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Kicked aside! Social justice |
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An alarm signal
General ideas on Kashmir
The Saint in Samadhi
Becoming road-worthy True believers at World
Bank From Pakistan
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Kicked aside! THE Delhi High Court’s quashing of charges against Bofors and the Hindujas virtually marks the end of the road for the 15-year-old investigation into the alleged payment of Rs 64 crore as kickbacks in the Bofors howitzer deal. Rs 250 crore of the people’s money has been wasted in what has turned out to be a farcical exercise. Though the CBI might appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court, it is difficult to see how progress can be made from here. The lack of original documents with the CBI has been a bone of contention for quite some time now, and in January this year, Bofors had told a Delhi court that it did not possess any original documents pertaining to the case. In November last, the Swedish government had already made the same plea. What is more, it was only last month that the Swiss authorities informed India that the facts of the case were now under a ‘lapse of time’ clause and they could no longer offer any assistance. Attempts to bring Ottavio Quattrocchi to book too have failed. An Interpol Red Corner Notice is still in force against him but the CBI could not manage to get him extradited, or even pinpoint his whereabouts. The Additional Solicitor-General reportedly does not agree with the CBI on whether sufficient evidence exists to initiate fresh legal action. The CBI’s credibility has always been at stake and it could not make much headway even when an arguably favourable political climate existed during the NDA regime. That is no longer the case now. It also has its hands full with a slew of new defence deals processed during the NDA period, referred to it by the current UPA government. The armed forces in the meantime continue to suffer, with much-needed acquisitions being put on the back-burner. Is it too much to hope that if nothing else, the Manmohan Singh government will at least put in place a better system for high value purchases that is not routinely stymied by unnecessary delays, illegal payoffs, scandal mongering and sheer waste? |
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Social justice THE promise of affirmative action for the disadvantaged youth in the private sector by 22 like-minded representatives of the Indian industry may not be a “historic breakthrough” as claimed by the government, but is definitely a significant step towards corporate social responsibility. Ever since the ruling UPA coalition partners included in their common minimum programme the provision of job reservation in the private sector for members of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, the issue has been passionately debated. While the group of ministers assigned the job of implementing the controversial CMP provision had thought of taking resort to some enabling legislation, the various chambers of commerce and industry almost unanimously opposed the move. The statement released by Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Meira Kumar on Tuesday is a corporate-government patch-up work, which may not be acceptable to the advocates of reservation, but it is a good beginning and the industry can be pressed further for more such affirmative action. What it promises will, hopefully, be delivered too. It is a fact that the government is on the retreat, while the private sector is expanding. Future jobs, therefore, will come mostly from the fast-growing private sector. Hence, the government wants to carry out its social justice agenda through the private sector, which has responded positively. It will amount to stating the obvious that in today’s world of cut-throat competition companies will have to be fighting fit to survive and grow. If the government’s social agenda weakens the competitiveness of the private sector, not only there would not be any additional jobs but the existing ones also might be endangered. The corporate sector thrives on subsidies and benefits from the government and it, therefore, cannot abdicate its social responsibilities. But it should be left free to decide how far it could go without compromising on quality and efficiency. Voluntary action is preferable to coercion. |
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An alarm signal IMMEDIATELY after the cinema hall blasts in Delhi on May 22, the police had arrested a Lashkar-e-Toiba operative, leading to the belief that the explosions might not have been the handiwork of Punjab militants. But the situation has changed in these 10 days and the police is now convinced that the banned Babbar Khalsa International was to blame for the incident. Two of its men are in custody while some more have escaped the massive police dragnet. From the story pieced together so far, the conspiracy appears to be fairly deep rooted, with its trail going to several countries to which the accused have been travelling. It was hatched much before the “Jo Bole So Nihal” dispute arose. So, the film just happened to be a convenient excuse to rock the Capital. The militants might very well have caused similar explosions in Delhi or Chandigarh even otherwise. The attempt seemed to be to revive militancy which had taken a heavy toll during the nineties. One thing is obvious. Despite years of peace, militancy is not exactly dead. The dormant operators seem to be ever on the look-out to shore up their might. Even the slightest complacency can turn into an opportunity for them. It seems that the Delhi blasts were only an attempt to test the waters. The terrorists had ample explosives, money and gold at their disposal. Had they wanted, they could have caused much more harm. Certain facts are noteworthy. One, the Punjab terrorists are now trying to develop links with other similar groups, especially in Kashmir. Two, Pakistan is providing help as usual, despite an avowed change of heart. Three, they are now hiring non-Sikh operatives to further their nefarious plans. The police will have to step up vigil several notches to make sure that the era of terror and mayhem does not return. Fortunately, the people are aware of the true intentions of the ISI-backed mischief-makers and are unlikely to provide them any support, moral or otherwise. |
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The natural man has only two primal passions, to get and beget. — William Osler |
General ideas on Kashmir
“WELCOME to Paradise on Earth” reads the huge signboard under snowcapped mountains surrounding the Kashmir hill resort of Gulmarg. It was at this location, full of relaxed tourists from all parts of India, ranging from Gujarat to Karnataka, that Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed inaugurated the highest cable car ropeway in the world on May 28. Worn out by 15 years of terrorism in the garb of jihad, people in Kashmir are yeaning for a return to peace and normalcy. Like the rest of the country, “rojgari”, “sadak” and “bijli” (employment, roads and electricity) are more important issues than violence in the mythical quest for “Azadi”. Hurriyat leaders, whose influence was in any case confined to the Kashmir valley, are now seen as a bunch of squabbling politicians, afraid of the guns of the jihadis. They still strangely believe that their role can be sanctified only by kowtowing to rulers in Islamabad. People in J&K today primarily yearn for good and honest governance. This has to be combined with security measures that are effective, but not heavy-handed, or humiliating. At the same time, we have to devise arrangements to ensure that schemes like the Wullar barrage and the Baglihar and Kishenganga hydro-electric projects are not delayed because of Pakistani stonewalling. While people in Kashmir yearn for an end to terrorist violence and consequent combing operations by security forces, there are ground realities that cannot be ignored. Terrorist violence is still a feature of everyday life in Kashmir today, though terrorists are more selective in choosing their victims. Newly inducted units of the security forces and politicians who join the democratic process remain favourite targets. The infrastructure for terrorism remains intact across the LoC, with the ISI-sponsored “United Jihad Council” openly averring that it will continue its jihad, regardless of the assurance that General Musharraf gave to Mr Vajpayee on January 6, 2004, that he would not allow territory under Pakistan’s control to be used for terrorism in any manner. I was recently asked if General Musharraf had developed a “change of heart”. My response was that while I had not heard of the good General having undergone heart bypass surgery or a heart transplant, I was intrigued that despite his many promises, the “United Jihad Council” remained as active as ever! Shortly after assuming office, Dr Manmohan Singh told columnist Jonathan Powers: “Short of secession, short of redrawing boundaries, the Indian establishment can live with anything. We need soft borders — (and) then borders are not so important. People on both sides of the LoC should be able to move freely”. General Musharraf thereafter told Mr Natwar Singh on July 23, 2004, that he expected that the Kashmir issue should be resolved within a “reasonable time frame” of one and a half years. He thus wanted a solution to this vexed issue by February 2006. On October 26, 2004, General Musharraf sprung a “surprise” by declaring that neither a plebiscite nor converting the LoC into an international border was acceptable. He added that J&K should be divided into seven different areas, with each area coming under joint Indo-Pak control, declaring independence, or being subject to a UN mandate. General Musharraf also spoke of “demilitarisation” of the entire state. The seven-region proposal constituted a division of J&K on religious lines. Dr Manmohan Singh rejected this proposal stating: “Any proposal that smacks of a further division of our country on the basis of religion is not going to be acceptable to us.” General Musharraf sprang yet another “surprise” to bewildered Indian journalists and politicians last month by again harping on “demilitarisation” of Kashmir. He appeared to endorse Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s call for “soft boundaries” by suggesting that boundaries become “irrelevant”. At the same time, he echoed what he said last year when he implicitly called for dividing Kashmir on “regional” lines. He avoided acknowledging that in Kashmir, each region has its distinct religious, ethnic and linguistic identity. He has also glossed over what he asserted on March 27, 2005, that the Kashmir dispute had to be solved soon if “new Kargils” are to be avoided. General Musharraf’s proposals on “demilitarisation” have been ardently echoed by “liberal” Pakistani “intellectuals” like former Finance Minister Mubashir Hasan. Like General Musharraf, Pakistan’s self-styled “liberals” would love to have the Indian Army withdrawn from the valley and denied any role in dealing with internal security in Jammu and Kashmir, in the name of “demilitarisation”, even while stating that India would be responsible for the defence of its borders with China, in Ladakh. Surely, the likes of General Musharraf and Dr Mubashir Hasan do not think that we are naïve. Given our experiences of 1947, 1965 and 1999 and Pakistan’s continuing proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir since 1990, no government in India is going to pull its forces out of the state, or abdicate its powers and responsibilities on internal security. Secondly, how can we expeditiously move forces to our border with China if the valley is to be demilitarised? Further, if we were to “demilitarise” Jammu, would Pakistan pull back its strike formations to a couple of hundred kilometres from the border? Would Pakistan “demilitarise” the Northern Areas if we pull back in Kargil? What we can, therefore, realistically consider when the Pakistan-sponsored proxy war ends is measured de-induction of forces and redeployment in designated areas. “Demilitarisation” is a non-starter. General Musharraf appears to be buying time and coming up with ostensibly new “ideas” to claim “flexibility” on Kashmir every second day. There is no need for us to respond to everything he says. His “proposals” are similar to those of the New York-based “Kashmir Study Group”. This group has little credibility or clout today with the Bush Administration. His proposals for increasing measures of “self-governance” in J&K, however, merit consideration. We could explore possibilities for equivalent “self-governance” on both sides of the Line of Control, including in Pakistan-occupied Northern Areas. We could also consider setting up forums comprising all sections of people in Jammu and Kashmir — Dogras, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Mirpuris, Pandits, Kashmiri Sunnis, Shias from Kargil, Gilgit and Baltistan and Ladakhi Buddhists, to examine if there could be some consensus on defining their common aspirations. All this will naturally have to be supplemented, with measures to ensure that those who came into PoK and the Northern Areas after 1947 are persuaded to return to their homes. Unlike in J&K, there have been significant changes in the ethnic and sectarian composition of the population across the LoC. |
The Saint in Samadhi BUNTA served faithfully till the last breath of his life. With great courage and determination he suppressed all the old-age problems and was a true friend, Angel guardian and willing entertainer of my grandson, Anichya. The moment Anichya left for India to join Rishi Valley School in Andhra Pradesh, arthritis, weak lungs, indigestion, all the old-age symptoms appeared in less than one year’s time. In his prime of life he was everyone’s favourite. When my grandson joined the nursery class, Bunta often slipped away from home and joined him at school. He entertained Anichya’s friends with his pranks. The kind-hearted teacher patiently tolerated this intruder till someone from home came to pick him up after a telephone call from the school. Whenever we visited our son, Bunta undertook the additional responsibility of looking after the grandparents. The head of the family always received his maximum consideration. When my husband left for India after six weeks at Ojai, Bunta made it a point to accompany me for my evening walks. The freedom loving darling detested chain and was used to walking like a royal king. Sometimes he was tempted to chase other dogs or have a racing contest with a moving car. My son and daughter-in-law were able to keep him under control but I could not cope with his frolicking. Once facing an awkward situation, I ultimately decided to lock him in the house before going for a walk. The moment my son and daughter in law arrived from office, he invariably come and joined me even if I was there miles away from home. It was a sad sight for my son and daughter-in-law to see their bubbling- with-life Bunta, turning into reticent listless ascetic day by day. No complaints, no demand for dainties, but making all-out efforts to finish at least part of the food affectionately offered by my daughter-in-law. My son, Vishal, wanted to migrate back home but could not leave Bunta in this condition. The parents were terribly missing their only child thousands of miles away yet dared not betray their faithful friend Bunta. Perhaps, intuitively he sensed their dilemma. The valiant hero headed fast for his last journey. Suddenly the condition started deteriorating. My son and daughter-in-law tried their level best to comfort him in distress but had to helplessly watch the final scene. Feeling utterly miserable for the last three days they shared with us the news of his deteriorating health twice a day. The final day he vomited, quenched his thirst by taking plenty of water, walked all over the house, panting, resting, having a last look at his surroundings and smelling Anichya’s belongings. Last he walked over to them, laid his head at their feet for a few minutes, perhaps, to seek their final blessings and bid goodbye. Returning back to bed he assured them he was going to rest. In the early hours of the morning his lifeless form was lying still with wide-open eyes. The stoic Saint in Samadhi had left for his Heavenly
Home!
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Becoming road-worthy MY NRI friend was returning from London, with a British colleague in tow. To make some polite talk, I asked the first-time visitor how his drive from Delhi to Chandigarh had been. “Wonderful,” he replied, “you see, I have been an atheist all my life, but during this journey I prayed all the way through and now qualify to be a believer”. Yes, that is what our chaotic traffic can do to most of those who come face to face with it for the first time. It is sheer providence that so many travellers survive to tell the tale. Some of our most obstinate law-breakers seem to converge on the roads everyday. In the process, they also become car-breakers and life-breakers. The casualty figures are mounting and it is no longer sensible to leave the roads open to speed junkies and lawless brigands. Let one thing be clear. This cannot be done by the police. One, you just cannot have policemen everywhere and, two, even if that was theoretically possible, half of them can be depended on to convert their duty into a private money-making venture. It is necessary to think out of the block. You see, there are three types of drivers on the roads. One, there are the docile, down-trodden, law-abiding citizens who are treated as the scum of the earth by others. They stick to the rules whether they are supervised or not. But seeing others defying authority with impunity, they either develop blood pressure or themselves defect to the rule-breakers’ party out of frustration. Then there are the incorrigible ones. As long as we have VIPs and they in turn have children and relatives, any hope of disciplining this breed is out of the question. We ought to concentrate our attention on the third category, comprising those who obey the law only when they know they are being observed. They stop at the traffic light only when there is a cop around. They wear the helmet when they detect the raiding party and take it off soon after. They ring up their friends to find out on which stretch of the road policemen are hiding themselves with speed radars. These are the sort of people who can be brought around with the help of the fear of the law. What is needed is a bit of community policing. The police department can identify a large number of responsible, incorruptible people who do quite a bit of travelling every day. They can be assigned the responsibility of being the eyes and the ears of the police. They should be given special cards which they can post to the police whenever they notice any traffic infringement. Supposing they find a juvenile speeding while they are out driving themselves. They will just note down the number of the vehicle as also the date and time of the infringement and send the information to the police department. The department on its part will send a warning letter to the owner of the vehicle that he or somebody using his vehicle was found breaking the law on such and such date and at such a time. He should be advised to desist from such activity failing which action would be taken against him. This way everyone will be on his best behaviour, not knowing which of the co-drivers on the road is keeping a tab on his activities. To make sure that nobody accuses these responsible persons of lodging false complaints, the extreme step of confiscating the driving licence or even imposing a fine could be taken only if at least five complaints are received against a person. It has been noticed that very few drivers break the law just once. They drive recklessly almost constantly and are certain to be noticed by more than one civilian invigilators. Watch someone overtaking you from the left. Chances are that he will do exactly the same thing 2 or 3 km down the road. All such irresponsible drivers can be reined in if their victims are allowed to complain against them. This will not at all amount to spying on fellow-citizens but will be a responsible community’s response to the few black sheep who put everyone’s life in jeopardy - including their own. Surprise element will be strong. Whereas everyone knows which are the “safe” stretches where policemen are never to be seen, there is no guarantee which car may be having a person authorised to complain against an irresponsible driver. This method has been applied to good effect in countries like Britain where there are spy cameras every few kilometres. Most of the time these do not even have the film in them but since the speedsters do not know which camera is working and which one is a dummy, they keep their animal instinct in leash. Installing such cameras in India may be a costly proposition. There is no guarantee either that these would not be damaged or stolen. But community policing can not only be inexpensive but also workable. All that is needed is a change in rules and regulations so that any legal hitch can be removed. The step can not only spare traffic policemen for other duties but also bring about a sense of participation in those asked to keep a watchful eye on the road. Habitual offenders will hate this kind of snooping but they badly deserve such a treatment. |
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True believers at World
Bank A
few decades after the end of the war that he managed, former Defence Secretary Robert McNamara told Americans that the Vietnam War had been a mistake and he apologized. Great. But when, I’d like to know, is he going to apologize for the World Bank? Before his presidency, the World Bank typically made loans to Third World governments to support transportation, irrigation, education and other basics that were meant to promote economic development. But there was a lot of corruption. For that and other reasons, the loans didn’t always accomplish all that was hoped for. In the McNamara era, the bank began to make loans on the condition that nations privatise public services and allow foreign money to move in and out of the country with little regulation. The idea was to create a climate in which private investment would lift people out of poverty. For the next 30 years, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund followed this market-oriented strategy, which came to be known as “the Washington Consensus.” Before the McNamara years, the poorest people didn’t get much richer. But during the Washington Consensus years, they got poorer and poorer. I saw how that could be possible when I became a shareholder in the French water company Suez, which took over the water system of Johannesburg, South Africa. To get ready for privatization, South African communities followed the World Bank/IMF suggestion that water rates be raised so consumers would get used to paying the full cost. The water of many people was cut off when they couldn’t pay their bills. In some places they started taking water from rivers. The result was a cholera epidemic. Cholera is an extreme result for a development scheme. But then, privatizing water in Africa is an extreme application of the World Bank’s private investment theory. After all, a private company has to have some way of making money. How is a private water company supposed to recoup the expense of extending pipelines to people who are simply too poor to pay the real cost? If you buy a Third World water company, it’s far easier, you’ll quickly discover, to recoup the investment by siphoning the water out to be bottled and consumed elsewhere. Even in the First World, it’s often more profitable to siphon off than to “develop.” For a few years, the Suez Co. also owned the water system in Bergen County, N.J. During its stewardship, it sold off land around the reservoir to private builders. Then it turned around and sold the whole water system to another company. We shareholders took the money and ran. Technically that’s called “asset stripping.” And it’s perfectly legal. A quarter of a century of day-in, day-out asset stripping sponsored by the IMF and the World Bank left millions of poor people poorer. Meanwhile, the unregulated capital flows — another tenet of the Washington Consensus —led to speculative booms and currency crashes that pushed hundreds of millions of people down into dollar-a-day poverty. But the true believers were unswayed. They knew that private investment must eventually lead to poverty reduction, so they soldiered on. — LA Times-Washington Post |
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Lahore to be bicycle-friendly
LAHORE: District Nazim Mian Amir Mahmood signed UNESCO-sponsored “Charter and Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities” with Velo Mondial (London, Amsterdam) on behalf of the City on Tuesday to check increasing pollution being spread by the vehicles and promotion of environmental-friendly transport ‘bicycle’. Christopher Huggins countersigned the charter on behalf of Velo Mondial. This charter provides a blueprint and a set of directives for promoting the bicycle as an efficient, environmentally-friendly alternative to motorized transport. Christopher Huggins had reached the City on May 2 after being around the world in 360 ways. The venture began in Paris in June 2004. He travelled across seven European countries, Turkey and Iran by bicycle. Tariq Zaman, District Officer, Environment, informed that over 10,000 motor cars are being registered in the city every month and hence the bicycle-friendly policy is the need of the hour. — The Nation Al-Qaeda suspect
ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan had handed over a top Al-Qaeda suspect to the United States, having completed his interrogation. Pakistan announced in May it had captured Abu Faraj Farj Al Libbi, a Libyan that US counter-terrorism agents say became Al-Qaeda’s third-most important figure two years ago. General Musharraf said he did not know where Al-Libbi currently was, in Pakistan, or in US custody. “We have extracted all the information and intelligence from him and I presume that he may have been deported already to the US,” President Musharraf said in response to a question at a forum organised by CNN that was televised live. “We had decided that having gathered all the information, interrogated him, we are going to deport him. We dot want him in Pakistan,” the president added. Pakistan says Al Libbi was Al Qaeda’s operations chief and was behind two assassination attempts against Musharraf in December 2003. — The Dawn
More jobs for youths
LARKANA: Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim has said there was no political motive behind the creation of new districts in the province, but these were set up for the benefit of the general public. Addressing a public meeting in Kandhkot and a ceremony on the occasion of providing gas supply to Ghouspur late on Monday, Arbab said by establishing new districts not only funds for development schemes would be increased, but jobs would also be provided to the unemployed youths. He said the law and order situation in Sindh was under control and confidence of the people in police had started taking roots.
— The News |
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From the pages of Venue of National Congress THE first Indian National Congress met at Bombay, the second at Calcutta, and the third at Madras. The fourth meets at Allahabad. Where will the fifth meet? There are five principal seats of Government in the five principal administrative Divisions of India. Three of these Divisions have already had the honour and privilege of having this great assembly of the representatives of the Indian people held in their capital cities. Will the Punjab have that honour and privilege in December 1889? Or will the Punjab allow herself to be regarded as the most backward and unpatriotic province in India? Let Punjabis answer. All India is looking at her for a sign, as it were, to know if the land of the Sikhs is still the mother of the most loyal and patriotic of India’s sons, if the Punjabis are resolved to take the lead in the peaceful struggles after political advancement in the present as they took the lead in warlike struggles after political aggrandisment in the past.
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That woman alone is beautiful who adorns her forehead with the jewel of love. — Guru Nanak If a man who enjoys a lesser happiness beholds a greater one, let him leave aside the lesser to gain the greater. — The Buddha Ahimsa is the height of Kshatriya dharma as it represents the climax of fearlessness. — Mahatma Gandhi He who goes about begging for what he himself has at his own home, gathers shame and reproach. — Guru Nanak  |
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