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Friend, not master Sexual
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Maoists vs Monarchy
Power equations in
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A life with a
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Communal attacks on
art and culture Tackling
autism From
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Friend, not master IN a bid to assuage the hurt feeling of India, the US is reported to have offered the non-NATO ally status to the country. It is true that India was taken aback by the announcement made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Pakistan on March 20 about the US intention to make India's neighbour its 13th non-NATO ally. India was upset not so much by the status to be conferred on Pakistan as by the surprise Mr Powell chose to spring. What was galling for India was the fact that a couple of days earlier when the Secretary of State had extensive talks with Indian leaders in New Delhi, he had not given any hint of what was up the US sleeve. Had he told India about the US decision, it would have at best brought to his attention the dangerous implications of Pakistan getting access to modern weapons which would invariably be used against India. Of course, he could have explained to South Block the circumstances under which the US had to mollycoddle Islamabad. As a strategic partner of the US, that was the kind of exchange India would have expected. Instead, Indian leaders had to learn about the decision from media reports. Naturally, it forced India to issue a statement expressing disappointment over the US conduct. Mr Powell's deputy, Mr Richard Armitage, has told the Indian Ambassador to the US about his country's willingness to confer the same non-NATO ally status on India. The offer is bound to be rejected by India because it does not expect to have the same kind of relationship Pakistan has with the US. The US should have known that right since Independence, India has been following a foreign policy which has at its core an aversion for alignment. That is why it did not feel compelled to join either the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) or the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO). Of course, there has been a subtle change in India-US relations, particularly after the National Democratic Alliance came to power. There is growing realisation that the US and India being the oldest and the largest democracies of the world have a lot in common. But in no case would India like to be known as its sidekick as underscored by its refusal to send troops to Iraq. Nor would India like the US to equate India with Pakistan for India's foreign and defence policies are not Pakistan-centric. In any case, India can manage itself without the tag of a non-NATO ally. |
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Sexual harassment IT'S tough to be a woman outside the safety cocoon provided by her home. Many a working woman attracts unwanted attention of ogling colleagues. Of late, there has been a marked increase in the case of sexual harassment of school and college going girls, that too at the hands of teachers and other individuals who are in responsible positions and are supposed to be their protectors. The ancient guru-shishya trust stands shattered. The horrendous crime takes place more often than it is reported, for obvious reasons. The girls are young and impressionable and tend to succumb to pressure and blackmailing more easily than a mature girl would do. Nothing could be more reprehensible than such misuse of one's authority. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has come down heavily on this menace. In a recent case, it has underlined what the Supreme Court had said earlier, that the courts have to adopt a special, protective and parental attitude. Most crimes go unreported because the victim fears not only social stigma but also further harassment at the hands of investigating agencies. Ideally, it is the police that should have adopted a parental attitude. But since that is like asking for the moon, at least the courts can compensate for the apathy and villainy of others. If the victims are certain of a sympathetic hearing, more of them would come out to report the instances of harassment. The culprits will also think twice before misusing their influence over the victims. In this regard, the scheme launched by the Delhi Police to have complaint boxes in all schools and colleges is a step in the right direction which can be replicated in the rest of the country. But it will be effective only if the complaints are suitably investigated and the policing improved. Stringent guidelines being laid down for work places as well as other institutions, including educational institutions, will also help improve the lot of women. |
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Maoists vs Monarchy THE war of attrition in Nepal between the Maoist rebels and King Gyanendra's government underscores the futility of pursuing a military solution. In the single largest incident, since the Royal Nepalese Army was called out in November 2001, hundreds of Maoists were reported killed last weekend when their attempt to capture the district headquarters of Myagdi in western Nepal was foiled. In Nepal's civil war conditions, figures of those killed by either side are suspect, especially in view of the prevalent Emergency and censorship. Both sides have been making claims to boost the morale of their own forces. However, what these claims and counterclaims reinforce is the fear that the Himalayan Kingdom would self-destruct if there is no early end to the armed conflict. Since the Maoist insurgents launched their "People's War" in 1996, over 8000 people have been killed and valuable infrastructure such as telecommunication towers and networks wrecked. Property worth hundreds of crores of rupees has been destroyed in one of the world's poorest countries where a majority are condemned to live below the poverty line. In this appalling situation, the King's administration has been diverting development funds for fighting the rebels. The political process was snuffed out by the King when he dismissed an elected government in October 2002 and assumed executive powers. Now economic development is also out of the agenda. Doubtless, the armed insurgency needs to be tackled effectively. However, a King who has alienated the entire spectrum of mainstream parties by suspending the democratic process can hardly mobilise the necessary public and political support to accomplish this task. Instead of making the democratic forces his allies, he isolated them to open talks with the Maoist rebels which collapsed last August. In the event, he is under fire on all fronts. The sooner he restores multiparty democracy, the better would be King Gyanendra's chances of finding ways to end the conflict. |
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Thought for the day I do the very best I know how — the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. — Abraham Lincoln |
Power equations in Pakistan THE test of the Shaheen-2 missile on March 9, just as the Indian cricket team was preparing to leave on its “goodwill visit,” revealed some new features in power equations in Pakistan. While the world is accustomed to hearing General Musharraf and Dr. A.Q. Khan hold forth on Pakistan’s “Islamic Bomb” and its supposedly “indigenous” missile programme, the most widely publicised statements after the March 9 test came from General Musharraf’s present heir apparent, General Mohammed Yusuf Khan (popularly known as “Joe” to his American friends) and from the individual behind the engineering of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, Dr Samar Mubarak Mand, Chairman of Pakistan’s “National Engineering and Scientific Commission” (NESCOM). General “Joe” proclaimed that the missile test was meant to show that rather than rolling back its missile programme, Pakistan was going ahead with it at “full speed”. While the military establishment claimed that Shaheen-2 could carry all types of warheads 2500 kilometres, the normal range of this missile is around 1800 kilometres. The emergence of the low-key Dr Samar Mubarak Mand from the shadows should come as no surprise. After disgracing Dr A.Q. Khan, Pakistan needs a national hero to serve as the symbol of its proudest “achievements”— the nuclear bomb and the missile programme. The physicist, Dr Mand, is a Punjabi close to the hawkish sections of the Urdu media in Lahore. While he was the driving force behind the May 1998 nuclear tests, he has also been in charge of what was known as the National Development Complex in Fatehjang, where missiles of Chinese origin are assembled. Dr. Mand thanked Allah for the success of the Shaheen-2 test. He rubbished the “achievements” of the Dr. A.Q. Khan Laboratories in Kahuta, pointing out that merely 2000 out of Pakistan’s 5000 nuclear scientists worked in Kahuta. He also asserted that Shaheen-2 was far superior to the liquid-fuelled Ghauri missiles assembled with North Korean assistance in Kahuta. After the Americans and the IAEA discovered that the nuclear weapon design supplied by Dr Khan in the shopping bag of his Islamabad tailor to Libya was really that of a nuclear weapon tested by China in October 1966, even China’s apologists in India are now silent about the unprecedented assistance provided by China to enable Pakistan to develop a nuclear arsenal. China still provides considerable assistance to develop Pakistan’s capabilities for plutonium reprocessing — capabilities that will enable Pakistan to miniaturise its nuclear warheads for fitting on the missiles that China has provided to it. Even as Mr. Deng Xiao Ping was proclaiming his desire for friendship with India during the December 1988 visit of Mr Rajiv Gandhi, China was preparing to supply Pakistan with DF 11/M 11 missiles, with a range of just under 300 kilometres. Given limited range of the M-11 missiles, China claimed that it had not violated the provisions of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) by providing Pakistan with these missiles. The supply of strategic nuclear missiles by China to Pakistan commenced just after the 1993 visit of Prime Minister Narasimha Rao to China. It was after this visit that Dr Samar Mubarak Mand emerged as a rival to Dr A.Q. Khan in the field of missiles also. He was given the responsibility of assembling the solid-fuelled 600 kilometre range Chinese DF 15/CSS 6 missiles, popularly known as M-9 missiles and Christened as Shaheen-1 by Pakistan. These missiles gave Pakistan the capability to target population centres in Northern India like Delhi with nuclear weapons. This cooperation was carried forward when China commenced the supply of designs and components for its two stage, solid fuelled, 1800 kilometre range DF 21/CSS 5 missile that was named as Shaheen-2 by Pakistan and flight tested on March 9. China has succeeded in enhancing the initial range of this missile. The Chinese are known to have deployed the DF 3 liquid-fuelled missiles on their own soil to target neighbours like India and Japan, primarily because its range of 2850 kilometres is greater than the DF 21 provided to Pakistan. Thus, over the last 25 years, China has supplied Pakistan not only the designs and materials for making nuclear weapons and miniaturising their warheads, but also provided our western neighbour missiles that can target population centres all across India. There is no other instance of such missile and nuclear transfers between two countries in contemporary history. Being aware of the nature of the Sino-Pakistan nuclear and missile nexus, New Delhi wisely chose not to react to the test of Shaheen-2. Japan expressed concern and given the dynamics of Pakistan’s “Islamic Bomb” and its relations with countries like Saudi Arabia, Israel expressed serious misgivings. The Americans remained consistently inconsistent by making no mention of the Sino-Pakistan missile nexus; even though they are aware that China has violated every assurance that it has given them over the last decade. On November 21, 2000, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced new export control laws restricting the export of missile components. The State Department announced the same day that it was waiving sanctions on Chinese entities responsible for transferring missile technologies to Iran and Iraq. Barely a year later on September 1, 2001, the U.S. government issued sanctions on the State-owned Chinese Metallurgical Equipment Corporation for shipping missile technology for the development of Shaheen-1 and Shaheen-2 to Pakistan. But China remains a hot favourite of the likes of Mr Colin Powell who actually suggest that India should accept a Chinese role in promoting reconciliation with Pakistan! Can we realistically describe the US as a “natural ally” given its approach to nuclear and missile proliferation by China and its description of a sponsor of nuclear proliferation and terrorism like Pakistan as a “major non-NATO ally”? New Delhi has few options now but to develop its nuclear capabilities and longer-range missiles to meet the Sino-Pakistan challenge to its national security. And American calls for “restraint” should not deter us from this
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A life with a lesson IT was the day of October 31, 2002. I had the opportunity to meet Mr Sikander Bakht at the Kerala Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. In his 84th year, he was slim and trim. Smart and handsome. He had a clear mind and a resonant voice. The man was a picture of peace and poise. Less than two years later, on February 23, 2004, the Gods opened the door to the palace of eternity for him. He moved from the land of the dying to the land of the living. The country lost a patriot and a statesman. The society lost a truly secular leader. During the long span of more than eight decades, Sikander Bakht did a lot for the good of the people. Held various positions of responsibility. Administered different departments of the government as a Union Minister. Governed the State of Kerala as a Governor. Led various delegations. Pleaded the cause of the people before international forums. In the East as well as the West. I cannot claim to have known him well or for long. Yet, during the short period of my association with him, it was obvious that he was totally transparent in every action. Honest, straightforward and truthful in his dealings. More than that, there was affection in his eyes and warmth in the heart. He inspired confidence and commanded respect . He was a good human being. He respected all religions. He talked of the Bible and Buddhism. Quoted from the Gita. Accompanied his wife, a Hindu, to temple. Attended havan and pooja ceremonies. His children are married in Hindu families. I felt, he was a better Hindu than many of us. He practised what others preach. He was truly secular. Man cannot choose his birthplace. Nor his parents. Nor this role. These are purely divine prerogatives. However, playing the assigned role well is within a man’s reach. It requires application and dedication. Sikander Bakht performed his duty and played his role well. To him duty was like debt. He discharged it without delay or demur. He never bothered about what lay dimly at distance. He had always dealt with what was clearly at hand. The consequences had not deterred him from the righteous path. He had willingly paid the price. He had ungrudgingly undergone incarceration for 18 months during the emergency. He had no avarice or envy. No pride or prejudice. He was quietly kind in his conduct. Dignified in disposition. Generous, gentle and graceful in every endeavour. It is no wonder that the nation had acknowledged its debt of gratitude to him. In the year 2000, the title of Padma Vibhushan was conferred on him. Having done his duty, he had every reason to feel happy and satisfied. He was a perfect gentleman. Purely by nature. Not just by rank. With him one felt that the age of virtuous politics and politicians is not yet past. Today, when the world is torn by petty fanaticism, his life has a lesson of love for all. May his tribe
multiply! |
Communal attacks on art and culture It is really difficult to keep a steady track of the recent attacks on artists and cultural activists of the country. Recently the issue cropped up at a joint convention of writers, artists and cultural activists belonging to the Janvadi Lekhak Sangh, SAHMAT, the Progressive Writers Association, JANAM, ACT ONE, Udbhavna, Samayantar, Hans, Communalism Combat, the Jan Sanskriti Manch, and Jan Sanskriti, which took place in New Delhi’s Vithalbhai Patel House. And several of these writers and activists had these hard-hitting facts to raise their voice against the communal leash on places and people of culture of our land. Through August-September 2003, Habib Tanvir and his troupe, Naya Theatre, were attacked in several cities in Madhya Pradesh (Hoshangabad, Seoni, Balaghat, Mandla) by the Bajrang Dal and other right wing forces for staging a 40-year-old play Ponga Pandit. On January 5, 2004, a mob of communally charged men destroyed thousands of rare manuscripts, sculptures, paintings and other priceless articles, ransacked the cupboards, tore thousands of books, took away several rare books and damaged ancient palm leaf manuscripts. They also attacked renowned Sanskrit scholar Srikant Bahulkar. Then on January 29, 2004, a mob of the VHP, the Bajrang Dal, and the BJP attacked an art museum in Surat and tore down artworks on display including paintings by N.S. Bendre, Chitravanu Majumdar and M.F. Husain. On January 30, 2004, the Madhya Pradesh Government refused to name its academy building after Ustad Allauddin Khan on the communal plea that the Ustad was a Bangladeshi. On February 3, 2004, the Gujarat Government banned the play “Suno Nadi Kya Kahati Hai” by Samvedan in Ahmedabad. On February 10, 2004, the police took action against the Bharatiya Lok Kala Mandal over a set of posters by artist Shail Choyal in Udaipur on a complaint from the Bajrang Dal. Then in February, 2004, officers of the Sahitya Parishad and the Bharat Bhavan in Bhopal, Madan Soni and Purnachandra Rath, both well-known writers, were suspended on the specious charge that literary magazines containing critical references to the RSS were being sold in an exhibition of books and magazines at the Bharat Bhavan. The list is long. Just because these incidents are (as of now, that is,) not taking place in the Capital and are yet to get the media glare, there’s no reason that they should be side-tracked or brushed aside. For these are systematic. And potent. Signalling a deadly message. Beyond the apparent destruction, the message is that there seems a nexus among the ruling establishment and the police and the communal elements; otherwise who would have the guts and courage to go on a rampage and not just at one place but in different parts of the country? And yet the political masters are sitting smug, chanting the mantra of “feel good”. One feels good and not-so-good by the factors around. No, you can’t just be hypnotised into feeling good and not-so-good by the sheer word power. It is a grim situation. As though we are either turning a blind eye to the communal build-ups or are too scared to react. Maybe the latter holds true for a few have reacted and that too in hushed tones. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we seem to have reacted more aggressively when there is a murder of a human body. What about the murder of books, art forms and of the very spirit of the soul — the spirit that prompts you to react and question. Just because books and works of art cannot cry aloud does that mean that you can rip them apart? It’s like ripping apart a part of our civilisation and long history. And yet there seems to be little hue and cry about the ongoing rampage. |
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Evidence suggests that autistic children may lack the ability to properly digest dietary proteins such as gluten (found in wheat, oats, rye and barley) and casein (found in dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt). Once absorbed into the body, these partially digested proteins (peptides) have the ability to exert effects on the brain similar to opiate drugs such as morphine. There is mounting evidence that the traits of autism may be the result of brain chemistry disruption due to these so-called `opioid-like peptides’. Studies and reports published in the scientific literature show that a diet free from gluten and casein can be effective in reducing autistic behaviour and improving social skills. Parents keen to try this dietary approach may include naturally gluten-free starches such as potato, corn and rice in their children’s diets, or specialist gluten-free foods (from supermarkets and health food stores). As a casein-free diet will be low on calcium, it is important that children get plenty of this mineral through nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, calcium-fortified rice milk, sardines and tinned salmon. Sardines and salmon, and trout and mackerel, will also help provide children with the so-called omega-3 fats known to play a pivotal role in regularising brain function. While I am not aware of any studies that have tried omega-3 fats in autism, research exists which has found that autistic children tend to be deficient in these important fats.
— The Guardian |
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From Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is moving fast towards attaining the status of a polio-free country as only five cases of polio have been reported during the current year against over 100 last year, said Dr Hussein A. Gezairy , Director, WHO, Eastern Mediterranean region, here on Monday. He said the cases were reported from cities like Muzaffargarh, Faisalabad, Peshawar and Nowshera while a sixth case was yet to be confirmed. Speaking at a press conference, both Mr Gezairy and Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan said the data and the introduction of aggressive new programmes presented an unprecedented opportunity to eradicate the menace at the end of 2004.
— Dawn
New provinces opposed
HYDERABAD: Nationalist leaders of Sindh, Balochistan and the Seraiki belt have condemned excesses against the oppressed nationalities and the proposed conversion of divisions into provinces. They were speaking at a function organised by the Sindh Taraqqi Pasand Party in Qasimabad here on Sunday night to commemorate the motherland day. Thousands of people attended the function that continued till 1:30 a.m.
— Dawn
Wana military operation
BANNU: A protest demonstration was staged here on Monday against the Wana military operation, asking the government to stop the killing of innocent people in the name of a drive against foreign terrorists. Leaders of the NWFP chapter of the Jama’at-e-Islami (JI) Tameezuddin and Prof Muhammad Rahim led the procession that passed through different areas of the city. The JI leaders announced that an organised agitation would be launched against the government from March 26. They pointed out that women, children and elderly people were killed in the so-called operation against Al-Qaeda suspects, while thousands of people were forced to leave their homes in the tribal area.
— The News International
Appeal to Musharraf
LAHORE: Former Foreign Minister and a PPP leader Sardar Assef Ahmed Ali on Monday suggested to President Pervez Musharraf to take Mr Nawaz Sharif and Ms Benazir Bhutto into confidence over the nuclear issue and call them back. “The General himself has admitted that the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the pioneer of Pakistan’s nuclear programme, and Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif promoted it,” he observed. Speaking to party workers at his residence here, he said Pakistan was being blamed for nuclear proliferation and the United States, despite a strong Bush-Musharraf friendship, was on the frontline in the campaign against Pakistan.
— The News International
Improper waste disposal
LAHORE: Around 75 per cent of the solid waste generated by major cities in the country is not properly disposed of. The inability of the mechanism available in the cities, the continued use of plastic bags and unsafe disposal of hospital waste are the three main issues as far as the disposal of solid waste is concerned. In the absence of proper disposal facilities, the burning of waste is commonplace, which results into toxic fumes adding to air pollution.
— The Nation |
Killing, stealing, yielding to sexual passion, lying, slandering, abuse, gossip, envy, hatred, to cling to false doctrine, all these things are evils. — The Buddha Good conduct means to be ever in company with the truthful, pious and benevolent persons. — Swami Dayanand Saraswati Life, as it was before the emergence of Mind, is very different from Life as we know it today, dominated as it is by Mind. — Sri Aurobindo Only he who has seen God can know how great He is. — Guru Nanak The whole of hope of human progress is suspended on the ever-growing influence of the Bible. — William H. Seward |
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