narendra Modi near the site of the incident. Developments after the Godhra train massacre and the Centre’s attitude towards Mr Modi's performance suggest that Mr Advani is playing Dhritarashtra for both the BJP and the country. Mr Advani and Mr Modi seem to be under illusion that the world is also able to see through the government’s failure in averting the enemy’s attacks inside the country. The Centre and the state have ignored intelligence reports on attacks in Gujarat. Mr. Modi has denied such reports, but it is worth examining them. Mr K.P.S.Gill, in an interview to a Delhi eveninger, said that he himself had informed the Gujarat government a month ago about a possible attack by Kashmiri terrorists. The information was obviously based on intelligence reports. The Statesman (Delhi) also reported about ‘Plan Gujarat’, quoting top Delhi Police officials. The attack on Akshardham is the first in the series. The Gujarat government was informed in writing on August 28, 2002. Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence had organised a meeting of the terrorist outfits in some West Asian city in May-end in which the Lashkar-e-Toiba was also present. ‘Plan Gujarat’ was given a shape at one of these meetings. The Delhi Police believes that the Toiba wanted to increase its presence in India and its terrorists may have been incensed after Godhra killings. Last June, Delhi Police shot dead two terrorists — Abu Bilal and Abu Zafarulla — in an encounter. They belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba. Maps and plans of Gandhinagar and Mr Modi’s residence were recovered from them. The information was passed on to Gujarat’s Home Department. It is understood that at least two terrorists visited Gujarat after the June encounter to recruit possible fidayeens for attacks and for smuggling explosives and ammunition in the state. Based on the intelligence around these developments, the Delhi police had sent the report on August 28 to the Gujarat government. However, the state government ignored these reports and transferred the top brass of the state intelligence for their alleged involvement in passing on the tapes containing the anti-minority statements by Mr Modi during his Gaurav Yatra. In a joint statement on September 22, Mr Kirit Bhatt, Mr Rohit Prajapati and Mr Jagdish Shah (Editor, Bhoomiputra) and others of the People's Union for Civil Liberties and Shanti Abhiyan (Vadodara) said Mr Modi’s statement, repeated by Vadodara Police Commissioner, that Abu Salem’s arrest led to the attack on the Ganesh procession reflected an utter lack of respect for this basic principle. Such statements will only serve to create insecurity among Muslims, while emboldening others to attack them. Incidentally, five hours before the attack on Akshardham, a delegation of the Gujarat Lok Sanghrash Samiti, a forum of more than 300 voluntary organisations, presented a memorandum to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in New Delhi, maintaining that the Intelligence Bureau feedback was categorical “that as long as the administration does not demonstratively prove that it is impartial, such incidents of violence will continue.” It may also be mentioned that the security arrangements for the Gaurav Yatra took away most of the available force and hence perhaps left very little scope for beefing up security at possible terrorist targets. Meanwhile, a case has been filed in a Patna court against Mr Modi and BJP president Venkaiah Naidu in connection with certain remarks made by Mr Modi against Muslims. Naim Akhtar of Patna has accused Mr Modi of “mocking at Muslims” on September 9 while addressing a gathering at Bahucharaji in Mehsana district of Gujarat during the Gaurav Yatra. In his petition, Akhtar said that Modi’s statements encouraged hatred between different communities, particularly Hindus and Muslims. Though Mr Modi has denied making any such remarks, he was exposed by the State Iintelligence Bureau, which recorded his speech and leaked its contents to a TV news channel. Akshardham is no ordinary place. There are 500 such temples all over the world. The one in Gandhinagar is frequented by about 5,000 persons in weekdays and 12,000 persons on weekends. It is located in 23 acres and is very near to the high security zone in Gandhinagar that houses the Governor, the Chief Minister and the ministers. Full of vegetation and thick tree cover, the temple complex offers a good hiding place for terrorists and the like. When the caretaker government was organising high security for the Chief Minister, his party’s Gaurav Yatra, and for Pravin Togadia, the International Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, why was security ignored for this temple? Post-Akshardham happenings point to an important fact — a determined government can act decisively and control the situation. The response pattern is worth recapturing. Within hours of only two terrorists entering Akshardham, Mr Advani was in Gandhinagar. Gandhinagar is his constituency. But where was he when Godhra and post-Godhra violence broke out? Mr Modi made a fervent appeal to “five crore Gujaratis” to exercise restraint and peace after the terrorist attack. The BJP kept itself away from the Bharat Bandh call given by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. But the same party had supported the bandhs sponsored by the VHP on February 28 and March 1. Mr Modi never cared to flash a message for peace and restraint. Gujarat Police Chief K.Chakra-varti directed all sensitive police stations and SPs to maintain law and order, something not heard of after the Godhra carnage. The precautions taken to prevent any possible ‘reaction’ after the Akshardham incident were totally conspicuous by their absence after the Godhra massacre. As a result, for months together Gujarat burned and the “enemy's sinister wishes were fulfilled”, to quote Mr Advani. Because of the fatigue factor, the civil society and the business community were tired of the bandh calls by the Congress and the VHP on Sept. 25 and 26. “We have lost enough business due to communal politics”, said Mr Indrakumar Jog, a hotel owner. As many as 24 of them have migrated to other states and only 350 of the 519 closed hotels have resumed working. The government gets Rs.70 lakh every year from them towards entertainment tax, but this year it got only Rs 3 lakh! The transporters lost Rs 500 crores during the carnage. Of the hundreds of trucks burnt down by communal elements on highways and streets, there is no trace of ownership of 300 as yet, said Mr Chandrashekhar Joshi, Transport Association president. The Hindus are the single largest minority in the world. They have shined in business and enterprise. The Hindutva forces should know that their peace and security is equally important. If the action-reaction theories are enacted the world over, the largest minority's security will be at stake. For those who can enter Parliament House and Akshardham at will, no place is inaccessible and citizens will find no place free from danger. The writer, a veteran journalist, is former Editor of Lok Satta and Jan Satta and a social activist. |
|
The siege & after
 |
|
Black Cat commandos get their moment in the sun THE National Security Guards (NSG) commandos, the home-made ‘men in black’ who carry their lives in the patkas tied around their heads deserve praise no end for the herioc storming of the Akshardham Temple in Gandhinagar where another cruel face of terrorism was holding innocent people to ransom. The silent and sleek operators from this elite force, who risk their lives for the safety of others have for long been only in the shadows of the VIPs rather than being deployed for emergencies like that in Gandhinagar. This band of brothers, who come from various security forces and who are also called the “Black Cats”, with the specialised training imparted to them, form a professional force capable of emerging victor even in the most adverse conditions. The force has no parallel and the men are hand-picked. Their track record speaks for itself. From the day of their inception in 1985 till date they have ringed the VIPs without any failure. Former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh being the only exception. However, their loss has been much higher at 11 men lost in combat.The ruthlessness and the precision with which these men strike terror in the hearts of their opponents can actually invite the word fidayeen for them rather than for the terrorists. However, this exceptional force is also not without problems. From shortage of men to lack of equipment there are innumerable shortcomings which come in the way of their operations. There is no shortage of funds but the procedural and the red tape at all levels in the ministries bogs them down. The lack of sophisticated equipment was also evident in the ‘Operation Vajrashakti’ at Akshar-dham Temple which led to one of the bravehearts being lost to the hail of terror bullets. From the word ‘go’ in Manesar near Delhi till the completion of the operation, the commandos faced various drawbacks. The 70-odd men who were screaming down the NH-8 in their 35-vehicle convoy from their base faced peak traffic-hour problems. They were stuck in the traffic jam for almost an hour, which also delayed their departure from the Palam Technical area. Then with clear instructions of no damage to the temple sacred to millions, they were at a disadavantge with lack of adequate equipment to take on the two terrorists who had taken positions at vantage points on tarrace. The night vision equipment failed and they could not use any heavy equipment like the rocket launchers, as had been the case in Srinagar just two days before. So came the delay in the rescue of several hundred devotees who were present in the premises. The men could have stormed the temple much earlier than at day break had they suitably been armed with the equipment which has been awaiting clearance from the bureaucrats sitting in their plush offices. What, however, is to be learnt from this operation is that an elite force like the NSG not only needs to be equipped with the best, but its units should also be in place in other cities. It could reduce the time of their arrival at such troubled spots. The time taken to travel from New Delhi to Gandhinagar could have been much shorter had a unit been in place either in Mumbai or even in Ahmedabad. The rules governing the NSG should be altered, if need be, not only to increase its mobility but to make it the best commando force in the world. It is also the responsibility of the Government, with all financial and procedural help, to ensure that the badge of the Black Cats becomes the most sought after one rather than it have the present shortage of men for the lack of money in service. |
|
They strike & deliver
|
|
Attack on temple exposes chinks in national security THE terrorist attack on the Akshardham Temple opposite Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s residence in Gandhinagar (which is supposed to be a high security zone) underscores the tattered state of national security. In the immediate context, the need to induct the National Security Guard (NSG) from Delhi is a lacuna that needs to be rectified immediately in a State that has become a second front for the Pakistan ISI on India’s western border. At the local level, this particular attack has exposed the preparedness of the State Armed Police and commandos to handle a crisis of this kind. They were ill-equipped and ill-trained to execute what is primarily their responsibility necessitating an SOS call to the NSG in Delhi and resulting in a timegap of 14 hours before the threat could be neutralised. It needs to be clearly understood that for all intents and purposes, Gujarat is now a “frontline State” bordering a Pakistan that has indicated in no uncertain terms that it will try and exploit the communal situation there to the fullest. Therefore, the threat perception needs to be viewed seriously, with full preparedness, with a view to ensuring swifter reaction to a terrorist attack and the ability to neutralise it at short notice. The State police will need to upgrade it surveillance capabilities especially in high security zones and places of mass congregation. Closed circuit television and sniffer dogs can help raise an alarm before a shot is fired. Its crisis drill, firepower and protective gear needs to be upgraded in the letter and spirit of the recommendations of the National Police Commission some decades ago and brought up to date in keeping with the observations made by the Group of Ministers after the Kargil conflict. Far from being congratulated on a great job done by the Narendra Modi Government (as Union Home Minister L.K.Advani did after the terrorists, already wounded, managed to kill one NSG and wound another), both the Centre and the State and the national security apparatus need to introspect over what is wrong. That the NSG had to wait till dawn to make their assault on the terrorists’ position because of the adverse lighting situation speaks volumes for its methodology. (It could have asked the State Government to switch off all lights and impose a blackout and used night vision devices — if it has them — to pick off the terrorists). After the Kargil conflict in 1999, the Kargil Review Committee and the Group of Ministers made recommendations to tighten up security at every level from the national boundaries to the Indian heartland. Yet terrorists and anti-national elements are able to enter the country and strike at will wherever they want. All this is happening even after the creation of an institution called the National Security Council. This institution’s ability to ring alarm bells at the first perception of threat to national security and internal peace and stability was exposed when it failed to warn the political leadership (that it needs to be told about the consequences of its acts is a dismal commentary on its leadership qualities) that the resurgence of the Ayodhya agitation at the very same time as Indian troops were being deployed all along the western border with Pakistan detracts gravely from the intent and purpose of forward troop deployment. And sure enough, Gujarat blew up in a communal bloodbath that brought shame to the nation; provided General Musharraf an opportunity to open another front on the border and in the United Nations General Assembly; and forced the Indian Army to redeploy its troops. There are two contradictory trends in operation at the moment. On the one hand, the people of terrorism-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir have sent out a clear message, even under the gunbarrels of the terrorists, that they reject terrorism and want peace; and on the other, the Centre and the state government are demonstrating their inability to maintain the inviolability of territorial integrity and internal security. This nation has listened, astounded, at a former Chief of Army Staff saying that it is not possible to stem the infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir; is watching in dismay how Pakistan is trying to undermine the barbed-wire barricade set up in Punjab and is trying to resurrect the Khalistan insurrection there; we have seen an NSG boss talk glibly on television of the “Sudarshan Chakra” he has unleashed against the brigand Veerappan (to no effect); terrorists entering police and military barracks with impunity as well as soft targets like temples and mosques to cause havoc. Today we are witnessing a nationwide alert and the unseemly spectacle of security forces inspecting vehicles and personal belonging with their hands when the job could be done more efficiently and swiftly by dogs trained to sniff out explosives when everybody knows that they are the best means to do the job. |
|
How a Principal looks at it JUST as the horrendous attack on the most revered Akshardham Swaminarayan temple in Gandhinagar on September 24, terrorists are bound to strike other soft targets again if all of us do not unite together as Indians. Unfortunately, Gujarat has become a “soft patch” for our enemies to sow the seeds of communal and religious hatred. The Godhra carnage and its aftermath seven months back have given added impetus to their diabolical designs. People from both communities kept ranting on about their feelings for a full four months. Hindus and Muslims saw each other with hatred and anger. Both communities blamed each other for their untold sufferings. Will the people of Gujarat learn any lessons from this incident? The evil lies in the mistrust created between the two communities. Political parties exploited this to safeguard their vote banks. Why should Hindus view Muslims or Christians as enemies? In my small village, in every religious procession — Hindus’ or Muslims’ — the minority community has always been taking the lead to make it a grand success. Suddenly eveything has changed. Why can’t we trust each other? Why can’t we develop team spirit (as in cricket) to achieve our common goal — a prosperous India? Muslims are perhaps a neglected lot. The rate of literacy among Muslims is abysmally low. There is no leader to lead them — to harmony, prosperity and peace. They are left at the mercy of Maulvis or the so-called sympathisers of Pakistan. Fortunately, there is a refreshing change in their attitude. They now realise that religious peace must reign supreme at any cost. It is in this context that Hindus should come forward and lend a helping hand to these neglected but self-respecting citizens. Will we gain anything by mindless violence and hatred? We need to touch and heal the “soft patch”. We should not allow any one to get a pint of blood out of this “soft patch”. If we do so, the inevitable will happen. In addition to the killing of some 30 precious lives and injuries to many others in Gandhinagar the other day, terrorists also hogged international limelight We should not succumb to the evil designs of our enemies — both from within and outside the country. Luckily, good sense prevails in Gujarat today. Normal life was not affected during the two bandhs called on September 25 and 26. This is a good sign and a positive signal. I have no doubt that we can also achieve the goal of prosperity if we unite and develop team spirit — the one demonstrated by our Indian cricketers against South Africa at Colombo on September 25. Let us develop the habit of giving something to others before we expect anything from them. It is this spirit of quid pro quo that will lead us to glory. Both the Mandir and the Masjid are a part of our heritage. They are very precious monuments of truth. Let us preserve them for posterity. Because when you go to the temple or mosque, you pray for peace and prosperity not only for yourself but also for everyone around you. A temple or mosque is not only a place of worship but also a symbol of trust. Mutual trust alone can help us restore peace and develop our country. Let us preserve this purity of mind and heart. Let no political party exploit the foundation of this trust. Timely appeals by central leaders of major political parties like the BJP and the Congress to their state units not to aggravate the situation did help ensure peace in the state after the horrendous onslaught on Swaminarayan temple. This is a good sign. The people of Gujarat look forward to a peaceful and normal atmosphere. Restraint on the part of both the communities after the Swaminarayan temple incident is very well appreciated by one and all. Let this be a turning point in the history of the state for the betterment of Gujarat and the country as a whole. The writer is former Principal, Nav Gujarat Law College, Ahmedabad. |
The mood changes as subtly as the season THE leaves on the giant chinar trees here are just beginning to turn the bright, dramatic colours of autumn but soothing breezes have already eased the heat of summer. Amid an amazingly fervent round of elections, Kashmiri's mood is changing as subtly as the season. Everywhere, people are talking about the polling with a wonder that just goes to show how novel and unexpected free and fair elections are to most Kashmiris. Far more important for the future of South Asia, the process has caused major shifts in the subterranean templates of Kashmiri politics. Even the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, hitherto the monolithic standard-bearer of Kashmir's secession, is under strain. The People's Conference, which was founded by the assassinated Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Lone, is looking for an opportunity to quit. Like many analysts here, they expect these elections to return an unstable mandate and are girding themselves to participate in the next elections, even if these occur as early as next year. Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat nodded glumly when I asked him last week whether the People's Conference was not “straining at the leash”. He took the plea that “aberrations are an exception, never the rule”, and that “we represent the majority”, but did not deny that differences exist. The moment I walked into his office the other day, he expostulated: “We have lost faith in the media, diplomats, NGOs, all” — in short, all those who have reported that the elections have been properly conducted so far. Clearly, the Hurriyat is finding it hard to grapple with rural Kashmir's enthusiastic participation in the process. Bhat's colleague in the Hurriyat Executive Committee, Maulana Abbas Ansari, explains that “people are very disillusioned with the National Conference”, but there is no denying the fact that common people across much of the valley have ignored the Hurriyat's boycott call. Sanaullah Malik, a senior People's Conference worker from Kupwara, sees the same phenomenon Ansari does through a different prism. “If the Hurriyat had not called for a boycott, the National Conference candidates would have lost their deposits”. His party is evidently irked by the Hurriyat's intransigence. Indeed, Lone's sons, who run the party now, were remarkably cool when the Hurriyat was in an uproar after their senior colleagues filed nominations as independents a month ago. They explained it publicly as defiance by the concerned leaders but were not averse to being expelled from the Hurriyat. As it turned out, their bold move had the opposite effect. Launching damage containment, Pakistan promptly appointed the People's Conference nominee, Syed Yusuf Naseem, as the convenor of the Muzaffarabad-based wing of the Hurriyat. The party's leaders here are not impressed. Privately expressing disgust at the Hurriyat, they point out that only they, the Mirwaiz and the Jamaat-e-Islami among its 23 constituents have a popular base. “Let Professor (as the chairman likes to be called) gather 50 supporters”, says one of them contemptuously. Indeed, the big question mark in the minds of many is the likely course of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. His father too was assassinated by militants exactly 12 years before Lone was. Although his approach has hitherto been cautious, he could be inspired by the determination to rise above the spiral of violence that Lone's sons have displayed since their father was killed on May 21 this year. Over the months before Lone was killed, he and Umar had emerged as what was considered the “moderate” leadership within the Hurriyat. JKLF chief Yasin Malik had been part of their axis since the divide emerged over the last couple of years but had returned to inflexibility after he returned from treatment in the US last winter. Now, People's Conference leaders say they could ally with Umar after splitting from the Hurriyat but are cynical about whether he will show the courage to move out. The other group that is watching the poll process with great interest is the assortment of pro-freedom leaders outside the Hurriyat, such as Shabir Shah and Azam Inquilabi. They came close to contesting these polls but backed off when New Delhi did not give in to their demands for Governor's rule and a reduction of security forces — and more time to gather their courage. One of these leaders also told me that he for one backed off after PTV criticized the nascent “third front” for four days running. The fear of being killed for participating in an Indian democratic process lurks over them all. However, particularly if the People's Conference takes the lead, Shah at least is likely to enter the electoral arena by next time. He is among the many who expect the new house elected this time to be unstable. Indeed, if voters that I have interacted with over the past month are to be believed, there is a massive anti-incumbency sentiment in the valley. It is quite possible that the National Conference will win less than 30 seats. A coalition of the Congress, Mufti's party and perhaps some independents could take office but, given the volatility of Kashmiri politics, may not last its full term. It is entirely possible that these elections are only the dress rehearsal for a really historic round, perhaps as early as next year.
|
||
He will enter US, but in handcuffs Closely involved in planning the attack on the twin towers, Binalshibh received a coded message two weeks before Sept.11 attack from the hijacker Atta. Sent from the USA, Atta’s message manifests that even the cold blooded Al-Qaida men have a sense of humour. “I have an Egyptian joke and a significant puzzle for you”, Atta told his erstwhile Hamburg room-mate. The message ran thus: “two sticks, a dash and a cake with a stick down”. Binalshibh easily decoded the message; two sticks is the number 11 (Sept.11), a dash is a dash and a cake with a stick pointing downwards in the number nine (month of September). Pakistani police recovered from Binalshibh’s Karachi hideout four laptop computers, his mobile phone and a satellite communicator. One laptop has such vital landmarks as the Brooklyn Bridge and New York’s Statue of Liberty. Investigators also found in his computers a flight simulator programme, similar to the type used for hijackers’ training, to carry on assault on trade towers. Now in the US custody, Binalshibh is flown to an unknown destination and interrogated by the FBI, the CIA and British authorities. Interrogators have been using all means available to them to find out specific USA targets on Al-Qaeda’s hit-list and also other Al-Qaida’s men still remaining in America. Will Binalshibh breakdown under the most modern — psychological and other methods — or prefer to end his life rather than let down his ideological “guru”, Osama bin Laden. Whatever comes out of him will be of vital importance in President Bush’s drive to annihilate Laden and his dreaded outfit. Apprehended a year after the September 11 attack, Binalshibh is one of the most important Al-Qaida members. US intelligence agencies believe that as the head of the outfit’s military committee he knows much about the terrorist network’s codes and their modus operandi. According to reports underground Al-Qaida men blame a journalist working with the Al-Jazeera TV channel for betraying Binalshibh. Al-Jazeera had recently conducted an interview with him in which he bragged that he was an active planner of the Sept.11 attack. The FBI and Pakistani officials followed the journalist’s trail. In the interview, scheduled to be telecast on the eve of the Sept.11 anniversary, Binalshibh was virtually thrilled when he talked of the attack on the twin towers and ridiculed the US law enforcement agencies. It is also suspected that Binalshibh had a hand in beheading Wall Street Journal correspondent, Daniel Pearl. Pakistani officials were investigating whether he was linked to the murder of Pearl. He had also links with the October 2000 bombing of USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden. According to Al-Jezeera telecast aired on the anniversary of the Sept.11 attack, Binalshibh was the person who relayed the dates of the attack to other Al-Qaida leaders. In the Al-Jezeera interview he was quoted as saying that the hijackers had planned their mission carefully but there were some anxious moments. Also he narrated how he exhorted the hijackers, “you are going into battle, an unconventional battle against the most powerful force on Earth. You are facing them on their land, among their forces and soldiers with a small group of 19”. Binalshibh also admitted that the White House was in the original list but later taken off for navigational reasons. It has now been reconfirmed that Binalshibh played a vital role in the Sept.11 attack According to “Time”, from his base in Germany, he handled logistics and made financial arrangements for the hijack team, funneling cash to them. Binalshibh is also believed to have worked closely with 38-year-old Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani born in Kuwait with a long history of links to terrorist groups. He too was involved in hatching the Sept.11 plot. Mohammed also appeared in the Al-Jazeera interviews, in which he described himself as the head of the Al-Qaida military committee and described Binalshibh as the co-ordinator of the Holy Tuesday operation. US intelligence agencies described nabbing of Binalshibh as “a stunning catch”.
|
Ambika behind Amarinder’s dharna
Ambika Soni was with the Chief Minister in his meetings and dharna in Delhi and it can be safely assumed that she advised Amarinder Singh on ways to dodge Delhi police, who were expecting that the Congress would stage dharna in front of Jantar Mantar and not the Prime Minister’s house. Probably that explains when the Union Cabinet decision of not raising the MSP for paddy was announced on Thursday night, a reporter, who rang up the Captain, was told to his surprise that the CM Saheb was sleeping! Spy
camera A leading anchor of a popular news channel was caught on the wrong foot the other night. It so happened she went to withdraw money from an ATM counter of a multinational bank. A male colleague was in tow. Obviously unaware that a spy camera is installed at every ATM counter, the two allegedly started smooching and cuddling each other, entertaining the tired security staff who were not too far off. The next morning the video film was viewed by the bank’s top brass. A copy of the videotape was sent to the embarrassed news channel. Sheer
coincidence Media circles are curious to find out whether it is a coincidence or part of a design that whenever a senior Bush administration functionary is in the country, a big terrorist strike happens. The latest was the Akshardham temple terrorist attack this week which happened when US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca was in town. At the time of Kaluchak, another top US official was similarly on a trip to India. Deputy Secretary Richard Armitage’s two visits too were accompanied by big terrorist strikes. The Chattisingpura massacre of Sikhs took place when the then US President Bill Clinton had arrived here. In the coming months, more US high level visits are on the cards. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Mark Grossman is due now which will be followed by a visit of Treasury Secretary O’Neill in November and Under Secretary of Commerce Ken Juster after that. Is the past going to predict the future yet again? Mandarins in the South Block must be keeping their fingers crossed. Here & there The NSG hit the news headlines this week when the ultras went on a bloodbath in Akshardham temple on Tuesday. The same night Black Cat commandos of National Security Guards stormed the temple and finished the terror drama after an operation that lasted over seven hours. The next day the “NSG” was again in the news, this time in Colombo. This “operation” also lasted more than seven hours. Stumped? We are referring to the edge-of-the-chair excitement the India-South Africa match turned out to be on Wednesday in the Champion’s Cricket Trophy in Sri Lanka. India won in the final over of the match, thanks mainly to the all-round display by Virender Sehwag. No wonder, Veeru was hailed as the new NSG — National Sehwag Guards! On
the wrong side Contributed by Prashant Sood, Satish Misra and Rajeev Sharma. |
|
|
Attack on Akshardham sends shock waves FIRST things first. The tragedy at Akshardham Temple which has sent shock waves around, came at a time when there had been efforts from the two
communities to try and heal those wounds. Here I must write that the NRI team from the USA comprising 11 Indians and which has been on a peace mission touring Gujarat has nine Hindus, one Christain and one Muslim. The leader of this peace team is Mr Patel and he is an acharya. Against all odds they had been addressing the various fora in the state to try and make people see sense and get over the communal frenzy. Not just that they have been highlighting the fact that people ought to be cautious in making huge donations because very often the money is misused for communal propaganda.
Highlight
reports One keeps wondering why doesn't the government highlight survey reports which prove that an average Kashmiri doesn't want to go along with Pakistan? He makes it very clear that given the option between India and Pakistan, he would chose to be with India. First it was the MORI findings which highlighted this fact. And now the AC Neilson survery reports which again prove that people of this state are with the country. If you travel across this state these are the popular sentiments, accompanied by this postscript “But we want to live with dignity and honour...give our sons jobs and a feeling of security...” Its time that people like RajMohan Gandhi, Justice Rajinder Sacchar, Nirmala Deshpande are encouraged to have interaction with the people of this state. Whenever I'd asked the people of this state who'd they want to help bridge the gap that's come about and invariably they'd come up with these names. When the whole question of foreign observers was being discussed, Prof. Saifuddin Soz had categorically said “We don't need foreign observers for these elections...we have enough men of integrity in our own country." And together with that he had mentioned these names .Not just he alone talk to a cross-section and they'd come up with the above mentioned “apoliticals who have no vested interest in the state... “
It did seem strange that the list of the envoys who had been permitted or invited, whatever the case maybe, by GOI to witness Phase I and II elections in Jammu and Kashmir did not include diplomats from any of the Middle Eastern or South Asian countries. I don't know whether their names are reserved for the remaining two phases but as of now its seems strange.
Gandhi Jayanti On October 2, Masanobu Fukuoka, the well known organic farmer of Japan and author of “One Straw Revolution” , will deliver a lecture at the India International Centre on the theme “The greatest mistakes of mankind”. On that day Gandhi awards for upholding the tradition of truth and non-violence in Science and Ecology will be presented to Prof. Pushpa Bhargava, who is the founder director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. She is said to be “a scientist with ethics in genetic engineering”, and to Dr. Mahesh Sharma, who is the Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission, “for upholding small producers and ecological production”. I don't know what's happening to the Khadi shops in your towns but here in New Delhi they seem all spruced up with a whole new range on the shelves. I was pleasantly surprised to see. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
RAMZI Binalshibh, one of the suspected masterminds of the Sept.11 attack on the World Trade Centre Towers, arrested in Karachi after a macabre gun battle with Pakistani police had a wish; he wanted to go to America. He tried, at least, four times to sneak into the USA for flight training but could not get a visa while his room mate in Germany, Mohamed Atta and 18 other killers, slipped into key cities. Had Binalshibh managed to enter, he could have been one of the hijackers. His wish has now been fulfilled; he will enter America but with handcuffs. Thirty-year-old Yamen-born Binalshibh not only shared a Hamburg apartment with Atta, leader of hijackers, but also worked with him in a warehouse. Americans claim that his arrest was a breakthrough in their bid to smash the worldwide Al-Qaida network.
WHICH
Congress leader suggested the Punjab Government to stage a demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s house on the issues pertaining to farmers? The obvious reason for the high-profile protest, which caused traffic snarls in the capital on Thursday, was to prevent former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal from taking credit for making Centre agree to demands concerning farmers. But though the Congress government may have succeeded in staging the protest near Prime Minister’s residence by dodging the Delhi police, it is unlikely to get its demands fulfilled as evidenced by the Centre’s refusal to hike minimum support price for paddy.
Friends of Parkash Singh Badal at the Centre would see that he is not left with a reason to complain and the next relief package for farmers is likely to be announced after Badal’s intervention. There is a view that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh should not have taken part in the dharna in Delhi which should have remained a Congress affair. The dharna was the brainchild of PCC chief H.S.Hanspal. He got support for his proposal from AICC general secretary Ambika Soni who has earned some reputation for staging surprise dharnas.
Any tragedy, man-made or natural, triggers political machinations in this country. The Akshardham temple carnage was no exception. Every political party gave bandh calls. The state Congress chief Shankarsinh Vaghela gave a call for Gujarat bandh. The VHP and Shiv Sena went a step further when they called for Bharat bandh on Thursday. Vaghela’s call caused a political storm of sorts and a tug of war was started, albeit behind-the-scenes. Grapevine has it that AICC General Secretary incharge of Gujarat, Kamal Nath, was rubbed on the wrong side.
Obviously Vaghela, a new entrant into the Congress, could not have given a bandh call without getting clearance from Madam. Vaghela’s direct access to Sonia Gandhi did not go well with many others too. So it was decided to teach a lesson to Vaghela who has been, all his life, a ‘sanghi’ as a RSS man is called. AICC bigwigs took chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy in confidence. Reddy went ahead with his job. News stories started publishing saying Vaghela had acted on his own. The final blow was delivered by the PCC chief who announced that he had indeed taken the Madam’s permission for calling for the bandh.