 |
|
Peace is a two-way street The Tangmarg protest Give more for wheat |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
China’s “peaceful rise”
An endangered species
Peace after war Advertisements cannot sell
the Army Chatterati
|
Peace is a two-way street
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, known for his caution and restraint —-often more than necessary —- could not but point the accusing finger at Pakistan for aiding and abetting terrorism in India. Reminding Islamabad on Friday in Mumbai of what it had promised in January 2004, that no territory under Pakistan’s control would be allowed to be used for terrorism, he bluntly told the Pervez Musharraf regime that “the assurance has to be fulfilled before the peace process or other processes can make any progress”. India cannot talk peace when terrorists trained in Pakistan go on killing innocent people in different parts of the country. The peace track is a two-way street, and Pakistan should know that there is a limit to India’s patience. It had agreed to go ahead with the peace process on the condition that Pakistan would stop using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. There is, however, little change in Pakistan’s policy. Outfits like the Lashkar-e-Toiyaba, the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Hizbul Mujahideen continue to function from Pakistan under assumed names. Their destructive infrastructure, including the communication networks, remains intact. The Mumbai blasts have virtually frozen the dialogue process for quite some time. India’s decision to indefinitely postpone the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled to be held in Delhi on July 21, was the only answer to the situation created by Pakistan’s irresponsible behaviour. Any other step would be out of step with the public mood in India. It was necessary to send a terse message across the border. It is also in the fitness of things to call off the Indian parliamentary delegation’s visit to Islamabad to participate in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s meeting there. The G-8 meeting in St Petersberg, Russia, is the right occasion to unequivocally declare “zero tolerance for terrorism”, as stated by Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran on Saturday. The time has come to further expose Pakistan at the international level so that it is forced to dismantle all the militant networks having their bases there before meaningful dialogue can be resumed. India on its part has to strengthen its vigil at all the vulnerable places. Terrorist modules belonging to organisations like the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) need to be smashed. SIMI’s modus operandi, which has been functioning under different names, requires to be thoroughly investigated. Its support base must be destroyed. The country’s intelligence-gathering network also needs to be overhauled. What happened in Mumbai cannot go to the credit of the state and Central intelligence set-ups. Even if they are overstretched, on their efficiency depends the country’s internal and external security. |
|
The Tangmarg protest
It has been a well-accepted fact all along that the war against terror cannot be won without the active support of the general public. Unfortunately, the man on the street is usually too scared or too busy to speak up unless terrorism hits him directly. But even this monumental indifference wears out sooner or later. That is what seems to have started happening in Jammu and Kashmir at last. The tourist town of Tangmarg observed a complete shutdown on Friday in protest against the grenade attack on a tourist bus at Gulmarg in which 13 tourists were injured on Wednesday. This comes close on the heels of a similar incident in Srinagar where the public overpowered a grenade-thrower and handed him over to the police. Such incidents would have been unthinkable in the valley till recently. So what has happened? One, the gentle citizens of the valley seem to have gotten sick and tired of blood and mayhem which the terrorists have brought in their wake. Two, realisation seems to have dawned on the people that the terrorists are not their friends and only furthering the agenda of Pakistan to grab the valley by violence. In this dirty game, they are willing to kill innocent people of any religion or area. And to further their cause, they are out to hit the economy of the state as well as livelihood of the people. That is why they have decided to speak up against the militants at last. Tourism is the lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir. By specifically targeting the “mehmaan” from elsewhere, the killers are pointedly making life difficult for the common man, forcing him and the tour operators to protest in the streets of Tangmarg. There is a bit of self-interest involved in all this. The public did not speak for the innocent victims openly till the killings came to be seen as casting a shadow on tourism. But whatever the motives, the people’s ire is something the government must build on. The common man in Kashmir is inherently a peace-loving person. His support can be the strongest weapon in the hands of the government in its fight against terrorism. In return, the government must lift the fear from the minds of the common man. |
|
Give more for wheat
Punjab’s demand for a 25 per cent increase in the minimum support prices of cereals is justified for more than one reason. First, there has been a sharp increase in farm input costs that has not got reflected in the existing MSPs. In the last season the wheat MSP was just Rs 650 a quintal. Though the Centre later announced a bonus of Rs 50, many farmers had sold their produce to private traders and companies at prices marginally above the MSP. To avoid the recurrence of such a situation, the Centre should announce the MSP well in advance. Secondly, since the MSP was low, government procurement agencies failed to lift sufficient stocks, thus forcing the government to import wheat. This created another controversy. The idea of wheat imports is unacceptable to many in this country. Only a couple of years ago it had been a problem to handle surplus stocks of foodgrains and wheat exports were done at half the procurement cost. That India’s food security has been jeopardised lately is quite apparent. The government deserved the flak it received from various quarters as it paid a higher price of Rs 1,000 or so per quintal for imported wheat against Rs 700 paid to local farmers. Thirdly, in the given situation the government has no alternative to increasing the MSP, particularly for wheat. With the removal of the curbs on the inter-state movement and storage of wheat by private traders, it will be difficult for the official agencies to buy stocks for the Central pool. The government should ensure that cartels of traders do not manipulate prices to the disadvantage of farmers. As for protecting the interests of the poor, the government will have to make the public distribution system effective. India’s aim to emerge as an economic power will suffer if farmers and agriculture come to suffer because of the government’s neglect and low returns. |
|
Culture may even be described simply as that which makes life worth living.
— T.S. Eliot |
China’s “peaceful rise”
CHINA has inaugurated its rail link to Lhasa with pomp and show. It is undoubtedly a technological marvel, though one that will be difficult to maintain over the long term. The new railway line is ostensibly designed to open up Tibet to the world. It will also help the ruling Communist Party in China to substantially increase the number of Han Chinese that it settles every year in Tibet to change its demography. Another cause for concern is China’s increased logistics capability to build up and sustain over a longer duration a much larger number of People’s Liberation Army divisions in Tibet. These extra divisions could be employed to further subdue the Tibetan people during peacetime and will be readily available in case of another border skirmish with India. Very few people realise that another incident like the limited fighting at Nathu La in 1967 and the Wang Dung stand-off in 1986 can lead to a border war as a result of the undemarcated Line of Actual Control. China has termed its ongoing quest for a super power status a “peaceful rise”. However, China has never hesitated to employ military power to settle territorial and boundary disputes. It is the only major Asian country that has fought wars with all its land neighbours and claims to have done so in self-defence. China was involved in a vicious war in Korea in the 1950s. In 1962 China fought a border war with India that shattered the illusions of peaceful co-existence in Asia. It fought with Russia over a disputed island in the Assuri river. It invaded Vietnam to teach it a lesson and withdrew with a bloody nose. China always speaks of its intentions for the peaceful re-unification of Taiwan with the mainland but does not hesitate to issue dire threats at the smallest sign of Taiwan’s quest for self-determination. It has fired surface-to-surface missiles into the Taiwan Straits and regularly practices amphibious landings. China has taken physical possession of some of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea even though several other nations have much stronger claims. China was the world’s leading proliferator of nuclear weapons till A.Q. Khan’s antics propelled Pakistan to the top. Therefore, China’s emerging military capabilities must be seen in the light of its likely intentions in future. It would be wrong to deduce that China is concentrating exclusively on enhancing its military power, which is now only one element of a nation’s ability to influence and shape the international environment. The Chinese leaders have for long propounded the concept of “comprehensive national power”. The Chinese are acutely conscious of the fact that they cannot hope to match the military muscle of the West for many more decades. They have been quick to realise that in future, as the world becomes increasingly globalised, interdependent and wired economic power will be the predominant determinant of a nation’s global status and its relative weight in the new world order. That is why the Chinese are working assiduously towards becoming an economic super power. Simultaneously, China is modernising its armed forces to prepare for an option of the last resort, should Taiwan suddenly declare independence. In particular, the Chinese are acquiring offensive capabilities, including rapid reaction forces. The Chinese are unlikely to either invade Taiwan to secure its merger with the mainland or launch even missile and air strikes, as such action will have huge economic repercussions. New FDI will almost certainly stop; projects in the pipeline will be put on hold; some MNCs may even pull out; and the stock market will inevitably crash. However, a naval and air blockade of Taiwan, though likely to invite UN sanctions, may appear attractive to the Chinese leadership. Cyber attacks, for which China has been preparing since the first Gulf War in 1991, are even more likely as these can completely disrupt the economy and provide inherent deniability. Though Russia is the foremost supplier of military hardware to China, there has been no major military and strategic cooperation between the two countries. The relationship is basically a patron-client, buyer-seller relationship with limited transfer of technology to manufacture under license. It will be recalled that the Chinese had debunked former Russian Prime Minister Primakov’s proposal of a China-Russia-India triangle. However, the probability of a real convergence in the Chinese and Russian worldviews cannot be discounted. An overly pro-active US response will definitely ensure that the relationship graduates to a more meaningful strategic partnership, even if not a military alliance. Excessive US pressure will only drive the Chinese to up the ante a couple of notches in their rhetoric as well as their military preparations for the reunification of Taiwan. Post-Cold War geopolitics is still in a state of flux. In the emerging poly-centric world order, new great powers will seek to counter US economic and military predominance. It will be prudent for the US to accommodate the new powers rather than confront them. At the same time, the US is unlikely to be overwhelmed either by the ongoing transition in power-politics or by the use of asymmetric warfare to counter its superior military power. The US can and must continue to utilise its economic clout and military muscle to exercise a stabilising international influence for the common good while dealing firmly with the so-called “states of concern” that threaten world peace and stability through WMD proliferation and international terrorism. The emerging economic powerhouses like China and India will inevitably rise to take their rightful place as global players. Analysts in the West view China’s self-professed “peaceful rise” with suspicion and recommend a closer strategic partnership with India as a way of hedging US bets to counter-balance China’s influence in Asia. The best policy at present would be to continue to engage China as it integrates itself with the international economic order while keeping a close watch on its military ambitions and
preparations. The writer is Senior Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi.
|
An endangered species
Lecturers — those awful pedantic bores, cynical survivors of failed dreams, the dull, monotonous drone of their voices dousing the sparks of ambition in their hapless students; or well-heeled, fashion-conscious, busy in “what’s hot” chat sessions….is that what you think of them? Allow me to alter your perceptions a little — let’s tour a college and spot those who make a difference. There are no names, for chances are, if you look a little carefully, you might find more than one who fits the description… Watch this one in workshop-mode, making every mind contribute to the flowering of a poem, or engage in understanding the complexities of the post-modern world. As your research guide, she’ll become your friend and philosopher too in your quest of the inner self… Take a look in here. He’s drawing circles, arrows, figures — mind-maps to activate your visual/spatial intelligence — as he unfolds the plot and theme of a novel. Outside class hours, he’s rehearsing with an animated bunch of students for a play or penning a story… She’s diminutive, but her sparkling eyes and expressive voice would arrest you anywhere. Social theories are deftly woven with contemporary reality, centuries-old prejudices are peeled off; leisure hours are spent working for the dignity and rights of the exploited and the meek, writing reports to jolt the slumbering powers that be… He has all the fervour of youth. Dissatisfied with the “system”, he makes his courageous interventions, steadily creating widening ripples of activism, bringing Durkheim, Vandana Shiva, Aamir Khan, et al within the ambit of discussions with his students, demolishing their conditioned responses, stirring them to critical thinking … Students in rapt attention here! With his “naughty, but nice” witticisms, he involves his learners, whether it’s to interpret a text, study intonation, or evolve their work ethic. Got the blues? Need a little stroking? Look out for the lady with a sunny smile, lavishing her love on all beings — from the wasp that flits in, to the ignored lowly employee. With laughter and love, learning becomes fun! Language play and the sounds of music — an irresistible combination! Some are fortunate to be blessed with a mentor who can turn the tedium of “riyaaz” into a punning session, and foster a passion for the classical arts. Glance at the cover of this one’s attendance register — it’s replete with inspirational quotes scribbled all over. If you find students spouting Shiv Khera or Paul Hanna, you know whose classes they attend. Laissez-faire in the classroom? You bet! This teacher brings the pink papers for the future CEOs, assigns projects, encourages group-work and welcomes divergent thinking. There are many others, leading their pupils to win accolades or participate in welfare activities, motivating the listless and the loafers into goal-directed action, imparting life skills along with knowledge, counselling, researching… some call them endangered species, being snuffed out under the dead weight of a stifling “system”. But they’re not really. For they go about kindling souls with their light, enabling a brighter future. Take off your blinkers, please. You’ll find
them. |
Peace after war
The Maoists in Nepal are up in arms against Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for requesting the U.N. Secretary-General for what would be a peacekeeping force to ensure ‘equitable’ reduction in the strength of the Nepalese army and the guerrillas. According to the Military Balance report of the London based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the then Royal, Nepalese Army had a strength of 51,000, including a small air wing. Of that, naturally, the Royal Guard brigade will be taken out with the army ceasing to be the Royal Nepalese Army. The Army would then be between 5000 and 7000 personnel less, assuming that Indian/British formation strengths are followed in Nepal. There is no authoritative count of the Maoist guerrillas, the estimates varying from 15,000 to 7,000. In the case of a guerrilla organisation numbers are not of much consequence because they are not a standing army. Nor indeed, does the equipment matter much because a guerrilla force by its very nature does not wage face-to-face combat with regular troops. There are also reports, more speculative than confirmed, of Naxalites from India joining forces with the Maoists, augmenting both numbers and firepower Meanwhile, it is interesting that a former prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, has demanded disarming of the Maoists prior to holding elections for the proposed constituent assembly. As in Northern Ireland in the last decade, disarming of armed groups can be a vexatious issue in peace negotiations. But more upsetting is the Maoist demand for integration of their guerrilla forces with the regular army. The Indian experience will be relevant in this respect. In the run up to Indian Independence in 1947, both the Army and the Navy, which were the principal components of the British Indian Army, were looked down upon by nationalist elements. They were hated symbols of the alien establishment, so to say. The 1946 uprising by the ratings of the Royal Indian Navy largely in Bombay but also in Karachi had brought into the open the wide gulf in thinking, approach and treatment of Indian and British elements in the force. B.C.Dutt, a participant in the revolt, aptly described it as a “mutiny of the innocents”. His blow-by-blow account recalls that but for the role of the interim government headed by Nehru, the uprising would have accomplished its objective of enlisting the rank and file of the navy in the national struggle for Independence. But the Congress leadership would not have it. The Government would not reinstate the ‘rebels’ in the navy, despite an oral commitment to do so. Only a single rating stationed in Karachi was allowed to continue in the navy but successive military establishments in Pakistan have seen to it that even the drop in the ocean did not last. More importantly, Nehru had donned the barrister’s gown and hood to defend the Indian National Army (INA) officers and men brought to trial by the outgoing British Government on charges of treason. But more than the arraigned INA personnel, the British Government and its army were on trial at the special court in the Red Fort in Delhi, where the showcase trial was staged. Still, while former INA officers like Shaw Nawaz Khan were readily admitted into the ruling Congress party and had also held ministerial positions, the INA was not integrated into the Indian army. The reason is obvious. Officers and men charged with indiscipline and worse cannot be taken into establishments like the army and the navy (the air force was still in its infancy then), run on discipline and a well-defined command structure. The first generation national leaders lived up to that military principle. Officers and men of the national defence forces would vow loyalty to the President of India but the British period method of running the defence forces remained as a kind of necessary evil. More compelling for India is the Gorkha dimension. Six Gorkha regiments remained with India at independence. No doubt, there are Indian Gorkhas also in the army but the ethnic ties between the two are deep. No less daunting is the prospect in Sri Lanka from the Indian security point of view. As both the Sri Lankan army and navy intensified military action against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers for Tamil Elam) the four-year-old ceasefire is mortally threatened. Piqued by the European Community decision last May declaring the LTTE a terrorist outfit, it has demanded that Nordic countries like Denmark, Finland and Sweden be dropped from the Nordic Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission. Norway has firmly put its foot down on the demand. The combined strength of the Sri Lankan armed forces, particularly the army and the navy, of 157,000 shows how modest the Nepal fighting forces are. True, the figure includes about 45,000 reservists. In terms of numbers the LTTE is small, almost miniscule, (7000) but it is perhaps the most dreaded terrorist outfit in the world. It has in its inventory anti-tank and surface to air missiles, which it has successfully used against the Sri Lankan army. India has been counselling restraint to both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE. Its foreign secretary, Shyam Saran, had been to Colombo for talks with the Sri Lanka Government in this context. Reports of his secret meeting with the LTTE have been however denied. . He has pleaded for resumption by Colombo of the 1980’s programme for decentralisation of administrative power to the provinces on the Indian model. But such constitutional reforms may prove mere palliatives in the context of raging military conflict. |
|
Advertisements cannot sell
the Army
According to recent reports the Indian Army plans to spend nearly Rs 8 crore on image building to attract the youth, including young professionals, to join the armed forces. Over the last few years, there have been some major negative events like the dismissal of a naval Chief, various fake encounters, massive corruption, scandals regarding the Kargil war, and lately incidents of molestation of women officers. These may be aberrations, especially in comparison with the civilian sectors, but the rot has indeed set in. After all, it has been resisted for sixty years – but for how long? Looking at the advertisement for recruitment of officers in the Indian army which says, ‘Do you have it in you,’ prompt comes the thought whether they (Army) still have the same in them? Let us not forget that army is the mirror of society and its men are not from a different world. Some time back a city based NGO organised a chat show on the theme, “Armed Forces as a Career Option”. A teenager asked the then Army Commander on the panel that if he joined the army, what could the army offer him that is not available outside? The General replied that he had better not join the service with such an approach, ignoring the basic fact that it is a materialistic world and not the period when this General joined service a few decades ago. Things were entirely different then. There were strong traditional feelings. Officers and men swore by each other and Commanding Officers were regarded as unit fathers. People are more qualified now and tend to be more argumentative and this goes in sharp contrast to the basic instinct of the force which says, “There is no asking why, but to do or die.” The Indian army is an apolitical and voluntary service. While its apolitical nature does not interest the politicians, the high risks, low pay, meagre incentives, disturbed family life, early retirement accompanied with absence of assured second career, have made recruitment to the defence services completely unattractive. Though there is no dearth of people applying for the job, the quality is suspect. Here is where better marketing can help. Look at the manner in which defence services function. There is complete alienation between army and the society. This is regardless of the fact that army comes from the society and goes back to it. There is no absence of patriotism and chivalry in this country, even though the nation lacks a strategic culture. Army dwells on two pillars – the welfare of troops and the quality of leadership. But, unfortunately, both are seen to be declining. The responsibility lies with the Generals, Marshals and Admirals. Leaders were looked up to for strength of character, personal morality, sense of duty, welfare of troops, statesmanship and loyalty to the organisation. Leaders like K.M.Cariappa, General Thakur Nathu Singh. General K. Thimayya, Admiral Prem Bhagat and Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw could inspire the people at large by their exemplary characters. The kind of marketing strategies floated now, which are akin to selling soaps and detergents, are not a substitute. Such advertisements may create some marginal difference, but what is required is improvement of service conditions. The author is Professor at the Centre for Defence and National Security Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. |
|
Chatterati Normally characters of all sorts who land up at 10 Janpath are guided to a special cell at the AICC which then arranges meetings in groups, once or twice a week. There are the sycophants who never miss an opportunity to display their loyalty to the Nehru Gandhi clan on birthdays, election victory celebrations and
resignations. But, a couple of weeks ago, a group of Mahila Congress workers arrived for a rather unusual celebration — they wanted to congratulate Sonia Gandhi on Italy’s victory over Germany in the semi-finals of the FIFA football World Cup. Now we hear that Congress workers in Patna were offering prayers for Italy’s victory in the finals against France. Some have even taken to saving money to travel to Italy and started relishing Italian cuisine —pizzas and pasta cooked in Patna.
... is quite rewarding Gourmet queen Ritu Dalmia of Diva in Greater Kailash - II has recently been bequeathed with the Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity by the Italian Embassy. It’s an order instituted in 1947 meant to honour Italian and foreign nationals who have provided a significant contribution to the development of friendly relations with Italy. The others who share the honour with Ritu Dalmia include filmmakers Ramesh Sharma and Gautam Ghose, pianist Mehroo Jeejeebhoy and industrialists Rakesh Baksh and Karan Paul. The ceremony hosted by the Italian embassy to confer the honour had a variety of people — right from Father Luigi Jelici, who has been active as a missionary in West Bengal for 75 years, to Dr Sujit Manual of the Indian Institute for Mother and Child to designer
Tarun Tahiliani.
Family doctor Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss’ nominee to five of the seven apex committees at AIIMS is urologist A. Rajasekaran, whose foremost qualification is that he is a close relative and father-in-law of PMK leader S. Ramadoss’s daughter. Apart from being chairman of the selection committee at AIIMS, Rajasekaran is member of the Institute Body, Governing Body, Finance Committee and Academic Committee. Before PMK’s alliance with the UPA, Rajasekaran’s claim to fame was being the head of Urology at Madras Medical College and the president of the Urological Society of India. He is also the government’s nominee to all three boards that give out postgraduate degrees in medical education — National Board of Examinations as chairman, AIIMS, and Medical Council of India as member of the postgraduate committee. He is also member of the National Rural Health Mission and a member of the task force on ‘Innovation of Medical Education and Research’, a joint project of the ministry of health and the planning commission. |
|
From the pages of Call of Tashkent
Those who oppose the Tashkent Declaration make two main points. They aver that, say what the Government of India will, the Agreement reopens the Kashmir issue and also gives it the status of an Indo-Pakistan dispute. The abandonment of strategic features like Hajipur Pass, Tithwal and the Uri-Poonch Bulge, valiantly won by the Indian Armed Forces at great cost, would mean inviting Pakistan to repeat the infiltration trick whenever it chooses and once again undermining the stability in Kashmir. Some critics have also brought in the question of the morale of the Armed Forces which, they say, would hardly relish giving up the fruits of their hard-won victories. (Incidentally, the Prime Minister has informed them that top Defence officers were associated with the talks at Tashkent and had endorsed the Declaration). India had repeatedly offered Pakistan a no-war pact and this offer had been indirectly, if not directly, accepted at Tashkent. Pakistan’s renunciation of forces also implied voluntary abandonment of the infiltration ruse; however, if she resorted to it again, India would do what it had already done to tackle the menace. |
In the Vedas creation is likened to the spider’s web. The spider brings the web out of itself and then remains in it. God is the container of the universe and also what is contained in it. — Ramakrishna Nanak utters the truth; “The long estrangement of the soul and the Supreme Soul ends in their meeting through the contemplation of the true
World.” — Guru Nanak |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
