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Saturday,
August 31, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN
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Another Indian doctor in organ sale? London, August 30 A second Indian doctor has been named in an investigation in Britain of sale of human organs from India. Doctor Jarnail Singh from Coventry in the Midlands becomes the second doctor named by an undercover journalist working for The Sunday Times in agreeing to arrange the sale of kidneys from Indian donors for British patients.
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WINDOW ON PAKISTAN PAKISTAN'S military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, welcomed his people to the new democracy as he unfolded a new constitution on PTV. In fact, a part of Pakistan’s new constitution was decided right on the PTV. President Musharraf asked his officers when would his tenure begin, the day the referendum was held or when the new assembly took office. Evidently, the officer obliged,” When the assembly took office.” Why not a few more months. What a cavalier fashion to extend the tenure of the President, which was otherwise fixed by the general himself at five years. Yet another experiment in establishing a ‘controlled’ environment in sharp contrast to a free one, with the ultimate powers of arbitration centred singularly around one office — the office of the President. The President retains the powers of appointing service chiefs, judges of the Supreme Court and other top functionaries and the constitution he has unfolded cannot be amended by an elected parliament. The Prime Minister, his or her cabinet, parliament and state assemblies must move under his shadow. It is not the first time in Pakistan’s chequered history that a military ruler has embarked on a course to give birth to democracy. Ironically, neither the military’s track record and the lessons of political history nor indeed simple logic favour the conclusion that such an order would bring about long overdue and badly needed stability. The conclusion: a half cooked democracy with some semblance of civil order. Frahan Bokhari writing in the Daily News said: “In General Musharraf’s words, the ‘sham’ democracy which endured for eleven years before the October 1999 coup was essentially the outcome of ‘sham’ politicians remaining in charge. Yet, there’s no admission that the occasional behind the scenes interference from vital sections of the establishment to prop up or pull down one political entity or another, played a significant role in derailing prospects for stability. Add to that, the military’s own legacy from the days of the late General Zia-ul- Haq hardly works as an inspiration. That the scions of military figures eventually turned in to better than just prosperous business folks, whisking not just millions but many millions from one business to another, must be an important circumstantial reason to seek a review of the institution’s own past.” General Musharraf has indeed managed a carte blanche to amend the 1973 constitution the way he liked. His only worry has been to perpetuate his regime while undertaking a sham exercise to have a guided democracy. Dawn’s commentator, Shameen Akhtar, added wryly: “The parliament emerging from the October elections will obviously have no say in it. Musharraf has made this categorically clear. ‘I am hereby making it a part of the Constitution through the powers given to me by the Supreme Court. I do not need assembly’s approval,’ he declared. His fiat is final and irreversible.” If the future legislature is not to have any power to approve or disapprove of the changes that have now been made in the basic law, then Mascara is doubtless the supreme lawgiver. In fact, President Musharraf has now to contend with two new English dailies. The Friday Times’ editor Najm Sethi has launched an independent newspaper, The Daily News and Shaheen Sehbai South Asia Tribune, a powerful Internet edition. Both highly rated editors continue to suffer at the hands of the establishment. Sehbai recently broke the story of failed attempts at the assassination of Musharraf at Chaklala air force base and said that three guards were killed. He said Musharraf was running for his life now. He wrote, “ Musharraf’s story is one of pathetically missed opportunities. He has proved to be a disaster and a risk as he fumbles from one botched up plan to another misconceived scheme, only to fail again and again. Look where he started, even though he had toppled an elected government and swept away and replaced a parliamentary democracy by a military dictatorship. He was supported not just by the people, but also by the media, intelligentsia, and army, even his present biggest political rival Benazir Bhutto. Everybody wanted accountability, which would not discriminate between supporters and opponents but would try to discourage corruption. People hoped for a fresh start.” President Musharraf’s referendum was his ultimate stupidity, which he tried to cover by admitting it was partly rigged and by apologizing. But what did he offer to the nation in return? More of the same stupidity. Now he has come to a pass where he is committed to hold elections. He is bending every rule to ensure that his “King’s party” somehow emerges with enough strength to give him manoeuvring space. Even that is not happening and he has been forced to deal with the Sharifs once again. Ayaz Amir, a highly respected columnist for Dawn said: “Over the National Assembly will perpetually hang the sword of dismissal. Even otherwise that body will be packed with loyalists. Somewhere on top will hover the National Security Council, with the service chiefs sitting in it, keeping a beady eye on civilian goings-on? So what are Pakistan’s generals afraid of?” President Musharraf will also keep riding his other horse as army chief. This is the ultimate guarantee of his security and survival, the one plank against which political parties find themselves helpless. And yet even after fitting himself with all this armour, General Musharraf seems to be walking in dread of the future. At least this is the impression his actions betray. Forget about the extraordinary shroud of security, which has come to surround his person, the double and triple sets of Mercedes cars in which he now usually travels. That is, when he travels at all because he has cancelled several travel plans lately out of security concerns. These precautions are related to the terrorist backlash the country is facing as a result of the war against extremist elements. Amir said, “But the slaughter we are seeing in the constitutional arena has nothing to do with jihadi concerns or any war on terror. It is related to the terror about the future lurking in the minds of the present holders of power. That this is irrational hardly needs emphasizing.” Taking precautions against the followers of Sheikh Omar or any jihadi organisation is one thing. Taking extraordinary precautions against the people of Pakistan is an altogether different matter. It is here that President Musharraf is miserably failing. |
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Poll officials reject Benazir’s petition Larkana, August 30 Officials in Bhutto’s hometown of Larkana, in southern Pakistan rejected her petition for a seat on the national Assembly, saying that she is prohibited from running under national laws that ban from elections those who have been convicted. Election officials are screening applications of thousands of would-be candidates. Officials are scheduled to rule tomorrow on Bhutto’s bids for two other seats. Pakistani politicians commonly run in several constituencies. The rejection of Bhutto’s bid came a day after an appeals court postponed a hearing on her appeal to overturn that law and another that prevent her from running in the elections. Bhutto’s ability to run depend on both court’s and the Election Commission’s decisions. In a surprise move yesterday, the Commission certified former Premier Minister Nawaz Sharif as a candidate in the elections, despite a government ban on his return from exile in Saudi Arabia. New laws enacted by General Musharraf prohibit those who have been convicted of running as well as premiers who have served twice before. Benazir Bhutto was convicted on corruption charges in absentia and officials say there are 12 additional cases against her still outstanding. General Musharraf has said Bhutto, unlike Sharif, is free to return to Pakistan but that she would face arrest.
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Another Indian doctor in organ sale? London, August 30 Doctor Jarnail Singh from Coventry in the Midlands becomes the second doctor named by an undercover journalist working for The Sunday Times in agreeing to arrange the sale of kidneys from Indian donors for British patients. Earlier similar charges were brought against Dr Bhagat Singh Makkar, who was taped by the journalist as offering to arrange for kidneys at a price. The new accusation has led to fears that the cash-for-kidneys trade is more widespread than initially believed, The Times reported on Friday. Dr Jarnail Singh was named in hearings before the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory body for medical practice that is hearing charges against Dr Makkar. The hearings against Dr Jarnail Singh will begin in October. Dr Makkar (62) presented the defence that he had been “stupid” in making the offer, and that he made it because at his age he sometimes forgets what he is saying. “I would rather kill myself than do that sort of thing. My mind went totally blank; I was tired. I wish I could explain... Sometimes at this age you forget.” Dr Makkar said he knew the sale of organs was illegal, but the thought did not cross his mind as he made the offer. When told by prosecution that he must have known that kidneys would be offered only at a price, he replied: “No sir, I didn’t think of that at all”.
IANS |
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No resting in peace for Diana London, August 30 But the legacy of change her death forced onto Britain’s until-now-aloof royal family, and a continuing media obsession with her, her handsome prince sons, her ex-husband’s lover and revelations by her staff, ensure she is far from forgotten. Just as September 11, 2001, is a date permanently branded on the memories of people the world over, so August 31, 1997, is one Britons define as the most memorable in British history, according to a poll released last week. And while this year’s anniversary has no official ceremonies to mark it, Diana’s former staff and friends are — as so often before — making sure it does not pass unnoticed. The latest revelations about a princess who dominated tabloid headlines in life and continues to do so in death come in a tell-all book by a former bodyguard Ken Wharfe. His book, “Diana: Closely Guarded Secret’’ was well timed to hit the shops this week and provide Diana-hungry newspaper editors with titillating tales of the time the princess allowed Wharfe to see her naked, or another time when she leapt off a balcony to escape the prying eyes of paparazzi photographers. Wharfe’s book is reported to have made the young princes William and Harry “incandescent’’ with rage. But since Wharfe is only the latest in a string of former Diana staff to spill her private details into the public arena, intrusion into their family’s affairs is something the boys are getting used to.
Reuters |
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