The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Suspense in Nepal
Maoists need to be engaged

The agonising suspense over Nepal’s third government in less than two years shows no sign of ending with the Constituent Assembly failing for the fifth time on Monday to elect a Prime Minister. With each successive failure, the credibility of Nepal’s law-makers and that of political parties has taken a beating, with a newspaper headline summing up the national disgust by stating, “ No PM, no surprise and no shame”. Mutual distrust and conflict of interests have together ensured that neither the Maoist nominee nor the Nepali Congress nominee secures the endorsement of a majority of the members in the 601-strong House. The process is effectively derailed by over 206 members opting to be ‘neutral’, actually abstaining from voting, when the House voted for the fifth time. The sixth attempt is slated for September 5 and it is to be hoped that political parties in Nepal would be able to reach a consensus by then over the choice of the next Prime Minister. The situation in Nepal is worrying with labour unrest shutting down over 300 industrial units and with the caretaker government clearly losing control with every passing day.

India had brokered peace in 2006, brought the Maoists to the table and helped hold the election in 2008. But it had not bargained for the Maoists to emerge as the single-largest party. Maoist Prime Minister Pushp Kamal Dahal’s pronounced tilt towards China, his insistence on replacing the then Army Chief and his refusal to disband the Maoist militia had quickly soured relations between the two countries. Dahal’s public hostility towards India and his penchant for rabble-rousing made his relationship with India uneasy and he has never ceased blaming ‘foreign interference’ for the current instability in Nepal. While India does have a trump card in the form of the plains in the Nepalese Terai, which have closer cultural, ethnic and linguistic relations with India, and would prefer an autonomous province for themselves, the fact remains that as the leader of the single largest party, Dahal’s claim to be the Prime Minister cannot indefinitely be stalled.

India has a stake in Nepal’s stability, peace and prosperity and it is time we stopped being coy about it. It is in India’s interest to help Nepal industrialise and strengthen its educational and health infrastructure. South Block needs to neutralise the Maoists in Nepal with bargains that Dahal cannot afford to turn down as a pro-active engagement with the Maoists alone seems to hold the seeds of a solution.

Bull’s eye!
Arjun Atwal fulfils a dream

Winning a USPGA Tour title is every golfer’s dream, considering that it puts one in a different league altogther. No wonder it was the cherished desire of Arjun Atwal also. Now that he has clinched the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina to become the first Indian golfer ever to do so, he has fulfilled not only his own dream but also that of every Indian. As many budding golfers have pointed out, his Rs 4.28-crore victory will inspire many more to emulate him in the days to come. Reaching the top is no longer a pipedream. His achievement is all the more creditable considering that he has managed it despite big odds. Thirtyseven-year-old Atwal had made an outstanding USPGA debut in 2005 with five top-10 finishes but was done in by a near-fatal car crash and debilitating shoulder and back injuries. As a result, he was down to playing in the second tier of US golf. But he made light of these handicaps to finally come up trumps.

As cricket legend Kapil Dev says, Atwal required such a win and this will make him much better. In the process, he has set a fine example that patience pays. The slump in his career had taught him to steel his nerves and he took charge when it mattered the most and has scripted triumph is big bold letters. He now has 11 professional titles to his credit, including the Maybank Malaysian Open on the European Tour and the Chattanooga Classic on the US Nationwide Tour in 2008.

What is noteworthy is that in the same Wyndham Championship, Chandigarh’s Jeev Milkha Singh finished tied 18th, making it the first time that two Indians have finished in the top 20 of a USPGA Tour event. That puts Indian golf on a pedestal internationally, making it an inspiring red-letter day for the country, indeed. Here is hoping that Atwal’s dedication and work ethic will rub on to the next generation of golfers.

Thought for the Day

People will not look forward to posterity, who never look forward to their ancestors. — Edmund Burke

ARTICLE

Secularism in Bangladesh
Sheikh Mujib regarded it as a guiding principle
by Kuldip Nayar

During the Emergency when I was in jail I heard about the heinous murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, popularly called Bangabandhu, who had liberated Bangladesh from the clutches of Pakistan. His entire family was shot dead in his own house in Dhan Mandi, a congested area in Dhaka. Only after my release from jail did I discover that Sheikh Hasina and her sister were safe because they were out of the country at the time of the military coup.

That the tragedy took place on India’s Independence Day is something the people in this country can never forget. In fact, there will always be the regret that our intelligence agencies suspected that such a coup would take place with the Sheikh as the target. But we did little to ward off the happening except to inform Dhaka that there was a danger to the life of Bangabandhu.

Tanks were used to finish the limited resistance which the soldiers guarding the Sheikh’s residence put up. I remember the late D.P. Dhar, who was dealing with the affairs of Bangladesh, had cautioned New Delhi not to leave any tank for the army in Dhaka after India’s departure. His instructions were followed. But little did New Delhi anticipate that some other country would give tanks to Bangladesh. Egypt offered it three tanks as a gift which Dhaka gratefully accepted. The Sheikh, who was aware of Dhar’s warning, was confident that none in Bangladesh would dare to touch him. He did not know that those army officers who had opposed the liberation and had sided with Pakistan were plotting against him.

It is an open secret that Gen Zia-ur-Rehman, then Chief of Army Staff and husband of Khalida Zia, knew about the plot. He was among the liberators and did not want to join them. But he is reported to have told the perpetrators of the coup that he would own them if they succeeded. And he did so. Zia-ur-Rehman saw to it that the killers of Bangabandhu were not punished. They faced the trial - some escaped the country - only when Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister for the first time in 1996. Even when sentenced to death, the guilty were not executed until Sheikh Hasina returned to power again in 2009 and had the perpetrators hung.

Her move to put on trial all those who sided with Pakistan and murdered thousands of Bangladeshis in cold blood is justified because the crime was against humanity. Khalida’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami, have opposed the measure because both draw strength from the elements which opposed the liberation. Their stand on the deletion of the amendment in the provision on secularism as the country’s creed is retrograde.

The original constitution of Bangladesh which came into being in 1972 proclaimed four guiding principles for the new state: democracy, nationalism, socialism and secularism. General Zia-ur-Rehman, after Mujib’s assassination, expunged secularism from the principles of the state police. He also deleted Article 12, which proscribed religious parties. In fact, the removal of this article led to the resurrection of the Jamaat-e-Islami.

In August 2005, the Bangladesh High Court ruled that the amendment relating to secularism was unconstitutional. It was only on July 28, 2010, that the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s verdict. The Supreme Court explicitly criticised the omission of secularism and said that it “destroyed one of the bases of our struggle for freedom and also changed the basic character of the Republic.” Sheikh Hasina’s restoration of the provision brought back what her father, the founder of Bangladesh, had laid down. Surprisingly, the BNP and the Jamaat have not accepted the Supreme Court ruling and have continued to pursue their communal line.

The treatment meted out to the Sheikh is a sad part of history. Now many people know that a Pakistani havaldar in the army slapped the Sheikh after he had surrendered. This is disclosed by Brigadier Z.A. Khan in his book, The Way It Was. He says: “The Pakistan Army had detonated a grenade in his (Sheikh’s) house, fired a burst of machine gun. The grenade burst and the sub-machine fire made Sheikh Mujib call out from behind the closed room that if an assurance was given that he would not be killed he would come out. He was given an assurance and he came out of the room.” The Brigadier says that the Sheikh told him on the way to prison that “We (the army) had only to call him and he would come on his own.”

The Sheikh was treated in this cavalier way despite the fact that he had won a majority in the National Assembly and was entitled to be Pakistan’s Prime Minister. Why he did not become the Prime Minister of Pakistan is a long story. He blamed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who became Pakistan’s Prime Minister after the cessation of Pakistan.

However, I once asked Sheikh Mujib whether India and Pakistan would ever bury the hatchet. He said: “All along Pakistan has preached four things: one, Islam is in danger; two, the Hindu is a kafir; three, India is the enemy; and four, Kashmir must be conquered. The Pakistanis have been fed on this propaganda for the last many years. The hate campaign unleashed in that country against India is even against the tenets of Islam. Unless there is a change in the mentality of the people of Pakistan they cannot get out of their make-believe world.”

But my many travels through Pakistan tell me that what the Sheikh said holds true in the case of a section of Pakistanis. The vast majority of people want to have good relations with India and settle down as a friendly neighbour. The movement to light candles on the Wagah border on the night of August 14-15, the birth of the two countries, is catching up in Pakistan. There may not be two lakh people shouting India-Pak Dosti Zindabad as was the case this year at the Wagah border on the Indian side. But last year many people had come right up to the border and exchanged candles with us. This time the floods kept them away. But I am confident that hundreds of them would come to the Wagah border next time, the 16th year of the night vigil.

MIDDLE

The joys of retirement
by Harish Dhillon

I retired on July 14 and moved up to my house in the hills. The house is located in the countryside and I woke up on July 15 to the crowing of a cock. I was listening to this sound after a lifetime and my heart filled with joy at the prospect of this simple rural life that was now to be my lot. But it turned out to be a particular persistent rooster, who went on and on irritatingly with his crowing.

Not only that, even when he did stop, it was only to catch his breath before starting off again. It was then that I realised that it was not the crowing of a cock at all but the ringtone of my new phone fed in by my very creative friend Birinder.

I sat out on the verandah, drinking my morning tea and taking in the glorious view of the unspoilt valley that stretched before me. I felt that I could sit there forever. Finally I pulled myself away with the greatest reluctance for my morning abulations.

When I opened the tap, after soaking myself, the flow quickly reduced to a trickle and then petered out completely. I dried off the soap, slipped back into my pyjamas and went to find out what had happened. Someone had left the tap open and the tank was now empty. I had to wait for an hour before a tanker could bring me some water and I could resume my bath.

In my last middle I had bemoaned the fact that after being controlled by a school bell for 47 years, my life would now be rudderless without it. My mourning was premature. There is a school right next to my property and the school bell rings with the total, implacable tyranny that only school bells are capable of. It now dictates when I should get out of bed, when I should abandon the newspapers and go to bathe etc. I don’t think I like this any more!

I go for long leisurely walks, smiling and nodding at the growing familiarity of the faces I pass. I listen to the gushing of the seasonal rivulets that seem to flow everywhere and the multitudinous bird songs that fill the air. I marvel at the myriad shades of lush green all around.

I am able to read, without having to look repeatedly at my watch, worrying that I might be late for the next school activity. Most of all I am able to sit out on my lawn, in the late evening, enjoying my drink, savouring the peace and quiet, the blissful solitude.

A breeze wafts up from the valley and, on fortunate days I am gifted with the miraculous vision of a line of fireflies riding on the crest of the breeze, up and up, till they fly right over me. My heart fills with happy contentment and I say a silent prayer, thanking God for the beauty of this world and for the gift of life.

OPED DEFENCE

A slew of disciplinary and corruption cases have severely dented the Army’s proud image, with questions being raised over the quality of military leadership. As moral degeneration threatens to spread deep in the rank and file, the foundations of the structure built assiduously over 200 years is in danger of crumbling
AT STAKE, the army’s Izzat
Lt Gen Baljit Singh (Retd)

The origins of the Indian Army are often traced back to the 18th Century. Since then, its rank and file have always epitomised the composite ethos of Izzat, Waffadari and Imaandari, that is, self-respect, unconditional loyalty and moral integrity. Its well groomed appearance and above all, its valour on the battlefield had made the Army a cherished and ennobling profession. On its acclaimed merit, the Service was looked upon as an exclusive calling for men of honour

Today, with about 1.5 million personnel, it is the third largest standing, professional army in the world. But of late, its proud image has been so severely dented that even the "aam-admi" is beginning to question whether those who lead the army are men of straw? At the face of it, that may be a harsh judgement to single out the officer cadre alone for the crisis of character afflicting this magnificent profession. But not quite so. In any collective endeavour and especially in the profession of arms, the leaders bear the sole responsibility of all failings. And in the same time honoured tradition, it is only the crown of success that is celebrated as the collective triumph.

A few years ago, a Major General commanding an infantry division pleaded guilty of misappropriating CSD liquor and was cashiered with seven years rigorous imprisonment in a civilian jail. About a year later, another Major General was served a show-cause notice for acts of omission and commission while ironically he headed the army's judicial department. On October 26, 2009, the CBI filed a charge-sheet against yet another Major General and his spouse for possessing assets to the tune of Rs 3.37 crore, grossly disproportionate to their known incomes and family inheritances. And now this month a general court martial has cashiered a Lieutenant Colonel and sentenced him to three years for irregularities upward of Rs 10 crore.

It is a common human trait to stand up for one's entity, no matter what. But there are moments when truth stares at and stabs the viewer so hard that he cannot evade the moment of reckoning. Recently, I was dumbstruck when a young lady in the family group I was travelling with, asked politely but candidly "Now, is that not a misuse of the army, uncle?" When I turned to face where she was looking, I was shocked and dismayed. There was this army load-carrier that had ferried to the site, fresh and sparkling heaps of flowers, along with mounds of plastic chandeliers, mountains of furniture and gaudy tapestry.

A smart young lady stood issuing instructions to her staff to arrange the "marriage-palace". Three soldiers in army uniform stood close to the load carrier (a Jonga and a Gypsy were partially hidden behind) and jaded looks on their faces betrayed that they were on a regular mission. On inquiry whether they were preparing for a regimental function, they replied matter-of-factly: "Nahin. Hamaari madam ney yehaan contract lay rakkha hai."

Guards at the imposing courtyard readily informed us that an evening's rent for using the establishment (exclusive of meals) were Rs 4 lakh. It would not be far-fetched to assume that the organiser (Hamaari madam) would have a net earning of ten percent of the rental. If at an average there are four such engagements for the month that would be an impressive income -- close to the basic monthly salary of the Army Chief, post Sixth Pay Commission.

That Army spouse had every right to work and earn. But was there no one to guide her that for a mere one per cent of her earnings that were needed to hire a civilian truck, she was besmearing in dirt the Army's ethos of Izzat, Imaandari and Wafaadri? And jeopardising her family's future? And corrupting the three army men and countless others?

Not many can deny that the army's leaders are fully intent upon rooting out moral and material corruption. But punishment alone seems perhaps not an adequate deterrent any more. May be the army now needs to delve deep into the mind-set of its wrongdoers by commandeering the services of the best psychoanalytical experts. The defences of the guilty must simply be pulled down, even at the promise of remitting punishment, so that we can get to know their motives for corruption. The sooner we understand their compulsions, the better will we be able to rid the army of this all-devouring monster.

In the 1980s, Philip Mason, an officer from the erstwhile ICS, wrote an absorbing history of the Indian Army titled A Matter of Honour. The book begins with the statement: "Fidelity to an oath, loyalty to comrades and courage on the battlefield are the qualities without which an army is nothing....." And from there he launches into the genesis and growth of the Indian Army of today, having all the attributes required of a force that can never be vanquished by any foe!

It is time that the country also stood by and proved itself worthy of its splendid armed forces, that is, not to constantly erode their status vis-a-vis the other central services as was the unwritten convention till August 1947. The armed forces are a breed apart and if the India of post-1947 procrastinates on this issue further, the evil of moral degeneration may spread so deep and wide among the rank and file that the foundations of the structure built assiduously over the previous two hundred years may crumble in a heap.

Indiscipline in forces a reflection of society
Col (Dr) P.K. Vasudeva (Retd)

India today exists in a seriously embattled security environment, with external military threats and internal naxalite movements having acquired menacing and dangerously devious contours. India's armed forces have determinedly and innovatively strategised to meet the expanded military threats with efficient military leadership despite political constraints imposed on them.

Indian Army lays tremendous emphasis on the military leadership as the lives of thousands of men are involved. Leadership and the military are practically inseparable. Military leadership and leadership development are foundational concepts in the army at all levels. It permeates military culture, beginning with every recruit learning the leadership-oriented doctrine.

Effective military leadership requires skills that are virtually unknown in the civilian world. These skills are taught through extensive training in leadership theory and focused development of the time-tested style of military leadership.

Though the army has not fought a full-blown war in the last three decades, the force is bogged down with fighting domestic insurgencies, guarding restive borders, responding to authorities’ request to quell civil riots, tackling insurgency, and terrorism, rescue operations during natural calamities, accidents, fire fighting and so on, which have put tremendous stress and strain on the soldiers.

There has been a noticeable rise in suicides and fratricides in the army over the past five years. Such a trend, in the third largest and one of the best-disciplined armies in the world, is a cause of grave concern. Over 100 soldiers took their lives in last three years due to extreme pressures and poor service conditions leading to frustration or rebellion.

Disciplinary cases are also on the rise in the forces. The armed forces have held a staggering 6,000 courts martial since 2000. Statistics show the army alone court-martialled 1,215 soldiers in 2000; 1,034 in 2001; 1,031 in 2002; 945 in 2003; and 872 in 2004. In just the last two years, over 20 rape and 10 murder charges have been levelled against soldiers.

And it's not only the lower ranks that have been afflicted. It is true even for officers. Last year around 30 officers were convicted in court
martial proceedings. But, unlike other agencies, the armed forces deal "swiftly and effectively'' with
"aberrations and delinquents'' within their fold.

The latest court martial is that of Lt Gen Avadhesh Prakash and two other general officers for their alleged involvement in West Bengal's Sukna land transfer issue. A former head of the Army's supply branch, Lt Gen S.K. Sahni, is being tried by a court martial for alleged irregularities in the procurement of rations for troops.

What the services need is high quality of leadership, which can motivate men in challenging situations. The reason for the present state of poor leadership, among others, is that a career in the armed forces has been reduced to the last priority among the youth, the cream of which opt for more lucrative and better rewarding options in terms of social status and financial gains. Degradation in the Warrant of Precedence has also brought down the image of the defence services to the lowest ebb.

The soldiers' pay and allowances are less than that of a skilled labourer in the industry. Though the military is responsible for safeguarding national sovereignty and integrity, it is the lowest paid service and in a state of neglect. Soldiers retire at an average age of 35, when they are in the prime of their life and burdened with domestic responsibilities. The officers retire at an average age of 54 when they have another about 15 productive years of employability left.

Further, there is no coordination between the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence that could result in lateral induction of military personnel into the para-military where they serve up to the age of 60 years.

Be it central and state ministers, the judiciary, bureaucracy, vice-chancellors, MPs, MLAs, the police, media barons and now office-bearers of the organising committee of the Commonwealth Games (CWG) - the cancer of corruption has metastasised into every nook and corner of the country including the armed forces. Indiscipline in the forces is not entirely the fault of the military leadership, is the reflection on the state of affairs of the nation and the society at large.