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Deputy CMO’s Death
Three more cases of rape in UP
10-year-old gang-raped, burnt alive in Ghaziabad |
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No let-up in Oppn protests over fuel price hike
BJP women activists during a protest against the hike in fuel prices in Kota. — PTI
PMO can disclose information, all meetings not sensitive: CIC
UP Govt denies Cong permission to hold protest march
Army raises special forces battalion
After CBI, Natgrid, NIA
also out of RTI ambit
Sibal: Addict rehab mechanism must be strengthened
Advani blames Nehru family for J-K problem
More power, fire for T-72
Ladakh comes up with all-weather road plan
Sathya Sai’s nephew says seized cash belongs to devotees
US firm out to fleece Indian patients: MCI
Jantar Mantar
Two BSF men, naxal killed in ambush
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Deputy CMO’s Death
Lucknow, June 26 This was confirmed by a police official at Gosainganj police station under whose jurisdiction the Lucknow district jail falls.
The Lucknow police decision to finally register an FIR into the custodial death of Dr Sachan inside the district jail on June 22 appears to be a clear shift from its earlier stand when it was refusing to lodge a case of murder and had described the death as a water-tight case of suicide. Lucknow Range IG Subesh Kumar Singh had justified not registering a case in the matter, saying that “the police cannot conduct a parallel investigation the same case”. Information about Dr Sachan’s death at the district jail hospital had been recorded in the General Diary of the Gosainganj police station at 8.30 pm on June 22. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission, taking cognisance of media reports and a complaint regarding the death of Dr Sachan, has issued notices to the state Chief Secretary, Lucknow District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police. It has called for the magisterial inquiry report, inquest report, CD of the postmortem and its report, viscera report and the final cause of death within four weeks. The commission has also directed the Lucknow DM and the SSP to explain as to why the information about the death in judicial custody was not communicated within 24 hours to the NHRC, as per its guidelines. Dr. Sachan was lodged in Lucknow jail since April 6 for financial bungling in the state’s National Rural Health Mission and later was found to be the main accused in the murder of CMO B P Singh.
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Three more cases of rape in UP
Lucknow, June 26 In Ghaziabad, a 10-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped and burnt alive in Anwarpur village, the police said. The incident came a week after a 35-year-old woman was allegedly gang-raped and burnt alive by three persons in Etah. The minor girl, whose parents had gone out for work, was overpowered by some men, who entered her house last evening, the police said, adding that the men raped her and set her afire when she called out for help. The victim was rushed to a local hospital. She was later referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi, where she succumbed to injuries. Senior police officials reached the village, falling under the Pilakhuwa police station area. One person was arrested last night in connection with the case and the girl's body was sent for post-mortem, the police said. While security in the village has been tightened, SDM Hapur Pushpa Devrar has started a probe into the incident on the directions of District Magistrate Hredesh Kumar. In Barabanki, an 11-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a youth in Dewa area, the police said today. The victim was dragged by a youth to a secluded place and raped while she was returning home in Ibrahimpur Khurd village last night. The accused, Shiv Kumar, has been arrested. In Hathras, parents of a teenager lodged a complaint with the police that their daughter was raped by her uncle Kishori on June 24. The police have arrested the accused. — PTI
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10-year-old gang-raped, burnt alive in Ghaziabad Lucknow, June 26 In Ghaziabad, a 10-year-old Dalit girl was gang-raped and burnt alive in Anwarpur village, the police said. The victim was rushed to a local hospital. She was later referred to GTB Hospital in Delhi, where she succumbed to injuries. Senior police officials reached the village, falling under the Pilakhuwa police station area. One person was arrested last night in connection with the case and the girl's body was sent for post-mortem, the police said. In Barabanki, an 11-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a youth in Dewa area, the police said today. In Hathras, parents of a teenager lodged a complaint with the police that their daughter was raped by her uncle Kishori on June 24. The police have arrested the accused. — PTI
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No let-up in Oppn protests over fuel price hike
Nasik/Kolkata, June 26 In Patna, hundreds of JD(U) workers, led by the state unit vice-president Ranjan Kumar, took out a protest march in Patna and raised slogans against the hike. They also burnt the effigy of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, the Left Front has criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for not writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding withdrawal of hike in the prices of petroleum products and announced protest programmes. “Banerjee must write to Prime Minister for withdrawal of the price hike and just expressing opposition to it in the media will not do,” Front chairman Biman Bose told reporters in Kolkata. After a meeting of the Left Front to discuss the hike, Bose said: “Despite announcing the withdrawal of state cess on LPG cylinders, people will still have to pay Rs 34 more for each cylinder.” He said the Front would take up several protest programmes in different parts of West Bengal demanding a rollback of the price hike. “On July 11, the Front will hold dharnas in front of all Central government offices in Kolkata and district headquarters,” he said. Apart from this, Left trade unions would hold protest rallies and submit deputations to Governor M K Narayanan and the Chief Minister, Bose said. — PTI
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PM shouldn’t be under Lokpal ambit: Ex-CJI
New Delhi, June 26 Terming as “undemocratic” Hazare's threat to go on another indefinite fast from August 16 if his demands on the Lokpal bill were not met, Verma said bringing the judiciary under the Lokpal's ambit would ultimately affect the democratic structure of the country. “Absolutely not... It would be a mistake. It will foul (up) with the basic structure of the Constitution. Judicial review is a basic feature (of the Constitution)...for which an independent judiciary is essential," Verma told Karan Thapar in Devil's Advocate programme on CNN-IBN. He was replying to a question on whether the higher judiciary should be brought under the Lokpal's ambit as being demanded by the Gandhian and his supporters. The former CJI also cautioned against making the Prime Minister a “lame duck” institution, saying that the “Prime Minister should only be accountable through Parliament” in the parliamentary democracy that the country has adopted. Verma dismissed contentions of civil society members that there was no problem in bringing the Prime Minister under the Lokpal's ambit as he was already covered under ordinary laws. “If he (Prime Minister) is covered in those aspects under ordinary laws, you do not need a Lokpal to cover him for those things. And for the other things, you cannot have a lame duck Prime Minister because there is no provision for President's Rule at the Centre,” he said. — PTI
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PMO can disclose information, all meetings not sensitive: CIC
New Delhi, June 26 Chief Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra rejected the contentions of the PMO, which had claimed that such class of information could not be provided "without compromising interests of the State and other specified concerns". The case relates to an RTI application filed by Sandeep Jalan of Mumbai-based Janhit Manch seeking to know the details of all the meetings participated by the Prime Minister between a specified period. The information was rejected by the PMO saying the Prime Minister met people from all walks of life on different occasions and platforms and such meetings would be both formal and informal ones. It said most of the information would come under the exemption clauses of the RTI Act, withholding details as desired by Jalan. "Not all meetings attended by the Prime Minister are of such nature that the details, such as who all attended the meeting or the date on which the meeting took place, could compromise the interest of the State," Mishra said. He directed the PMO to provide details of the meetings attended by the Prime Minister and directed to omit only specific meetings, which would come under the exemption clauses citing reasons for deleting information. "Many of these meetings are routinely reported in the press, presumably released by the official machinery itself. Therefore, the desired information should be disclosed," he said. — PTI
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UP Govt denies Cong permission to hold protest march
Lucknow, June 26 The District Administration cited the possibility of breach of peace that could be caused by the planned "Nyaya" march for its decision. District Magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar said permission has been declined as the police apprehended breach of peace and inconvenience to residents due to traffic disruptions. He said prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the IPC are already in force in the state capital. The Congress slammed the decision saying it reflected the "fascist" style of functioning of the Mayawati Government. "How can they deny permission for our democratic right to hold a peaceful march. It is ridiculous," UPCC chief Rita Bahuguana Joshi said. Joshi said tonight the Congress has made a fresh application for permission for the march on the ground that the party's previous marches have been peaceful. She said the Congress workers will have a meeting at Bal Sangrahalaya maidan in Lucknow tomorrow, if the permission is denied again. The administration's decision came against the backdrop of the mounting attack by the opposition parties on Mayawati over the recent rise in rape cases and the mysterious death of deputy CMO YS Sachan, a murder suspect, in Lucknow jail. Mayawati said the opposition was attempting to destabilise her government by giving political colour to even the smallest of the matters. — PTI
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Army raises special forces battalion
New Delhi, June 26
A new battalion of the Parachute Regiment -- 11 Para (SF)--is being raised and will be first deployed in the north-eastern sector, Army sources said here. This will be eighth special forces battalion of the Parachute Regiment and will be deployed in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in that region, they said. The Parachute Regiment has 10 battalions under it and seven of them have been trained as special forces, which are supposed to carry out counter-terrorist operations during peacetime and sabotage enemy installations beyond enemy lines during wars. The special forces battalions include the 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 21 para units, which are deployed in different sectors of the country and have also been given responsibility to handle any 26/11 type attacks if that occurs near their area of deployment. The Army wants to increase the number of special forces troops to more than 10 battalions with around 700 men in each. These battalions have been provided with modern equipment such as Tavor 21 assault rifles.— PTI
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After CBI, Natgrid, NIA also out of RTI ambit
New Delhi, June 26 The Right to Information Act, 2005, has been amended to include the NIA, the Natgrid and the CBI in its second schedule, which exempts "intelligence and security organisations established by the Central Government" out of the purview of the Act. "In the second schedule of the RTI Act, 2005, after serial number 22 and the entry relating thereto, the following serial numbers and entries shall be added, namely: 23. CBI, 24. NIA, 25. Natgrid," a notification issued on June 9 by the Department of Personnel and Training said. Now, 25 organisations have been listed under the second schedule of the RTI Act, which includes the IB, the RAW , the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, the Aviation Research Centre and the NSG among others not to provide information, except the ones relating to allegations of corruption and human right violations. — PTI
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Sibal: Addict rehab mechanism must be strengthened
New Delhi, June 26 "Centres for dealing with victims of drugs abuse are neither sufficiently strengthened nor sufficiently empowered to give the kind of treatment that is required. We, as a government, need to strengthen those things," he said here. The Minister was addressing a gathering on the 'International Day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking'. Observing that there was a need to create and build infrastructure and organisations to deal with the issue, the Human Resources Development Minister said the problem is spreading across the country. "Earlier this was limited to the Northeast, but now Punjab is the centre of it. I know that in my constituency (Chandni Chowk, Delhi) we find a lot of kids using these substances," he said. — PTI
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Advani blames Nehru family for J-K problem
New Delhi, June 26 In the latest entry (Two missed opportunities, six disastrous consequences) on his blog, Advani also slammed the Congress for making the party the “fiefdom of a single family”. He said the office of Prime Minister was “reserved” for a “nominee” or a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Targeting Nehru family, he said it was due to the “lack of courage” of the late Prime Minister that led to the Kashmir issue remaining unresolved. Advani was also critical of late Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah and pointed out it was his ambition to be the leader of independent Kashmir that contributed to the issue. The veteran BJP leader pointed out that neither the government of Nehru in New Delhi nor the government of Abdullah in Srinagar believed that Jammu and Kashmir needed to be fully integrated into the Indian Union. “In the case of (Sheikh Mohammed) Abdullah, the problem was his ambition to become the unquestioned leader of a virtually independent Kashmir. In the case of Nehruji, it was a matter of lack of courage, firmness and foresight,” Advani said. He said Article 370 of the Constitution, which gives a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, had “emboldened” secessionist forces in the state to carry out their “poisonous propaganda that (Kashmir’s) accession to India is not final and that Kashmir, in particular, is not a part of India”. He said India had lost two opportunities to settle the issue once and for all with Pakistan - one in the 1947 war when Nehru ruled the country and the other in the 1971 Bangladesh war when Nerhu’s daughter Indira Gandhi was at the helm. “Our countrymen should know that the Kashmir problem is Nehru family’s special “gift” to the nation,” Advani said in his blog. “Nehruji’s blunder was totally avoidable. The consequences of this “gift” are Pakistan’s export of cross-border terrorism and religious extremism, thousands of lives of our security personnel and civilians and tens of thousands of crores of rupees spent on military and paramilitary defence.” Advani also warned against giving any autonomy to the state because “the implications must be understood”. In his attack on the Congress, he said the party had become the “fiefdom of a single family” and the office of Prime Minister was “reserved” for a “nominee” or a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family. “Prime ministership of a great democracy like India should not be allowed to become the jagirdari of a family,” Advani said. “India is paying a heavy price because of a prime minister nominated by the Congress president,” he added. “And now the demand has arisen from within the Congress that a scion of the Nehru family should take over the prime ministership,” Advani said. “Our country cannot afford continuation of the misrule that UPA represents,” he added. Advani also said there was a time when the Congress was a broad platform that accommodated patriots of all hues. In this regard, he said it was at the behest of Mahatma Gandhi that Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, who then belonged to the Hindu Mahasabha, and BR Ambedkar, who had been a bitter critic of the Congress, were included in Jawaharlal Nehru’s first cabinet after Independence in 1947.
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More power, fire for T-72
Chandigarh, June 26
At present, the T-72 has a 780 horsepower (hp) engine as compared to the 1,000 hp engine for the T-90 and 1,500 hp of the Arjun. Armoured corps officers are of the view that at least a 1,000 hp engine is required for the T-72. “Only a specific number of the T-72s, which formed part of later inductions, are being upgraded,” General Chabbewal said. “The older series would simply be phased out at the end of their stipulated service lifespan,” he added. Ambala-based Kharga Corps, one of the Army’s three-strike formations, had last month conducted a massive exercise in the desert aimed at validating concepts of rapid mobilisation and incisive assaults in a joint air-land battle environment. General Chabbewal, who was Commandant of the Armoured School and Center before assuming command of Kharga Corps, said that so far there was no plan to modernise the recently-acquired T-90 tanks. “Any move to upgrade the T-90s would be initiated after a few years,” he said. The Army has over 40 armoured regiments equipped with 1,600 T-72 tanks and 14 regiments equipped with the T-90. The Army had started inducting the T-72, also called Ajeya, in the 80s. The Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, a DRDO laboratory, had earlier initiated the Combat Improved Ajeya Tank project. This involved features like explosive reactive armour for enhancing the tanks’ protection against warheads, global positioning system, integrated fire detection and suppression system and smoke grenade launchers.
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Ramdev aide under CBI scrutiny
New Delhi, June 26 CBI sources said the allegations were that Balakrishna had fudged certain documents and had multiple passports, which was a punishable offence under the Indian Passport Act. However, the charges were denied by the Ramdev-controlled Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust. “Balakrishna's passport is valid. He had got his passport about 12-13 years back. Why is the government now raising questions about it?” said S K Tijarawala, spokesperson of Patanjali Yogapeeth Trust. Besides questions being raised about his nationality, Balakrishna is under scanner of central investigating and law enforcement agencies for allegedly acquiring wealth worth crores of rupees. “A complaint has been received and we are examining it. It is alleged that Balakrishna has got two passports acquired through illegal means,” a CBI official said. Both Ramdev and Balakrishna were forcibly removed by the Delhi Police on June 4 from the Ramlila Ground here, where the two were leading a gathering, demanding tougher anti-corruption laws. While Ramdev was moved to Patanjali Yogapeeth, about 20 km from Haridwar, his associate Balakrishna had gone missing and had surfaced on June 7. — PTI
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Ladakh comes up with all-weather road plan
Clearly fed up with lack of road accessibility for more than six months every year, the Ladakh administration has suggested a new route to stay connected to the country via Spiti in Himachal Pradesh.
The state government has already cleared the proposal which is now being studied by the Centre and the Border Roads Organisation. Ladakh loses road connectivity from October to May due to heavy snow. An 80-km stretch has to be built between Karzok near the Tso-Moriri lake in south-eastern Ladakh and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. Spiti is connected to Shimla via Pooh and Reokong Peo. “At 18,000 ft, Pranag-La is the only pass that exists on this route. The rest of the road will not be affected by snow during winter,” says Rigzin Spalbar, chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), which is behind the move. A trekking route already exists and the lone pass can be kept open just as the Khardung-La is kept open throughout the year, says Spalbar. He said of the total 80 km, a stretch of 60 km is flat. The remaining 20 km are mountainous. The route is crucial from the military point of view. It will reduce the road distance between Chandigarh (an important hub for defence supplies) and Leh by around 150 km. Also, it will be an all-weather road and save crores of rupees incurred on air transportation during winter season. Sources said top Army commanders have been kept in the loop regarding the project. The Army sees the route as a long-term solution to ferry supplies to the strategic region, including Siachen. From the security point of view, the project will need a clearance from the Army. At present, Leh is accessible via two routes, one from Srinagar and the other from Manali. It takes a two-day gruelling road trip to cover the 434-km-long Leh- Srinagar stretch. It has two high mountain passes, Zoji-La and Fotu-La, where snow is in abundance. Also, it takes two days to reach Srinagar from Chandigarh via road. The 475 km Leh-Manali stretch can be covered in two days via road. The road has five mountain passes, Rohtang-La (13,051 ft). Naki-La (12,139ft), Baralacha-La (16,040 ft), Lachung-La (16,600 ft) and Tanglang-La (17,583 ft). The 175-km stretch of this Himalayan highway is snowbound and the asphalt top gets damaged every year. It is impossible to keep this road open. The Proposal
*The new route will connect Leh to Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. An
80-km stretch has to be built between Karzok near the Tso-Moriri lake in
south-eastern Ladakh and Spiti. Spiti is connected to Shimla via Pooh
and Reokong Peo. * At 18,000 ft, Pranag-La is the only pass that
exists on this route. The rest of the road will not be affected by snow
during winter. * The all-weather route is crucial from the military
point of view. It will reduce the road distance between Chandigarh (an
important hub for defence supplies) and Leh by around 150 km.
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Sathya Sai’s nephew says seized cash belongs to devotees
New Delhi, June 26 “This 35 lakh belongs to devotees. Now that this is in the court and investigation is on, more details cannot be told,” he said. The cash was recovered a day after Sai Baba's personal chamber ‘Yajur Mandir’ was opened and it was disclosed that it contained 98 kg of gold, 307 kg of silver, apart from Rs 11.56 crore. Ratnakar refuted as “mud-slinging” and “totally false” allegations that trust members were trying to siphon out funds. “None of us...we are incapable of doing such things," he said, adding there were “disgruntled” people who are spreading such allegations. He said the Sathya Sai trust was the “most transparent” trust and “we go by all statutory requirements”. He also dismissed suggestions that there was a rift between members of the trust. — PTI
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US firm out to fleece Indian patients: MCI
New Delhi, June 24 In a letter to Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Dr Purshotam Lal, member of the Board of Governors of the MCI and a renowned cardiologist, today reported the move of America’s Medtronic Company, which is demanding a whopping Rs 15 lakh advance from every patient interested in attending its forthcoming workshop on non-surgical replacement of aortic heart valve with a new product called the Medtronic Core Valve, which does not require any surgery. Lal, who played a role in the clinical development of core valve which a French expert developed in 2004, today told The Tribune that the valve was to be used only in cases where the patient was unfit for surgery, mostly in case of old patients, because it was prohibitively expensive. In his letter to Azad, he has said, “I performed the first case of core valve replacement in 2004. Since then more than 20,000 cases have been performed worldwide. Medtronic, USA, bought this product and is seeking to introduce it in India, but this device is meant only for old patients unfit for open heart surgery, which costs about Rs 2.5 lakh in India. Medtronic, banking on the success of the device, is seeking to make a killing in India by charging seven times more than what an open heart surgery in India costs.” In countries like the US, where open heart surgeries cost around Rs 20 lakh, core valve replacement is a preferred alternative though it is used only when the doctors declare the patient unfit for surgery. In India, on the other hand, where cheaper alternatives are available - something which should be a reason enough for a foreign firm to conduct free-of-cost workshops in India with expensive core valve device and market it commercially at a lower cost. The MCI member has asked the Health Ministry to cap the money Medtronic can charge for the procedure. It, however, remains to be seen if the lead expert, Medtronic is sending to India to conduct the procedure, gets temporary registration from the MCI to hold the workshop.
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Mamata’s tea break at India Gate
Anita Katyal
She was promptly surrounded by an excited crowd of admirers, which included a large number of holidaying Bengalis, who were present there as the tea-stall is located near Bikaner House, which doubles as a depot for Rajasthan-bound buses. But Mamata has to be whisked away by her security staff when the crowds became unmanageable. Realising that she had not paid for the tea, she later instructed her staff to be made sure that Rs 500 was delivered to the stall owner. Knowing Mamata, the payment would have been made from her personal account. Anand Sharma & his new wardrobe!
On his part, Anand Sharma has been literally flying high ever since he took over the commerce ministry two years ago. He had jetted into Male on a private plane from Hyderabad after attending Congress MP Subirammi Reddy’s grand-daughter’s wedding, and was off again to another international destination for yet another important meeting. His colleagues are convinced that Sharma must have acquired a new wardrobe to go with his new post. Advani-Gadkari divide
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Centrestage
So accident-prone and politically fraught is the relationship between India and Pakistan that even a joint statement by the two countries is considered a significant breakthrough. So, when Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir not only released a joint statement last week but also jointly addressed a press conference much to the surprise of the media of the two countries, it was interpreted as a ‘very positive development’.
A year ago, in mid-July 2010, when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna embarked on a ‘peace mission’ to the neighbouring country, there was also hope in the air as the special IAF aircraft landed at the Chaklala Air Base in Rawalpindi. Both sides had invested a lot into efforts to resume the dialogue process, stalled in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attack. However, a belligerent Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the then Foreign Minister of Pakistan, played the spoilsport and what was expected to be a breakthrough meeting ended on an acrimonious note. Even Pakistanis blame Qureshi for the fiasco of last July and are all praise for Krishna for showing maturity in the face of grave provocation and belligerent statements by his Pakistani opposite number.
Eleven months later, vibes were quite positive as the two foreign secretaries shook hands and posed for photographers before the talks at the Foreign Office. On the first day, they took up the issue of peace and security, including confidence building measures (CBMs). Officials privy to the talks said the atmosphere was quite relaxed since both Rao and Bashir have known each other from the days when they were the envoys of their respective countries in China some years back. One official, who has participated in several India-Pakistan meetings, said he had never in his career seen such bonhomie at any interaction between the two countries.
Sharp differences between India and Pakistan, especially over terrorism and Jammu and Kashmir, prevented the two countries from normalising relations in the past. India and Pakistan did make some headway in forging peaceful relations in the last one decade. The Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus linking the two parts of Kashmir was one such Confidence Building Measure (CBM) that promised a thaw but the progress was stalled by the 26/11 attack on Mumbai by Pakistan-trained terrorists in 2008. After painstaking efforts and the political wisdom displayed by the Indian Prime Minister, both sides decided to return to the table in February this year on the margins of the SAARC Council of Ministers’ meeting at Thimphu in Bhutan. It is an irony that while China and India have pushed ahead with trade and commerce, despite their territorial disputes and China’s support of Pakistan, India and Pakistan have failed to make much headway in resolving differences over even Siachen and Sir Creek, for example, and in promoting friendly exchanges and people-to-people contacts. Differences A fresh beginning, however, was made this year and the two countries have already held talks on issues like terrorism and drug trafficking, promotion of economic relations, Siachen and river water sharing. The just-concluded talks between the two foreign secretaries in Islamabad dealt with CBMs, Jammu and Kashmir and promotion of friendly exchanges. Just a day before Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani visited Mohali as the Indian Prime Minister’s guest to witness the World Cup cricket semi-final between India and Pakistan, the home/interior secretaries of India and Pakistan met in the Indian capital towards the end of March. However, nothing productive came out of it with India complaining to Pakistan about the glacial progress in the trial of the 26/11 accused. India also handed over to Pakistan a list of its 50 ‘most wanted’ terrorists, seeking their extradition to face trial here for the heinous crimes committed by them on Indian soil. Pakistan, as usual, stated that it was committed to bringing to justice the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks but pleaded that it could not interfere with court proceedings. Similarly, the defence secretaries of India and Pakistan also failed to achieve a breakthrough in their two-day talks on Siachen last month, even though both sides agreed to persist with meaningful and result-oriented discussions. While India wants Pakistan to authenticate actual ground position line (AGPL) both on the maps and on the ground, Islamabad insists on maintaining the pre-1972 troop position, as per the Simla Agreement. Pakistan has also been asking for demilitarisation of the Siachen glacier and raised the issue of climate change there due to the presence of troops from both sides and its effects on the environment. Water has also emerged as a major issue between the two countries in recent years. Pakistan has been spreading a false propaganda that India has been denying it its due share of water by building dams over rivers flowing between the two countries. In fact, Jamat-ud-Dawaa (JuD) chief Hafiz Mohammed Sayeed, the key plotter of the 26/11 attacks, has been in the forefront of the campaign in Pakistan against India over the water issue. India’s contention is that it is abiding strictly by the provisions of the Indus Water Treaty between the two countries and has not made any attempt to deny Pakistan its due share of water. The meeting on Sir Creek issue last month also was a ritual with representatives of India and Pakistan exchanging ‘non-papers’ and agreeing to meet again. Considered among the most “doable” of the contentious issues between the two countries, the two countries have in the past discussed the delimitation of the maritime boundary as well as the delineation of the boundary in Sir Creek in the light of the results of a joint survey. Maps and charts, which showed respective positions on the twin issues, had been exchanged. Having triggered the India-Pakistan War of 1965, the disputed marshland, which separates Pakistan’s Sindh province from Gujarat on the Indian side, has been the bane of the fishermen of both countries as they are often caught straying into contested waters, ending up in long prison stints that are further stretched if there is a freeze in bilateral relations. CBMs Fortunately there is a growing consensus in the two countries for relaxing the visa regime between them, open more cross-LoC trade routes, release each other’s prisoners, increase transport links and exchange visits between artistes, writers and intellectuals. There is realisation that there can’t be a bigger CBM between the two countries than promoting people-to-people contacts. India cannot achieve its objective of becoming a global power until it is at peace with Pakistan. Similarly, Islamabad should no longer believe that promoting terrorism against India will destabilise its neighbour. The monster of terrorism, which Pakistan created, is now threatening its own existence. The peace process looks on track as of now. Opinion makers and strategic thinkers in Pakistan too appear optimistic about it. Imtiaz Gul, political analyst and author of ‘The Most Dangerous Place: Pakistan’s Lawless Frontier’ also expected the two-day talks between the two foreign secretaries to help resolve some of the issues. India, he said, should also state its commitment to the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline which could then silence the military leadership, which is paranoid about India. Since Pakistan is embroiled in its own internal conflicts, India should help it by considering ‘out of box’ ideas, he felt.
Areas where they need to break the ice
While there is growing desire for peace and stability in the region, Indo-Pak relations are a minefield , where every step needs to be taken carefully. Volatile public opinion and vitriolic or skeptical media on both sides do not help much. The two countries , to their credit, have taken cautious steps to maintain the Thimphu spirit and move forward with the process at normalisation of relations. But how to break the ice and move ahead is the question. Soft diplomacy and people-to-people contacts do have a role to play but it will require fresh ideas and out-of-the-box solutions on the real bones of contention to finally break the ice. It is instructive, therefore, to take a quick look at some of the more tricky issues, which need to be sorted out. Kashmir : India is not averse to autonomy
If there is one issue on which both India and Pakistan cannot afford to move back from their known positions, it is the status of Jammu and Kashmir. Still they discuss it every time they meet without arriving at any understanding. The region is divided among three countries in a territorial dispute: India controls the central and southern portion (Jammu and Kashmir) and
Ladakh, Pakistan administers the northwest portion (Northern Areas and Azad (Pakistan occupied) Kashmir ) and China controls the northeastern portion
(Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract). India controls the majority of the Siachen Glacier area including the Saltoro Ridge passes, whereas Pakistan controls the lower territory just southwest of the Saltoro Ridge. India says the entire state of J & K belongs to it, a claim contested by Pakistan. In 1994, the Indian Parliament passed a unanimous resolution declaring that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is and shall be an integral part of India and any attempt to separate it from the rest of the country will be resisted by all necessary means.India and Pakistan have fought at least three wars over Kashmir in 1947, 1965 and 1999. They have also been involved in several skirmishes over the Siachen Glacier. A rigged assembly election in 1987 triggered unrest in the valley. Pakistan started fishing in troubled waters and encouraged militants in the state to unleash a wave of violence. Since then, the beautiful Kashmir valley has been the site of conflict between the Indian Armed Forces and militants and separatists. India has furnished documentary evidence to the United Nations that these militants are supported by Pakistan, leading to a ban on some terrorist
organisations, which Pakistan is yet to enforce. The turmoil in Jammu and Kashmir has resulted in thousands of deaths and large-scale migration of Kashmiri pundits and Hindus from the state to other parts of India. Many Kashmiri pandits lament the fact that they can’t return to their homes and blame the Centre for their plight. The government in New Delhi has, from time to time, offered to hold talks with militants within the framework of the Constitution provided they eschew the path of violence. India is also not averse to granting autonomy to the state but Pakistan would not allow the leadership of the militants to reach any agreement with New Delhi.
Pakistan claims that it provides moral, diplomatic and political support to the cause of Jammu and Kashmir. But the world knows it provides material support to the militants
too. Siachen : The most expensive battleground
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since April 1984. The conditions there are so extreme that the bitterly cold weather claims more lives than the frequent artillery exchanges. The air is so thin that the trajectory of the shells is unpredictable. Both countries maintain permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 ft). The site is one of the most eminent examples of mountain warfare. The two governments concede that supplying troops on such a remote and inaccessible battlefield is a hugely costly exercise. Both sides say they want a negotiated settlement to the Siachen conflict but a solution has eluded them so far.
It is now well known that the two countries were close to reaching an understanding on Siachen when Pervez Musharraf was at the helm of affairs in Pakistan. However, the two countries again seem to be making a sincere attempt to resolve the Siachen dispute. The forward posts on the glacier are over 6,000 metres high, until the 1970s nobody thought of disputing it. The Indian army stationed troops there in 1984 and the two sides have been entrenched in the snow ever since. Avalanches and altitude sickness pose a constant danger - soldiers say one moment you can be walking with a man, the next he has vanished down a crevice never to return. To reach the forward positions involves using helicopters that have had to be specially adapted to operating at such altitudes.
Pakistan has argued that both sides should pull back to the positions they held more than 20 years ago before India occupied most of the ice field. India has said it agrees to that but has argued that the withdrawal should be preceded by marking the current position of the two forces. Both India and Pakistan had wished to disengage from the costly military outposts. However, after the Pakistani incursions during the Kargil War in 1999, India abandoned plans to withdraw from Siachen unless there’s an official recognition of the current line of control by Pakistan, wary of further Pakistani incursions if they vacate the Siachen Glacier posts without such recognition. China was the unspoken but ominous presence in the South Block room recently during the talks between India and Pakistan on the Siachen
Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region. China’s expanding strategic footprint in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in fact, seems to have led India to harden its stand, which till now was largely about Pakistan providing iron-clad guarantees to “authenticate” the 110-km Actual Ground Position Line
(AGPL) along the Saltoro Ridge, on maps and on ground. Terrorism : Spectre
of 26/11 continues to haunt
Any engagement between India and Pakistan is incomplete if India does not raise the issue of terrorism emanating from across the border. Every time the issue comes up, Islamabad claims it is doing everything possible to combat the menace. Pakistan religiously makes pronouncements that it would not allow the misuse of its territory for anti-India activities, only to renege on its commitment. Relations between the two countries have touched their nadir twice in recent years. Pakistan-trained militants carried out an audacious attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001, aimed to target the entire political leadership of the country. The war clouds were again evident on the region when the then Vajpayee Government amassed troops along the border following the Parliament attack. Pakistan followed suit. Thanks to intervention by the international community, the two sides disengaged and launched a peace process in January 2004. The dialogue was interrupted by the 26/11 attack on Mumbai when Pakistani terrorists unleashed mayhem in the metropolis for three days, killing more than 164 people. New Delhi believes that Pakistan is providing safe havens to terrorists operating from its soil against India. It has provided to Pakistan a list of 50 of its ‘most wanted’ terrorists who have escaped to Pakistan after committing crimes on the Indian soil. Pakistan has dismissed this list, saying many of those named in it, especially underworld don Dawood
Ibrahim, are not present in the country. To deflect attention from the establishment’s role in aiding anti-India terror groups, Pakistan blames India for the troubles in its restive Balochistan province. India has yet again conveyed to Pakistan its disappointment over the glacial pace of progress in the trial of the 26/11 accused. Presently there is no magistrate even to conduct the proceedings of the trial in Pakistan. Infiltration from across the border into Jammu and Kashmir is a perennial problem for India. Though infiltration has come down in recent years, it has not stopped altogether. India also believes that the terrorist infrastructure on the Pakistani soil remains intact despite assertions to the contrary by the Pakistani leadership. Pakistani notorious spy agency ISI continues to foment trouble in J & K. The revelations made by Pakistan-born American David Coleman Headley during the trial of Pak-Canadian businessman Tahawwur Hussain Rana recently in a Chicago court, linking the ISI with the Mumbai conspiracy have certainly put Pakistan on the back foot. |
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Two BSF men, naxal killed in ambush
Raipur, June 26 Kanker DSP Rahul Bhagat said a joint patrolling team of the BSF and the district police from Koylibeda was ambushed near Sulangi village by around 150 naxals, in which two BSF jawans - a head constable and a constable - were killed on the spot, while three others, including a special police officer, were injured. Bhagat said a naxal, suspected to be a commander-level officer as he was wearing a cap with insignia, was killed in the retaliatory fire by the jawans, adding that the security personnel had recovered a .303 rifle and two IEDs from the spot of the incident. The district police chief also said the security personnel had claimed that the ultras took away around ten of their comrades, who were hit by the police bullets. — PTI
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Pilot falls to death while partying A daughter’s appeal
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The Nasik unit of the Shiv Sena, headed by district chief Sunil Bagul and city unit chief Arjun Tile, today staged a demonstration at the Central Bus Stand area of the town this afternoon against diesel and gas price hike. Sena activists, including women, put up a make-shift stove and made chappatis using firewood as fuel, by way of protest against the increase in the LPG price.
According to the police official, the FIR was filed under IPC Sections 302 (murder) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) on the basis of a letter sent by speedpost to the Gosainganj police station by Dr Malti Sachan, wife of the deceased doctor. 
According to the General Officer Commanding, Kharga Corps, Lt Gen Amarjeet Singh Chabbewal, the T-72 fleet is being refurbished with a more powerful engine and a state-of-the-art fire control system to its armaments’ day and night capability.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can always be relied upon to create a stir and that’s exactly what she did on her visit to the Capital last week. After her arrival in the middle of the afternoon, she realised that she had at least two hours to kill before her appointment with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Having set a trend of paying surprise visits at hospitals and government offices in her home state, she decided to do the same here and landed up at the new Bangla Bhavan building currently under construction. Since she still had time on her hands, Mamata then decided to go for a drive to India Gate where she stopped at a stall for a quick cup of tea.
A Cabinet Minister who was visiting Male recently bumped into Commerce Minister Anand Sharma there, all kitted up nattily in a formal suit despite the hot humid weather in the Maldivian capital. Sharma, who was in Maldives on a bilateral visit, clearly takes his ministerial duties very seriously and feels he has to dress for the part. Not only was Sharma wearing a suit, but he also inspired the members of his entourage to do the same although they would have probably been more comfortable in causal attire. 
When senior BJP leader Ananth Kumar described Congress president Sonia Gandhi as the “Gangotri of corruption” while addressing a rally here last week, he was promptly ticked off by his party patriarch LK Advani who asked everybody to desist from using such harsh language. The BJP, he reminded the gathering, is a responsible national party and such distasteful remarks do not reflect well on its leaders. Advani’s message was first attributed to the fact that the BJP leader and Sonia Gandhi have a fairly cordial relationship now. 
But the sting, as they say, is in the tail. Advani then went on to observe that this trend of using improper language has been growing which, he said, is not a good sign. BJP insiders were quick to point out that this statement was aimed at party president Nitin Gadkari who has been known to make unsavory remarks about his political opponents. He had recently said that asking Sonia Gandhi to fight corruption is like asking Pakistan to curb terrorism. Advani’s jibe only confirmed what is known to all that the senior leader is always looking for an opportunity to put down Gadkari, who is not exactly his favourite person.
