M A I L B A G

Centre must review its J&K policy

The news-item “Pak hijacks UN forum for raising of Kashmir issue” (April 25) comes as yet another bombshell of Pakistan’s intransigence on Kashmir, which has soured our relations since Independence. Yet, subtly it unmasks their hidden motives revealing the likely course of events in the near future. This, despite the recent warming of relations in both countries due to cricket and the much-hyped people-to-people contact. In practice, the military regime there has remained on the look-out for the slightest opportunity to browbeat us for obvious reasons. The occasional outbursts of their leaders amply justify this approach.

In sharp contrast, our mandarins in South Block have traditionally been reacting in fits and starts, with customary inertia and sloth. In the last 50 years, we don’t seem to have been able to adequately convince the whole world that Kashmir belongs to us. Any talk on it — other than return of its one-third part, which is under illegal occupation in POK — is simply non-negotiable. Facts seem to be fading away even from the public memory. Out of the total area of 2, 22, 236 sq km of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan is illegally occupying an area of 78,144 sq km, out of which she has gifted away a huge chunk measuring 37,555 sq km to China. China herself had apportioned a vast tract measuring 5,180 sq km in Aksaichin in a clandestine bid, way back in the early sixties during the Nehru era. Ever since, successive governments in New Delhi could do little to recover these lost territories. They simply blamed one another.

Brig G.S. KHIMTA (retd),
Shimla

 

A bundle of lies I was astonished to read former Prime Minister V.P. Singh’s statement, headlined “For stability Congress is the right choice” (May 4). Most of what he says is a bundle of lies, born out of his pathological dislike of the BJP. His ravings are a result of his own failures. I have the following questions to ask Mr Singh. Who pulled down the governments of Morarji Desai, Chaudhary Charan Singh, Chandra Shekhar, H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral and on what issues? Why did Mr V.P. Singh associate himself with the regime of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency? Why did he aggressively condemn Rajiv Gandhi on the Bofors issue and try his best to get him convicted? And why has he suddenly done a somersault? Mr Singh should also enlighten the people as to why he has not uttered a word against Laloo Prasad Yadav and the RJD government in Bihar where corruption and lawlessness rule the roost. All the 15 Congress MLAs there are ministers in the Rabri Devi Cabinet. Has he ever uttered a word against Mayawati’s corrupt regime in UP, though she was an ally of the BJP? If not, why? Who is responsible for dividing the country on caste lines by raking up the Mandal Commission report that had been gathering dust during the earlier Congress regimes? B.L. SINGAL, Chandigarh

Blowing the whistle

This has reference to the editorial “Saving whistle-blowers” (April 28). In support of the suggestions made in the editorial for effective confidence-inducing measures, I would like to cite an instance which will indicate the extent to which the system protects and patronises the corrupt occupying even ordinary positions.

During Mr P. V. Narasimha Rao's prime ministership, there was a complaint to the PMO regarding corruption in the college in which I was teaching. It was a state-aided and UGC-funded degree college in Hoshiarpur. The complaint was reportedly well documented and the complainants had sought a CBI probe.

The college principal, who was the chief accused, managed to lay his hands on the complaint in connivance with the preliminary investigators and quietly got it suppressed. Then, one fine day he called the staff to his office for a meeting, waved the pages that duly carried the stamp and file number of the PMO, and threatened that he would “fix” the complainants.

Later, the members of the college management conceded before some teachers that if even 10 per cent of the allegations made in the complaint had been investigated, the principal and other college authorities would have been in serious trouble. Hence, they thanked the principal for his ingenuity and resourcefulness. Instead of trying to deal with the alleged corruption charges, they launched a witch-hunt for the complainants. Whoever showed signs of dissent and independent judgement was persecuted.

As for the complaint, little was heard thereafter, which was, according to the principal himself, of a grave nature. I need hardly mention that the licence to freely operate only strengthened his resolve to pursue his vindictive agenda with impunity.

Dr Rajesh Kumar Sharma,
Punjabi University, Patiala

Bhagat Puran Singh

The decision of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, to establish a Chair in the memory of Bhagat Puran Singh is welcome. Bhagatji spent his whole life in the service of the poor, the needy and the physically handicapped persons in Pingalwara, Amritsar. He will be remembered, like Mother Teresa, for his selfless service of humanity.

Research on the life and teachings of Bhagatji will help draw the attention of the people and the government towards the pathetic problems and sufferings of these people and evolving appropriate solutions to them.

HARBANS LAL MEHMI,
Chandigarh