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TRIBUNE SPECIAL
Arson and vandalism: Punjab cracks the whip |
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Curse of human smuggling
Profile
On Record
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TRIBUNE SPECIAL Regional cooperation holds the key to prosperity in South Asia, says Eduardo Faleiro
THE Sixteenth Summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will be held in Thimpu, Bhutan, on April 28-29, 2010. The little Himalayan kingdom is all set to host the summit this time after skipping it thrice due to its poor infrastructure. SAARC was created in 1985 to promote economic development and social progress in South Asia through regional cooperation. Presently, it has eight members — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India was the Chair of the SAARC Summit in 2007 and this was arguably the most productive summit that SAARC ever witnessed. The launching of negotiations to bring services into the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA), the unilateral granting of zero duty access by India to SAARC Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the formal induction of Afghanistan into SAARC as the eighth member, the setting up of the South Asian University, the establishment of the SAARC Food Bank and the SAARC Development Fund, the signing of the Convention on Mutual Assistance on Criminal Matters were significant steps for regional integration taken at the Delhi Summit. The momentum generated was carried forward by the SAARC Summit in Colombo in 2008. The economic and social welfare of a country is greatly advanced if it interacts as part of a regional block rather than individually. The emergence of a number of regional blocks in Asia, Africa and America are evidence of this reality. An integrated regional economy accelerates the economic growth of member countries through the advantages of geographical proximity and economies of scale. Furthermore, member countries enjoy better leverage in dealing with the global systems of finance, investment, and trade. A regional block also provides a stabilising cushion from the destabilising fluctuations in the global economy. Regional cooperation is pivotal for prosperity in South Asia. Economic synergy often leads to solutions of disputes including political differences. However, intra-regional trade among SAARC countries is at present less than 5 per cent, whilst it is 62 per cent in the European Union, 55 per cent in the North American Free Trade Area and 35 per cent in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. SAFTA is the first step towards a more intense synergy which should ultimately lead to a South Asian Union and a single currency. Though the governments of SAARC nations have made efforts since independence to improve the condition of their people, these attempts are often thwarted by multifarious religious, ethnic and linguistic problems. Discontent and frustration among the masses, faced with such tribulations, emboldens subversive forces both within and outside to exploit national inadequacies. The solution to our common predicament requires peace and an atmosphere of dialogue and cooperation rather than of conflict and confrontation. Peace is essential for national as well as regional prosperity. For centuries, the European continent was the stage of power rivalries and war. Now Europe appears to be a rather peaceful continent. The very first step towards peace was found in the doctrine of “defense and détente”. While defense is an element indispensable in uncertain circumstances, detente stands for dialogue, arms control, the exchange of views at all levels and alternative thinking. Detente influences the understanding of a situation and broadens the scope of ideas on how to deal with a tense situation that causes war and affects the image of a country abroad. Europe has now progressed beyond “defense and détente” and has entered the path of effective regional integration. Bilateral agreements between countries of South Asia are mutually beneficial. The Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement became operational in 2000 and has produced good results within a short time. The Indo-Nepal Trade Treaty is also a good example of bilateral cooperation. India has now bilateral agreements with Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. There are problems sometimes and stumbling blocks on the way to economic cooperation but they should be removed in the larger interests of all the countries. It is sometimes claimed that unless economic cooperation between India and Pakistan is normalised, South Asian economic cooperation will not succeed. The normalisation of trade relations between the two countries is indeed crucial for SAARC success. India, Pakistan and other SAARC members ought to join hands across national borders and religious differences, agree on zero tolerance towards every form of extremism and terrorism and redress the grievances of the disaffected and marginalised. They must beware of the machinations of neo-imperialism and its strategy to divide and rule. Civil society, intelligentsia, the business community and NGOs should also promote awareness about the need and advantage of regional cooperation. There ought to be a much greater interaction between civil society and the political class across the different countries of South Asia. Regrettably, such an interaction is minimal. South Asia continues to have the highest number of people in the world living below the poverty line, outstripping sub-Saharan Africa in this regard. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), among the 154 countries for which data are available, 28 are not expected to attain any of the three objectives which the international community gathered at the World Education Forum had agreed should be achieved by all nations by 2015. The three goals are: universal primary education, free schooling of acceptable quality, and the removal of gender disparities in education. All the countries of South Asia with the exception of Sri Lanka are among these 28 countries. Regrettably, the subcontinent invests more in armaments than in social infrastructure. India and Pakistan spend more than three times as much on weaponry as they do on education or health. There ought to be a drastic reduction in the defence expenditures of both countries so that our scarce resources are utilised towards our people’s welfare rather than on the purchase of military hardware from abroad. The ensuing SAARC summit is an appropriate occasion for both India and Pakistan to initiate a serious and responsible dialogue which should include all issues of concern between the two
countries. The writer, a former Union Minister of State for External Affairs, is presently Commissioner for NRI Affairs (Cabinet Minister rank), Goa
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Arson and vandalism: Punjab cracks the whip THE Punjab government’s approval of the Punjab Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Ordinance, 2010, is welcome. It seeks to protect public and private property from vandalism and punish those indulging in such acts during agitations. It also proposes to recover the cost of damages from hoodlums.
Clearly, the quantum of economic loss that the nation has to bear post-independence due to political, social, religious and communal violence, arson, vandalism and bandhs has surpassed the loss that the nation has to bear on account of about five wars fought against Pakistan and China or due to the wrong economic policies of the Centre and the states. The Indian Constitution provides its citizens political, social and religious rights. It also gives right to all labourers and employees’ unions to secure legal recognition and ensures all citizens the right to express freely and to protest non-violently without disturbing the normal life and causing harm to public and private property. However, the manner in which political parties, social and religious groups and organisations representing labourers, peasants and employees resort to violence, arson, vandalism and bandhs, they not only destroy the rule of law but also bring a bad name to the country which is known as the world’s largest democracy. If strong steps are not taken at the Centre and in the states, things will go beyond control. Significantly, various High Courts have imposed fines on political parties which sponsored bandhs and indulged in violence resulting in the loss of life and destruction of property. Besides, the states have been directed to maintain law and order at any cost. But such orders could not stem the tide of arson. The Ordinance approved by the Punjab Cabinet on April 15, 2010, comes in the wake of increasing vandalism in the state in the past three years. Punjab has fallen prey to violence and bandhs resulting in huge loss. The active role of Deras and their leaders in the state politics has also resulted in loss to the state. The Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa (Haryana), the Dera Ballanwala, and then the Christians and now again the Dera Sacha Sauda have resorted to arson and vandalism. It was in course of such ferments that migrant labourers indulged in violence in Ludhiana. The intelligence agencies of the Centre and the state seem incapable of handling the situation. The Vigilance department is a total failure. It is not the state government, but the CBI that has registered a case against Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in the alleged murder of Dera Manager, Fakir Chand. Subsequently, his followers took the law into their hands. The direct hand of these babas can be seen behind the outbreak of terrorism in Punjab for about 10-12 years and the communal outburst against the Sikhs in Delhi and other places following the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984. Though Punjab has 12329 villages, there are 50,000 major or minor private or religious deras in the state. There are several other tantriks and babas. The intelligence agencies have failed to monitor their anti-religious and anti-national activities. There is no account of black money amounting to billions of rupees accumulated by them. There is an imperative need to check the activities of these deras which have become centres for drugs, prostitution and black money. They are using the name of educational institutions for profit making. All states should follow Punjab by enacting suitable laws to protect the life and property. The Centre should enact law in the current session of Parliament to derecognise political parties and ban leaders from contesting elections if they resort to violence and arson while observing bandhs or staging protest marches. A Bill to empower the Election Commission for barring candidates has become necessary. This is vital for protecting the life and property of the general public, uninterrupted development and for strengthening democracy. The writer is the State Information Commissioner, Punjab  |
Curse of human smuggling
IN many countries, human smuggling from India has led to various problems. Visa restrictions have been imposed so that Indians wishing to travel for genuine reasons such as tourism, business, or education, have suffered. India has been participating in international discussions such as the Bali process to curb human smuggling and trafficking, but its record in implementing effective measures is unsatisfactory. Human smuggling is distinct from the more cruel practice of human trafficking. The latter involves forced movement against the will of the humans involved, usually for purposes of prostitution, slavery, etc. In human smuggling, the humans willingly participate, lured by hopes of a better life away from their countries. Deception, fraud and exploitation can occur in both cases. Human smuggling arises due to both “push” and “pull” factors. The “push” factor is the poor economic situation in the place of origin, lack of employment, low skill levels, etc. The “pull” factor is the shortage of manual, agricultural, and unskilled labour in the destination due to migration to cities and decreasing population, and the lower expenses the employer may have to meet, due to lower wages that the illegal migrants may receive. In recent years, the agricultural sector in southern European countries such as Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain has been facing problems due to migration of working population to the cities in search of better prospects. There is thus a problem of finding agricultural labour for the farms, especially during harvest seasons. This demand has been met largely by migrant workers coming from the nearby Balkan countries, North Africa and increasingly from South Asia. An official survey in Greece, for example, indicated that there were some 70,000 unfilled jobs in the agricultural sector. Interestingly, Greece already has some 15,000 migrants from Punjab, working in the agricultural sector. This number does not include those whose status is unregularised, probably another 3,000. The migrants from Punjab have been coming for over a decade, and in some areas such as Marathonas (some 30 km from the capital, Athens), they are numerous enough to become a visibly distinct community, with an impact on local politics (migrants can vote in Greek local elections). In Marathonas, one can see a number of small children from Punjab studying in local Greek schools and a number of festivals are observed regularly. By and large, the migrant workers from Punjab have acquired a good reputation as hardworking, honest workers, apart from occasional internal brawls and road accidents. This writer has frequently asked local Prefects about the conduct of Punjabi migrants in their areas and invariably the response is that they create no problems whatsoever. The agro-climate in Greece has some similarities with Punjab and large farming and orchard areas require labour for tasks such as harvesting olives, etc. These migrants live on the farms, and grow their own vegetables and are relatively better off, being able to save a considerable part of their earnings of around Euro 600 per month. Therefore, there is a strong “pull” factor that drives illegal migration to Greece. Similar conditions exist in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The illegal migration is much larger from Pakistan (there are over 50,000 Pakistani-origin migrants in Greece). The Embassies of both India and Pakistan are often crowded with long lines of migrants seeking various documents especially duplicate passports. A large proportion of the Pakistani migrants find work in cities, especially in garages, and live under difficult conditions. For many years, Greek authorities were relatively lenient in dealing with illegal migrants. Periodic amnesty schemes were announced to get themselves regularised. After Greece joined the Schengen area, border and immigration controls became much stricter. The situation became more difficult for illegal migrants. The usual route for illegal migration to Greece is a circuitous one and may involve transit via places such as Bangkok, Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Istanbul, and then dropping of near at some point near Greece’s long coastline. Usually agents take away their passports. Most migrants are rounded up but deportation takes a long time. After three months in a detention centre, they have to be released and can work until their cases are finally decided. If they appeal, further time may elapse. There could be an official agreement on migrant workers between the authorities in India and Greece (as in Egypt) under which workers from India could go to Greece to work in the agricultural sector. This would be a win-win situation for all. While Greece would benefit, Indian workers would get work and social security. When this writer had suggested this approach to Greek officials, the response was that the agricultural work was seasonal and could be met by migrants from the neighbouring Balkan countries. However, the Greek farmers prefer migrant workers from Punjab on a full year basis, as this results in better operation of their farms. This is true especially in the large island of Crete, where agriculture goes on the year around, and it is located far from Greece’s Balkan neighbours. The Centre and the states in India should strengthen legislative measures to detect and fight human smuggling and exploitation of migrants. The Emigration (Amendment) Bill, 2009, cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier, should be passed. However, specific measures to deal with human smuggling under cover of study, tourism, business, or culture, are needed. These measures need to be put in place with stronger penalties for
offences. The writer is a former Ambassador of India to Greece and Cuba
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Profile There was a third dimension to the artist’s personality. Though he did his Master’s degree in Economics from Delhi University, he could not become an economist. He had shown a keen interest in art from a very young age; his second love was writing short stories, that too, in Hindi. Ram Kumar was born in a large middle class family of eight brothers and sisters. His father was a government employee and posted in Shimla. It was not easy for his father to bring up such a large family. There was no creative atmosphere at home and one wonders how Ram Kumar and his brother, Nirmal Verma, were drawn to writing.
They used to write short stories and were very much inspired by writers like Chekov, Virginia Woolf and Tolstoy. Later, Ram Kumar devoted his entire time to painting and art. His brother stuck to writing right from the beginning. In 1945, Ram Kumar chanced upon an art exhibition. He was so excited about it that he enrolled himself in evening art classes at the Sarada Unkil School of Arts in Delhi. In those days one could learn the Western style of painting in the evenings while the Indian style was taught in the mornings. He began to participate in group exhibitions. Once he spotted noted artist S.H. Raza in one of the exhibitions. Subsequently, both became close friends. After a year or so, he decided to go to France to study art. His father paid him for one-way journey. Luckily, he got a scholarship from the French Cultural Council on which he survived. Indeed, those were hard days for the budding artist. He studied painting under Andre Lhote and Fernan Leger in Paris between 1949 and 1952. He held several solo exhibitions like the International Biennales in Tokyo in 1957 and 1970, the Venice Biennale in 1958 and in Sao Paulo in 1961, 1965 and 1972. He also participated in the Festival of India shows in the erstwhile USSR in 1987 and 1988. He received the Padma Shri in 1971. While devoting fully to painting, Ram Kumar’s talent for writing short stories did not perish. Four collections of his works have been published. He received the Prem Chand Puraskar from the Uttar Pradesh government for Meri Priya Kahaniya (my favourite stories). In the fifties, Ram Kumar used to paint human figures to express alienation and loneliness. He visited Varanasi in 1961 and saw thousands of people lined up on the Ghats. He saw faith there but also noticed anguish at their inability to comprehend the major changes happening around them. His Varanasi is a city without hope. He chooses to focus on the urban nightmare that Varanasi has become. So there is no quaint depiction of the Ghats in his paintings. Nor are there the towering spires of the Vishwanath temple. Instead, he chooses to depict the seven-kilometre stretch between Varuna and Asi that makes up the holy city. The spires of Vishwanath temple and the presence of its neighbour, the Gyan Vapi mosque, are only a shadowy presence. Ram Kumar has been quoted as saying that human conditions influenced him the most. “During my tours of Varanasi for the series of paintings I was doing, I saw not only a city but also a culture and a civilisation in decline”.
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On Record Naseem, wife of senior journalist Zafar Meraj feels privileged of the support from her father, brother, husband and son, also a journalist, mother and mother-in-law. Naseem, who teaches Kashmiri in a government college, speaks to The Tribune in Srinagar on her experiences. Excerpts: Q: How do you feel after bagging the award? A: I felt astonished and pleased. Literary recognition is a must. I had expected an award for my earlier poetic collection Derche Machrith. Earlier I had met Hindi writer Krishna Sobti and Khushwant Singh once asked me whether I had received any awards. Sobti told me: “Do not to write for awards. They come to you. Keep on writing”. While looking at the situation in the sub-continent, I tried to give a true picture of Kashmir and Kashmiri women. Q: Do you find yourself privileged? A: Yes. Women in Kashmir are independent and educated. As a poet, I also participate in Mushairas. My family supported me and so did a group of women writers. Q: How often do you write poetry? A: I write very little. I had to write a poem for a conference in Delhi in 2000 and that was titled Na Thsay Na Aks. It was slightly bold and its translation into Hindustani was received well. Later, I bagged an award for this collection. Q: How did you evince interest in writing and poetry? A: When in school in the Sixties, my brother, Shafi, was working in Radio Kashmir, Srinagar. Our father was a doctor. Then, the people in radio were in the first line of intellectuals and I was attracted to literature. I learnt a lot in the lap of my brother. I learnt about great literary works in Urdu. Then girls were not allowed to read novels. My father wanted me to become a doctor, but I had a flair for literature. I still remember reciting an Urdu poem Mein Nanhi Munni Chidya Hoon from the radio when I was studying Class III or IV. I never played like normal children. I would imagine things like being a sparrow and fly. I was getting engrossed in my imagination most of the time. Q: How did you get attracted to Kashmiri language? While reading Chemistry and Physics, I would hide the poetic collections of Mirza Ghalib and Allama Iqbal. In the college, I preferred English literature. After graduation, instead of doing MA in English, I did Diploma in Kashmiri, when the Department of Kashmiri in the University of Kashmir was still in its infancy. After completing it, I had to wait for another year to get admission in the first batch of MA in Kashmiri language in 1979-80. Q: How did you find the literary atmosphere then? A: Literary meets (Adbi Mehfil) were commonly organised in the class with the participation of prominent litterateurs like Rehman Rahi (Jnanpeeth award winner), Hamidi Kashmiri, Qazi Ghlam Mohammad, T.N. Ganjoo, Mohiuddin Hajini and others. Mir Ghulam Rasool Nazki has been a towering personality for everyone. He had a word of appreciation for me 35 years back. Ghulam Nabi Friaq, Ghulam Nabi Khayal, Rasheed Nazki, Farooq Nazki and Ghulam Nabi Gowhar have been encouraging me till date. Among youngsters, Bashar Bashir and Majrooh Rasheed are always appreciating and guiding. Neerja Mattoo, Nusrat Andrabi and Indu Kelam have played a notable role in my success as a
poet.
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The plight of those who succeed in getting into Western countries by illegal means is dismal. Agents and touts lure Indians from rural areas such as Punjab with false promises and induce them to pay huge sums of money. Europe and the US are destinations for such smugglers and illegal Indian migrants are found in the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and other countries, trying to reach their El Dorado. Only very few succeed.
WHEN
President Pratibha Patil decorated painter Ram Kumar with the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest honour after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, the octogenarian artist appeared different than other recipients of Padma awards. May be it was an illusion but he looked taller. His eyes reflected the depth of a painter and the imagination of a writer.
Naseem Shafai