I-Day happening and after
by T.V.R. Shenoy
STEPHEN BATES will earn a footnote in history as the man helping Ken Starr to write the report on Bill Clinton’s affairs. As it happens, Bates is also the author of “If No News, Send Rumors”, a book on the press, not politicians.

US Congress awaits Starr’s report
by Vasantha Arora
INDEPENDENT Counsel Kenneth Starr is expected to submit his report on the White House sex scandal to the US Congress early next month, listing possible impeachable offences against President Clinton, including alleged obstruction of justice and perjury.

I-Day happening and after
by T.V.R. Shenoy

STEPHEN BATES will earn a footnote in history as the man helping Ken Starr to write the report on Bill Clinton’s affairs. As it happens, Bates is also the author of “If No News, Send Rumors”, a book on the press, not politicians.

The title comes from an apocryphal message sent by an editor to one of his reporters in the field. But all of us in the media are uncomfortably aware that there is just enough truth in the tale to give the joke its bite.

Let us take something that happened on Independence Day and its sequel. The Prime Minister stumbled as he walked down from the Red Fort after delivering the annual address. This was gleefully picked up and used as a metaphor of a government that has admittedly had its fair share of goof-ups. That is fair enough.

But it is a different matter altogether when a simple stumble is magnified into a symptom of chronic fatigue, which is then laid at the door of some dreadful malignity — cancer for choice. That, believe it or not, is precisely what is happening. At which point somebody is sure to come up with that old saying “no smoke without fire”.

I firmly believe that the man who coined that phrase had never heard of a smokescreen! But let me return to the buzz in Delhi about the state of the Prime Minister’s health. If people actually stopped to think about it, the sheer absurdity of the scenario would be apparent.

It was a foreigner who pointed out how silly it was. Men suffering from cancer (or any other vitality-sapping ailment) don’t crisscross India from east to west as Atal Behari Vajpayee did when he went from Itanagar to Gandhinagar. Nor do they then proceed to go for a non-aligned movement (NAM) conference in South Africa.

But what begins as a rumour goes on to become the subject of editorials and opinion pieces before ending up on the headlines.

Print reporters say they must spice up their writings if they are to compete with radio and television. The electronic media’s representatives in turn say they are forced to compete with the World Wide Web, meaning that they don’t have time to do serious analysis and investigation.

This strikes me as just plain nuts. The print media can never catch up with the sheer speed of television reporting. Nor can television — any one channel of it at any rate — ever match the sheer variety at the command of a Web surfer. And if they try to do so they doom themselves to irrelevance.

Internet addicts speak of themselves as ‘surfers’. The fluid metaphor is revealing. The World Wide Web is like any large body of water today. There is potable water but there is also quite a lot of rubbish floating around. Anyone who swallows what he sees without thinking twice does himself no favours.

Television can act as a filter of sorts. Hopefully, the camera will show us only what actually happened, not what might have taken place. And newspapers have the time to filter finer still, putting events into perspective. Journalists shoot themselves in the foot when they surrender this right to reflection in pursuit of mere speed.

Reporters, a famous boast went, get the chance to write the first rough draft of history. Sceptical readers probably think that some of those drafts are getting increasing rough!

World’s most wanted terrorist
by Harihar Swarup

“THOSE who dig ditch for others, themselves fall in it” is a time-tested adage. History is replete with such instances. Destiny reversed its wheel in case of Saudi millionaire, Osama bin Laden, the world’s most wanted terrorist, who masterminded the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. He is now sought to be destroyed by the same USA which was instrumental in propping him.

The USA had pumped million of dollars and an unknown quantity of arms in Afghanistan through Pakistan’s ISI to fight Soviet troops but part of the money was utilised in setting up terrorists training camps and raising an army of “Islamic warriors” with active involvement of Islamabad. The Americans are now blasting the same camps with missiles and Pakistani leaders fear that the Taliban, their protege, many turn against them. Now it is well known that among the international terrorists receiving training in these camps were Kashmiri militants and Laden has been the moving spirit behind them.

Someone likened Laden to Bhindranwale. There is stark similarity in the physical appearance of the two if one looks at their photographs closely even though they come from entirely different backgrounds Like Bhindranwale, Laden too is sought to be destroyed by the same forces which created him. What an irony?

Laden was in his mid-twenties when he left Saudi Arabia to join the “Jehad” against the Soviet forces in Afghanistan. His wealth and commitment for the “cause” attracted the attention of the ISI and the CIA thought he was the right person to be cultivated. Resources started pouring in and the Saudi youngman began setting up training camps in and around Khost town, bordering Pakistan. The same camps were the target of U.S. missiles. God knows for what reason but Laden nurtures intense dislike for the Americans since his first visit to Afghanistan.

Born in a wealthy family at the holy town of Jeddah, Laden is the youngest son of a construction baron, Mohammed bin Laden, and the Saudi Government is one of the patrons of the firm — Bin Laden Brothers for Construction and Building. Osama alone inherited a fabulous amount of $ 300 million from his father.

Osama talks proudly of his family’s role in the reconstruction of holy places following capture of the grand mosque at Mecca in 1979 by a group of Islamist fanatics. The siege ended when Laden Brothers carried out rebuilding and decoration of Mecca and Medina. The Ladens also provided Saudi and French security forces with the map of the mosque which proved a great asset in flushing out the extremists.

Osama returned to Saudi Arabia after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan, hoping to work with his father’s construction firm but destiny had willed otherwise, a turbulent life awaited him. The Gulf war had by then broken out. Already harbouring suspicion against the USA, Laden was piqued by the despatch of US troops to Saudi Arabia with the instruction to drive away Saddam Hussain from Kuwait. This was, Laden felt, violation of Islam’s sanctuaries and sign of inexcusable corruption by the royal family. He organised a local movement to force the US troops out of Saudi Arabia but was himself thrown out of the country and disowned by his family.

Osama shifted to Sudan and resumed his construction work there, having built a new highway linking the capital Khartoum to Port Sudan and an airport but, side by side, continued his militant activities. Pressure from the USA forced the Sudanese Government to expel him; Washington suspected him of indulging in terrorist activities. Laden rebased himself in Afghanistan as guest of the Taliban, the Pakistan-backed fundamental militia which has now seized control of the country.

Afghanistan is not new to Laden; he has deep roots there and has done enormous work there. Osama has provided millions of dollars to the Taliban, financially supported hundreds of Koranic schools, both in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and has built roads, shelters and arms dumps for the Mujahideen. It was from the remote Al Badr camp and similar other bases that Laden despatched Islamic fighters to Kashmir, Bosnia, Chechnya and Somalia.

He has established good rapport with the one-eyed Mullah Mohammed Omar, the founder of the Islamic Taliban movement who now resides in Khandahar. It is said Osama built a house for Mullah Omar. The Mullah is firm in his resolve not to hand over the “honoured guest” to the USA as it is against the Pathan code.

Chased by powerful US satellites Laden (43) hides in rugged mountain along with his three wives and an unspecified number of children. He changes the place of his stay practically every night and is always accompanied by hooded body- guards, some of whom carry Stinger missiles to repulse any air attack. He functions in the most modern style. His sophisticated gadgets include satellite telephone and fax through which he keeps in touch with his outfits in London, Geneva, Peshawar and the Gulf countries. Also, he rarely holds a press conference or gives press interviews. One such press meet was held two months ago when a group of Pakistani journalists were escorted to his hideout. Osama had called the journalists to announce formation of the International Islamic Front with the avowed objective of declaring a “holy war” on the USA and Israel.

Laden has shown no sign of nervousness following the US missile attack on terrorist bases in Afghanistan. On the contrary, he has shown more resoluteness, warning the USA that “the war has just started and the Americans should wait for the answer”. Almost, at the same time, Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, vowed never to hand over Osama to the Americans.

Fanaticism sees no reasoning and logic and both Laden and Mullah Omar have been diehard fanatics. International terrorism has posed a new challenge to the USA and the world.

US Congress awaits Starr’s report
by Vasantha Arora

INDEPENDENT Counsel Kenneth Starr is expected to submit his report on the White House sex scandal to the US Congress early next month, listing possible impeachable offences against President Clinton, including alleged obstruction of justice and perjury, according to informed sources.

Starr himself gave indication about the final stage of the seven-month-long inquiry when he recently took an unpaid leave of absence from his law firm to complete his work. Moreover, his grand jury had only one meeting this week as against three in the past.

Almost all major players in the scandal have already testified. Former White House intern Monica Lewinsky testified twice — on August 6 and 20. In between, President Clinton was called in for questioning.

The main allegation that Starr has been investigating since January last is whether Clinton lied under oath in Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit and tried to obstruct the case and subsequent criminal investigation by concealing the nature of his relationship with Lewinsky.

According to reports, the President, even at this stage, is considering two options: to address in public lingering questions about his affair with Lewinsky —to — or ask his lawyers to prepare an alternative report for submission to Congress along with the one to be submitted by Starr.

Presidential advisers believe the alternative report is necessary to counter Starr’s evidence but Clinton aides claim no final decision to draft such a report has been made.

Prominent Congressmen appear all set to receive the report. Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it was time to bring all available evidence to light. “I’d be surprised if Starr would allow this to go well into September,” Hatch said, adding, “I think what is relevant is that Starr finish his work, file the report and then it will become mainly Congress’ interest.”

According to opinion polls, some 73 per cent people favour keeping Clinton in office. Only 24 per cent favour impeaching Clinton and removing him from the White House. Most Americans feel Clinton is doing a good job as President, with 64 per cent rating him positively in a Harris poll.

However, what worries the White House most is the sense of uneasiness in Clinton’s Democratic Party over the scandal just before Congressional elections.

The party’s leader in the House Richard Gephardt had gone on record criticising President Clinton for his behaviour in the Lewinsky scandal. Gephardt did not rule out the possibility of impeachment if the facts warranted it.

He also said if Clinton were to leave office, “we will get through this.” However, other partymen differ with him, insisting impeachment or resignation are not options here. “We need his leadership,” they maintain.
— India Abroad News Service

75 YEARS AGO
Takia-Mandir Dispute
Crown versus Gobind Ram & others

AMRITSAR: Hearing was resumed in the above case in the court of Sardar Sahib Hardial Singh, Magistrate First Class. The Crown was represented by the Court DSP while the accused were defended by Lala Duni Chand Nagpal and Lala Kesho Ram, Vakils.

Jiwan Sain, a Fakir, stated that about a month and a half ago at 3.30 pm, he was sitting on the thara of Kamal Sain known as Thara Charasian when the accused came and asked Kamal Sain to leave the place.

On his refusal, about 50 men collected. He had been seeing the Mohammedan charasias and Kamal Sain here for the past 12 years. He further stated that there was a dispute between the parties regarding the possession of the site.

In the cross-examination, he stated that he lived about half a mile from the place in a takia known as Atma Shah Takia situated on the land belonging to the Sardar of Rangar Nangal near Bhagtanwalla Gate.

He occasionally went abegging on that side and called on Kamal Sain for smoking charas. Kamal Sain keeps charas and offers it for smoke to everyone for a small tip”.

He took alms from Kucha Mochian that day but could not name anybody. Sulla Sain used to be there before Kamal Sain. Then too the place was an open one.