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A new track International tag Extradition treaty |
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Balochistan on the boil
Ah tsunami!
India gears up for energy security Defence notes
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A new track THE disinvestment policy the UPA government unfolded on Thursday is in sharp contrast to what the BJP-led NDA regime had followed. While retaining management control of public sector undertakings, the government will dilute its stakes in listed and unlisted PSUs, whether profit or loss making, up to 49 per cent. This is in keeping with the Common Minimum Programme of the coalition partners. Thursday’s meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs saw differences cropping up within the Congress. As non-Congress ministers like Mr Sharad Pawar, Mr Laloo Yadav and Mr Ram Vilas Paswan were not present, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee, backed by Heavy Industries Minister Santosh Mohan Deb, sought wider consultations with the Leftist and other allies before reaching a decision. Hence the basic agenda of the meeting — clearing disinvestment of 7.5 per cent stake in Maruti Udyog, 10 per cent stake in BHEL and raising the cap on the FDI in telecom — was not taken up for discussion. The Leftist influence on government decisions may also have brought about postponement of the decision. The previous NDA government had pushed privatisation of state undertakings through strategic sales and the proceeds were used to control the bulging fiscal deficit. This had attracted criticism from the Congress and Leftist parties, then in opposition. The much-awaited policy shift came on Thursday. The Congress does not want disinvestment funds to be used for meeting current expenditure. Discarding the NDA policy of “selling and spending”, as Finance Minister P. Chidambaram describes it, the UPA government has now decided to set up a National Investment Fund, comprising proceeds from disinvestment and managed by public sector fund managers. It will finance social sector projects in areas such as education, health and employment generation. The fund will be operated on the lines of the Central Road Fund and will be outside the Consolidated Fund of India. The idea to use the money earned on the social sector will meet some of the felt need. |
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International tag THE decision of the Union Cabinet to grant international status to the Srinagar airport sends a clear signal that the Jammu and Kashmir capital is no longer as serious a trouble spot as earlier. It also indicates that the foreign-inspired terrorism there is on the wane and the situation is under control. State leaders had been demanding an international status for the Srinagar airport for quite some time. It was not conceded then because the government was apparently wary that an attack might be engineered to thwart the process of stabilisation. It now seems to be confident that it can tackle any such foolhardy attempt. If enough security can indeed be ensured, many positive consequences can be foreseen. Jammu and Kashmir will not only get better connected with the world but will also be better integrated with the rest of the country. Above all, convenient flights will revive the tourism industry, the mainstay of the State before terrorism cast its ugly shadow on the Valley. The State’s economy can also benefit. The process of modernisation of the airport has already begun. This should be a thorough job and not just a perfunctory one like at Amritsar where too the airport is “international” on paper but is actually only slightly better than a railway platform. International tag will be meaningful only if there are a large number of flights to various countries. A lot will depend on the capability of the authorities concerned to attract international flights to Srinagar. Nor can the modernisation of the airport be a stand-alone exercise. The whole city needs to be spruced up to make it a hot destination. The infrastructure that was there a decade and a half ago has gone to seed and will have to be rebuilt virtually from the scratch. Many neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Hong Kong and Thailand have been actively wooing foreign visitors. To score over them, Srinagar will have to offer much more than safe environs and a modern airport. |
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Extradition treaty THE India-Nepal extradition treaty, signed recently, marks the beginning of a new phase in the relations between the two countries. Nepal has been particularly keen on having such an arrangement with a view to containing the unending Maoist violence in the Himalayan kingdom. The Nepalese authorities believed that the Maoists had links with the Naxalites in India and this made it easier for them to escape to this side of the border after committing a crime. The porous border and the absence of an extradition treaty worked to their advantage. India has also been worried about the activities of the Maoists close to its border with Nepal. There had been reports of these elements crossing the border areas in Uttaranchal and elsewhere in India. The treaty, to be effective next month, is bound to change the situation for the better in both countries. India has been helping Nepal in various other ways also to bring the Maoist menace to an end. Only recently Nepal launched a police modernisation programme with the help of India. They have been working together for improving the infrastructure in the border areas and rail and road connectivity in other parts of Nepal. These were needed for effective security management, particularly in the border areas. The police in India has its own reasons for being happy at the development. A number of cases of crime, including those of murder, have been pending disposal for years because it was not possible to arrest the suspects, mostly Nepalese working as domestic help. After committing a crime they disappeared into Nepal, and this forced the police to suspend the investigation into such cases. Strangely, the India-Nepal border has been open for the public but not for the police. Now it will be possible to bring such criminals to book with the help of the Nepal police. It is, however, a different matter that in many areas in Nepal the police is unable to function because of the Maoist insurgency. |
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Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret!
— Unknown
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Balochistan on the boil
MOST observers of Pakistani scene are running scared today: many expect the military establishment to order a crackdown on the mainly Bugti tribesmen in Balochistan’s Sui area where “miscreants” had succeeded in damaging the gas purification plant in an attack. As a result gas supplies to upcountry and to southern parts have been disrupted. Gas has been switched off to many industries and programme of load shedding of the gas is in force over whole of the country. The situation is grave. Many government leaders are saying that there is going to be no specific military crackdown. The Cabinet has “only” decided to protect the vital gas and oil installations by beefing up security. But the fears persist. Would there be a military operation? It is hard to forget the menace in the tone of President General Pervez Musharraf when he said: “They (tribal militants) should desist. It is not 1970s. They would not even know what hit them”. The trouble has been brewing for some time and political opinion in the province has crystalised against the government, complicated as it is by a certain individual crime by four persons. The opposition politicians are naming names and they have accused a certain Major along with three of his cohorts who raped a lady doctor in the Sui hospital and kept her confined for two days. The government is being accused of protecting these criminals; they have not been arrested nor could originally an FIR be registered. Instead the lady doctor has been removed to Karachi and more or less silenced. True or false, this is how most public men appear to believe and which has clouded the whole atmosphere. The long-drawn-out struggle between the government and the Baloch tribesmen over Balochistan rights has now got mixed up with this protest and the situation is ugly indeed. Meantime, commentators thought to be close to the authority have started talking of various linkages. This is the usual “foreign hand”. Going by tradition foreign hand is Indian in Pakistan and Pakistani in India. One of the establishment’s pundits has brought in the US itself, though Ms Shirin Mazari’s involving of the US remained peripheral and she did not arrive at a firm conclusion. There is much India bashing, of course. India’s consulates in Zahidan, Kandhar and elsewhere in Central Asia are supposedly keeping the pot boiling in Pakistan with the usual motivation of harming and hurting us poor Pakistanis. The situation is certainly complicated and the fears of a military crackdown are not overblown. Indeed, it is already on — after a fashion. Hundreds of sabotage acts on gas pipelines have taken place until this direct assault at Sui’s main gas installation. It is the economic jugular of Pakistan. The stakes for the state are certainly high. Opinions differ as to why this trouble has come to a head now. Which is where the pundits and the commentators come in. The best thing to do is to look at the background directly rather than through others’ prisms. Insofar as India is concerned, the preceding one year has recorded a lessening of tensions to a notable degree, although there is now a distinct hardening of positions on either side, as the dialogue is producing no results. Indian authorities say that the dialogue is a process rather than an event. Pakistanis want some progress on Kashmir without which CBMs lose their significance. The movement is regressive and the fear is that both sides may soon be back to square one. Indeed, the Indians have reported the first breach of LOC ceasefire of over a year old. It is, however, true that Indian Foreign Minister’s and Prime Minister’s visits to Pakistan remain scheduled and there probably would be an Indo-Pakistan summit on the sidelines of the SAARC meeting in Dhaka. The thing to note about the Indo-Pakistan negotiations is that the bureaucracies and the governments are not overflowing with the milk of human kindness. But there is a certain popular yearning on both sides to let bygones be bygones and an era of Indo-Pakistan friendship should start. How significant and long lasting this popular sentiment is remains to be seen. There is more to the background than merely Indo-Pakistan dialogue’s dynamics. Pakistan-US relations today require close scrutiny. While government-to-government relationship is excellent and the American government is volubly thankful to the Musharraf regime for being so cooperative in Afghanistan and War against Terror. But having said that, the American media, its think tanks, its area experts are exhibiting a degree of disenchantment with Pakistan that is frightening. The issues are not obscure. First, the Americans are unhappy with Pakistan that, while it is fully cooperating vis-à-vis the fight against Al Qaeda, it is not wholehearted where Taliban are concerned. Taliban are still using Pakistan as a sanctuary and they are keeping the pot boiling in Afghanistan. The American administrators in Afghanistan are themselves engaged in talks for a rapprochement with Taliban. What that signifies can be different things to different people. But the point to remember is that they have complained against Pakistan’s non-cooperation on the question of leading Taliban commanders. The second big issue between America and Pakistan is what is supposed to have been sorted out: viz. the nuclear proliferation carried out by Dr A.Q. Khan and his crew. Pakistan President had magnanimously pardoned Dr A.Q. Khan but is proceeding against his associates in the business of selling nuclear contraband. The American government accepted the fait accompli: A.Q. Khan is outside the ambit of further interrogation by IAEA experts or American officials. But they are not happy and are saying so through non-official voices. These voices are approaching a crescendo. Meanwhile, Pakistan chose to keep its feet in more than one boat internationally. It is impossible to judge what ampler consideration must have gone through before the decision to let Chinese build the deep sea Gwadar port. But it was bound to be a red rag to the American’s military bull. The US regards the Persian Gulf as its redoubt. Its location is so close to the Straits of Hormutz, the vital chokepoint for the entire Middle East oil. In a few months time, the Chinese President is coming to inaugurate that port. The American unhappiness over the decision to let the Chinese come in so close to their armeda at a time when China is supposed to be building the “necklace of pearls” — a string of military bases through the Indian Ocean in order to protect the Chinese oil shipment routes. The Americans have lost no time in calling it a threat to the American military security. The consequences of such American unhappiness can only be serious. But that is not the only complication. Pakistani enthusiasm for Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline is yet another eyesore for America. It will not do to object to it as a state. But there is no way it can please the Americans. These elements in the background need to be kept sharply before one’s eyes. Appreciation of the seriousness of the Balochistan situation need to be informed with these
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Ah tsunami!
It smells graveyard by the sea Heaps of broken huts and household stuff Boats, yachts, heavy vehicles too strewn all over like mangled toys Tattered fishing nets hang mockingly from the poles A mere unshapely mass! Surely not the sea I loved Family’s lifeline In the light of the shining stars That midnight Father went to the sea Humming a song for the waves Promising a big catch While Ma said her prayers for his safe return But the sea proved deceptive Waves came gushing, high and angry Devoured whosoever came in their way As if hungry of human flesh. Never had I seen a friend turned foe Roaring like a ferocious monster I held on to Bhanu when water struck What a wretched father I am! I let him slip out of my hands Can’t get over the moment More revenge was to follow Wife was washed away with the waves And hapless me Just watched this dance of death Their vanishing faces still haunt Among the heap of bodies I spot Bare arm of my mother I recognise it well Anon hold it to my heart soaking it with big drops Oh! Given number 52 among other numbers Good God! Does life become a numbers game? Why was I spared by the pitiless waves? Ma, Pa and Bhanu will be lying in their watery grave Might be they have satisfied some whale’s appetite And me? Living, to cry. |
India gears up for energy security
The new calculus of this framework is premised upon multiple foundations with India and other developing countries seeking to change the epicentre of the global oil market to the heartland of South and East Asian buyer countries. India, with an annual import bill of over 20 billion dollars and an annual kitty of five to ten billion dollar investment in other countries, is expected to bargain hard while loosening the purse strings for sellers. Alongside, the government is now increasingly seeking out new sources of crude oil, spanning across the Central Asian republics, Africa, Latin America and the backyards of South Asia involving Bangladesh, Myanmar and other countries. The new policy has three goals. The first is to ensure long-term stability in the supply of energy since the country’s dependence on oil imports is likely to increase from the present level of 70 per cent to over 85 per cent by 2020. Secondly, the country is pursuing to build up an energy grid in the region comprising India, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka to ensure a two-way flow of power, natural gas and oil. Besides offering economic benefits and opening a gateway for trade with ASEAN countries, cooperation among South Asian countries is likely to create a congenial environment to resolve their political disputes. Thirdly, by encouraging the Indian public sector oil companies to acquire stakes in foreign oil fields with the help of diplomatic missions, the government is confident that it will help to ensure long-term sustainable supply of fuel at a “reasonable and stable price” till alternative fuels are discovered. Energy is sought to be used as an important lever in the normalisation of relations among South Asian nations where deep-rooted political and historical fissures exist. With his rich diplomatic experience, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar, who was initially reluctant to join the ministry, has convinced the government to implement his grand plan of mixing oil and diplomacy. His recent coup in Myanmar, when he prevailed upon the Bangladesh leadership to provide a transit to import natural gas from Myanmar, has strengthened his hands. In return, India has promised Bangladesh that India will favourably consider to offer a corridor to import power and other goods from Nepal and Bhutan. The deal is likely to result in a “win-win” situation for every party, besides strengthening regional cooperation. It will also help the Indian corporate sector to set up new ventures in these countries in the energy and other sectors. The country has, however, yet to make a breakthrough as far as the Iran-India oil pipeline via Pakistan is concerned. While Pakistan has given its consent to the project, considering its economic benefits of around Rs 4,000 crore as transit fee, India is pressing for MFN status in return. These pipelines have the same potential to link the region and set up a new paradigm in regional cooperation and friendship. Indeed, with the use of modern technology and investment, they can constitute vibrant arteries of progress and prosperity. While the Gulf region remains the major source of oil supplies to India, the government feels that efforts will be on to look at other regions, specially Russia, another major energy source. According to government statistics, indigenous production of crude oil is stagnating at around 33 million metric tonnes (MMT) per annum, while demand has grown by over 100 MMT. The country has attracted over $8 billion investment in oil exploration and hopes to attract foreign oil majors in new 20 oil fields, currently on offer under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP). During 2003-04, ONGC, Oil India and other companies have made 14 hydrocarbon finds worth over 350 MMT reserves. The Prime Minister has also declared his support for the grand plans in the energy sector and has set up a committee to pursue the goal. The biggest deal signed after the UPA came to power is the $3 billion investment in Russian oil and gas fields, split about equally between Sakhalin in the Russian Far East and Kurmangazy in the Caspian. Mr Aiyar has also successfully negotiated with the Iranians for India’s ONGC Videsh to take a stake in the Yadarevan oil fields as part of a larger deal to purchase natural gas. There are a few more similar but smaller deals with other countries. Facing the prospects of increasing import dependence, India plans to expand investments in Russia and seek energy stakes in South America and Africa. |
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Defence notes THE Government of India, while completing the fencing along the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan, which has brought down the attempts of infiltration from across the border, has also taken into account the convenience of villagers trapped between the LoC and the fence. While ensuring that not an inch of space is left without fencing along the border, the authorities have set up a number of gates to facilitate the movement of villagers. There are 74 villages which fall in the area between the LoC and the fence, which has been constructed at a distance of one to 8 km from the LoC based on technical considerations. The area between the LoC and the fence is 1550 sq km and there are thousands of villagers living in this area. While the authorities have ensured that all efforts of Pakistan to push in insurgents are checked, they have not overlooked the convenience of villagers.
Coast Guard’s feat Besides helping the tsunami-ravaged people of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, the Indian Coast Guard has also shed light on the almost extinct tribes of the islands through photographs released by it. A senior officer of the Coast Guard, while on a recee to the area just two days after the tsunami, managed to get a photograph of a Sentinel tribal aiming his arrow at the helicopter as it flew over the island. The photograph turned out to be of immense importance as there had been speculation about their surviving the giant walls of waves which hit the island on December 26. The photograph showed that the tribes, apparently with their ancient knowledge of disasters, had managed to survive while their more educated counterparts perished in the waves. Incidentally, the Sentinelese are probably one of the world’s only surviving Paleolithic people and a census conducted from a distance, as they are known to be hostile to outsiders, in 2001 placed their population at 39 — 21 males and 18 females.
Mines claim 48 lives Although the Army has been on the job of demining the area along the border with Pakistan since November, 2002, some of the mines, which were laid following the attack on Parliament, are still to be accounted for. As per the figures available with Army Headquarters, the number of civilians killed in landmine blasts from January 01, 2002 to November 30, 2004, in Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir was 48. Officials say that most of the demining work has been completed. The recovery of the remaining mines is still under way and that these unrecovered mines remain potential risks.
Seeking elders’ blessings The designated Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen J.J. Singh, recently held a get-together where he not only invited his colleagues and friends but also colleagues and friends of his father, who was also an Army officer. General Singh wanted to seek blessings of his elders. Apparently, contemporaries of General Singh’s father were all very proud of the “boy” who they had seen grow in front of their eyes. |
True love is love that causes us pain, that hurts, and yet brings us joy. That is why we must pray and ask for the courage to love. — Mother Teresa Civil disobedience is the assertion of a right which law should give but which it denies. — Mahatma Gandhi What works a man should do is determined by his natural abilities, his education and his training. —The
Bhagavadgita  |
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THE dangerously emerging portents of the global energy market and India’s own unique position as a major crude oil buyer have forced policymakers to redefine the contours of a new geo-political paradigm.