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Militant machinations Reaching out to Nagaland |
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Cross-border love
US messes up Iraq
The amateur driver’s ordeal
IN FOCUS
Rights award for late leader
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Militant machinations THE terrorist attack on the Central Telegraph Office in Srinagar in which one person was killed and 37 were injured is the latest in a series of such incidents reported from Jammu and Kashmir. That it occurred in one of the most “secure” areas of the state Capital is indeed worrying. Given the fact that the terrorists had even breached the security cordon around the Chief Minister’s residence a few days earlier, such attacks no longer cause surprise. A little-known outfit, Kashmir Freedom Force, has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It is not necessary to give much credence to such claims as they are often made to confuse the security agencies. However, there is little doubt that there has been deterioration in the law and order situation in the state. It is time those in charge of security in the state sat up and took note of the emerging situation with a view to containing it. They will then realise that the recent initiative of the Central government to normalise relations with Pakistan has something to do with the spurt in terrorist activities. The 12-point proposals India has recently mooted are definitely the most comprehensive and ambitious. Small wonder that they evoked a positive reaction from world capitals. Even the hardliners in Pakistan have been finding it difficult to reject the Indian suggestions. Any public rejection of the proposals will expose the Pakistani leadership’s claim that it is India which has been against the normalisation of bilateral relations. Only terrorist organisations have stepped forward to pick holes in the proposals and question the bona fides of the Indian government. They know only too well that if the proposals find ready acceptance in Pakistan, they will lose whatever rationale they have for their existence. So it is in their vested interest that they should find excuses to resist India’s peace initiative. Since they know only the language of violence, they have been resorting to it in the mistaken belief that they will eventually have their way. It is not the first time that this has happened. Whenever there was a sign of thaw in India-Pakistan relations, there was a sudden increase in terrorist violence. The same phenomenon is now at work. The terrorists do not want return of peace to the Valley. The common people are no more than cannon fodder for them. It is only reasonable to expect the plethora of terrorist organisations present in the state to step up their activities as India almost single-handedly pursues the cause of peace in the subcontinent. Their aim is to frustrate the Indian attempts by creating situations, which at one time forced India to deploy troops all along the border in a state of war-readiness and take punitive action against the recalcitrant neighbour. Saner elements in the two countries have to guard against such terrorist machinations if they have to improve India-Pakistan relations. In no case should the terrorists hold peace to ransom in Jammu and Kashmir. |
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Reaching out to Nagaland THE farther one travels from the national Capital, the more pronounced becomes the absence of development. This is particularly true in the case of the Northeastern states. There are places which still seem to be living in the dark ages. There is no infrastructure worth the name. Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a first-hand experience of this neglect during his just-concluded visit to Nagaland. Travelling from Dimapur to Kohima by road (because his helicopter could not take off due to bad weather), he realised that the 70-km stretch was a national highway only in name. Its condition was as bad as that of any link road in the interior areas of Bihar. Whether it was due to this bumpy ride or because of some other reason, he decided to announce several projects for the development of infrastructure and human resources in the state. Not only will the golden quadrilateral be extended from Silchar to Kohima, the Centre will also spend a considerable sum on improving the road network in the state, which remains a shambles. He also inaugurated a BSNL mobile service, besides accepting many other demands of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland government headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. Decades of neglect has accentuated the feeling of alienation in the Northeastern states. A sincere attempt at development can go a long way towards remedying the situation somewhat. The Naga problem is too complicated to be resolved merely by opening new roads and generating 25,000 jobs but it will at least create the right atmosphere. While there is a hardcore group of militants which wants nothing less than secession, there are others who are amenable to reason. There could be many youth who join the rebellion merely because there are no employment opportunities. The development of tourism, agro-based industry, village industry and horticulture can dry up this nursery of violence. Nagaland and other Northeastern states have suffered not merely because of lack of funds. Even the money that is allocated is merrily siphoned off and roads and bridges sometimes remain on paper. The Prime Minister alluded to this problem when he requested the state government to utilise the funds judiciously. The same holds true of the jobs as well. The experience has been that only those owing allegiance to a particular party or leader get employment. Instead of satisfying the general public, this causes even more heartburn. The limited resources that are available can go much further if only the rampant leakage at every step is plugged. That can be done only if the Centre and the state act in tandem. |
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Cross-border
love FOR the media the marriage of Tahira from Pakistan with Maqbool Ahmad of India is an interesting tale of the blooming of cross-border love. Unfortunately, the stories of pain and suffering of blood relations living on either side of the border seldom get the same treatment. Raj Kapoor, the father of feel-good cinema, had visualised "Henna", an Indo-Pak love story, as a film that would touch hearts and heal wounds. Political leaders on either side ignored the message it sought to convey. More realistic films on the subject were made by M. S. Sathyu and Shyam Benegal. Sathyu's "Garam Hawa" was about the crisis of identity that Indian Muslims faced shortly after Partition. Benegal's "Mammo" dealt with the dilemma of an Indian Muslim woman who wanted to return to the country of her birth after the death of her husband in Pakistan and rejection by her in-laws. She had to be declared dead for her to live in India! The impending marriage of Tahira and Maqbool is an occasion for reflecting on the impact of political bitterness on the overall health of cross-border relationships. There would be much celebration on either side of the border. Should it be taken as an important development for mending people-to-people contact? No. It is necessary for the political leadership to put into place a distress relief mechanism for giving emergency visa to blood relatives on either side of the border in moments of family tragedy. Abduction for ransom is the fastest growing crime in both countries. A recent incident of abduction of the 20-year-old son of a prosperous Pakistani entrepreneur should help understand the trauma of a divided family. For the 51 days the boy had been kept in chains at a location in Baluchistan the Karachi-based entrepreneur's blood relative in India suffered as much as the rest of the clan did in Pakistan. It is important to locate the wedding of Tahira and Maqbool in the larger framework of how strained political relations between the neighbours impact on the lives of ordinary people of the subcontinent, particularly in times of distress. |
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Thought for the day Time is the great physician. — Benjamin Disraeli |
US messes up Iraq MONDAY’S brazen rocket attack on Baghdad’s famous hotel, Al-Rasheed, arguably the most protected and fortified place in entire West Asia, was both shocking and sensational enough. For, apart from being the abode of high officials of the coalition forces, it was playing host to the United States Deputy Secretary of Defence, Mr Paul Wolfowitz, known to be one of the principal architects of the disastrous Iraq war. But the subsequent series of suicide bombings, including the one at the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross, in which 35 persons were killed and scores maimed and wounded underscored the enormous danger confronting Iraq’s occupiers. Nor can it be overlooked that only a few hours before rockets were fired on Mr Wolfowitz’s hotel, an American army Black Hawk helicopter was shot down near Tikrit, the birthplace of ousted President Saddam Hussein. Remarkably, the massive escalation in the terrorist attacks aimed at the forces of the US and its allies and supporters, foreign or indigenous, took place on the eve of Ramzan. It would be no surprise if the literally burning situation worsens during the holy month of fasting. Both the assault on Al-Rasheed and the chain of suicide attacks are a clear negation of America’s repetitive boast that it is “winning the war against terror in Iraq”. Also it is understandable that the American sources are anxious to play down both, especially the dismal episode involving Mr Wolfowitz. For, he is the “brain” behind the neo-conservatives who dominate the Bush administration and are responsible for its unacceptable “unilateralism”. To nobody’s surprise at the end of “Black Monday”, the US declared emphatically and repeatedly that dastardly acts of terrorists would not cow them down and that it would “stay the course” in Iraq until it completes its mission. A shaken Mr Wolfowitz was the first to speak out and President George W. Bush reaffirmed his message. But there is a lot else to this brave posturing. In the first place, the US Secretary of State, Mr Colin Powell, has come close to admitting the truth: the “sustained and intense” attacks on the coalition forces had not been “anticipated”. From this it follows that America’s claim that its Iraqi enemies are confined to “remnants of the hated Saddam regime” and the terrorists that have managed to sneak into that country. Secondly, the pertinent point about these “foreign” terrorists is that they have infiltrated into Iraq after the US “victory” in the war, not before. Which only proves that Washington’s justification for the war on the ground that it was necessary to break the link between the “Saddam regime and Al-Qaeda” was as nonsensical as its simulated cries about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. Thirdly, far from being sensitive to Iraqi sentiment, the Americans have been utterly insensitive. Their decision to bring Turkish troops into Iraq so that some at least of the over-stretched and tired American soldiers can return home was an act of monumental folly. The Turks are Iraq’s original colonisers. The very thought of their presence on Iraqi soil has infuriated not only the Kurds - America’s best friends, incidentally - but also the Shias and Sunnis. This perhaps explains why the foolish project has been put on hold. This, however, is not enough. America has to come to grips with the ugly reality it has unleashed in Iraq and act according to the lessons that must be drawn from this march of folly. Unfortunately, this is not likely to happen any time soon. For, the mighty US that thought it could run the entire world on its own without allowing anyone else to get a word in edge-way cannot be expected to admit defeat easily. Especially after Monday’s gory events because of which the world’s one and only hyper-power has lost face. And, ironically, that is where the “Rumsfeld Memo”, a top-secret paper written by the Pentagon boss and Mr Wolfowitz’s superior as well as soul-mate comes in. In this document, quickly leaked to the media, the US Defence Secretary has candidly admitted that overcoming the terrorists, restoring peace to Iraq and transferring sovereignty to a democratic Iraqi government would be a slow and long haul that would take more time than was earlier estimated. To be fair, it is impossible for the US to pack up and leave while chaos reigns supreme in Iraq. But surely for all its arrogance of power America should be able to realise that the leisurely timetable it has for transference of sovereignty to the Iraqis and for handing over the responsibility for Iraq’s reconstruction to the UN just would not do. The Iraqi interim council, despite the UN’s recognition of it, is practically useless as an instrument of transition. The Iraqis consider it a bunch of quislings. The informed foreigners know that it is even more pathetic than the Viceroy’s executive council used to be in India during the British Raj. Any comfort that President George Bush and his cohorts can draw from the Security Council’s resolution or the promise of $ 33 billion at the Madrid Conference of Donors cannot but be limited. France, Germany and Russia did agree to a form of words. But they have flatly refused to contribute any troops to Iraq. The commitments for donations would mean something when the cash is already delivered. Very often in the past similar pledges have not been honoured. If Mr Bush does not want to live in a make-believe world, he must worry about the growing opposition to his Iraqi misadventure at home. The huge protest march in Washington speaks for itself. His popularity rating is plummeting and the election is nigh. In this context, it makes sound sense for India not to reopen the question of sending Indian troops to Iraq. Today the reasons for not wanting to fall into this American trap are much stronger than they were when Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, disregarding those of his colleagues who wanted to please the US at all costs, said a courteous “no” to President Bush. However, from time to time, official statements in New Delhi try to fudge the issue, giving the impression that the issue is still open and thus encouraging the Americans to believe that their “persuasion” might yet work. Some media pundits are pleading for an immediate dispatch of our gallant jawans to the hellhole that Iraq has become. This must stop. The Indian Army cannot become an appendage of occupying forces. |
The amateur driver’s ordeal THE first morning in “home sweet home” after a five-year absence was a mixed experience. The home resembled a railway platform where you have to wade, rather than walk, through haphazardly piled up and strewn bags, bedding rolls, baskets and what nots. No attendants, no heap of morning papers and no impatient phone rings gave a feeling of relief. Out on the balcony, what struck me dumb was the number of cars around. Where there used to be about half a dozen in our square, now there were as many behind the houses in addition to a dozen in view plus at least 10 in single file along the forest wall. A proof of the age of prosperity? Some hard realities did not take long to shake out of slumber. I have to brush up my driving before long, I conceded, at least for petty errands like Nipun’s coaching class, madam’s visits to the temple and Thursday bazaar when Anish’s Zen was spared to be with us. Madam’s taunts of not being able to shed off the “H.E.” mode served like a whip. And, to be sure, I have since overcome road fright. But what remains to be faced is the unfamiliarity with the scores of flyovers and the rush that has multiplied many times. What scares me no less is madam’s Niagara of directions when she is beside me. How often have I announced a resolve never to drive her... but that has triggered another dose of tongue-lashing. The ordeal becomes more rigorous if it is a new address which I have to locate and, as it happened a long time back, when we set out on a visit to Bittu, or rather to her new house. I did enquire about it from the know-all “Guddi Didi” but all that I got was “I do not know the number but, it is opposite Arya Samaj in Amar Colony. The house belongs to some Gupta”. I simple-mindedly did some reckoning. Amar Colony is not too large an area. It cannot be having more than one Arya Samaj’s and how many houses can stand opposite the Samaj? Only one or two of them could presumably be owned by a Gupta. So, done! the house was as good as located. Unfortunately, we started late. We had gone about a kilometre where we had to turn back because I had not picked up my purse. Thanks to my forgetfulness. I had to return a second time for my glasses. “How careless of you! Were you sure of being back before sundown? Else would you have driven like a blindfold? It was the lesson. But it was a disguised blessing because I could get the block and house number from the colonel’s daughter. Had that not been done our experience would have been a fun story like two others doing the rounds. One was of an enterprising cousin who scootered all the way from Ghaziabad and had a harrowing time asking about “a young engineer with a little boy shortly separated from his parents, and adding: “he has a wife in the family way and being one Gupta’s tenant......” That he succeeded in the end was as much due to his tenacity as to his wife’s calm deposition — things at which I have been less lucky. The second was Mamajis encounter with an elderly Arya Samajist engrossed in talking to someone who beckoned him to wait a minute. “I was getting late,” he narrated, “so I tried to interrupt his harangue just to find out if he knew at all such a person. But he squarely snubbed me saying: “Let me finish with this gentleman first then I’ll deal with you”. Two minutes, three, four.... At last he turned to me with “yes, now what can I do for you?” “Only tell me if you know a young engineer, S.B., who has moved into this colony recently.” “Oh, that is not easy without his number......” “He has a neighbour working in weather office”. “I am concerned with the weather but not with the weather office which always gives wrong forecasts. “As I turned disappointed, he stopped me: “But what will you have? A glass of water, at least.....it is my duty to offer you......” and kept insisting till I just buzzed
off”.
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IN FOCUS
IT was a pleasant surprise to find a government dental college neat and clean, reasonably well maintained and managed in sharp contrast to other crisis-ridden medical institutions in Amritsar. Free from controversies and allegations of corruption, Punjab Government Dental College and Hospital maintains a low profile and a positive image. In fact, some actually dissuaded me from going there, saying “you will not find anything interesting there”. Few had any complaints. The students, teachers and the Principal all seemed to work in harmony. When a campus looks clean from the outside, it is worthwhile to visit the toilets. All were clean and in order. And it was a surprise visit. The dental college buildings, like those of the Government Medical College and its attached hospitals, are maintained by the same PWD. Still these are spick and span, and the Principal, Dr Amarjit Singh Gill, says he keeps pressure on the sweepers. Being a smaller campus, it is easier to manage, no doubt. I was allowed to interact with students separately. None was forthcoming with any complaints against anybody. “Do you have all the facilities required for your training?”, I persisted. “Yes”. But the boys don’t have a hostel on the campus as girls have, I told them. They just nodded. “So many dental colleges have come up in the region of late, don’t you feel there would be more dentists than we need ?” A boy responded: “But the number of patients is also rising and more and more people are becoming aware of the need for dental upkeep.” There are 40 students doing BDS and 15 are enrolled for MDS. Of the 40 BDS students 30 are from the state quota, six from the all-India quota and four are NRIs. In total, there are some 250 students. And yet it is a government institution in Punjab, in Amritsar; how can everything be so smooth? For more information on the dental college, I turned to outside doctors, including Dr Baljeet Singh Dhillon, a very articulate and vocal General Secretary of the Punjab Medical and Dental Teachers Association. An interaction with them proved useful. In sum, what they said ran like this: “No new branches or specialties have been started. There is need to focus on areas like community dentistry, dental medicine and dental pharmacology. There are no latest teaching aides like audio-visual equipment. Computers are not yet made available to students. The college has a library, but latest books and journals are not available for want of funds. There is a replication of research being done elsewhere. But field surveys and camps for children organised from time to time are really very useful”. During a round of the college, I saw some old gadgets being put to use. Dr Dhillon claimed that 50 per cent of these are not in working order. The facilities in the dental college need to be upgraded. Patient turnout was also poor, but the Principal said this was because of the festival season. Before partition, there was only one dental college in the country that awarded BDS and MDS degrees — de Montmcrency College of Dentistry at Lahore. Post-partition, the students who left Lahore were admitted to Sir CEM Dental College at Bombay, while the faculty joined the V.J. Hospital, Amritsar. Soon a need was felt to establish a dental college in this part of the country. The faculty at the V.J. Hospital, particularly Dr M.L. Watts, Dr J.C. Manchanda and Dr B.R. Vacher, managed to get the proposed college located at Amritsar. A dilapidated building on Hukam Singh Road was selected and the first batch of 12 boys and two girls joined the college on October 1, 1952. The present building of the college came up in 1963. Some of the top dentists in the country are from this college. Patients now come from all over the region, including Uttar Pradesh and J&K. There are two major problems that the Amritsar dental college finds it hard to tackle. One, is the shortage of staff. Two posts of Professor, one of Associate Professor, seven posts of Assistant Professor and nine posts of Demonstrator are vacant. Secondly, thanks to the introduction of user-charges, funds are no problem, but these are not released in time. The purchase process needs to be streamlined. The Principal, like his counterpart in Government Medical College, Amritsar, has financial powers of Rs 500 only. Stressing the need for decentralisation of powers, Dr D.S. Riar, a former Principal of the dental college, has suggested the winding up of the office of Director, Research and Medical Education, which is believed to act as “no more than a post office” and causes unnecessary delays. It was felt that the post of Principal should be upgraded and all middle-level staff dispensed with. During the period of Partap Singh Kairon as Chief Minister, the Principals of Medical College and Dental College used to act as advisers to the government and reported direct to the Chief Minister. |
Rights award for late leader
RAWALPINDI: The Human Rights Society of Pakistan (HRSP) has decided to give human rights award to late Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan for his lifelong services for democracy. The HRSP secretary, A.M. Shakoori, on Tuesday said this decision was taken by an awards committee, chaired by the society’s chairman, Senator S.M. Zafar. The late Nawabzada Nasrullah was selected for the award owing to his efforts for the promotion of democratic values and supremacy of the Constitution.
— The Dawn
Operation in Fata
ISLAMABAD: The government told the National Assembly on Tuesday it would go ahead with the current military operation in tribal areas to check Al-Qaeda militants and possible intrusions inspired by the powerful Panjsheri group in the Afghan government. Information and Broadcasting Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed interrupted the Lower House proceedings to make the statement after an opposition complaint of alleged excesses in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas where the government says it has set up hundreds of check-posts since the army entered the region for the first time last year.
— The Dawn
Life term for
kidnapping
RAWALPINDI: The Judge of Anti-Terrorism Court No 2, Safdar Hussain Malik, on Tuesday awarded life-term rigorous imprisonment to Aurangzeb Khan for kidnapping a two-and-a-half-year old boy for Rs 2 million ransom. According to prosecution, Aurangzeb along with co-accused Awal Khan had kidnapped Ozaifa from Hazro and had demanded Rs 2 million as ransom for his release. Later, the boy was recovered by the Hazro police. After examining prosecution evidence and recording statements of witnesses, ATC-2 held Aurangzeb guilty and awarded him life-term rigorous imprisonment.
— The Nation
No relaxation in passports
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat on Tuesday said that no relaxation would be given in the issuance of passports on old national identity cards. He was speaking on a call attention notice raised by Munir Aurakzai, Sher Akbar Khan and Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry regarding the non-issuance of passports on old NICs. They said the people were facing problems in getting passports after the government-imposed the condition of computerised national identity cards (CNICs) for the issuance of passports. The minister said so far 32.5 million cards had been issued and 140 swift centres opened across the country to further expedite the process. The CNICs are being issued under NADRA Ordinance 2000 in order to eliminate forged identity cards and stop their misuse.
— The News International
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God is true and true is His court. — Guru Nanak You need not aspire for or get any new state. Get rid of your present thoughts, that is all. — Ramana Maharshi Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will. — Mahatma Gandhi O Son of Spirit! My claim on thee is great, it cannot be forgotten. My grace to thee is plenteous, it cannot be veiled. My love has made in thee its home, it cannot be concealed. My Light is manifest to thee, it cannot be obscured. — Baha’u’llah |
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