The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDITORIALS

Vajpayee does the nation proud

PRIME MINISTER Atal Behari Vajpayee gave a befitting reply to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s uncalled for remarks on the developments in India while addressing the UN General Assembly’s current session. Earlier, Pakistan’s theme song at such forums had been Kashmir. This time it included Gujarat in an attempt to belittle India’s achievements as a multi-religious democracy. Mr Vajpayee gave a mouthful to the wily General. He demolished the theory of the so-called “freedom struggle” in Kashmir, where innocent civilians, including women and children, were being killed by Pakistan-trained terrorists almost everyday. This is nothing but enemy-sponsored terrorism, also known as proxy war, going on for a long time. It is a well-known fact that most of these killers are either Pakistani nationals or mercenaries. But they are brainwashed and trained in Pakistan before being infiltrated into India to implement Islamabad’s destructive designs. Had there been no Pakistan factor, there would have been no Kashmir trouble, no loss of thousands of human lives at the hands of gun-toting militants.There have been certain local misguided elements too in the ranks of these killers. But their number is too small. Even these locals have been those motivated and trained on the other side of the border. Thus, by no stretch of the imagination can the problem of terrorism in Kashmir be seen as “freedom struggle” which Pakistan goes on harping at every available occasion.

There is another factor which falsifies the Pakistani claim. People of Jammu and Kashmir have shown great interest in the on-going democratic exercise of sending their representatives to the state Assembly. Their interest at this scale, despite the Pakistani propaganda and the anti-election drive by certain misguided leaders, provides enough proof that the way Islamabad looks at the situation is not based on the ground reality. Keeping in view the truth, it is the responsibility of the international community to put Pakistan in its place. Islamabad should never be allowed to propagate the falsehood by using world forums. Those who “speak of underlying or root causes of terrorism”, whether General Musharraf or his masters in the West, definitely try to condone the unforgivable crime of the perpetrators of the September 11 tragedy or the December 13 attack on India’s Parliament, as Mr Vajpayee has pointed out. The Prime Minister took the wind out of the sails of General Musharraf by describing the Gujarat developments as an aberration. He said this not at the UN but at a dinner hosted in his honour by Indian Ambassador Lalit Mansingh. Mr Vajpayee’s stature, as also of India, became taller when he honestly admitted that what had happened “shows us in very poor light”. Only a mature nation and a leader with qualities of a statesman can speak in this manner.

A rap for Musharraf

A KEY Al-Qaeda suspect, Ramzi bin al-Shaiba, was traced to a residential building in Karachi by the FBI, which apprehended him with the help of local authorities. Ramzi is a Yemeni wanted in Germany for his alleged role in planning and carrying out the 9/11 attacks. He was a roommate of Mohammad Atta, the ringleader of the terrorists responsible for the September 11 cataclysmic developments, and has been repeatedly named in the indictment of Zacaria Moussaoui, the only person charged in the USA for these attacks. There is no doubt that he is an important catch, though certain others were also arrested in the raid. The arrest provided a perfect backdrop as General Musharraf reminded the West how he was battling terrorism in spite of being precariously placed. He praised the ISI for this success and said: "The arrest of these people is proof that Pakistan is doing whatever is possible to curb terrorism."

New Delhi could be pardoned if it takes this assertion with more than a pinch of salt. It would seem that there are two definitions of terrorism. What else would explain Islamabad's continued support for terrorists in Kashmir? Pakistani-trained and supported terrorists have unfortunately succeeded in taking more than a hundred lives in poll-related bloodshed in Kashmir, including that of Law Minister Mushtaq Ahmed Lone. More than 22 political activists, 26 civilians and 62 securitymen have been killed in 404 incidents of pre-election violence. As the popular sentiment reflected the increasing wish of the people to express their right to franchise, violence escalated. Why is it that the militant fears fair elections? Because he knows that he does not represent the popular will and he afraid of being marginalised. Despite promises to President Bush and his officials, Pakistan has continued its relentless campaign of terror in Kashmir, even as it says it is fighting it in Pakistan. While contending that there is no infiltration in Kashmir, General Musharraf rhetorically said: "How can a small Pakistani Army stop people from crossing over if 7,00,000 Indian troops cannot do it. The Pakistani government and organisations are not sponsoring terrorism." However, Pakistan-sponsored terrorism is a reality that India deals with daily. That even President Bush recently spoke strongly to General Musharraf about the need to stop cross-border terrorism and violence just underscores the international awareness of what India has faced for long, even as the nation has remained firm in its commitment to democratic values, be it in Kashmir or elsewhere. Democratic institutions and terrorism are mutually exclusive. One man's terrorist shouldn't be another's hero. The need now is for focused efforts to deal with the threats posed by terrorist and the countries that sponsor them. President Bush probably gave General Musharraf a pat on the back for the arrest in Karachi and at the same time asked him to stop infiltration into Kashmir. That is a correct approach. There shouldn't be any double standards in dealing with terrorism.

OPINION

Kashmir elections and the world
Starting point for dialogue to reduce tension
Salman Haidar

THE electoral process now holds centrestage in Kashmir. Matters are proceeding apace and there are signs of considerable zest in the campaign, with the first phase of the poll beginning today. Not all parts of the state are responding with equal vigour, but in some constituencies genuine electoral contests seem to be shaping up. Some disappointed candidates have shifted loyalties, many hitherto unknown aspirants have come forward. In such respects, among others, it feels very much like a state election anywhere else in the country.

What is being witnessed bears out accounts of a marked change of mood in Kashmir. The strain of the last decade and more of militancy has been overwhelming, the losses devastating, the gains paltry. In the circumstances, disaffection with New Delhi notwithstanding, it has proved difficult to sustain the mood of adamant resistance. Hence elements once conspicuously aloof may today be a little more ready to look for alternatives, which means, in practice, elections. The hint of greater flexibility in its dealings with Kashmir as indicated by the Centre could also be an incentive.

This is not to play down the difficulties. Efforts to secure the participation of the APHC and also of Mr Shabir Shah in the electoral fray have failed. This is bound to diminish the reach and compass of the polls and is a stern reminder of the troubling realities that remain to be tackled. But the election remains a critical political exercise nonetheless, and its outcome will have undoubted consequences.

There are other hazards to the poll process. Prime among these is the deliberate use of violence as a means of disruption. There are daily reports of attacks on those who have come forward to contest and of attempts to frighten voters into keeping away. The candidates in the electoral arena must look to their security, and this issue has itself become a matter of partisan debate: opposition figures feel that they are not receiving the security cover they need. Security is thus a serious matter at many levels, affecting both the safety of individuals and their electoral chances, and exposing the electorate to possible risk.

Most important is the fear of rigging, which is heard loud and clear. Many of the apprehensions aired about the elections relate, above all, to this issue. Opposition groups have feared that the electoral process will be dominated by the ruling party in a manner that prevents the emergence of any alternative.

Hence the demand for elections to be conducted under the neutral authority of the Governor. This has not come to pass, but the sentiment behind the demand is to be noted. Undoubtedly, ensuring that the elections should be free and fair is an important test, and there is wide recognition of this reality among all the relevant high authorities, from the Prime Minister down.

Perhaps, more than any other feature, what sets this poll apart is the degree and nature of the foreign interest it has generated. There has been a considerable demand from abroad for observers to oversee the polls. The presence of observers is not unusual any longer and many elections in our neighbourhood have been observed in this fashion. However, the firm intervention of the Chief Election Commissioner has put an end to the move in respect of Kashmir. Nevertheless, the doors are open for non-official observers and for unrestricted media entry. It is hoped that the outside world will take full advantage of the invitation to be present, though what they can do in Kashmir is not clear. Not having any official status, foreign observers are not likely to give a clean chit or otherwise to what takes place, for they will feel they have no basis for doing so. The media may be more unrestrained and vocal in describing what it sees. No matter how hesitant the conclusions reached by outside observers, their presence should be helpful in promoting confidence, both within Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere, about the nature and success of the election.

From India’s point of view, it is also extremely important that independent observers should be able to take full note of the intimidation and violence that is being used to disrupt the elections. It is not the fear of rigging alone that needs to be monitored but also the systematic attempt to negate and abort the democratic process.

The demand from abroad, especially from Europe, has been that the polls should be “free, fair and inclusive”. Free and fair are easily understood but not so “inclusive”. This could refer to the turnout alone — a high turnout would be an emblem of inclusiveness. It could also mean that the elections should bring within their ambit the groups that have hitherto kept away. This would give the polls greater legitimacy, especially among external observers. There is an ambiguity here to be noted.

The role of Pakistan will also be under close scrutiny. President Pervez Musharraf has chosen to dismiss the Jammu & Kashmir elections as irrelevant. Under severe international pressure, Pakistan has been claiming that it has clamped down on infiltration and, therefore, cannot be accused of any direct role in the use of violence for disturbing the poll. But the fact is that substantial numbers of Pakistan-trained militants are already in the state and can be activated at need. For Pakistan, a successful election that produces a popularly backed administration in J&K will be a considerable setback, so it can be expected to do what it can to prevent such an outcome. There is no doubt that it can mount a very serious threat to the electoral process. As mentioned above, it must be hoped that a large foreign presence will help to identify the nature and extent of this threat.

The poll is regarded as not just a matter of electing a new government to replace the old one. The new administration is expected to be able to discuss Kashmir’s future with New Delhi. Questions of autonomy, which are critical to any future dispensation for the state, can be taken up in right earnest with a popularly backed administration. So, there is a high stake attached to the outcome. International involvement may not be limited to monitoring the election, for there are signs of external interest extending beyond the election itself and towards a long-term solution of the problem. Thus, outside observers may not restrict themselves to being umpires; they could take on the role of players.

In this context it must be placed the current talk that after the poll the international community will push hard for a solution based on converting the LoC into an international border. As envisaged in some published accounts, America will emerge as a deus ex machina to promote and impose such a solution and make it stick. This notion has already been rejected in both New Delhi and Islamabad but it continues to attract expectation. The odds against any such outcome are very high, especially if it turns on willing acceptance by Pakistan. It looks more like wishful thinking than a serious move towards a settlement. Perhaps, a more realistic expectation would be to see the J&K election as a starting point for meaningful dialogue, both internal and bilateral, leading, at the minimum, to an easing of tension and the reduction of the military build-up along the border.

The writer is a former Foreign Secretary of India.

MIDDLE

Haunted by a tragedy
V.K. Kapoor

THERE was a restive silence in the VIP lounge. The tension was palpable. It was the last day of the twentieth century. Even centuries come to an end. Everybody seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

The telephone rang discreetly. I took the call. I was told that the hijacked passengers in distant Kandahar had been released and were boarding the Indian plane. I relayed the news to everybody. There was a collective sigh of relief. The important men sitting there looked balefully at a couple of us and remarked, “If Israelis could bring back their people from Entebbe, why couldn’t you guys plan such a thing?” The question hung in the air.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at Indira Gandhi International Airport became alive. The flight had taken of from Kandahar to Delhi. In 100 minutes the agony, which started on Christmas Eve, will end on New Year Eve. There was an atmosphere of cautious cheer. The anxious relatives of the passengers had teetered on the brink of hope and despair for one week. In lawless frontiers of life, the clever, the strong, the cunning and the ruthless always poach on the rights of the weak, the timid and the harmless.

The government had made elaborate arrangements for the receptions of the passengers. The medical team was in place to treat the sick and the traumatised. The relations of the hijacked passengers were eagerly enquiring about the arrival of the flight. Somebody mentioned that due to the fog the plane might be diverted to some other place. A middle-aged lady prayed for the safety and security of the aircraft and clearing of the fog. Sometimes hope deceives more than cunning can. It only inflames pain. The darkness descended and there was a chill in the weather. The clock on the wall ticked towards a new millennium.

Suddenly, the plane was sighted and after some time taxied to a halt. The passengers started descending. There was a dazed and bewildered look on their faces. It was journey back from hell. The signs of strain were visible, but there was relief also.

Suddenly, I saw the silhouette of a young girl. She was quietly descending the stairs. She looked extremely fragile and stressed out. She was wearing the red “chura” (the wedding bangles). A silent prayer went up in my heart for the girl. After marriage she had gone to Nepal on honeymoon and the couple was on their way back. She had a kind of innocence arising from vulnerability and loss-post traumatic sweetness. Her husband had been brutally murdered by the terrorists. His body had been deplaned at Dubai. The dead man had been brought to Delhi and cremated.

She was not aware of the fact. Her entire family had assembled but her husband was missing. Here was a young widow in bridal attire. Death speaks to us in a deep voice, but has nothing to say. “Death is the absence of presence, nothing more — the endless times of never coming back, a gap you can’t see. And when the wind blows through it, it makes no sound”, said Tom Stoppard. The whole family was huddled together and everybody was trying to control his/her emotions. She quickly walked towards them. They engulfed her and took her away. She disappeared like the speck of an inconsequential dust after the hurricane had passed.

On my way back I was haunted by the tragedy that befell this young woman. I was reminded of a story when an old woman told a priest that Napoleon ruined her. She said that she was married to a lieutenant, who was killed in the battle of Waterloo. Terrorists had ruined this girl for no fault of hers.

A human being caught between the anvil of circumstances and the hammer of destiny has no choice. We see things not the way they are, but the way we are. Life keeps on moving despite the constant pain of living.

FOCUS

Bioterrorism: a historical perspective
Dr D.R. Arora & Dr Vikas Gautam

BIOTERRORISM has definitely attracted the attention of the whole world. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 tragedy and the subsequent discovery of US mail contaminated with anthrax spores in the states of New York, Washington DC and Florida has raised the spectre of bioterrorism. The use of biological weapon technology has now fallen into wrong hands and has become a threat to the modern world. Many nations possess offensive biological programmes and prominent amongst them are the Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, People’s Republic of China, North Korea and Russia.

The attraction of bioweapons in war, and for use by terrorist organisations is attributed to easy access to a wide range of disease-producing biological agents, to their low production costs, to their non-detection by routine security systems, and to their easy transportation from one place to another. Because of their low production costs they have been aptly termed as “poor man’s atomic bomb” and “poor man’s weapons of mass destruction”. For atomic bombs, conventional weapons and nerve-gas weapons, the cost per casualty would be approximately $ 2,000, $ 800 and $ 600, respectively. And for BWs the cost would be about $ 1 per casualty. The study showed that the economic impact of a bioterrorist attack can range from an estimated $ 477.7 million per 100,000 persons exposed (brucellosis scenario) to $ 26.2 billion per 100,000 persons exposed (anthrax scenario).

History is replete with accounts of pestilences that decimated human populations:

1. The use of biological toxins extracted from plants and animals on arrow heads or poison darts to kill game and human enemies certainly predates recorded history. This technology is still used by some South American Indians and Africans to slay game and to down a human enemy or two.

2. In ancient Greece, rotting animal carcasses were thrown into enemy wells.

3. In 1346 AD the Tartars flung their soldiers’ dead bodies who were suffering from bubonic plague in the Genoean city of Caffe (present Ukraine). The plague ended up running unchecked throughout the city killing thousands and forcing the Genoeans to abandon the city.

4. During the French and Indian wars of the 18th century the British used smallpox as a biological weapon. The British Commander, Sir Jeffrey Amherst gave the Indians loyal to the French, blankets infested with smallpox virus.

5. In 1917, the German government inoculated American horses and cattle bound for France from South America with glanders disease causing agent (Burkholderia mallei).

6. At a diplomatic function in the Syrian Embassy in France, a man approached a Syrian high official. He asked if the official knew another member of the government. When the Syrian said yes he gave him a copy of the Koran to give to this person. Since he was very cautious about security he had the book tested. What they found was a deadly poison had been dusted on the Koran. If the high official had used it, he would have died as a result of a chemical assassination.

7. In 1937, the Japanese conducted extensive biological experiments on the prisoners from China, Manchuria, America, Britain, Australia and even the USSR who were infected with diseases ranging from anthrax to cholera and plague at this institute. It is estimated that 3000 prisoners died as a result. At the same time, at least 11 Chinese cities were attacked with plague-infested fleas sprayed from aircraft. So determined were the Japanese that the attack on Changteh resulted in 10,000 casualties and 1700 deaths in their own troops.

8. Although Germans never used BW in World War II, they and the allies conducted significant testing and development throughout the war. Bombing experiments conducted on Gruinard island off the coast of Scotland resulted in a quarantine of the island over 40 years. Only recently it has been declared safe.

9. The Nazis forced the Jews in the concentration camps to live under conditions that they knew would lead to the outbreak and spread of virulent diseases among a cold, starving and stressed population.

10. At the time the US BWs programme was terminated by President Nixon in 1969, five biological agents: Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis, Brucella suis, Coxiella burnetii and Venezuelan equine encephalitis, and two toxins: staphylococcal enterotoxin B and botulinum toxin, had been standardised and weaponised.

11. In 1978, there were two attempted assassinations of Bulgarian defectors using ricin agent in umbrella. In September in London, Georgi Markov was assassinated. He was waiting at a bus stop in London when his leg was shot with a steel pellet that was discharged from an umbrella like device. In October in Paris, Kostov’s assassination was attempted but the pellet lodged in his subcutaneous fat layer where the body heat was not enough to melt the wax. As a result, Kostov survived the attack. Both Markov and Kostov share the common thread of being radio announcers that probably broadcasted opposition to the communist Bulgarian government. It is suspected that at least six assassinations have been conducted using this tactic.

12. In 1981, a Townsen Professor was arrested while trying to rob and kidnap a clerk from a store with a hair spray can. When the can was searched, the authorities found a propane tank with a timed release containing HCN.

13. In 1984, salad bars in two restaurants in Dallas, Oregon, were intentionally contaminated with Salmonella typhimurium by Rajneesh Cult, a microbiologist, that resulted in 751 cases, of which 45 were hospitalised. The perpetrators of this bioterrorist action were attempting to sicken citizens and prevent them from voting in an upcoming election.

14. Punjie sticks were used in Vietnam to the same result of infecting soldiers with disease and infection. Soldiers would fall into pits with punjie sticks and the coating of the sticks would puncture skin and cause infection.

15. Dr Kenneth Alibek, the former Deputy Director of Biopreparat in Russia disclosed before the US Joint Economic Committee, the extent of Russian programme related to BWs. In 1992, there were 32,000 employees and 40 research and production units.

16. The threat of biological terrorism resurfaced following “Aum Shinrikyo” Sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway on March 20, 1995. This terrorist group attempted at least four bioterrorist strikes in Japan while planning similar attacks in the USA. The cult’s arsenal seized by police allegedly contained botulinum toxin and drone aircraft equipped with spray tanks. This Japanese cult had purchased a 48,000-acre range in Australia to test biological agents on livestock. They had sent many of their members to Africa to obtain samples of the Ebola virus and had built two biological research centres, one in Tokyo and the other at the base of Mount Fuji. The nerve gas Sarin was released in commuter trains on three different Tokyo subway lines by the terrorist group. Sarin was concealed in lunch boxes and soft-drink containers and placed on subway train floors. It was released, as terrorists punctured the containers with umbrellas before disembarking the trains. The incident was intentionally timed to coincide with rush hour, when the trains were packed with commuters. Over 5,500 were injured in the attack.

17. Over a five years period, Iraq initiated and aggressively developed a BW programme which resulted in the filling of BW agents into over 160 aircraft bombs and 25 Al Hussein missiles warheads and their deployment to 4 locations.

18. The Sunday Times, London, March, 98: Israeli warplanes equipped to carry chemical, biological weapons. Israeli F-16 fighters have been equipped to carry chemical and biological weapons manufactured at a secret biological institute in a Tel Aviv suburb. Israeli air force crews are now trained to fit active chemical or biological weapons to F-16s within minutes of receiving a command to attack.

19. In the fall of 1998 there was a report that White SA government had ordered a programme to develop a genetically engineered BW that would specifically kill blacks. Recently, a rumour surfaced (in the English Press) that Israel was working on a BW that would specifically harm Arabs carrying certain genes.

20. In 1999, a man attempted to rob a currency exchange office in Croatia with a syringe that allegedly contained HIV. HIV was the pathogen of choice for a woman in China tried to infect two dozen people including policemen and politicians that same year.

Based on recent events, one can anticipate an uncertain tomorrow. The world can never be completely prepared for any war, least of all expect to be faced with a “germ war”. It is indeed a fact that living in the current world, India is not immune to acts of bioterrorism. The threat of bioterrorism is now a reality. This calls for larger participation by Indian physicians to build the emergency medicine infrastructure that is so very needed. Incorporating bioterrorism response measures into disaster management plans in emergency medicine is the best solution.

In India, a formidable portion of the annual Budget goes into weaponry defence and a miniscule portion is allocated to health. It will be a challenge to the Indian administration, now to build a biological defence infrastructure, which falls on between zones of both defence and health.

Preparedness is always beneficial and that is what the medical world must realise. In conclusion, as Dr Sagar Galwankar, Founder Emergency Medicine, India, says: “The defenders have to be lucky all the time, but the destroyers, have to be lucky just once”.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

A Yogi asks Nanak

How can steel be chewed with waxen teeth?

What drug can cure the disease of pride?

How shall we dress a snow man in fire?

In what cage can the mind rest in peace?

What is it that is everywhere,

With which every mind should be one?

What object of concentration

Can teach the mind to turn wholly to itself?

***

Nanak replies

From within, from within,

Make the Self as naught as naught;

Root out all feelings of otherness.

And become at one with God.

True the world is as hard as steel,

For the stubborn and the self-willed in their folly,

But through the might of the Word

This steel can be digested.

Outside thyself and within thyself

Seek only the knowledge of God.

By the blessings of the true Guru

The flames of desires can be destroyed.

— From Sidh Gosht.

***

Dim is the light of my eyes,

My tongue moves but feebly,

My ears have lost their hearing power;

My legs cannot move without a crutch.

This is what becomes of human life.

When we do not serve God.

—Sri Guru Granth Sahib

***

Not by wishes.

but by deeds,

Is the last goal reached.

Nanak, the creator watches over His creation;

The Lord’s is the last judgement:

But the how and the why of it no mortal knows.

—Sri Guru Granth Sahib