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Punjab the victim Two-child norm |
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Singing a different tune
Attempts on Musharraf’s life
Reading the Bible
FLASHBACK ‘03
— OPPOSITION
From Pakistan
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Punjab the victim THE crisis in the Punjab Congress that has brought administration in the state to a virtual standstill is far from over. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's placatory measures to win the dissidents over to his side are yet to yield the desired results. The boycott of Tuesday's cabinet meeting by the dissident ministers shows that he has a long way to go before he can say all is well with the party he is leading. Whether he realises it or not, each conciliatory step he has taken to protect his job has dented his image as a leader. The shifting of his Principal Secretary and the Media Advisor followed by the removal of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau chief, Mr A.P. Pandey, are the heavy prices he had to pay in his bid to placate the dissidents. But such efforts have so far been in vain. It was quite brave of the Chief Minister to have ordered a judicial inquiry into the allegations that his son
Raninder Singh was involved in a huge illegal monetary transaction. But this too has not improved his position as can be gauged from the fact that not many Congress leaders have come forward to defend him. That there has been no depletion in the strength of the dissidents is something which he has to come to terms with. The situation has come to such a pass that Cabinet meetings — marked as they are by the
absence of dissident ministers — no longer enjoy the sanctity it had. All this has a demoralising effect on the administration, which the state can only ill afford to ignore. However, the solution to the problem does not lie with the Chief Minister or the rebels. It is the Congress High Command, which has to take a decision. What it has done so far is to buy time in the hope that the problem would be resolved on its own. First it sought time till the Assembly elections were over. Each time the dissidents and ministerialists arrive in the Capital, the High Command merely goes through the motion of listening to them, rather than coming to grips with the problem. Needless to say, the factional war in the ruling party has given a boost to the morale of the Akali Dal which would have disastrous consequences for the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha elections. It is in the interest of the state and the party that the political uncertainty is brought to an early end in one way, or the other. The ball is now in the Congress High Command's court. |
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Two-child norm THE Population Foundation of India’s concern in its annual report over spurt in female foeticide in 11 states including Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh is timely. Figures speak for themselves on the magnitude of the problem. From 945 per 1000 in 1991, the girl-boy ratio has slipped to 927 per 1000 in 2001. Clearly, flagrant misuse of new technology, combined with age-old prejudices, superstitions and myths about a girl child among the people is responsible for the rise of female foeticide in the country. Unfortunately, the desire for a son seems to be deep-rooted in both rural and urban areas. This has led to serious gender discrimination and adverse demographic implications in the country. The problem is particularly endemic among the uneducated class and the peasantry who do not bother about one- or two-child norm. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government’s proposal to introduce the two-child norm for legislators and members of Parliament is welcome. As people’s representatives, MPs and MLAs should set an example on small family norm. However, fears voiced by some NGOs and voluntary agencies against this legislation are unfounded and illogical. There is also an erroneous impression that the two-child norm has contributed to female foeticide. If people do not understand and refuse to follow the small-family norm, why blame efforts to check female foeticide? Of all states, Kerala has set a unique example on two-child norm. Because of high literacy levels, there is considerable awareness among the people of this state on population explosion. The presence of an effective healthcare system has also contributed to the spread of the small family concept in Kerala. This is not the case with other states. Population stabilisation can be achieved only by sustained improvement in healthcare facilities with a focus on social welfare indicators like infant and maternal mortality, literacy, women’s empowerment and life expectancy. |
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Singing a different tune THE sudden about-turn by the Patiala police on Daler Mehndi in the human trafficking case raises serious questions about their professional integrity and efficiency. The manner in which they have been handling the case during the last three months smacks of arbitrariness. They have exceeded all limits of decency and decorum when the singer was made to take off his trousers and sing songs when he went to present himself before them on October 27. Worse, Daler has complained that the police had collected an unruly mob on that day and got his car smashed. No doubt, Patiala’s Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr Paramraj Singh Umranangal, was transferred after the incident. Even after his replacement, there was no end to Daler’s harassment by the police. Against this background, it would be difficult to believe the present Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr A.S. Rai’s statement that no “personal vendetta” was allowed to come in the way of investigation. The case has not yet been closed as Mr Rai says that a challan will be filed in a few days and if the charges against Daler did not hold, he would be discharged in the case under Section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Daler and his family members will have to wait for some more time to hear the last word in the case. But if the complaints filed against him are found to be false, the ends of justice will be met only if serious action is taken against the complainants. Action should also be taken against those officials for their misconduct during the investigation. It is for the court to decide whether Daler has been framed in a trumped up case. As of now, there are two police versions, one suggesting that there is evidence against him and another that there is no evidence against him. Both cannot be true. Truly, the police have bungled. Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides. — Rig Veda
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Attempts on Musharraf’s life THE chickens are coming home to roost for Pakistan’s military ruler. Just after he seized power in October 1999, Gen Pervez Musharraf became the first ruler in Pakistan to justify the violence unleashed by his jihadis in Kashmir as being a noble jihad, worthy of support by all pious Muslims. There is now increasing evidence to establish that the Pakistanis, led by the brother of Maulana Masood Azhar, who hijacked IC 814, were in regular contact with the ISI before and during the hijacking. The ISI then facilitated the stay in Pakistan of the three released terrorists — British national Omar Sheikh, Maulana Masood Azhar and Kashmiri terrorist Mushtaq Zargar. Omar Sheikh today awaits the execution of a death penalty for his involvement in the murder of American journalist Daniel Pearl. Sheikh is known to have been in close touch in Lahore with one of General Musharraf’s favourite officials from the ISI, Brigadier Ejaz Shah. The Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded by Maulana Azhar, has been declared as an international terrorist organisation. It masterminded the attack on India’s Parliament. Its cadres are now said to be targeting General Musharraf because of his support for Mr George Bush’s war against the Taliban. And one of those who attempted to assassinate General Musharraf on Christmas Day evidently had links with Mushtaq Zargar. As the Biblical adage goes: “As you sow, so shall you reap!” The recent assassination attempts on General Musharraf can best be described as the wages of sin that Pakistan’s rulers have inevitably to pay for the policies they have followed for over a decade. When it became clear by the mid-1990s that people in Kashmir were tired of violence, the ISI inducted trained terrorists into the valley by supporting groups like the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Toiba. These groups were encouraged to strike a close relationship with the Taliban and even join the jihad being waged by others in Central Asia and Chechnya. When Osama bin Laden formed the “International Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders in February 1998, the ISI encouraged five Pakistani groups involved in sectarian violence within Pakistan and jihad in J&K to join this Front. But when General Musharraf was confronted with the choice of either facing bankruptcy and international isolation on the one hand, or turning against the Taliban and its supporters on the other, following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the die was cast. He tried to please the Americans by supporting their onslaught on the Taliban in Afghanistan while, at the same time, providing sanctuary and support to the Taliban and its supporters on Pakistani soil. In the process, he has earned the wrath of the Taliban, the jihadis and their supporters within Pakistan’s military/security establishment, who would like to eliminate him. The assassination attempts on December 14 and Christmas Day took place in what is the most heavily militarised area in Pakistan. The General Headquarters (GHQ), the headquarters of 10 Corps and 111 Brigade of the Pakistan Army are all located in Rawalpindi. The jihadi organisations have offices nearby. The Indian High Commissioner and his staff are not even permitted to play golf in this area. It is inconceivable that the two assassination attempts in this area with prior knowledge of the timings and route of General Musharraf’s cavalcade and the planting of high explosives could have taken place without the backing of influential and well-informed people within the Pakistan Army. Interestingly, the Americans seem to be prepared for a post-Musharraf dispensation in Pakistan’s Army. Pro-Islamist and pro-Taliban Generals like Lt.-Gen Muzaffar Usmani and Lt.-Gen Mehmood Ahmed were sidelined, superseded and compelled to resign. The present Vice Chief of Army Staff, Gen Mohammad Yusuf Khan, is known to be America- friendly. Further, recent transfers and promotions of senior Lieutenant-Generals indicate that the top Army leadership is unlikely to swerve from the path set by General Musharraf of responding to American concerns. General Musharraf has also now struck a deal with the radical Islamic parties. The “Military, Mullah, Madarsa Alliance” will, therefore, continue to have an important say in the Musharraf dispensation, notwithstanding the promises he makes to the Americans. It remains to be seen how this can be squared either with the security threat General Musharraf now faces, or with American interests in Pakistan. Mr. Vajpayee will be arriving in Islamabad in the midst of this uncertain and tense security scenario. There has been some reduction in infiltration across the LoC in response to international pressure. But the litmus test of the Pakistan Army’s intentions will lie in whether they end the use of infiltration and terrorism as instruments of State policy when the winter snows melt in May/June 2004. We will also only then know how serious Pakistan is in respecting the ceasefire along the LoC and the North of the Siachen Glacier. We are in the midst of discussions to promote confidence and cooperation with Pakistan in a number of areas. It will take a number of months for us to give shape to and implement these measures. It is imperative that we should move ahead purposefully in building on the trust and confidence that recent measures have produced. There is no harm in having meetings with the Pakistan leadership if there is a formal request from Pakistan during the Islamabad summit, as long as there is no repetition of the Agra fiasco and the discussions are confined to what are realistic, issues like a dialogue on Kashmir. A formal dialogue process should be considered only after the winter snow melts. The SAARC summit also provides an opportunity for New Delhi to assess in what direction Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia wishes to take her country. With Bhutan having cracked down on insurgents from our northeastern states and Myanmar having a track record of being helpful to India on this score, Begum Zia will have to consider whether any useful purpose is served by providing groups like the ULFA support and sustenance on Bangladesh soil. It is true that there are elements in her ruling coalition like the Jamaat-e-Islami party that are pathologically anti-India. But given the present climate against international terrorism, she will have to carefully ponder over the long-term consequences of her present policies and postures. While Bangladesh does have legitimate economic concerns as a “Least Developed Country” that New Delhi should try to accommodate, Dhaka will also have to decide whether it would like to remain aloof from, or act as a spoiler in efforts to promote economic integration in South and South-East Asia. With free trade arrangements already in place with Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal in South Asia and Thailand in South-East Asia, India is positioned to move ahead in promoting its larger regional economic interests even if Dhaka chooses to be obstructionist. India-baiting may be a useful policy domestically. But it is doubtful whether its present posture will serve Dhaka’s larger
interests. |
Reading the Bible THE other day an old friend dropped by and casually asked what I had been lately reading. “Well, just some stories from the Bible”, I said. Being a pious Hindu he began to pray for my soul saying that if I liked stories our two epics would be a far better read. I don’t deny that our epics unfold parables that deeply fascinate me. I am familiar with the excellent work that C. Rajgopalchari and R.K. Narayan have done in English. These were the books I referred to whenever I happened to speak on our cultural heritage in the American classroom. But the Bible is different. Whether one likes it or not, every student of English literature has to know about it, if for nothing else, then at least for its role in the development of prose. That is how I first read about the Authorised Version of 1611. I remember whenever I asked my teachers about style they would recommend this book which I saw for the first time in a bookshop at Heathrow. That was New English Bible about which I often read in magazines and newspapers. Just a coincidence, this edition was published in 1970, the year I was on my way to the US. I bought it and thought I would savour its modern prose at a later stage. But it happened sooner than I had visualised. I was advised by my professor to audit the Bible course being offered by a distinguished scholar. I did that hoping that I would follow the import of narratives discussed in the class. To my utter dismay I found that I was the only person in the class who knew nothing about prophets and apostles. While others asked questions I sat dumb, for I could neither relate to those situations nor fathom their significance in the evolution of Judaic or Christian moral code. One day I shared my predicament with the professor who could appreciate my limitations. He suggested that I first read the Authorised Version and then the later version. He was gracious to present a copy to me which I still greatly value. I soon realised that my difficulty stemmed from my heritage. I knew about Rama, Luxman and Sita, but not about Abraham, Sarah and Joseph. I felt I was an alien in the Biblical land. Gradually the mist began to lift and I could glimpse some blue patches in the sky. I enjoy reading parts of the Bible as literature. The miracles of Moses are akin to the ones that Lord Krishna performed. As a Hindu I have no problem with the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus delivered to his disciples. I find Job and Raja Harishchandra as twin brothers who suffer alike and don’t allow adversity to maim their faith. Reading the Bible has not made me a Christian nor whittled my Hinduism. In fact, my occasional contact with the great book not only unfolds the beauty of prose but also nourishes my roots as an Indian. If you ask me about some evocative assertion, I’ll quote Job who blends faith with
self esteem: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, but I will maintain my own ways before him”.
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FLASHBACK ‘03 — OPPOSITION
POLITICS is like a game of cricket. A team could be cruising along comfortably but one fine bowling spell can prove devastating, converting a certain victory into defeat. Something similar appears to have happened to the Congress this year. It was riding high through the year but team Congress promptly fell apart by the year-end when hit by the BJP’s googly in three assembly elections. The year 2003 began on a positive note with the Congress adding to its tally of state governments while party president Sonia Gandhi gradually gained acceptance as the Leader of Opposition. A confident Congress was on a predictable high while the Opposition ranks also showed greater cohesion in Parliament, taking on the NDA government unitedly. The situation, however, underwent a sea change by the time the year 2003 drew to a close. The Congress was badly bruised by its defeats in the Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh elections while Opposition parties failed to display the same unity in the winter session of Parliament as they had in the previous two sessions. Worse, the Congress showed little signs of shedding its despondency and moving ahead to meet the 2004 challenge. The morale-boosting victory in Himachal Pradesh early this year had provided the Congress with the right phsychological boost it required after its dismal performance in the Gujarat assembly polls. A united, aggressive Congress did display a sense of purpose and direction as the party president went about the painstaking task of strengthening the party. Two high-profile conclaves of all Congress chief ministers were convened in Srinagar and Shimla. The meetings were called ostensibly to monitor the implementation of the party manifestos in each state but the real purpose was to showcase the party’s battery of chief ministers and project the Congress as the only party which could deliver on governance. It is a different matter that the Congress was beaten at its own game in the assembly polls. The BJP’s aggressive campaign effectively exposed the Congress party’s claims on development as it succeeded in denting the teflon-like image of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh. The two conclaves were also used to articulate the party’s fresh political thinking for it was here that Ms Sonia Gandhi categorically asserted that the Congress was open to poll alliances with other political parties. The Congress subsequently followed up on this
declaration when it helped in the formation of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh by lending it outside support. It was during this year that Ms Sonia Gandhi came into her own as Leader of Opposition, playing a lead role in bringing together all the Opposition parties ranged against the NDA. Though this did not translate into Opposition unity, it did result in greater floor coordination in Parliament as a united and aggressive opposition was able to pin down the Central government on a series of occasions. The no-confidence motion tabled against the Vajpayee government by Sonia Gandhi was easily the year’s high point. The motion was defeated but the ruling combine was clearly on the defensive when faced with the united Opposition’s searing attack. However, this feel-good mood had dissipated by the year-end. The Congress party’s rout in the recent assembly elections left its leaders and cadres badly bruised while the party’s image took a serious knocking. The party’s defeats in the Ernakulam and Sholapur byelections and its loss of three Rajasthan assembly bypolls earlier in the year were clear warning signs but the party failed to heed them. The loss of Sholapur was galling because it was Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde’s constituency while the Ernakulam defeat was embarrassing because veteran leader K Karunakaran had openly campaigned against the party’s official candidate. Then again, Opposition parties failed to display the same cohesion in the winter session of Parliament as the election results cast a definite shadow on the proceedings. Relations between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have clearly soured. This was evident during the winter session as unlike the previous sessions, Ms. Sonia Gandhi failed to convene a meeting of Opposition parties on floor coordination. The SP’s running battle with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) made the Congress party’s task even more difficult as the latter was keen on bringing the BSP into the opposition fold but could not bring itself to do so because of SP’s strong reaction. As a confident NDA has got down to the serious business of preparing for the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is finding it tough to come to terms with its defeat. Instead of presenting a united front after its poor performance, the party is in disarray with its leaders indulging in the mandatory blame game. The recent resignation drama further showed up the tug-of-war which is going on inside the party. The raging dissidence in Punjab and Kerala has not helped enhance the party’s image either. And though there is no serious challenge to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s leadership within the party, there is little doubt that her position has been undermined. Having been rendered vulnerable, questions are now being asked about her credentials to lead a non-NDA coalition. |
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From Pakistan ISLAMABAD: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has assured that the provinces will be given full financial autonomy by substantially increasing their resources share through the National Finance Commission Award. He was speaking to the members of the provincial assemblies of the NWFP and Punjab separately at his camp office in Rawalpindi. Provincial Governors of the NWFP and Punjab, Lt-Gen (retired) Iftikhar Hussain Shah and Lt-Gen (retired) Khalid Maqbool, respectively, and Chief Ministers Akram Khan Durrani and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi were present during the meetings. —
The Dawn GDP growth of
5.4 pc predicted
KARACHI: The State Bank says that Pakistan's GDP may grow by 5.4 per cent in the current fiscal year ending in June 2004 against 5.1 per cent in 2003 and against the original target of 5.3 per cent. It also says that consumer inflation may reach 3.6- 4.2 per cent at the end of 2004 against 3.1 per cent in 2003 and against the original target of 3.9 per cent. In its first quarterly report for 2004 released on Tuesday, the SBP has projected total exports at $12.2 billion for the current fiscal year against the original target of $12.1 billion. — The Dawn Row over mission
appointments
ISLAMABAD: Lucrative appointments in the Pakistani missions abroad have become doubtful with the controversy over the selection of trade officers. The government is in the process of notifying over a dozen consul-generals, trade ministers, commercial consular and secretaries amid reports of procedural lapses and compromise on merit. Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has reportedly approved the appointments. The Prime Minister was conveyed what a source believes "half truth" to play with the merit and got appointed those who were figuring low on the merit list. Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, according to a source, is said to have personally moved a note to play with the selection process. ARD to observe
Black Day
ISLAMABAD: Terming the whole process unconstitutional, the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy on Tuesday announced to observe Black Day on the day of General Pervez Musharraf’s vote of confidence from Parliament. The ARD also condemned the government for adopting ‘illegal way’ for the passage of 17th Amendment Bill from Parliament and declared that it would intensify its mass-contact campaign through a public meeting in Dera Ismail Khan on January 11. “We will call on the nation to observe Black Day when General Pervez Musharraf will unconstitutionally impose himself as President,” said PML-N leader Ch Nisar while addressing a news conference after the ARD meeting. —
The Nation Sindh govt’s list
of terrorists
KARACHI: The Sindh government has prepared a list of over 70 terrorists, including 39 sectarian terrorists with head money on them, whose names have been circulated among the police stations. The list has been finalised on the basis of the First Information Reports lodged at different police stations and the information gathered by various law-enforcing agencies, Mr Aftab Ahmed Shaikh, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Home Affairs, told newsmen after presiding over a meeting on law and order at the Sindh secretariat on Tuesday. He said the meeting decided to make public the names of terrorists through the media with an appeal to the general public to extend cooperation for the arrest of these criminals. The government would advertise the e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc, so that any citizen who noticed the activities of these terrorists could inform the authorities without delay, he said. —
The Nation |
Our yesterdays follow us; they constitute our life, and they give character and force and meaning to our present days. — Joseph Parker New time always! Old time we cannot keep. Time does not become sacred to us until we have lived it, until it has passed over us and taken with it a part of ourselves. — John Burroughs He lives long that lives well, and time misspent is not lived, but lost. — Fuller We always have time enough, if we will but use it right. — Goethe Let noble thoughts come to us from all sides. — Rig Veda It is only they who love and serve God, that fulfil the object of their coming into being. — Guru Nanak |
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