New Delhi, January 18
Just as US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna were meeting at the South Block today, a massive explosion shook Kabul, reminding them of the continuing threat from the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban to the war-ravaged nation.

Sharing New Delhi’s concerns over increasing violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Holbrooke told reporters after his meeting with Krishna that he hoped for ‘more action’ from Pakistan in tackling the ‘ruthless and desperate Taliban’. He also blamed the Taliban for the latest blast in the Afghan capital.

An External Affairs Ministry spokesman said all Indians in Afghanistan were safe. The Indian Embassy in Kabul has advised the Indians to restrict their movements and follow security instructions in wake of the blast.

Holbrooke, who flew to Delhi last night after his visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan, briefed his Indian interlocutors on the situation in Afghanistan. Stressing that the spread of Taliban in the Pakistan’s NWFP areas was the ‘main subject’ of his discussions with the Pakistani leadership, President Barack Obama’s point-man for the troubled Af-Pak region said Washington was quite encouraged by the action taken by Pakistan in the restive Swat region. “I was in Swat a few days ago and I was very impressed with the progress in South Wazirstan. But there are other issues that we have talked about that I hope will see more actions on.’’

Holbrooke was all praise for India’s role in the reconstruction activity in Afghanistan. “India is a tremendously important participant in search for peace and stability not only in south Asia but throughout the vast region that stretches from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.”

He also discussed with the Indian Minister, the upcoming London conference on Afghanistan on January 28, convened by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. India is expected to announce a major initiative in the field of agriculture at the conference, at which the Indian delegation would be led by the Foreign Minister. Official sources said Holbrooke’s visit provided to India an opportunity to know the long-term US policy in Af-Pak.

President Obama has already announced his administration’s decision to send additional 30,000 US troops to Afghanistan and a tentative plan to withdraw troops by July 2011. However, New Delhi is of the view that US and NATO forces should stay in Afghanistan until the Al Qaeda and Taliban are wiped out. “The international community’s disengagement from Afghanistan would mean handing that country to Al Qaeda and Taliban, which would be disastrous not only for Afghanistan but also for entire region.’’ The sources said, “India also is of firm view that the Taliban in Afghanistan still enjoyed the support of Pakistan’s ISI.”

Hyderabad, January 18
A week ahead of the Republic Day celebrations across the country, a top terror operative linked to several terrorist organisations based in Bangladesh and Pakistan was arrested by the Hyderabad police today.

Sheikh Abdul Khaja alias Amjad, a native of Hyderabad, is associated with terror outfits like Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). One of the most wanted terrorists, Khaja, accused in the bomb blast in the Commissioner’s Task Force office here in 2005, functions under the guidance of Pakistan’s ISI. He is also believed to be involved in a string of serial bomb blasts between 2005 and 2008, police commissioner B Prasada Rao said.

Khaja was a close associate of another most wanted terrorist Shahid alias Bilal, who was killed in Pakistan in 2007. He had recently worked in tandem with Hyderabad residents-turned-terrorists Abdul Rehman Hussain, presently staying in Karachi, and Abdul Bari alias Abu Hamza, Farhatullah Ghori alias Abu Sufiyaan, Rafiq alias Abu Hanzala and Mukhtiar alias Abu Duzan, who work for LeT and JeM.

“The group is also involved in fake currency racket and has circulated fake currency with a face value of about Rs 1 crore. Two associates of Khaja - Musthaqeen and Abdul Baqi, both Bangladesh nationals - were arrested by the West Bengal police in November 2009 and fake currency with a face value of Rs 33 lakh was seized from them. Khaja is also involved in supply of arms and ammunition to various terror cells operating in India through Bangladesh,” a police release said. Khaja is also closely involved with other most wanted terrorists like Rasool Khan, prime accused in Gujarat’s Hiren Pandya assassination case.

New Delhi, January 18
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on a Delhi Government official for avoiding providing details under the RTI Act. The fine would be deducted from his salary.

Information Commissioner Sailesh Gandhi has levied a fined of Rs 25,000 on BR Singh, Joint Director (Administration), Department of Social Welfare in the Government of Delhi, for delay of over 100 days in providing information. He has directed the Secretary, Delhi Government, to recover the amount from the salary of Singh over a period of five months and remit it by June, 2010.

The penalty came as Singh avoided providing information on an application filed by Amarkesh Mahendru, seeking information on filling 24 vacant posts of assistant teachers for the deaf and two posts of TGT in various special schools in Delhi.

After the initial hearing, the appeal was allowed and the information was sought to be provided within 30 days.

Initially, PIO BR Singh provided completely irrelevant information and even after the first appellate authority’s order on June 20, 2009, to provide information in 15 days, the information was provided only on October 14 last.

What irked Information Commissioner Gandhi was the fact that while new PIO TN Meena said the advertisement for 24 posts of assistant teachers for the hearing impaired children had been issued, Singh informed the commission a month later that the posts were filled through a walk-in interview in December, 2009.

“The commission sees this as a fit case for levy of penalty,” the commission said.

As I pay tribute to one of the greatest icons of Indian political firmament, I try and think about how the entire Indian polity would have been different had it not been for Jyoti Basu. While people delve on “historic blunders”, it is time to look at how he shaped destiny of Indian politics.

The entire Indian communist movement would have been different had it not been for Jyoti Basu, who was one of the founding members of the CPM politburo. The Indian Left movement is unique in many ways and embraced democracy, which by itself was a revolutionary step. Basu made sure that while he remained committed to his ideals, he and his party participated in democracy. It is to his credit that unlike many other parts of the world, the 1960s and 70s saw Left parties embrace the democratic paradigm, thereby strengthening Indian democracy. By launching a stringent attack on Emergency, just like the Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, Jyoti Basu made sure democratic ideals were not trampled and that such a dark hour was not repeated. To his credit, democracy remains firmly rooted not just in West Bengal, but also everywhere else in India.

Thirdly, West Bengal would have been different had it not been for Jyotida. The state remains highly progressive where agrarian reforms and industrialisation were encouraged simultaneously. This speaks volumes of his understanding of Indian social and economic processes, while the issue of agrarian versus worker class is still being debated in the academia. The history of agrarian reforms in India is incomplete without Jyoti Basu’s progressive ideals. He ensured that land reforms took firm root. It is an irony that agriculturally progressive states of the North lag far behind in this aspect while West Bengal leads the country in land reforms.

Panchayati Raj institutions ,too, are firmly entrenched in West Bengal, courtesy the statesmanship of Jyoti Basu. Much before Panchayati Raj became a buzzword in the Indian polity, Basu had already empowered the villages.

Not only that but the entire gamut of Centre-state relationship in the country would have been different had it not been for him. When tendency towards centralisation was acquiring centrestage, Jyoti Basu held back and became a bulwark against such tendencies. It was his stature as the Chief Minister that helped states earn a greater voice in the federal set up. Forces of centralisation were up against a stalwart, and they had to make a hasty retreat. The respect that the Chief Ministers command today is courtesy people like Jyoti Basu, Devi Lal and Parkash Singh Badal.

Jyoti Basu had a deep association with the state of Punjab. When Emergency was declared in India, he stayed at the farm of Akali leader Kuldip Singh Wadala in a village at Jalandhar. Like other communist leaders, he found a willing host in Punjab. When the anti-Sikh pogrom was let loose by the Congress-ruled states, it was the Chief Ministers like Jyoti Basu that halted the march of mindless violence and hooliganism. It was his commitment, dedication and integrity that he emerged as one of the most respected figures in Indian politics. It was virtually inconceivable earlier that a Chief Minister could be considered worthy to lead the nation. Further, it would have been inconceivable that a person of leftist ideology could lead the nation. But Jyoti Basu changed all that. Not only was he considered worthy of the position, but his name was uttered with awe and respect.

It is to his credit that he embraced idealism while studying in England. To be taught by legendary figures like Harold Laski and then return to one’s homeland to serve the people was again a testimony to his idealism.

I may not share his ideology, but I share his commitment and love for the country. And if I continue to remain an idealist, it is because people like Jyoti Basu continue to inspire politicians like me.

The writer is the Finance Minister of Punjab

New Delhi, January 18
The latest evidence suggesting that UN’s Nobel Prize winning body on climate change, Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), may have made the proverbial “Himalayan blunder” as far as its prediction on Himalayan glaciers is concerned, is turning out to be a sweet revenge for Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

A much-vindicated Environment Minister today said while Himalayan glaciers ware “indeed” receding, “which is a cause for great concern”, the view that they would completely melt down completely by 2035 due to global warning was proving to be “alarmist” and without any scientific basis.

The UN panel had warned that Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035, thereby having far-reaching consequences for India. However latest evidence, as reported by London-based newspaper, suggest that the IPCC may have been mistaken. Incidentally, the Environment Ministry that last year released a report by Indian scientist VK Raina, suggesting that no abnormal meltdown had been noticed in Himalayan glaciers, had come under severe criticism from the green lobby. “We had issued a report (by scientist VK Raina) that the glaciers, have not retreated abnormally. That time we were dismissed, saying it was based on voodoo science. But the new report has clearly vindicated our position,” Ramesh said, taking an obvious dig at comments made by IPCC chairman RK Pachauri, who had dubbed the Environment Ministry’s report as “voodoo science”.

Ramesh said the turn of events also prove that there was no substitute for indigenous modelling, method and measurement. He said this was the second time that West had faltered in its predictions, the previous one being in 1980 when it made wrong forecast about methane emissions from paddy fields. “The most important lesson to learn from this (controversy about glaciers) is that there is no substitute for domestic scientific capability”

The IPCC is expected to issue a statement in a couple of days. “We are not denying that glaciers are melting but what is in the question is the date-year 2035. IPCC will soon be able to derive the information and make it known to all concerned,” Pachauri said, adding in the IPCC “we don’t predict dates but we focus on future scenario hence this does not in any way alter the science”.

Mumbai, January 18
India has decided to purchase 29 MiG-29K fighter aircraft from Russia after the last of the hurdles in the purchase of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov has been cleared.

A deal to this effect is likely to be inked later this week when a team from Russia arrives in New Delhi. The price tag for the aircraft is pegged at $1.2 bn.

The new aircraft would be in addition to the 16 MiG-29K fighter aircraft purchased for deploying aboard Admiral Gorshkov. The aircraft began arriving last year even as delivery of Admiral Gorshkov, renamed INS Vikramaditya, was delayed till 2012.

Since the aircraft cannot be used for any other purpose, a shore-based training facility (SBTF) was set up at the INS Hansa in Goa by the Goa Shipyard to deploy these. These aircraft are being used for training purposes.

India was to originally purchase 12 single-seater MiG-29K and four twin-seater MiG-29 KUB aircraft as part of the deal to purchase Admiral Gorshkov. However, the Russians jacked up the price for Admiral Gorshkov even as the deadline for its delivery got pushed further ahead.

The decision to purchase the aircraft was taken during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Russia last year.