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Democracy and religion:Challenge to Pak society On Record Cops who ran amuck must
be punished
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Corruption must be tackled with a firm hand by Prem Prakash
London: The other day I was sitting in the India Office Library reading the Sir Thomas Roe’s despatches on how vested interests in the Mughal Court have weakened the administration. Almost simultaneously, television channels were reporting the allegations of corruption against the candidates in the presidential elections — Pratibha Patil and Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. Corruption is not a new phenomenon to India; we have been living with it for centuries. In spite of this malaise, we have progressed. Today, India is trying hard to break the shackles of poverty and find its rightful place in the globalised world. The education and empowerment of women has played a major role in the emergence of nearly 320 million-strong middle class as a major catalyst for change. India today presents a picture of a country progressing with great dynamism. The youth, India’s new brand of IT industrialists, highly educated and motivated to do well in life, have spearheaded the rapid progress in just about a decade and half. India has to keep the momentum and emerge as a modern powerful nation. The journey has just begun. There is no room for complacency. We have many hurdles to cross. Our infrastructure is in a mess. The law and order is breaking down. Self-seeking, geriatric and corrupt politicians refuse to make way for the young. India has been a mute witness to the subversion of its democratic system to make state power the personal preserve of some families. The so-called national parties have little mass membership. And the leaders are scared that if they have mass membership, they would be overthrown and would have to make way for younger leaders to emerge. If the progress registered so far has to proceed on sound lines and the fruits shared by all sections, we have to rid the system of political “deals” marked by corrupt and criminal acts. In the reports that Thomas Roe sent back home, we can read of the poverty of the weavers, the bad state of the roads, the tyranny and venality of local officials and the weakness of the Central Government. He also mentioned about the good qualities of the leaders. Roe complimented the Mughals for there being no trace of intolerance or persecution of any person on account of his religion. He also complimented them for being just to strangers. But the goodness did not help it to survive. The Mughal court was filled with coteries of vested interests that often prevailed upon the Emperor. The Emperor’s weakness for his Queen, Noorjehan, meant that her father Itmad-ud daula and her brother Asaf Khan to wield huge influence in the day-to-day administration of the Mughal empire. The coterie that wielded such huge influence was said to be full of greed and managed to conspire in a manner that the eldest son of Jahangir was denied his right of succession and Shah Jahan emerged as emperor after Jahangir for he was married to Asaf Khan’s daughter. The Mughal dynasty did not last long thereafter. Shah Jahan was ousted by Aurangzeb, and after him, the Mughal dynasty never recovered even as it remained in the titular control of Delhi. Corruption and coterie rule had its toll then, just as it can threaten an independent and democratic India now. India’s founding fathers ushered in a democracy which sought to empower every citizen, a unique achievement in its long and chequered history. Our founding fathers like Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, to name a few, were all men committed to India and to the welfare of its people. There did exist a few corrupt persons in the government then, but the administration itself was not run on corrupt lines. It is time those at the helm of affairs today looked back and learnt lessons from some of the stark realities of history that have pulled India down in the past. It is time we got rid of coteries and extra-constitutional centres of power that influence the administration. The nation has to guard itself against the politics of “deals” and corruption in the administration. Roads in the vast countryside are built on paper only. Major infrastructure projects like the National Highway are years behind schedule. Grandiose schemes like the Rural Employment Guarantee Programme hardly make a dent. The assessment is that only 15 per cent of the allotted money reaches the poor and the rest is distributed among corrupt officials. Rajiv Gandhi wanted the panchayati raj institutions to be guardians of village level development. This writer has seen their functioning in North India, parts of South India and in Goa. I can vouch that many of the panchayats have become dens of corruption. A story often heard in Goa is about a very powerful Sarpanch. His home and office came under the raid of anti-corruption officials. Undeterred, he quickly told them to keep all that they had found — a staggering sum. And, after it was all over, the man stayed on to accumulate a still bigger sum. Can poverty be eradicated in the rural India with so many corrupt around? Even the judiciary has been accused of corruption. Recently two very senior advocates of the Supreme Court were suspended by the Supreme Court Bar Council for striking a deal to resolve a pending (BMW) case quickly. The day India’s judicial system collapses, India’s democratic structure too will go with it. Even the defence forces of the country are suffering from the stigma of corruption. It takes ages to order any defence equipment, all because of the demon of “corruption”, the most talked about being the Bofors gun deal finalised in the late eighties. An added factor to the security of India is the presence of millions of illegal immigrants in the country. No one is able to hazard a guess as to the exact number. How did so many millions manage to enter the country in the first place and then get jobs and be registered as voters? Did the state governments concerned condone the illegal immigration? The answer is: there is corruption at all levels, be it at the borders or within the country. The lessons of history are loud and clear. If India is to survive, it must root out corruption. Corruption does not only hinder growth and prosperity; today it threatens the very existence of the country. It is time for those in charge of running the affairs of this nation not to forget the lessons that can be learnt from the long history of India. All our progress and growth can be endangered if we forget history and do not ruthlessly deal with corruption.
— ANI
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Profile Perfection of this technology by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would be a precursor to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s dream project, Aero Vehicle for Hypersonic Aerospace Transportation (AVATAR). According to Dr V.K. Saraswat, Chief Controller, DRDO, the ground test for HTDV scramjet propulsion system using kerosene as fuel has been conducted by DRDO scientists at a high speed material testing laboratory abroad. The results have been encouraging. One of the most ambitious project of the DRDO, the hypersonic plane is expected to be test flown by the end of 2008. Men behind the hypersonic project include Dr Saraswat and his team of dedicated scientists. Aptly, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week decorated him with the DRDO Award for path-breaking research and outstanding technology development. Also known as the force behind India’s Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme, launched as far back as 1982, Dr Saraswat is the Chairman of Aeronautical Society of India as well. Currently working as Director, DRDO, Hyderabad, he has supervised the launch of several crucial missiles including Prithvi. His achievements include development of the area defence system against ballistic missile attacks by successfully intercepting an incoming missile. Dr Saraswat, 58, started his career in DRDO in 1972 with development of India’s first Liquid Propulsion Engine, Devil. Having a Doctorate in Propulsion Engineering, he established facilities for design, production and testing of engines and the RCS technologies for the missile applications. Under his leadership, India embarked upon a challenging, furturistic Air Defence programme encompassing development of complex anti-ballistic missile system, radars, C-41 system and integration of battle management resources into a national authority. He was decorated with Padma Shri Award in 1998. He has won a number of awards including the National Aeronautical Prize 1993, the DRDO Technology Transfer Award 1996 and the Performance Excellence Award 1999. India’s missile programme is poised to enter a new phase which includes space and sea-based sensors to forecast disasters like Tsunami and role of space science in education and health. The space research will go a long way in the development of potent communication network for disaster management. As regards education, Dr Saraswat has been quoted as saying in various lectures and conferences that space science has enabled medical experts to guide doctors in primary health care centres. Many operations have been conducted in this manner. Scientists in Andhra Pradesh have been using EDUSAT (Educational Satellite) to create classrooms in remote villages where children have no access to education. Also DRDO’s Smart Soldier project wherein scientists develop all-weather resistant clothing for Indian soldiers posted in extreme climatic conditions has been of great help. Comfort of the soldier, Dr Saraswat said in one of his lecture, has been scientists’ main concern at the DRDO. “We are developing special bullet-proof jackets for soldiers, besides designing clothing that can withstand temperatures in Siachin and in deserts”. Space technology, according to him, was vital for societal mission of India and to meet the future needs of energy and drinking water. The era of wood, bio-mass and natural gas almost neared end and the perennial source of clean energy was solar energy, which will be meeting the energy demands of the globe. Solar array in space produced five to eight times the energy from an equivalent area on the ground due to higher energy intensity in space. Space-based solar power stations had six to 15 times greater capital utilisation than equivalent sized ground solar stations. Currently, more than half of the world’s six billion population was without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Reverse osmosis technologies for sea water desalination has been rapidly evolving to tide over the problem of clean water. |
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— Former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral — CPM general secretary Prakash Karat — Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee We don’t want to differentiate multinationals from Indian corporates; both are bad for Kerala. We really don’t want them in Kerala at all. — CPI leader C. Divakaran Apparently, today’s terrorist suspects are very sober, very intelligent and courteous persons. People will not suspect that they harbour such views. But then, it is these people who are more dangerous than rogues on the street. — Karnataka Home Minister
M.P. Prakash We have not received not one fingerprint, not one telephone number, not one address, nothing, from the UK about the recent thwarted terrorist attacks. — Interpol Secretary-General
Ronald Noble Men are born as emissaries of a little place called ‘bad memory’. They can never remember fights, arguments, birthdays or anniversaries. Women believe they are born to remind men. — Roshan Abbas, Anchor — Tennis legend Vijay Amritraj —‘Harry Potter’ star Emma Watson (17) who plays the role of Hermione Granger in Potter movies who is already a multimillionaire
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I AM shocked over the comparison made between the Operation Bluestar at Amritsar and Pakistan’s Operation Silence on the Lal Masjid at Islamabad. The Golden Temple is the Sikhs’ Vatican. The entire community considers it sacred and looks up to it for guidance on religious matters. Thousands from other communities also pay obeisance at what is respectfully called the Darbar Sahib. However, the Lal Masjid is one of the hundreds of mosques in Pakistan. This is not the Mecca of Muslims, nor the most revered mosque. Some fundamentalists and clerics captured and used it for nefarious propaganda and activities, to the embarrassment and anguish of the Muslim community. The masjid never represented the Muslim community, but only a few fanatics. Muslims were not against what was being done to the Lal Masjid. In fact, they had wanted an early action against those who misused it because it was a blemish on the Muslim community. The Golden Temple when attacked shocked the Sikh community in India and abroad. The Army’s entry into the Golden Temple was considered sacrilegious. The Sikhs have not yet recovered from the pain it caused to them. Operation Bluestar was wrong while the action against the Lal Masjid is justified. The inept comparison indicates once again the pathetic ignorance Indians have about Pakistan. No doubt, it is a military-run country but people there want as much democracy as any sovereign nation would. The misinformation is because of the estrangement between India and Pakistan. This is partly because of lack of contact and partly because of the hangover of partition which resulted in the killing of over 10 lakh people and the uprooting of 200 lakh. Lately, there has been a bit of improvement in relations between the two countries. Even the limited people-to-people contact has reduced the tension and the government-level talks have narrowed down the differences. But they still have a long to go. Talks have slowed down, not because of any disagreement between the two but because, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said, the Pakistan government is too occupied with its domestic problems. It would take time before the thread is picked up from where it had been left off. But this may entail quite a time. The impending return of Benazir Bhutto, head of the Paksitan People’s Party (PPP), may change things drastically. She is for a borderless subcontinent but is a hardliner on Kashmir. That she is coming back is more or less a settled fact because she seems to have entered into an agreement with Musharraf. Maybe, New Delhi would have to wait until things settle down in Pakistan. Another development which indirectly concerns India is the meeting of the opposition parties in London at the invitation of Nawaz Sharif. He has reportedly spent Rs 10 crore because he had to lodge and board the representatives of different political parties. In many cases, he had to pay for the air tickets both ways. Indeed, it was the most representative meeting since the exit of Benazir Bhutto and Sharif from Pakistan. Although Benazir Bhutto was conspicuous by her absence at the meeting, her five-member delegation was present and had the sanction of Benazir Bhutto to agree to most of the things that Sharif wanted. For example, the PPP too would seek the resignation of Musharraf to pave the way for fair elections under a neutral caretaker government. Yet, in view of the understanding between Benazir Bhutto and Musharraf, the PPP did not go the whole hog. It did not agree to “resist the re-election of Musharraf by the incumbent assemblies through a collective action, including resignations.” Even Fazal-ur-Rahman, heading the Muttihada Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), a combination of six religious parties, had reservations. But he did not make them an issue. Therefore, what political parties, except the PPP, have agreed is to resign from their assembly seats if Musharraf tried to get himself re-elected by the present assemblies. In contrast is Musharraf’s warning a few days ago at Islamabad. “I want to make it clear to the people who say they will not contest elections in my presence that come what may, I am going to fight and stay.” Although his statement makes a mockery of the Pakistan constitution, he has repeatedly made it. That the President should get himself elected for five years by the assemblies which end their tenure a few months hence (November) is rather odd. The political parties have no option, after agreeing at the London meeting, except to quit the assemblies so that their resignations jeopardise the re-election of Musharraf. The Pakistan constitution requires two-thirds majority for his re-election. The threat of resignations may well be the reason why Altaf Hussain of MQM has become a key person. It looks as if the MQM must vote with the new possible combination of Muslim League (Qaide), Musharraf’s blessed party and the PPP to provide the necessary number. The manner in which Musharraf has crushed the challenge that the Lal Masjid fundamentalists posed has, no doubt, enhanced his reputation. An average person in Pakistan is opposed to the religious extremists and applauds when strict action is taken against them. Some do blame Musharraf for allowing the situation to build up to divert the nation’s attention from the lawyers’ agitation. Indeed, he has an upper hand for the time being. Yet, the disorderly and fundamentalist forces which have got entrenched in the country cannot be checked, much less blotted out, without the liberal, democratic forces giving them a fight. That means there will have to be free and fair elections soon. This is what Benazir Bhutto has also been saying. Whether her return is supported by the opposition parties or not, it does change the scenario: the extremists have to be exterminated. How far the religious parties go with Islamabad in doing so is a problem. They draw their strength from fundamentalists, although they do not favour the latter’s confrontation with the government. How does democracy accommodate the dictates of religion is the biggest challenge before the Pakistani society. This is apart from the permanent role the military wants in the affairs of the
country.
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On Record
Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel is India’s most recognised face abroad. He is the most savvy minister who can carry off an Armani or a Versace suit with panache and is seen around the world at high profile events —be it the Paris Air Show or Hillary Clinton’s fund raiser dinner. However, his contribution to open up the Indian skies and putting the country on fast track development is immense. In an exclusive interview to The Sunday Tribune, he spoke about the civil aviation sector including mergers and acquisitions. “Without the merger of Air India and Indian, the two carriers would have perished”, he says. Excerpts: Q. Finally, the merger of Air India and Indian? A: It will be a seamless merger; the synergies of merger would be visible no later than six months from August 1. Route rationalisation, cost saving and integration of employees would be as seamless as possible. There are so many opportunities. Q: Why has the Cabinet clearance for the Civil Aviation Policy not come through? A: Nothing really went wrong. The process of wider consultation is always there in the government. We have suggested more airspace should be available for use in civil aviation in view of the burgeoning traffic. We should also look at the international aviation regime and make it more liberal. With international traffic going up by 25 per cent in the last three years, we still feel there is a case for higher number of aircraft and carriers to fly overseas only because India’s share in the inbound and outbound international traffic is just 20 per cent. Q: Is the Defence Ministry unwilling to give more airspace for civil aviation for security reasons? A: I don’t think there is any turf war. It is only the question of trying to work together and make it more effective. This process of consultation will be able to give a solution.
Q: Kingfisher airline has picked up controlling stakes in Air Deccan. How would the new policy address the issues of mergers and acquisitions? A: There is no ambiguity in the government policy on one airlines picking up stakes in other airlines. The trend is normal and internationally prevalent. We must give a level playing field and everything should be done in a fair and transparent manner. The government has no role in not allowing such acquisitions. Q: What role do low cost carriers have in future? A: The low cost concept is a hit in India. There is a difference in low cost carrier internationally and the one in India because we don’t have multiple infrastructure which is low cost and regular. We also have some overheads which are similar. It is just the beginning. When the infrastructure is upgraded, there would be greater access to cheaper airlines. In the US, there are over 5,200 operational airports and in India we have just 80. Why can't we have 500 airports? We have to move in that direction. Low cost carriers definitely help save 20 to 25 per cent of the travel cost. Q: How about another international airport for the NCR region at Greater Noida? A: All the metropolitan cities in India can have more than one international airport. We are examining the preliminary proposal for Greater Noida. It will take some time before the proposal goes to the Cabinet. Broadly we feel that multiple airports are required. Q: Will the plethora of clearances change after the new policy is approved? A: Clearances in civil aviation are fairly simple compared to other sectors. We ask for a security clearance — a pre-requisite. All other clearances are technical and can be cleared by the DGCA. Starting an airline is not a nightmare anymore. We are simplifying the procedures further and we would make them progressively simpler. Q: What restrictions will be imposed for aircraft older than a certain age? A: We don’t want all the old planes coming into India for various reasons — technical, safety and environmental. Older planes mean older technology, higher emissions, sound and pollution. We will look at new generation planes coming into India. We already have a policy of planes not more than 15 years old can be imported into India and probably we will bring the level down to 12 years. Q: What about dropping the final threshold of 12 years? A: No, we have still not been able to clarify because it has to be decided according to the international civil aviation protocol.
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Cops who ran amuck must
be punished It
is a travesty of justice that years after the troubled nineties in Punjab, and more recently, even after a former DGP (who since has managed his repatriation to his home state) had made startling disclosures about the rehabilitation of some allegedly former terrorists declared exterminated at the time, the innocents killed in lieu of those officially declared dead find themselves undocumented and untraceable. This is not to suggest that the kin of the policemen killed in anti-terrorist operations should not be duly compensated. The custodians of justice who ran amuck then will have to be brought to book fast. Punjab’s rulers at the time and the Centre, which remote-controlled the policymaking and direction, should answer many questions. Political expediency, the bureaucracy’s readiness to execute with no questions asked, malfunctional police and Central agency intelligence, the institution of awards and promotions for the Punjab Police for enhanced body counts in encounters, a bullet for bullet policy in place of arrest and prosecution and the dangerous politician-police nexus often resulting in extra-judicial killings have all resulted in a grave communal rift between two predominant communities of the state. The lack of fast track courts compounded matters. All those who looked the other way - from top to bottom of the political, bureaucratic and police machinery - must do some introspection. The Army too in cordon and search operations, especially at the Commander’s level, should ensure that the ‘suspects’ that they handed over to the police for intensive interrogation were not innocent villagers. The dubious past would have been buried had not the names of Gurnam Singh Bandala and a few others surfaced in the press, resurrecting the controversy of who were killed in place of those that the police had rehabilitated at the time. A former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court - and not a police officer - should head a high powered Commission of Inquiry into the “encounter killings”, summon under oath from the police districts all records of the encounters during the period of militancy, a list of all the police ‘cats’ and informers, alive or dead. This list can be supplied in camera to the Judge if the police does not wish to compromise their security, call in as respondents the relatives of those still missing and now to be presumed dead. It could summon as witnesses all former DGPs of Punjab of that era to throw light on the subject. Let the judiciary decide whether it was in the national interest to kill innocents and keep alive a dubious police intelligence network. The National Police Commission should evaluate gallantry awards and promotions given to those in the Punjab Police at that time. It must fully insulate the police machinery from political interference. An independent investigative machinery within the police force can check exuberant police officials taking the law into their own hands. The days of the encounter specialists, police cats and officialdom out to please its political masters must be brought to an
end. |
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India
A coalition system is definitely more democratic. Earlier, there would be no discussion. The only thing heard was, ‘Yes’. When I headed a coalition government at the Centre and there was a demand for Mayawati’s dismissal, we spent 15 hours in discussion. 
We (the West Bengal Government) have to adopt industrialisation…it cannot be achieved without the help of capitalists like the Tatas.
We are not beggars. We are not going to go begging to the CPM. They are hypocrites; they say something in Delhi and do something else in Bengal.
Not everybody matures at 18 or 20. Sania Mirza’s best years are yet to come. I would tell her or any of the younger players to gamble the losses. At the end of your career, nobody remembers if you lost in the second round in Bali, but if you won that exciting quarterfinal at Wimbledon or the other majors.
Tailpiece: Let’s be honest — I have enough money never to have to work again, but I would never want that. Learning keeps me motivated.