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Terror in Turkey The stink of cricket Tohra...Tohra...Tohra! |
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There’s merit in Indian initiative
The Concorde’s last flight
Waiting for justice — 74 per cent of prisoners still
under trial, says NHRC Chairman
Why Majha has lagged behind
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Terror in Turkey THE terrorist attacks on the British Consulate and a British bank in Istanbul on Thursday have the definite imprint of Al-Qaida. They came days after terrorists blew up two of the oldest synagogues in the city using cars packed with explosives triggered by remote detonators. In both cases, the attacks were directed at foreign powers, rather than Turkey. Most people saw the devastation caused to the synagogues, which date back to the time when the Jews fleeing from the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 sought shelter in Turkey, as an attack on Israel with which Turkey has close relations. It is difficult to distance the latest attack from President George Bush's state visit to the UK. The sophisticated technology employed and the meticulous manner in which the blasts were triggered making mincemeat of huge concrete structures suggest clearly that only a terrorist group of the kind that brought down the World Trade Centre towers could have done it. Al-Qaida has every reason to be angry at Turkey, which was a close ally of the US in its war against the Taliban. In any case, high on the list of Osama bin-Laden's list of anti-Western grievances is the demise of the Ottoman Empire, a sprawling, ailing Muslim realm and the birth of the modern, secular Turkey 80 years ago. Aware of the dangers of aligning too closely with the US in the war against Iraq, Turkey tried to play safe, but not enough to ward off Al-Qaida's onslaughts. As Turkey picks up the rubble and waits for the next attack, President Bush and his friend Tony Blair can rue the day they decided to attack Iraq in wanton defiance of public opinion the world over. Their credibility among Arabs is close to bottom by virtue of their alliance with Israel and the non-discovery in Iraq of the banned weapons on which they based most of their case against Saddam Hussein. They may not admit it but one of their signal contributions is that they have spread terrorism from the mountainous regions of Afghanistan to Indonesia to Nigeria to Italy to Iraq. |
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The stink of cricket AS if the match-fixing controversy was not enough, Indian cricket has been rocked by another equally serious allegation that a Maharashtra player, Abhijit Vasant Kale, offered bribes to selectors Kiran More and Pranab Roy for a place in the Indian team to Australia. Cricket lovers are perplexed and disgusted. Is there something gentlemanly left in the game now or has everything been sold off? They are also unsure whether this kind of desperate offer is the brainchild of just one player or are there many others who believe that they can sail into the national team on the strength of money. Kale, of course, denies that he did anything of the sort, but the selectors have complained in writing (media reports had earlier said that monetary inducements had been made for selection in the India A squad). He has been promptly suspended by the BCCI and an enquiry instituted. The Commissioner of Enquiry will have to go into all aspects of the goings-on if the faith of the people in the fairness of the game has to be restored. There are dark rumours about hanky-panky in selection which also must be probed thoroughly. The sordid saga has become murkier following allegations appearing in a section of the Press that Kale actually paid the money and when he still was not selected, he asked for the money back. The selectors went to the board at this time. More and Roy are two highly respected people and it is hard to believe this version. But it is no easier to believe that 30-year-old Kale, one of the most prolific run-getters in domestic cricket, could stoop to the level of offering bribe, that too at the fag end of his illustrious career. As Kale himself says, a man like him, who happens to be the son of a middle-ranking municipal corporation officer, cannot have Rs 20 lakh to give to the two selectors, for the privilege of playing in a series which could have earned him only a fraction of it at best. The player community, including Saurav Ganguli, has stood by him. Their arguments too cannot be dismissed out of hand. If Kale did it, it is terrible for Indian cricket. And if the selectors are to blame, it is even worse. The nation waits with bated breath. |
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Tohra...Tohra...Tohra! THE high drama witnessed during the last SGPC elections in 2002 was missing this time and the re-election of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra as President was a foregone conclusion. The Akalis were sharply divided then and the Congress government in Punjab had tried to cash in, rather immaturely and unsuccessfully, on their disunity by tacitly backing Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra. The Badal-Tohra unity had left Capt Amarinder Singh with hardly any role to play. Akali unity and infighting are a recurrent and unpredictable affair. The only discordant note heard this time was regarding the election of a Tohra confidant, Mr Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, as Senior Vice-President. He was denied that post by a group of Badal loyalists. The unity sentiment apparent at the top has not yet percolated down to the rank and file. By re-electing Mr Tohra to the top SGPC post, the august Sikh body has voted for the status quo. That means there may not be any deviations from the way the SGPC had been run in the past. This is Mr Tohra’s 27th term as SGPC President, which is a record. That speaks as much for the political skills and tactics of Mr Tohra as for the failure of the SGPC members to find a viable alternative. Age is not on the side of Mr Tohra and he may not be able to play the desired role in carrying out reforms suggested by certain Sikh scholars, specially regarding the appointment and position of the Akal Takht Jathedar. An informed and responsible discussion is required on various issues raised in the recent times by Sikh representatives and scholars. There are threats to the supremacy of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee in controlling gurdwaras situated outside the state and the country. The SGPC also needs to pay special attention to the educational institutions run by it many of which need to update their facilities. Given the poor standard of education imparted in government schools in the rural areas and the rising demand for professional courses, it should fill the gaps and set up its own institutions wherever required. Thought for the day Failure is not always a mistake. It may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying. — B. F. Skinner
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There’s merit in Indian initiative STRATEGICALLY brilliant and politically wise is the only way one should objectively describe the latest initiative by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee towards better Indo-Pak relations, especially with reference to the Jammu and Kashmir imbroglio. The boldest initiative is the offer to open up the bus route between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. It is a repudiation of Pakistan’s allegation that India is afraid of contacts between the Kashmiris living on either side of Line of Control (LoC). Here is thus an open offer to the Kashmiris of Muzaffarabad to come to Srinagar to see for themselves how Pakistan’s allegation that there is an undeclared war against the people of Kashmir by the Indian Army is a lie. I am not for one moment suggesting that there are no gross human rights violations during seizures and searches and even the inexcusable actions by the security forces resulting sometimes in the death of innocent people. But simultaneously there is overwhelming condemnation by society sometimes forcing the authorities to punish the guilty, though it has to be conceded that more restraint is called for. Not surprisingly, Pakistan, while being positive on some of the measures, has taken a hawkish stand on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus question. Its suggestion that persons travelling by that bus should have the UN stamp are deliberately stalling the issue. If the argument that the people travelling from the Indian side of Kashmir cannot be allowed to enter Pakistan and PoK (Azad Kashmir in Pakistan’s parlance), its present conduct in permitting any number of Kashmiris with Indian passport endorsement to go to Pakistan and even PoK shows the hollowness of its present stand. It also goes against the Simla Accord which provides that notwithstanding any interim arrangement on the LoC, it will not prejudice either of the countries’ stand on the final solution. This fig leaf cover by Pakistan is nothing but an attempt to prevent people from PoK seeing for themselves the reality of a duly elected civilian government managing its own affairs. I feel the Central government should not shelve this proposal because of Pakistan’s unhelpful reaction. Rather it should go ahead with all preparations — namely, get buses ready, invite applications for those wanting to visit Muzaffarabad and issue passports with authorisation to visit the PoK capital through the bus journey. It should also, at the same time, invite applications from residents of Muzaffarabad and issue visas to them to visit Srinagar through the bus route. India should do this unilaterally. This will send a strong message across and Pakistan will have to face the ire of families from Srinagar and Muzaffarabad because it will be Pakistan that will be responsible for denying the reunion of families. India with its claim to open society should welcome people coming from Muzaffarabad to see for themselves the massive tourist influx, the Dal Lake extravaganza, winter games in the valley of Srinagar and even Gulmarg. Let people from Muzaffarabad and Srinagar get a feel that even if they remain citizens of two separate countries — India and Pakistan — they will have a soft border with easy access to friends and relatives and mutually beneficial trade relations and also free from the danger of terrorism or Army-militant clashes and killings. The refusal by Pakistan to open up the border in J&K is motivated by the fear of the military regime at the prospect and goodwill that will be generated by the
get-together of people and families across the border. The Pakistan army caucus obviously fear that the normalisation of relations may strengthen the demand in Pakistan of the restoration of civilian rule. A very significant and touching remark by the school-children of both India and Pakistan who visited the other country was: “Oh, they are people like us.” This innocent remark shows how politicians have so muddied the situation that the coming generations of India and Pakistan seem to feel that they are from a different planet. In the last few weeks attacks by terrorists have increased in J&K. Evidently, the ISI lobby in Pakistan is sending a message that it is not inclined to let the Kashmir question cool down. It is also sending the message to the Hurriyat and other groups that any talks with the Government of India will invite attacks by militants, endangering their lives. In fact, the Hurriyat leadership, when it talks of tripartite discussions including Pakistan at the initial stage, is conditioned by this fear. But practical realism dictates that talks initially have to be held between the Government of India and the various groups in the valley, Jammu and Ladakh. Unfortunately, the reaction of the Hurriyat has not been what one would have expected of a mature leadership. It has earlier expressed during confidential talks with human rights activists its readiness to meet in the first instance if invited by the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister. That was a sensible approach because once both sides had sized each other on a political level, details could later on be worked out by experts and at the official bureaucratic level. It would show cravenness and refusal to face the reality if the Hurriyat now insists on tripartite talks to start with. No doubt, India and Pakistan have to engage themselves in a dialogue and agree to a J&K solution, but before that happens the Central government and the various groups in J&K have to bilaterally agree to a solution which can then be put to Pakistan — Pakistan cannot be at the first dinner party, like India cannot be when Pakistan starts talks to Muzaffarabad to work out a final solution to the J&K question. Unfortunately, the studied strategy of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani that discussions were envisaged only on the devolution and decentralisation of power in Kashmir, thus purporting to place conditionalities in talks has played in the hands of separatists. This will naturally put pressure on the Hurriyat and other leaders like Mr Yaseen Malik and Mr Shabir Shah to refrain from reciprocating the call for dialogue by exploiting the purported limited nature of talks. In my view, no conditions should be put by either side for initiating the talks. Let both sides try to understand during the talks the limitations of each other and also the methodology of how grievances can be redressed. In that context, Mr Advani’s statement purporting to lay conditions was ill-advised. Because there are some positions which are so self-evident to all that statesmanship demands silence. Is it not clear to even a novice in the political domain that no government in Pakistan or India can agree to give up the territory of J&K which at present falls under its respective jurisdiction, and no government either in Pakistan or India can survive if it acts differently. That is the ground reality, which constraints not only the governments but any honest opposition or group engaging in talks. I have long held the view that there can be no solution except to convert the Line of Control, subject to certain defence and demographic adjustments, into an international border. I also believe that as a measure of recognition of the long struggle of the people of J&K, they must be left absolutely free to manage their internal matters excepting defence, foreign affairs, currency and communications which alone were ceded to the Central government in 1947. This will give the people of J&K a fresh air of freedom and
fulfilment. The writer is a retired Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi |
The Concorde’s last flight MY friend Chand is now a Swedish citizen well settled in Stockholm. He deals in gold and diamond jewellery. He has been celebrating Diwali, sponsored by the local elite of Indian origin, in his sprawling bungalow. The fireworks lasts till 10 p.m. followed by a lavish Indian dinner. On October 23 this year Mr Chand came to my daughter at Sollentunta and extended Diwali invitation. During informal talks Chand informed her that regretfully he would be away to New York on Diwali day for an urgent morning meeting but would be returning the same day to play host to five members of the Swedish Royal Society of Sciences which selects Nobel Laureates every year. He spoke with ease but we did not believe him as the journey involved crossing North Sea and the vast Atlantic Ocean from Stockholm to London and then to New York and back. It was considered certain that Chand may not be able to reach back in time to host the Diwali event. Guests started arriving by 8.30. They were surprised to see Mr Chand and wife fresh and agile. My daughter took Chand aside and enquired as to how he could manage the American trip so neatly. Chand was very lucid in explaining that he left Stockholm airport early morning for London to catch the Concorde flight waiting there. He completed his trans-Atlantic flight in less than three hours flying at a supersonic speed of 2160 km per hour. The aircraft consumed 25000 litre of fuel per hour. It flew at 60,000 feet above sea level — about 20,000 feet higher than other subsonic commercial aircraft. It was the last flight of the Concorde which had ruled the skies since 1976 with majesty and grandeur. During the flight one could see the actual curvature of the earth. The Concorde earned approx £ 10000 on sale of duty free goods per flight. During the last flight everyone was served with a free bottle of POL Roger 1986 champagne together with a Concorde sterling silver charm heavy bracelet. Air crew was ever smiling. On sale on the pin-nosed aircraft were £ 200 bottles of Glen Fiddich whisky from a vintage company cask laid for maturing in 1976. Besides, there was a present of an engraved mahogany casket containing choicest French perfume wrapped in a pink velvet pouch by the wife of the captain heralding the end of the era. Some passengers were seen displaying their souvenir collection of playing cards, wine bottles and French perfumes — all with their Concorde monograms boldly displayed on them. After all, every passenger wanted to show that he too was there in this historical last flight. All declared Mr Chand as a hero of the Concorde flight. |
Waiting for justice — 74 per cent of prisoners still
A majority of the state governments consider human rights commissions as “necessary irritants”. But not so, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson, Justice A.S. Anand. He perceives these commissions as a buffer between the State and the citizens, as ones that supplement the role of the courts and as social cops to “better” protect the human rights of individuals. He favours networking of the State and the commissions to give an added advantage to the citizens. Despite the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, all states have not set up the commissions; Haryana is one of them. Only 14 states have them. Several state commissions lack funds and resources and at least three are without chairpersons. Justice Anand, a former Chief Justice of India, says that both at the national and state levels, the commissions need more powers to be assertive and effective. Suggestions to amend the Act had been pending with the Centre for the past two years. Given the social role of these commissions, timely preparation of their annual reports and placement before Parliament or legislatures is imperative. Yet, even the NHRC annual reports, 2001-02 and 2002-03 have not been presented to Parliament. Justice Anand reveals that complaints of police atrocities, including custodial deaths, continue to top the list of human rights violations. “Yet, no steps have been taken, either to bridle or sensitise the police. If Uttar Pradesh and Bihar top the list of states in violation of the human rights, Punjab and Haryana do not lag far behind”. Against just 490 complaints received by the NHRC in 1993, it received 69,000 in 2002-03. Though 50 per cent of the complaints are “frivolous”, these do show that the people have confidence in the Commission”. Out of 357 complaints of bonded labour, 246 were from Punjab. Justice Anand cites examples to show how the Commission has helped victims of human rights violation, at times taking suo motu notice and action. Recently, the NHRC rescued Charanjit Singh, a mentally challenged undertrial prisoner, locked up in Tihar jail for past two decades. He has now been handed over to an NGO through the Delhi High Court. Similarly, the NHRC had intervened to make the Haryana government pay ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the five Dalits, who were lynched in Jhajjar, last year. It had also got 16 “guilty” police officials punished for dereliction of duty at that time. The NHRC also took up the case of a four-year girl who was recently raped by a truck driver in New Delhi. She is the daughter of a labourer, who has tuberculosis. The family has no means to earn even two square meals a day. The child had to be operated upon twice and is to be operated again. On the directions of the Commission, the Delhi Administration gave Rs 75,000 as relief to the family. The undertrials constituted 74 to 76 per cent of the total jail population in India. As Chief Justice of India, Justice Anand had asked all state high courts to set up special under trial courts, inside the jails, to dispose of petty criminal offences. Following this, 48,000 undertrials were let off in 2000. What worries the NHRC today is the increase in the cases of “crime against women and abuse of the girl child”. These will further go up, if corrective steps are not taken now. “To give speedy justice, special trial courts, preferably with women as judges, must be set up and there should be deterrent punishment to the perpetrators of such crime. When a heinous murder is committed, it is on the physical body. In rape, it is the soul that is murdered and the victim lives with a trauma”. Trafficking in women is another crime on the rise. The Commission will shortly hold a workshop on this jointly with the Nepal Human Rights Commission and also sign an MoU to tackle this menace as the border between the two countries is open. Another area of concern to Justice Anand is the rights of the “disabled”, whom he describes as “differently’’ abled. He is all for giving the physically challenged equal opportunities and advocates a paradigm shift from a “charity-based” to “right-based” approach to such people. “Take the example of a Muslim woman in Pune. She is paralysed waist-downward. Yet, she did not give up and started making ‘chapatis’. She has encouraged other disabled woman to take up similar chores. She has trained 10,000 such women to become self-sustaining. I recently visited Chennai at the invitation of the Ability Foundation to give that woman an award for her entrepreneurship”. On the Punjab Akali Dal’s petition to the Commission, the NHRC has given some more time to the state to file its reply to the allegations. “We do not involve ourselves in political disputes and controversies. We will look into the allegations. There were allegations how people owing allegiance to the Akali Dal were illegally picked up and detained by the police or denied food or sleep or subjected to third-degree torture. Justice Anand believes that both the executive and the legislature should be responsive to the peoples’ aspirations and expectations and work in harmony. In fact, the workload of courts and commissions will get reduced, if the executive and the legislature solved peoples’ problems and protected their rights. The police and judiciary have to be sensitised, jail reforms introduced, people educated on their rights and civil society is required to change its mindset. |
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Why Majha has lagged behind ONE
question that bothers every concerned Majhail is: why has Majha got left behind Malwa and Doaba? Politicians have promoted Malwa and NRIs boosted Doaba. Majha, comprising the districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, has not produced any Chief Minister after Pratap Singh Kairon. The wars with Pakistan have shattered its economy. After Guru Nanak Dev University was set up in 1969, hardly any top academic, engineering, medical or scientific institution has been established in the area. The oldest Medical College in the region at Amritsar has been denied funds and not allowed to grow into even a deemed university. Schooling in rural Majha is in bad shape. After poor results, science subjects were withdrawn from many rural schools. Strained relations with Pakistan have hit local trade with that country. A train passenger from Lahore has to come to Amritsar via Delhi. No new industry has come up. The airport at Rajasansi is “international” in name only. Goindwal has been forgotten. Guru ki nagari, Amritsar, is getting chaotic. The road from Chandigarh to Amritsar is four-laned up to Jalandhar only. After Kairon, Majha became politically orphaned. The subsequent Chief Ministers from Malwa looked after their own areas, neglecting the border belt. Kairon took care of the entire state. He did not locate Punjab Agricultural University and the PGI in Majha. Instead of coming to the rescue of the war-hit Majhails, those who ruled the state from Chandigarh even diverted their limited canal waters to their own areas, as water expert and former Chief Engineer G.S.Dhillon points out. From 1947 to 1973 there was no extension of irrigation facilities due to the Indus Treaty with Pakistan. Majha farmers depended on underground water mostly. Majhails love to eat and drink. They are known to live for the day. This mindset has been shaped by frequent ravages of war. The area has dried up culturally. After Gursharan Singh left Amritsar, theatre got confined to college/university functions. Fine arts are in neglect. Gurbax Singh Preetlari’s Preetnagar has faded away. A VC from Doaba is trying to revive it. Majha has not thrown up another Nanak Singh (who is he, some may even ask). Only worthwhile story writer Waryam Sandhu has left Sursingh to settle in Jalandhar. Majha has fewer institutions to attract and retain talent. Due to lack of sports infrastructure and spread of drugs, don’t expect any more Kartar Singhs and Parveen Kumars. Recently when I met Dr J.S. Gujral, Vice-Chancellor of Baba Farid University of Medical Sciences, he remembered an interesting remark Pratap Singh Kairon frequently made. Kairon used to say, recalled Dr Gujral enthusiastically, “I am a Jat. And a Majhail. And a Chief Minister. Who can stop me from doing this?” The sense of pride that one used to feel on being a Majhail is now slipping away. To interact frequently and revive that lost sense of pride, prominent Majhails settled in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula as also abroad have formed a Majha Club with Dr S.S. Chhina its President and Mr Charanjit Singh Randhawa Vice-President. There are four conveners — Mr J.P.S. Dhillon, Capt S.P. Singh, Dr Gurmohan Singh Sandhu and Capt S.S. Dhillon. An overseas wing has also been floated. They all got together recently in Mohali and present, among others, were Major-Gen Himmat Singh Gill (retd), Brig N.S. Sandhu (retd), US-settled physicist Jagir Singh Randhawa, eminent Sikh scholar Kharak Singh and dairy scientist G.B.S. Kahlon. One hopes they would effectively articulate concerns of the Majha people and raise them at appropriate levels. |
Let us be fearless of our friends, of even those who are unfriendly. — Atharva Veda The entire existence is one and the same, one exists in all. It pervades everywhere, we experience the manifestation of the same in different forms. His philosophy is agnostic to none. — Shri Shankaracharya The writ of God’s fear is set over the heads of all. The One Formless, the True God alone is fearless. — Guru Nanak My Hindu instinct tells me that all religions are more or less true. — Mahatma Gandhi O Son of Being! Bring thyself to account each day ere thou art summoned to a reckoning: for death, unheralded, shall come upon thee and thou shalt be called to give account for thy deeds. — Baha’u’llah |
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