The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

MIDDLE

To ride into oblivion
S.C. Prashar
FROM the beginning of life, the aged have invited drastically varied perception and treatment. In the animal world, of course, the struggle for food and mate has assigned them a forlorn existence and unsung death in a dark nook. From this stark fact grew the legend that an old tiger retires to a lonely cave and dies a dignified death.

A POINT OF VIEW

Internationalising Kashmir issue
P.C. Dogra
IRRESPECTIVE of our insistence on bilateralism, it is an acknowledged fact that Kashmir has come under the sharp focus of international community. It is felt by Western nations that hostilities between India and Pakistan will trigger a nuclear war and blunt the international initiative against terrorism.

We want a Swadeshi Press
Abu Abraham
IT’S typical of the Vajpayee government’s style of functioning that they should open the foreign direct investment to the Indian Press when almost everyone connected with the print media has opposed it. This government is always for consultation and consensus on important matters of national interest but then they make decisions as if they have just had an inspired vision of what is right.

MP dam leaking, 12,000 evacuated
BHOPAL: The authorities in Madhya Pradesh have evacuated around 12,000 people after an irrigation dam started leaking due to heavy rain, an official said on Sunday. The police said the 80-year-old Ahmadpur dam started leaking on Friday night, two days after another old dam in the state burst and 100 people were feared dead.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

EDITORIALS

A missed opportunity

THE Union Cabinet’s decision on Saturday to stick to its stand and return the electoral reforms Ordinance “as it is” to President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam for his assent does not come as a surprise, given the mood of the government and of all the political parties on the issue. It is a pity that the government chose not to offer any clarifications to Dr Kalam as sought by him four days ago while returning the Ordinance to it for possible reconsideration. Having raised some pertinent questions, apparently with regard to the disclosure of assets (the Ordinance seeks to apply it only in the case of winning candidates after the elections and submission of the same to the presiding officers of respective legislatures) and qualifications of candidates (the ordinance is silent about it), the President was only responding to the expectations and concerns voiced by the Supreme Court in its May 2 ruling with a view to preventing the criminalisation of politics and eliminating the mounting corruption in the system. The government’s response to the presidential querry that the provisions of the Ordinance, meant to operationalise the proposed Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2002, (to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951), were on the basis of a consensus among all the political parties during their meetings on July 8 and August 2 and thus cannot be reconsidered, is bound to be interpreted as a lame excuse. It is a brazen attempt to nullify the apex court’s ruling and the Election Commission’s directive to enforce the judgement. The President’s limitations in this regard under Articles 75 and 123 of the Constitution are well known. But what certainly needs to be mentioned is the fact that Dr Kalam has made a point by raising substantive questions on a matter of critical importance though he has gracefully signed the Ordinance in view of the constitutional provisions.

In a parliamentary system of government like ours, while Parliament is the chief repository of people’s will, the government of the day is regarded as a reflection of the people’s ideals and aspirations. Ironically, however, instead of Parliament, it is the Supreme Court which has probably reflected the feelings of the people in the present case. In this episode, Dr Kalam, known for his vision for a new India, has probably expressed the people’s unwritten wishes. Earlier, the Supreme Court set the pace, as part of its desire to cleanse the polity. More important, it tried to guarantee the people’s inviolable right to information guaranteed under Article 19 (i) of the Constitution. The two provisions in the Election Commission’s June 28 directive relating to the disclosure of assets and qualifications of candidates were mainly aimed at helping voters to exercise their choice based on information input. As the government has refused to appreciate the President’s observations in the name of all-party consensus, the people have no choice but to wait, watch and pray for better times. Generations to come will probably not forgive our politicians for their failure to provide a qualitative thrust to Indian democracy. Here was a golden opportunity for them to introduce a new value system which would have helped to usher in value-based politics by breaking the stranglehold of mafia dons and criminals on the system. However, the manner in which they have conducted themselves on this issue is most unfortunate. Enough is enough. We have thrived on illiterates for long. This is not to overlook the common sense of the ordinary voter in the countryside who is capable of understanding the ground realities objectively and impartially and act accordingly. Ultimately, the success of the world’s largest democracy would depend not on manipulative politics but on upgrading the value system and the quality of the electorate. It is a pity that today’s political class has virtually ganged up to promote and protect its narrow interests in preference to the long-term interests of the people.

India’s Bradman plus

SACHIN Tendulkar’s iconic status has grown further with his majestic march past the 29th century mark of the legendary Don Bradman. The little master feels greatly embarrassed whenever he is compared by anyone with the incomparable Australian. After all, the Don had slammed those centuries in far fewer outings. In fact, his record is so immaculate that there is little chance that anyone will ever be able to overhaul it. However, that does not steal anything from the sterling performance of our own Bradman in any way. The best compliment about his achievements has come from none other than Sunil Gavaskar whose 34 centuries are the next milestone that beckons. The little maestro thinks that Sachin is perhaps the most complete batsman the game has seen. “For all Bradman’s achievements, Tendulkar is the closest thing to batting perfection I’ve seen, in terms of technique and temperament….There is not a shot he cannot play,” Gavaskar has gushed. He is not saying all that only because he happens to be an Indian. There are many more all over the world who are in agreement with this assessment. Even Bradman had told his wife that this “bojo”, meaning a good boy, reminded him of his own cricketing days. Video recordings of most of his matches are available and the consensus is that Sachin perhaps has more arrows in his quiver. What must be remembered is that the two were playing in different eras. The competition is stiffer today and one-day matches have changed the complexion of the game. Bowling too has undergone a seachange. Suffice it to say that Sachin comes closest to the exacting standards set by the Don.

What comes as an added bonus is that he is a picture of traditional Indian values and can win the good behaviour trophy in match after match. His conduct on and off the field has always been exemplary. That is a rarity in this age when superstardom is seen as a licence for scandalous lifestyle even by far lesser players. In India especially, cricketers are taken as role models and Sachin with his “boy next door” demeanour is the best ambassador of goodwill. He brings a rare poise and gentlemanliness to the fine game. Now that he has come out of the lean patch, one hopes that the controversy regarding the sponsorship will be amicably resolved and we will be able to see his magical blade mesmerise everyone in a style that is entirely his own. Allan Border’s 11,174 runs are very much in reach, given Sachin’s young age and appetite for runs. Millions of his fans know that a few decades from now, they will have the smug satisfaction of telling their incredulous grandchildren that they saw the great Sachin in flesh and blood.

OPINION

Of pragmatic and sustained policies
India, Afghanistan and Central Asian republics
V P Malik

GEO-strategically, Afghanistan and Central Asian republics form a part of India’s extended neighbourhood. It is, therefore, necessary to safeguard our legitimate national interests in this region.

Three “sustained” policies on Afghanistan and neighbouring Central Asian republics have paid off India handsomely after September 11, 2001. These are: (1) Multi-ethnic people-to-people contacts. (2) Opposition to jehadi terrorism spawned by fundamentalist forces. (3) Political and diplomatic support to Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan and the erstwhile Northern Alliance.

Not well known, but not so insignificant, is also the complimentary role played by military diplomacy to serve India’s national interests and for peace and stability in the region.

It is heartening to see that these policies continue to be “sustained”. In the second week of August India’s new External Affairs Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, not only visited Kabul but also Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. This would help maintain a balanced relationship at the peoples’ level with all ethnic groups. In Herat, Mr Yashwant Sinha promised more doctors (three are already working) and medicines to the Governor, Mr Mohammad Ismail Khan. In Mazar-e-Sharif he opened India’s first Consulate-General outside Kabul and also assured the local authorities of assistance in the establishment of an Artificial Limb Centre.

I recall, some years ago, during a visit to New Delhi, Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov had requested the Government of India to establish a hospital for his people in Southern Tajikistan. The hospital was to be located in a remote area (Farkhor) which was not easily accessible and where no accommodation, electricity or any other infrastructure facilities were available. The Ministry of External Affairs enquired if the Army would be willing to help in this humanitarian venture. The initial reconnaissance report painted a dismal picture. However, considering its political and diplomatic significance, these difficulties notwithstanding, we agreed to do so. It is to the credit of Indian Army doctors and their support staff who established a full-fledged 25-bed field hospital, with medical and surgical facilities, and ran it efficiently for several years. They were able to establish a good rapport and win the hearts and minds of the local Tajiks.

Farkhor Hospital did not become a military base or a facility as some newspapers have now reported. But it did open further opportunities for political and diplomatic cooperation between Tajikistan and India, and an occasional review of the Afghan situation with Panjsher legendary figure Ahmed Shah Masood and Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Qasim Fahim. This hospital was shifted to Kabul soon after the Afghan capital was re-captured by the coalition forces. The Army doctors and the hospital continue to provide humanitarian aid, at a much larger scale in Afghanistan now.

India has a major advantage due to its historical, social, cultural and low-level trade ties with all Afghan ethnic groups, including Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and the Shia tribals in the West. If Kabuliwala continues to remind Indians about Afghanistan, the Afghans remain fans of Indian films and film stars except that Raj Kapoor of yesterday’s films seems to have given away his following to Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan now. Not for communal reasons but for cultural reasons! India has always been an attractive centre for technical and other types of education for Afghans. Low-level trade between India and Afghanistan did not stop even during Taliban rule.

India’s interests in Afghanistan lie with a stable, multi-ethnic, moderate and progressive society and government, which will maintain its traditional friendly relations with India. Unfortunately, despite common efforts and sacrifices against the Taliban and now achieving such a pluralistic nature of government, Afghan leaders do not seem to be getting along too well yet. The Hamid Karzai government has not been able to establish its control in several border provinces like Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Herat and Balkh so far.

The current situation in Afghanistan can at best be described as uncertain. Afghan warlords remain strong, active and independent. They have their private police and armies loyal to them. Their capacity to pay and purchase loyalty from their followers depends upon drug trade, which continues unabated. Only a de-weaponisation programme, which is yet to start, will reduce their authority and autonomy. With deep ethnic cleavages, internal security in Afghanistan remains vulnerable. Recently, there have been ethnic clashes in the western region near Herat between forces of Mr Ismail Khan and Mr Amanullah Khan with heavy casualties on both sides. In the northern region, too, clashes continue between forces of Mr Dostum and Mr Atta Mohammad. The Government of Afghanistan cannot achieve internal security and stability without US military support and larger presence of coalition forces. The situation would certainly get out of control if the US focus and forces were shifted to Iraq.

External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha’s visit to Kabul, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif would have served, or emphasised, several purposes: India’s commitment to support the Hamid Karzai government in its quest for peace and stability in Afghanistan, active participation in Afghanistan’s reconstruction activities, consolidation of our people-to-people contacts, and also help repair ethnic cleavages that have emerged in Afghan society in recent years.

India is already playing an important role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Besides a financial assistance of $21.5 million and a $100 million line of credit, it has provided or agreed to provide 300 buses, three airbus aircraft, including one in which Mr Yashwant Sinha travelled, maintenance of roads from Kabul to Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, 51 tonnes of winter clothing and training to civil administrators, police personnel, diplomats and military personnel. Already, there are a number of Afghan civil and military officers undergoing training in our institutions. In line with the humanitarian approach, maximum assistance has been provided in the medical field, namely the hospitals in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, a Jaipur Foot team that has already fixed over 100 limbs, medical equipment and medicines worth $ 1 million.

India’s traditional interaction with Pashtuns had got disrupted ever since they took over the mantle of fighting Soviet forces. During Taliban rule Hindus and Sikhs living in Kabul were harassed and humiliated. Most of them migrated back to India. India is now in a position to widen its rapport and influence base to include Pashtuns, who are in a majority and inhabit areas bordering Pakistan, and other ethnic groups, without diluting its ties with any other ethnic group.

In the Central Asian republics, a large number of extremist Islamic institutions with a substantial financial support base have cropped up in recent years. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the Hizb-ut-Tahrire, the Uighar Separatist Movement in the Xinjiang region of China are suspected to have links with the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda network. Despite the recent success of counter-terrorism campaign in Afghanistan, such organisations can pose a major threat in Central Asia. These organisations could become a base for the induction of more fundamentalist ideas and philosophy into the region.

Having suffered jehadi terrorism for over one and a half decades, India has always raised its voice in world forums against this form of terrorism, which has its origin and epicentre in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It must be stated to the credit of the present and some past governments in India that our support to the anti-Taliban forces in the region has been consistent and sustained. It may have been feeble sometimes, but it never stopped. India has always been sympathetic to the governments in Central Asian republics, particularly of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan and Kazakhstan, which are also fighting this menace. There has been convergence of interests over this issue with Iran and even with China. These concerns have promoted greater interest in regional security cooperation not only among the Central Asian states but also between them, Russia, China and other important countries of the world. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was one such outcome.

India needs to maintain non-interfering, mutually beneficial relations with the governments in Afghanistan and the neighbouring Central Asian republics. We should have a clear concept of self-interest, not be swayed by any major power, and continue with our sustained pragmatic policies. Pluralistic nature of society and forms of governments with political stability are a common geostrategic interest in the region.

The writer, a retired General, was the Chief of Army Staff during the Kargil war.

MIDDLE

To ride into oblivion
S.C. Prashar

FROM the beginning of life, the aged have invited drastically varied perception and treatment. In the animal world, of course, the struggle for food and mate has assigned them a forlorn existence and unsung death in a dark nook. From this stark fact grew the legend that an old tiger retires to a lonely cave and dies a dignified death.

Amongst the humans, the ancestor was perceived as the life giver and worthy of worship. Ancestor worship is known to be one of the earliest and worldwide cult. They were offered worship and an exclusive world was assigned to them after death. How they were treated in their life time, when they were no longer capable of hunt or contribution to the group or tribe is not known. Perhaps, no one survived beyond his prime. A hunt or disease would claim most of them as their strength declined.

Very significant is a saying amongst the Rajputs of India that a Rajput lives to the age of eighteen. Factions and wars would claim the aged and the young, the aged whose strength had declined would be more liable to fall in the battlefield than the strong and the young. Hardly any aged warrior survived the Mahabharata war.

In India, after the age of 50, the survivors would detach themselves from the affairs of the world and at 75 retire to the jungles, obviously to fall prey to the wild animals or to hunger and cold. Plato recommended that once a person became old and unable to contribute to society, it is best to destroy him. Offer him a cup of hemlock, Plato would say. The Vikings being a sea faring people, would put an old man in a boat with one week’s provisions and let the boat ride to the open sea and a watery grave.

The young well knew and know that one day they may have to face such a prospect and would be chary to make laws or social customs towards such drastic solutions. “The old are worthy of reverence as they gave life and acquire wisdom through experience. The parents are as gods to you”, the scriptures preached. Even today the sentiments expressed are similar. The practice, however, is different. Old people’s home, charity homes and neglect in a dark abandoned nook of the house, courtyard of a temple or like king Lear ever decreasing conveniences! Of course, on death, there is always a great show of loss and copious tears. Obituaries in the newspapers and bereavement notices.

In changed social condition, a section of society all over the world has realised the need for financial independence. With better health care and more secure life, the number of aged has grown phenomenally and alarmingly. They also have more financial powers and can secure well-cared future for themselves. Gone are the days when they would disinvest themselves of all and depend on the love and care of their children. The next generation, naturally is preoccupied with their own life and family and can, at the most, ensure a periodic visit, specially on mother’s day or father’s day. But what about the emotional needs, the need to feel that they are still a part of life, which includes the young and children. And what about the solace of having a loved one near when the period of sickness and the hour of death comes?

There are towns and cities for retired old people, where the club or clubs are dominated by them — the senior citizens. Still clad in the fashion of a bygone era — with a few bow ties on display at The Mall. Sit down with them on the overstuffed sofas and invariably every conversation starts with, “when in 1957, I was —” or “J, you know the commissioner at K, he was working under me in the sixties as ...? or “my son is now heading .... the business section of the...”

One to one, you will hear all about their children who are so successful and care so much for them and who visit them on their birthdays. On a lonely walk in a moment of weakness, one would break down and shudder at the thought that he may be lying dead for days before his body is discovered. The aged group together, whether in old people’s homes or at the clubs and live a life moored in the past. With declining energy levels, which affect not only the body but the mind, the clutch to anyone straying to their corner, repeat the old stories, told and retold on numerous occasions since they forget that the same have been told on so many earlier occasions.

The fear of death and anxiety of illness haunts them continuously even if, or rather though, they are too scared to give it words. Heart attack, Alziemer’s, asthama, God knows what may strike and when! Having lost both religion and support of their children, the modern old find no peace or salvation.

If some have survived as couples, the interest of the spouse is so divergent that there is nothing to share. Each has his or her own companions and interest. Disagreements get more frequent and more violent. Male domination is replaced by female domination by the process of being desexed. All the bitterness dissolves into tears though when one of them dies. The surviving partner makes an angel of the departed and a fool of oneself on every possible and impossible occasion. Crying in public places at the mere mention of the event or even the name of the one who has left. Prolonged illness is more a burden on the nurse and all around, both physically and emotionally, till a certain death relieves both. The time is uncertain and the duration may be inconceivably prolonged!

Wonder if Platonic or Viking remedy is not the more humane way out for all concerned and society generally!

The individual’s right to decide on termination of his life, euthanasia, is another issue which is being hotly debated today. India always sanctioned this right as is well borne out by numerous cases of self-inflicted death by fire or water. Gyaneshwar buried himself in a cave. The latest case is that of Acharya Vinoba Bhave who starved himself to death. Should it be left to society or to the individual to decide how best to solve this problem?

A POINT OF VIEW

Internationalising Kashmir issue
P.C. Dogra

IRRESPECTIVE of our insistence on bilateralism, it is an acknowledged fact that Kashmir has come under the sharp focus of international community. It is felt by Western nations that hostilities between India and Pakistan will trigger a nuclear war and blunt the international initiative against terrorism. We mobilised all our armed might on the border and threatened war if the cross-border terrorism was not stopped by Pakistan. Our public stance was that the nation was a few hours away from war but at the same time, we insisted upon the USA, the UK and other Western countries to force Pakistan to permanently halt the cross-border infiltration of terrorists. We wanted the USA to deliver. The issue had been internationalised. That is what Pakistan wanted.

In fact, Kashmir had come on the international agenda way back in 1993 when in spite of our protests, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, made a special reference to the situation in J&K in his report to the UN General Assembly. We should also not forget the statement of the then US President Bill Clinton describing J&K issue as a flashpoint in South Asia that merited international attention. Michael Krepon, Founding President of the Henry L. Stimson Centre, strategic expert and the most distinguished authority on South Asia is of the view that “India and Pakistan are now in the same dangerous but deceptively quite passage way” that Israel and the Palestinian Authority entered a year ago, and that George W. Bush administration cannot afford its West Asia mistake in South Asia”.

Research institutes of repute in the USA, the UK and other western countries have conducted a number of studies on the Kashmir problem. The sum and substance of these studies is:

That the terrorist violence unleashed in the Indian-held Kashmir originated from Pakistan; that it was the international diplomatic pressure which restrained India from going to war and mellowed down the stand of President Pervez Musharraf on cross-border terrorism; there is a general consensus that cross-border terrorism should be stopped and that the sanctity of LoC be respected. At the same time, it is also acknowledged that Pakistan had a legitimate locus standi on the Kashmir issue and that India should not be hostile to external mediation or facilitation by friendly countries.

A referendum in some form, joint Indo-Pak sovereignty over Kashmir or creation of independent state of Jammu & Kashmir is suggested as a solution. The Kashmir Study Group headed by Kashmiri American Farooq Kathwari which has American academics, Congressmen and ex-diplomats as its members and is regarded as an unofficial think-tank of the American Government has suggested in its report “Kashmir: a way forward” the creation of a hypothetical Kashmir state comprising the Muslim majority areas of J&K. It could be a sovereign state but without an international personality. It is reported that Kathwari was well received both in Delhi and Srinagar.

The Election Commission has announced the dates for J&K elections. Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, during his recent visit to India and Pakistan, made a very profound statement when he said “Kashmir was on the international agenda. He urged India to ensure free and fair poll in J&K and asked Pakistan to let the poll take place without interference from militants”. He further said “the USA saw poll as the first step leading to resumption of dialogue between two countries”. While he strongly advocated the Hurriyat’s participation in the coming elections, he advised India to free “political prisoners and allow independent observers to monitor elections”. He reminded India that J&K elections alone cannot resolve the problems between India and Pakistan and stressed the need for creating conditions for resumption of a bilateral dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad.

He also quoted President Pervez Musharraf having said “It is permanent decision to stop cross-border activity and not a tactical decision”. Pakistan claimed that Powell’s remarks that elections in J&K were a first step to bring peace in the valley were made in the context of Islamabad’s demand to hold plebiscite in Kashmir. Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat welcomed the statement of Mr Powell and said “We do not have any problem in contesting elections if they are what the Americans say the first step in the comprehensive process to resolve the dispute permanently”. But he wanted a meeting of India, Pakistan and Kashmiris to further work on it. Reports emanating from the White House suggest that the USA really means business this time and is determined to see that elections take place in J&K without any militant violence.

If the President is pressurised to stop infiltration of terrorists from POK, then what is the quid pro quo for him? Pakistani elite feel that if the jehadi struggle in J&K is suspended and the elections are allowed to be held peacefully, then India would take it as an endorsement from the people of Kashmir regarding accession to India and that the Kashmir issue would be buried forever. General Pervez Musharraf who is himself a committed jihadi for the Kashmir cause, it is difficult to believe that he will be doing any such thing without any commitment from the Americans.

“Musharraf is a Mohajir in the first place, he is also a product of a military establishment that equates Pakistan with the army and the army with Kashmir. Kashmir is not just Musharraf’s obsession but it is a collective obsession in Pakistan. The only distinguishing characteristic of Pakistan state is its fixation on Kashmir an issue that not only helps define Pakistan’s identity but also serves as the glue holding its fractious society together. Kashmir and its hostility to India is the raison de’etre for the power and the might of the Pakistan army”. He has already been discredited in the people of Pakistan on his Afghan policy. He needs the Kashmir issue more than ever before.

In his first broadcast to the nation after September 11 holocaust, he cited Kashmir as one of the reasons for joining the international coalition against terrorism. The USA has always been insisting that “India has to offer some kind of incentive for General Musharraf to sustain crackdown on terrorism. Some reciprocity is needed from India”. “US does not want to see Musharraf weakened. The international community has developed a strategic stake in the Pakistani state”, said Mushahid Hussain, former Information Minister of Pakistan.

The Indian leadership all through has been weak and indecisive. We as a nation never stood firm on Kashmir. It had been the general refrain of the Kashmiris. They do not know as to where the Government of India stands. We talk of Kashmir being an integral part of India and at the same time we initiate covert dialogue with the separatists imploring them to participate in the elections and telling them to prove their representative character before any serious dialogue can be held with them. It means that the Government of India is willing for a dialogue with the separatists after the elections. Whenever the dialogue takes place either before or after the elections, it is not going to be on the devolution of financial powers but on the extent of dilution of the sovereignty of the Indian nation over Kashmir. If we are not prepared for this, then why not make our position clear: that J&K is one of the states of the Indian Union. It is our internal matter and that Pakistan has no locus standi. We need to be consistent, bold and unambiguous.

In fine, I shall quote Lt-General Hamid Gul, former ISI chief of Pakistan and a committed jihadi: “An independent Kashmir minus Jammu, parts of POK and Ladakh suits Western powers that still have the containment of China on their agenda and it could lead to further fragmentation of India”.

The writer is former Director-General of Police, Punjab.

We want a Swadeshi Press
Abu Abraham

IT’S typical of the Vajpayee government’s style of functioning that they should open the foreign direct investment (FDI) to the Indian Press when almost everyone connected with the print media has opposed it. This government is always for consultation and consensus on important matters of national interest but then they make decisions as if they have just had an inspired vision of what is right.

A parliamentary committee headed by Somnath Chatterjee reported last March against foreign shareholding in any form. The committee took note of the widespread opposition of newspaper associations and unions to foreign investment. These bodies included the Press Council, the Federation of Small and Medium Newspapers, the Editors’ Guild and the National Union of Journalists. The committee answers the point often raised by those in favour of foreign investment, which is that since the electronic media already enjoys such investment, why insulate the Press?

It points out that contrary to those who claim that television has a greater hold on the public than newspapers, the print media has the greater influence. Television in general provides visual images that are transitory whereas the newspaper provides news and analysis in depth. “The written words give the readers different dimensions of a situation with more lasting impression. These have the potential at all times to evoke deeper feelings, stimulate the thinking and in the long run condition the mind to accept the ideas they contain”.

In any case, I would add, it is impossible to check the entry of foreign television because the air is free for anyone. The role of the Press in a free society is vital. It’s day-to-day involvement in the functioning of the democratic process, its autonomy and its reach, make it as important a force in the application of the public will as the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. That is why the Press is known as the Fourth Estate.

Globalisation is all very well for business and industry, but it can be disastrous if applied to the Press. If 26 per cent shareholding is allowed for foreign investors in the newspaper industry, why not, one might ask, allow 26 per cent foreign participation in our Parliament? What is okay for business is not necessarily okay for the Press. The role of the Press is such that any comparison with commerce is absurd although the running of a newspaper is a business operation.

The parliamentary committee considered the argument that foreign investment will enhance the resources available for expansion and modernisation. It has this to say on the subject: “The committee has examined the whole issue of foreign investment in the print media in the total context of the liberalisation of the Indian economy… The committee believe that allowing foreign investment in any form in this sector has far-reaching implications and an attempt to separate the issue from its implications is not the best example of farsightedness”.

The report goes on to observe: “As regards the position of resources in this sector, records show that there has been a phenomenal growth in the number of newspapers and circulation over the past 50 years. The most reasonable conclusion, then, is that lack of foreign investment has in no way affected the growth of newspapers in the country. Newspapers have grown in strength using domestic resources”.

The committee gave serious consideration to the possible impact of liberalisation in the print media on the security situation in the country. In this they were helped by the Home Ministry, who gave the opinion that the internal security scene is not conducive for an opening up of the Press to foreign investment. The committee fully agrees with this view.

The views of the committee as well as those of newspaper associations and unions (and also the position held by the Information Ministry till recently) seem to have had no impact on the thinking of the government on this very important issue.

The official statement of the government says, “In order to ensure that management control does not pass over to foreign hands, it would be ensured that the largest Indian shareholder would have a significantly greater holding than all the foreign holdings put together”. This is no big deal. Any investment of foreign money in the Indian Press is bound to influence the editorial independence of a newspaper even if it’s only one per cent. Therefore, I am totally opposed to the idea.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

You are in many forms manifest

At one place you are a beggar, at another a king;

You create life from egg, womb and sweat

And from the earth many riches beget.

At some places you are like a flower-bedecked kind sitting on his throne

At others you are like a hermit shrunken to the bone;

Your creation is a display of wonderment

You were before time, through the ages, self-existent.

Protect me now, to you I pray

Uplift my Sikhs, my enemies slay;

Whenever forces of evil, power wield

Crush the filthy lot in the battlefield.

Those who come under your flag and hegemony

Their wicked enemies die in terrible agony;

Those who fall at your feet and seek protection

For all their difficulties you find solutions.

Those who to the timeless God but once do pray

Will never again see an evil day;

At all times He will be their protector

All evil-doers He will instantly scatter.

Those upon whom you look with favour

Their sufferings will at once be over;

In their homes they’ll find occult powers, wealth and all such

Evil forces will not even their shadows touch.

Those who meditate on Him even once will see

From fear of the noose of death they are free;

A man who invokes your name

Is freed of misery, evil and pain.

In the battlefield your protection I crave

Extend your hand and your servant save;

In every place you be my helper

From wickedness and sorrow grant me shelter.

Rehras, Guru Granth Sahib