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Boss is not for beating Governor Habiba |
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Raising hopes on SYL
Left’s unkindly cut
Very Important Problems
Cyber laws inadequate WTO rules cut in US cotton subsidies From Pakistan
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Boss is not for beating Rampant indiscipline in offices may get curbed somewhat with the Supreme Court coming out with certain orders recently which restrain employees from becoming a law unto themselves. In the latest such judgement, the apex court has ordained that firing a worker for assaulting his boss could not be interfered upon by the courts because maintaining discipline at the workplace is not slavery. The court has thus underlined a commonsense approach that workers cannot take to assaulting their bosses whatever the provocation. An attack is not only punishable under the IPC but is also reason enough for the worker’s dismissal. The need for this assertion arose because the Labour Court and the Madhya Pradesh High Court had decided in favour of an employee of the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB) after he was sacked for hitting an engineer with a screwdriver repeatedly while on duty and fracturing his nose. The apex court has rightly held that the termination of service could not be considered a “shockingly disproportionate” punishment. An office can function efficiently only if there is a modicum of discipline there. The chain of command has to be duly respected. Any physical assault is an infringement of this hierarchy. The effect of such indiscipline on others can be imagined. It will be an open invitation to them to do something similar. To make sure that its ruling does not become a tool for victimisation, the court has ordained that the dismissal should be taken recourse to only if the charge against the employee is fully proved by the inquiry officer appointed under the Industrial Disputes Act. In a similar judgement earlier, the Supreme Court had upheld the dismissal of an employee for abusing his superior on duty. Some rowdy employees have gotten away with such irresponsible behaviour through misplaced judicial remedies. The judgement of the highest court will, hopefully, put an end to such inexcusable deeds which are detrimental to the functioning of an establishment. The message should now go to the employees that the boss is not for beating or abusing, and also that maintaining discipline is important for an organisation. |
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Governor Habiba President Hamid Karzai’s selection of Ms Habiba Sorabi as the new Governor of Bamiyan province of Afghanistan is a landmark development in a society where women had virtually no rights till a few years ago. The ill-treatment of women till the overthrow of the Taliban regime was a matter of routine. Women could never think of becoming a part of the administrative structure before the establishment of the Karzai government. However, the new constitution that was adopted after much deliberations by the “loya jirga” promised to raise the profile of women in Afghanistan by defining their rights and responsibilities clearly. They were assured of equality and gender neutrality. Ms Sorabi, who was a minister in the Karzai-led interim government, has been a relentless fighter for women’s rights. There could be no better person for the position of Bamiyan Governor than this feisty lady who has been striving hard for improving the women’s lot in Afghanistan. Her work is not confined to women’s affairs. She has also been engaged in the larger task of nation-building. But she is not alone. Women can now be found in many areas of activity like media, health care, financial services and education. Ms Sorabi has far more supporters than her opponents in the province where she has to provide proof of her ability to govern. That is why Bamiyan’s warlord Mohammed Rahim Ali Yar, who initially opposed her appointment, had to keep quiet. Her state has nearly 50 per cent female voters and the attitude of the people there is liberal towards women which is not the situation elsewhere in Afghanistan. The world will be watching with curiosity how she makes use of this advantage to give birth to a widespread movement for the empowerment of women in her country. |
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Raising hopes on SYL The most contentious issue that confronts the new Congress government in Haryana headed by Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda is whether the reconstruction of the incomplete SYL canal would resume. Farmers have pinned hopes on the new Chief Minister, who himself has raised expectations by taking up the issue at his post-swearing-in press conference even before his ministerial team was in place, although the thrust of his utterances was on equal distribution of the already available canal water. There are allegations that the districts of Hisar, Sirsa and Jind are getting a higher share of the canal water than others. This is a sensitive issue and the imbalance in water distribution, if any, needs to be corrected before politicking takes its toll. That both Punjab and Haryana are now governed by the Congress has also led many to expect a positive outcome. The national-level leaders of the Congress are uncomfortable in handling the tricky matter since they do not want to displease their vote-banks in either state. While campaigning for the Haryana Assembly elections, both Dr Manmohan Singh and Mrs Sonia Gandhi had maintained cold silence on this hot subject and this was critically taken note of by leaders of the Indian National Lok Dal. The top Congress leadership had not taken kindly to the sudden and unilateral action of the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, in scrapping the inter-state water treaties. Also out to fuel the controversy to his advantage is the ousted Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. Realising the potential political harm that the emotive water issue can cause to the Congress government, he has urged the new Chief Minister to make “sincere efforts” to solve the SYL water dispute. Mr Chautala, however, should not forget that he himself could achieve little as Chief Minister when his close ally, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, was in power in Punjab. Currently, the SYL canal dispute is pending with the Supreme Court after the Presidential reference of the controversial Punjab Termination of Agreements Act. The dispute is not easy to resolve. Perhaps a solution lies not with the judiciary or with the politicians. It may have to be left to the passage of time and experts. |
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All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upwards on the miseries or credulities of mankind. — Joseph Canrad |
Left’s unkindly cut
THE Communist parties in India cannot be accused of inconsistency. They have a track record of advocating foreign and national security policies designed to make India a surrogate or protectorate of one or another external power. Throughout the years of the Cold War, the CPI took its directions from Moscow and wanted India to follow a policy of strident criticism of the US and the western world. This line continued till the mutual dislike between Mao and Stalin led to a widening Sino-Soviet rift. When China and the USSR parted ways, the Communist movement in India split. The CPM adopted a posture of equidistance between the two squabbling Communist giants, with strident rhetoric against the western world. The CPI became anti-Chinese when the Sino-Soviet rift was at its height after the military clashes across the Ussuri river in 1969. The CPM, in turn, had little to say when Nixon and Mao embraced each other and formed a Sino-US axis directed against India during the Bangladesh crisis in 1971. Both Communist parties could not hide their embarrassment and discomfiture when in February 1979 China, with American backing, attacked a “fraternal” communist country Vietnam that had earlier concluded a Treaty of Friendship with the Soviet Union. The Communist parties in India have faced similar dilemmas after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They now advocate national security and foreign policies that will not only weaken our national defence, but also effectively make us a protectorate and client state of China. During the general election last year, the CPM found fault with the NDA government for supporting the US in its “war on Afghanistan” Was the CPM thereby suggesting that we would have been better off with continued Taliban rule and the presence of Osama bin Laden and Pakistani terrorist groups like the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen operating in Afghanistan? The Communist parties have called for an end to all military cooperation with the US and Israel. Are they suggesting that while it is alright for their comrades in Beijing to continue weapons procurement from Israel, we should deny our soldiers essential electronic sensors from Israel to check infiltration from across the LoC? Similarly, is it the Communist viewpoint that our artillery should make do without the US-supplied gun-locating radars while the Pakistanis lob heavy artillery shells across the LoC? Have any family members of our Communist leaders ever served in frontline military formations and faced bullets and artillery shells fired from across the border? While Communist rhetoric on its “fraternal ties” with China’s Communist Party could be taken with amusement, one cannot ignore their total silence on the collusion and collaboration between China and Pakistan on nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems. By advocating the “denuclearisation” of South Asia, our Communist friends are suggesting that we should abandon our long-standing policy of keeping our nuclear options open, while expressing our readiness to pursue the goal of universal and comprehensive nuclear disarmament. “Denuclearisation” of South Asia has been a long-term goal of both the US and China as this would, in effect, involve our acceding to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty by the backdoor. China has demanded that we should renounce our nuclear programme, dismantle our nuclear weapons and end all testing, development and deployment of missiles. While swearing adherence to the NPT, China has supplied Pakistan with unsafeguarded facilities for plutonium reprocessing, designs of nuclear weapons, components for Pakistan’s nuclear enrichment programme and M 11, M 9 and M 18 missiles that have now given Pakistan the capability to target every major population centre in India. In these circumstances any talk of “denuclearisation” that excludes China is meaningless. The US National Intelligence Council has assessed that thanks to Chinese missile supplies, Pakistan has developed an edge over India in strategic nuclear delivery systems. Despite this, our communist friends oppose our acquiring missile defence systems to protect our cities against nuclear-tipped missiles of Chinese origin! While our Communist parties cannot now “roll back” our nuclear and missile programmes (an objective they share with the erstwhile Clinton Administration), what is of immediate concern are the pressures being mounted by our Left parties to reduce defence expenditure. During pre-Budget consultations, the Communist parties had suggested a drastic reduction in defence expenditure from the level of Rs 77000 crore spent in 2004-2005. India presently spends less than 2.5 per cent of the GDP on defence, even though the Eleventh Finance Commission had advocated a target of 3 per cent of the GDP for defence spending. China and Pakistan spend well over 4 per cent of the GDP on defence. Chinese defence expenditure is to increase by 12.6 per cent this year. China is rapidly expanding the logistical capabilities of its armed forces in Tibet. China remains a major supplier of defence equipment to Pakistan. It will soon provide Pakistan with scores of “jointly developed” JF 17 fighters for which engine designs of the frontline MIG 29 have been purloined from Russia. The “Al Khalid” tank being built in Rawalpindi is of Chinese origin. General Musharraf recently indicated that he would not hesitate to provide base facilities to the Chinese navy in the Gwadar Port. China is reported to have agreed to strengthen Pakistan’s naval muscle by the provision of new frigates. India’s historical experience has unfortunately been that our neighbours invariably take advantage of situations when reduced defence spending results in our defence potential being weakened. China made bold to humiliate us in 1962 primarily because our armed forces were starved with minimal defence budgets and our soldiers did not even possess winter clothing and automatic rifles to confront superior numbers and firepower. Field Marshal Ayub Khan tried his luck with us in 1965 because he was emboldened by American military assistance and Chinese political support. He failed primarily because we unexpectedly hit across the international border. Between 1965 and 1990 defence spending steadily increased and neither China, Pakistan nor any other regional power could take us for granted. It was only after 1990 that defence expenditure steadily fell and we lost the strategic edge that we had over Pakistan for over three decades. The net result was that Pakistan was emboldened to attempt its intrusion in Kargil. Experience has thus taught us that maintaining a qualitative edge over our neighbours is essential for peace in our neighbourhood. Weapons we acquired three decades ago from the Soviet Union are now obsolete. There are a number of pending acquisitions, including multi-barrelled rocket launchers, artillery, advanced fighters, submarines and warships that we need in the immediate future. These acquisitions cannot be further delayed if we are to guarantee our security and remain a credible power in our Indian Ocean neighbourhood. Our Communist friends would do well to remember that the gross subsidies given to India’s loss-making, corrupt and inefficient State Electricity Boards in 2004-2005 are estimated to be over Rs. 34,000 crore. These subsidies are expected to grow by over 12 per cent annually. If we are unable to fund our anti-poverty and social development programmes adequately it is not because our defence expenditure is high, but because our politicians prefer populism over efficiency and avoid reforming corrupt delivery systems in our social and anti-poverty
programmes. |
Very Important Problems For reasons incomprehensible to me, we as a people are expected to be in awe of authority.
Wilfully or otherwise, we have to take it in a spirit that is markedly
Indian. If a VIP motorcade has to pass, everything else must come to an indefinite pause and the right of way to commoners is suspended. Much worse if it is a caravan of a mighty VVIP. Black Cats flay their arms wildly as one possessed to get motorists to move to the very edge of the road, or even off it if they have their way. Heavens help if there is a security cordon alongside. Feel blessed if you escape some action on the part of the guards. I noticed the contrast during a trip to Berlin. During the course of supper at Neumann’s — a charming restaurant dating back to the World War era and taken on lease by my gregarious Punjabi hosts — I couldn’t help noticing a few immaculately dressed men in black doing a recce of the area. Only the bulge around their fit frames indicated that they were carrying weapons and once in a while the holsters would show as they moved. I learnt that the
German president and his wife were to dine there and a regular security check was being run. Munching on some wafers, I stepped out and was surprised that the traffic was flowing uninterrupted and there were no blaring sirens or omniscient police patrol, only a handful of vigilant cops. A few minutes later, and remarkably on schedule, the President and his wife arrived and were immediately seated at one corner of the restaurant, discreetly away from public view. My host got busy with them and soon, the tables nearest to them were taken by some members of the presidential staff. I saw the no-frill dinner pass off without a fuss or causing inconvenience to other diners. My host was as mindful of them as the German leader. No one was gaping at anybody. An image of how it would have been back home flashed across my mind. I rued the lack of such finesse in our country where even spent forces are looked upon with such cloying deference that one wonders if we will always be free people with enslaved minds. The next morning, we went to Reichstag and I saw orderly rows of tourists being allowed to go up to the dome even while Parliament was in session. My prayer is the same as Rabindranath Tagore’s
—"Into this heaven of freedom, my father, let my country
awake."
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Cyber laws inadequate According to the first world congress held in Stockholm in August, 1996, against commercial exploitation of children, each year one million children enter the sex trade, exploited by people or driven by circumstances. There is an increasing demand for the regulation of child cyber pornography. The protection of children is an international priority. There are not just questions of technology, but of values, ethics and morality as well. Technology is being used by child pornographers and molesters to further their criminal activity. We need to frame regulations and policies to guide the correct use of the Internet. The law has obviously lagged behind technological developments. Section 2252 of Title 18 of the US Code makes it a federal offence to knowingly receive child pornography. Section 2251 of the same code makes it illegal to advertise child pornography. A US court has held in Miller v. California that obscenity standard does not apply to child pornography because it is per se obscene. A communication decency Act was enacted in 1996 to deal with such offences. The UK has passed legislation for the protection of children. The Protection of Children Act was passed in 1978. The Criminal Justice Act, 1988, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (CJOPA), 1994, makes it an offence for a person to have any indecent photograph of a child in his possession. The US and UK laws have specific provisions to deal with those who use children in obscene material whereas in India there is no specific law that gives enhanced punishment or deter those who use children for indecent exposure. We talk of protection of children, but this facet of child abuse, which is increasing in our society, has not been dealt with either under the cyber laws or under the IPC. The need is to make a provision to cover child pornography so that it deters those who make children victims of such inhuman and degrading crimes. There should be more stringent punishment for those who use children in such activities. In the Bal Bharti School case of 2001, a New Delhi student, below 18 fabricated and pasted the pictures of his classmates in obscene poses on the Internet. In the recent DPS-MMS case also the victims were young students and the wrongdoer was also a juvenile. In such cases it is difficult to make the punishment deterrent as juveniles are involved. Although in Delhi schools the use of mobile phones has been banned, which is welcome, the problem still remains. Schools do encourage the use of computers and the Internet but preventive measures have to be taken so that situations like in the Bal Bharti case can be avoided. Educational institutions, should deny access to objectionable websites with the help of filtering and by blocking programs. Students should be educated on how they can make the best use of this technology. A regular check is required by the parents on their children as to what they do on the Internet. Lastly, technology or no technology, parents and educational institutions should not forget their primary responsibility to imbibe basic moral values in children to help them grow up as responsible citizens. Prevention is better than cure, but self-protection is the first defence of cure. —
The writer is a lecturer at Army Institute of Law, Mohali |
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WTO rules cut in US cotton subsidies A
Bush administration proposal that would cut billions of dollars in subsidies to big cotton growers has struck at a core GOP constituency, setting off a battle in Republican congressional ranks that pits budget cutters and prairie-state populists against traditional agricultural interests. The Bush plan threatens an elaborate government safety net that is the handiwork of such legendary southern Democrats as Lyndon B. Johnson (Texas) and James Eastland (Mississippi), as well as a new generation of Republican leaders from the region. The move reflects growing pressure to hold down soaring federal deficits and a recognition that even a business woven deeply into the history, economy and politics of the South must come to terms with dramatic changes underway in global trade. Underscoring that reality, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva ruled Thursday that U.S. cotton subsidies violate global trade rules because they exceed limits agreed to in 1944. If the United States does not correct the situation, Brazil, which brought the complaint, could retaliate against U.S. products. As part of its 2006 budget proposal, the Bush administration would trim benefits for growers of most staple crops, including wheat, corn and soybeans. But economists and officials say the hardest hit would be the big producers of cotton in Republican strongholds of Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Large-scale operators in California and Arizona would also be affected. Cotton interests, which have long fielded one of the most effective lobbies here, have begun to move up their big guns. These include Thad Cochran, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate agriculture committee. Both have expressed strong reservations about changes in the current farm program, which does not expire until 2007. The president’s decision to take on the farm lobby has caught many by surprise. He gave no hint of it during his re-election campaign, which was based on winning the South and most of the upper Midwest farm states. The president himself comes from a major cotton-producing state. Farm subsidies are projected to reach $17.8 billion this year, but would be trimmed in a number of ways that would total $5.7 billion in cuts over 10 years. The top payments to an individual farmer would be capped at $250,000 a year, compared with the current $360,000. Loopholes that enable big farms to easily circumvent the limits through creative accounting, side companies and partnerships would be curbed. The administration also is calling for new limits in what has long been the centerpiece of farm programs: the provision that guarantees farmers will not take a financial hit if they cannot sell their crop for more than a fixed support price—52 cents a pound in the case of cotton. Growers can get a government loan against the crop, and if prices do not exceed the support level the government takes over the crop and forgives the loan. Efforts to pare back agricultural subsidies generally have gone nowhere because of the farm lobby’s immense grassroots influence. But this year, strong pressure for change is coming from fiscal conservatives at the White House and in Congress, who insist that the farm sector contribute to deficit reduction. Although the Bush administration defended U.S. cotton subsidies before the WTO appeal board in Geneva, Thursday’s decision could strengthen the administration’s hand in Congress. But trade officials say that even if Congress adopted the Bush recommendations, subsidies would not be cut to the level needed to meet the WTO’s ruling. Two-thirds of the nation’s 2.1 million farmers receive no subsidies, either because the crops they grow are not eligible or because they are too small and marginal to qualify. In the case of cotton, the proportion of federal aid going to large operators is unusually lopsided. One percent of those receiving subsidies collected 28 percent of the money paid out between 1995 and 2003, according to the Environmental Working Group. In Mississippi, seven farms out of 10 receive no subsidies.
— LA Times-Washington Post |
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From Pakistan KARACHI: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has assured that national identity cards will be issued to those who had migrated to Pakistan from the former East Pakistan. Talking to newsmen after his talks with Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders at Nine Zero, the Prime Minister said that the Constitution would be amended, if necessary, for realising the objective. He said that he had held talks with MQM parliamentary leader Dr Farooq Sattar and said that the government would give serious consideration to the issue of national identity cards. Mr Shaukat Aziz, who had visited the MQM headquarters on Monday, also had telephonic conversation with Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain and informed him about development initiatives in Sindh and Karachi. He said that the government was doing its best for the development of Karachi. In this connection, he cited the revival of KCR and the projects undertaken by the Karachi Port Trust. He said the government was focusing on the overall development of the country and would provide adequate funds to the provinces for this purpose. He said that it was his government’s endeavour to improve infrastructure and provide better facilities to the people to improve their quality of life. — The Dawn Jashn-i-Baharan
parade
LAHORE: A Jashn-i-Baharan parade from Gaddafi Stadium to Race Course Park was held here on Tuesday. The caravan comprising floats prepared by the students of different schools, girl guides, scouts, cyclists and fancy dress parade ended at Race Course Park after passing through Liberty Market, Main Boulevard Gulberg and Jail Road. After the conclusion of the parade, a prize distribution ceremony was held at the Race Course Park. Minister for Law Raja Muhammad Basharat was the chief guest. Addressing the ceremony, Raja Basharat appreciated the work of school students. He congratulated the Parks and Horticulture Authority administration for successfully organising Jashan-i-Baharan programmes. — The Nation
NA resolution on women
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution with special reference to International Women’s Day that was later on tabled in the National Assembly. The resolution stresses on women to continue their struggle for their social and political rights as guaranteed and protected in Islam as well as in the Constitution. It also paid rich tributes to Madar-e-Millat and requested the Speaker of the National Assembly to direct the concerned quarters to place portraits of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah in the reception area of Parliament House. Begum Mehnaz Rafi, Chairperson of National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development, called for enhancing the status of women. “It is imperative to enhance the status of women in order to promote their rights and ensure their active participatory role in national development on basis of gender equality,” she said while chairing a special meeting of the Standing Committee on Women Development held here in the Parliament House. — The Nation
2 million Afghans
living in NWFP
PESHAWAR: About two million Afghans are still living in different parts of the NWFP, as Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees has completed the UNHCR funded 10-day population census of Afghan nationals under the supervision of the Population Census Organisation of Pakistan. A total of 1.85 million Afghan nationals showed up for the head-count wherein 680 teams with 1360 individuals, both Pakistanis and Afghans, were involved in the process, which started on February 23. Unlike the expectations that women are in majority in the refugee camps in Pakistan as well as in Afghanistan due to three decades of war and internal fighting, men have been counted in access to women. Among them are 934,709 men while 921,108 are women, which also include 350,404 children under 5. “Actually, the census of Afghan nationals did not start at all places simultaneously and snow-bound areas like Swat and Chitral were inaccessible, then the date had to be extended for another couple of days,” informed Ms Sasha, UNHCR media officer for the population census programme. As expected, Peshawar is host to the majority of the Afghans where more than 600,000 Afghans have been enlisted while Nowshera district is the second to accommodate more than 250,000 Afghans. Haripur stood third where about 120,000 Afghans have been counted while the number of Afghan nationals Hangu district is close to 100,000. This grand total is from a province sharing a long border with Afghanistan whereas the statistics from Balochsitan, also host to a sizeable number of Afghans, as well as the counting from the rest of the country is awaited. — The News |
That alone is good which pleases God. — Guru Nanak We are heirs to all the good thoughts of the universe, if we open ourselves to them. — Swami Vivekananda Whaever pleases God is good and pleasant. — Guru Nanak Conscience warns us as a friend before it punishes as a judge. — Stanislaus Never boast of your wealth, friends and youth. Time may steal away all these in the twinkling of an eye. Giving up attachment to this world which is full of illusion, try to realise Brahman soon and merge in it. — Sri Adi Sankaracharya
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India is fast emerging on pornographic websites. At the beginning of 2001 there were 4,000 such websites featuring Indians, whereas today the number is more than 18,000. At least 25 Indian sites are on the top 500 lists of those most visited internationally.