The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tahrir Square again
Egyptians expose anti-democracy forces

Egyptians have sent out a strong message that anyone who tries to delay the transition to a democratic set-up in their country will not be tolerated. This could be seen in the demonstrations that began again at the famous Tahrir Square in Cairo on Saturday, leading to the death of 35 persons. On Tuesday the protesters’ number swelled considerably, forcing the interim Cabinet to resign. The head of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who took over power after the ouster of President Husne Mubarak in mid-February, was forced to declare in a television address that the legislative polls, scheduled for November 28, would be held as planned. There was also no change in the schedule for the presidential election, to be held on June 30 next year. All this was essential to cool down the tempers of the people who had begun to doubt the intentions of those running the interim administration.

The people, in fact, want SCAF to disband itself and allow an interim civilian arrangement to replace it. Interestingly, among the political forces which have launched a drive against SCAF is the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, which had been supporting it till SCAF lost the confidence of most Egyptians. SCAF chief Tantawi has, however, refused to tender his resignation unless a referendum was held for the purpose. The emerging scenario will be watched with bated breath by the whole world as many organizations, including the Brotherhood, have given a call for a Million Man March. In an effort to win over the confidence of the people, Field Marshal Tantawi is believed to have requested former International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei to head a new Cabinet that will be formed now. Dr ElBaradei’s acceptance of the invitation may help control the situation. But this seems to be a remote possibility as he is expected to be a candidate in the coming presidential poll.

Much depends on the outcome of the November 28 legislative elections, likely to be swept by the Brotherhood. If the majority of the voters favour the Brotherhood, this will mean that only a candidate sponsored by its political wing, the Party of Freedom and Justice, can hope to emerge victorious in the presidential poll. Dr ElBaradei may obviously not like to be on the bandwagon of those opposed by the Brotherhood.

Videography of Gram Sabhas
In quest of better administered villages

Despite the empowerment of panchayats under the 73rd amendment, much was left to be done, especially in the case of tribal areas. The mineral and timber-rich lands of the tribal belts are at times easily exploited with the connivance of some of the gram sabha members, who may not necessarily represent the will of the masses. If the functioning of the gram sabhas is videographed, as has been suggested by the panchayati Raj Minister, it will help the functioning of panchayats in more ways than one.

If panchayats are the basic unit of administration in rural India, inhabited by about 70 per cent of our population, it makes better sense to impart to the functioning of the basic unit of administration a touch of professionalism. As the minister suggested, the 73rd amendment would go in further for changes, bringing in provisions which could be made mandatory for the states to implement. Keeping in mind the muscle power of the land and mining mafias, which has been influencing the functioning of the panchayats in some areas for conversion of land use — from forest to non -forest use — videography of the proceedings will work as a major document to keep the lands safe from exploitation. Also, by the proposed amendment of PESA (Panchayat Extension to the Scheduled Areas Act-1996), which demands for mere consultation of the gram sabhas for the diversion of land use, the new amendment will make it mandatory that the content of the entire gram sabha is sought by the state or the interested private parties.

Despite the scheduled sessions of the top administrative and legislative bodies, the attendance of our elected and nominated representatives has never been impressive. It is assumed that given an advance schedule, the gram sabha members will take up the functioning of the sabahs with greater seriousness. The regularly scheduled meetings may also help these small administrative bodies sort out their social and community-based issues that unnecessarily travel long distances to get entangled in the delayed procedures and complex pieces of legislation. In the age of cell-phone explosion, communicating schedules should not be an issue for the gram sabhas.

Thought for the Day

I believe the greater the handicap, the greater the triumph. — John H. Johnson

ARTICLE

Confusing signals from Maldives
Beware of Pakistan’s jihadi proxies
by G. Parthasarathy

Pakistan is going through troubled times. Opposition is mounting in the US Congress to proposals by the Obama Administration for military and economic assistance to a country labelled as a “major non-NATO ally,” but recently characterised as nurturing a “snake in its backyard”. The Americans increasingly allude to Pakistan as an “enemy’’ rather than as a “friend”. An enterprising American journalist humorously describes Pakistan as a “frenemy” of the United States! Turkey has for decades cultivated Pakistan, even at the expense of its relations with India. But just on the eve of the Istanbul Summit on Afghanistan, the influential Turkish daily “Hurriet”, reflecting the views of its government, warned: “Treating Afghanistan as its own backyard and waging proxy war will be to the detriment of Pakistan’s own interest. Pakistan needs to change course and stop relying on its nuisance value”.

At the Maldives summit an infuriated President Hamid Karzai directly alluded to Pakistan’s support and safe havens for the Taliban, asserting: “We believe we should talk to Pakistan (and not the Taliban). We cannot keep talking to suicide bombers till we have the address, the telephone number and a door to knock at.”

Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaque Kayani’s reaction to the accusations of supporting terrorism has been based on the adage that “offence is the best form of defence”. Rather than hanging his head in shame after Osama bin Laden was found hidden by the military in Abbotabad, General Kayani aroused public passions in Pakistan by converting the whole Abbotabad episode into one involving an American breach of Pakistan’s sacred “sovereignty”. A cornered and weak civilian government was left with little choice but to join General Kayani in fanning the flames of anti-Americanism. His propaganda focused on how 30,000 Pakistani lives had been sacrificed as “victims of terrorism”. The Pakistanis conveniently glossed over the fact that the bulk of those who died had been killed in a conflict with terrorists who had been earlier trained and armed by the ISI. While the usual suspects in the American media and academia tried to bend backwards to empathise with the Pakistan Army, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made some soothing noises, Pakistan now faces the reality that duplicity on terrorism is making it an international pariah.

Pakistan’s propaganda offensive against India on terrorism has, however, left New Delhi confused and defensive, thanks to some inept handling by South Block. Pakistan succeeded at Sharm el Sheikh in delinking terrorism from the continuation of the Composite Dialogue Process. Our diplomats tried to be too clever by half by pretending, contrary to facts, that all that we had resumed was a “dialogue” and not the “composite dialogue,” which was commenced in pursuant to a categorical assurance by Pakistan that “any territory under its control would not be used for terrorism against India”.

The net result has been that the salience of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which is today the primary source of international and Indian concern, has been thoroughly eroded in the dialogue process. Worse still, Pakistan is now getting away with the propaganda that what happened in Mumbai is no different from the deaths caused by “Hindu terrorists” in the Samjhauta Express. Pakistan now points a finger at India for allegedly failing to prosecute the perpetrators of the Samjhauta Express bombing and uses this to explain its inaction in bringing the perpetrators of 26/11 to book.

Pakistan now knows from its past experience that Indian diplomacy lacks the resilience and resolve to stand firm on terrorist outrages it perpetrates. Dawood Ebrahim, the perpetrator of the Mumbai bomb blasts in 1993, when over 250 innocent people lost their lives, resides in resplendent splendour in a mansion in the elite Defence Housing Society in Karachi. This attack did not prevent New Delhi bending backwards to start a “Composite Dialogue Process” where terrorism was bracketed with drug smuggling in 1999. The commencement of this dialogue process was followed by the Kargil conflict and the attack on the Red Fort in Delhi by the Lashkar-e-Toiba, with Hafeez Saeed publicly and proudly proclaiming that he had “unfurled the green flag of Islam on the ramparts of the Red Fort”. We, in turn, issued an invitation for a summit with General Musharraf, with no proper preparations. Shortly after the failed summit, the Jaish-e-Mohammed, whose leader we had released during the hijacking of IC 814, attacked our Parliament.

In order to justify the decision to delink the resumption of the “composite dialogue” from terrorism, we are also now witnessing the strange phenomenon of the “spin doctors” of South Block making it appear that Pakistan is doing a great favour by extending the Most-Favoured Nation treatment to us. As a London-based Pakistani analyst, Dr Haider Shah, representing the Rationalist Society of Pakistan, notes: “Normal, non-discriminatory trade relations are the cornerstone of the international trade system under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as MFN is the first article of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), second article of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the fourth article of the Agreement on Trade- Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). This means that the prohibitive tariff of yesteryears amounts to pushing the country back into the Stone Age, as all other countries have moved ahead of the second stage and are entering the third phase of Free Trade Agreements.”

Moreover, despite the agreement between Commerce Secretaries, it remains to be seen if Pakistan will fulfil its commitments on trade liberalisation to be undertaken by November 2012, as Prime Minister Gilani has averred that no final decision has been taken on the grant of the MFN status to India.

An astute Indian analyst recently observed: “Pakistan's peace cheque is post-dated, and issued on a bank in dubious health.” Pakistan is obviously buying time by pretending to seek a better relationship with India even while retaining its jihadi assets to strike again when its present isolation ends and it is able to move more forces from the Durand Line to its eastern borders. We should, therefore, ensure that Pakistan does not succeed in installing its jihadi proxies in Kabul, while making it clear that we are prepared neither to forget nor to forgive the perpetrators of the 26/11 outrage even if we courteously use terms like “man of peace,” or a "breath of fresh air" to flatter their fashionably well-attired leaders in the salubrious climes of the Attu Island resort in the Maldives.

Scribes covering the Maldives summit noticed the strange phenomenon of excessive and exclusive bonhomie between the Indian and Pakistani delegations, leaving others, including the Afghans, dumbstruck. Was such contrived bonhomie necessary or prudent, given the indelible scars of 26/11?

MIDDLE

Losing one’s father
by Sarita Mohan

Losing one’s father is a traumatic experience. More so when you are the only child of your parents. As my father was growing old and slowly dependent, I used to persuade him to be with us here in Chandigarh so that we could give him constant care and the feeling of being with the family and grandchildren. It was no longer possible and advisable for him to travel home to Banaras very often and stay there for a long time. So, whenever the devotion and love for his 60-year-long career as a leading advocate would drag him to Banaras, I would take him and settle him there, but bring him back after a brief spell.

Although it was not easy for him to accept the fact that now he would have to be with us in Chandigarh, he surrendered before the circumstances, and, more importantly, I got full support from my family and they were even more keen on having him here with us. I think this gave him a lot of satisfaction and ‘Jeene ki icchha’. But gradually his health started deteriorating, and when the body starts to feel the age, complications become a routine affair. This time as well he wanted to go to Banaras. Once he was fit to travel, I took him there but this time God had a different plan. His health deteriorated and he was admitted to the ICU. I was there all the time, but somehow I could feel that things were not that simple this time around.

His one-month stay in the hospital brought all our friends and relatives very close as all of them were right beside me in that hour of trauma. He then became critical and I could not bear to see him in that condition. This was where my daughters Sangeeta and Deepika took over. They stood like a rock daily for 18 hours at a stretch outside the ICU.

But as his condition worsened, he was kept on a ventilator, and all we could do was pray for him to get better. But then came the end of an era; we all were there, standing beside him, when he left us all. His funeral was well attended and in a city where he spent his entire life --- Benaras --- and where he wanted to breathe his last. The farewell he got would have been unimaginable here in Chandigarh. My daughter Sangeeta did the last rites, and she did so with full sentiments following all the rituals. All along these traumatic days I was happy to see the decision-making having been taken out of my hand and into those of my daughters. I suddenly became aware that my daughters had grown up and that I too was getting older.

After the demise of his Nana my younger daughter Deepika went to his office chamber and sitting on his chair, which he had occupied for the last 60 years, she requested that she might be allowed to carry that chair to Chandigarh. This would ensure her bondage with her Nana and she would be able to feel and permeate within herself Nanaji’s intelligence, intellect, maturity, clear- headedness, analysing power and devotion to duty.

We came back to Chandigarh after “Terahvee”. And then we could feel the vacuum as if everything was lost. You feel so sad that one wants to reverse everything. The daily routine life soon started. We got some happy moments as well like Sangeeta’s promotion, which my father was actually looking forward to, but this time we all were missing him. Life goes on, but how can you forget a person, his belongings, his thoughts, his affection, his care, his love and his blessings? No, we cannot.

OPED

A matter of heart
Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of deaths in India. The nation loses 30 lakh persons per year to heart disease. These can be prevented if the individual, the state and the medical fraternity join hands to take the necessary steps and come up with preventive measures
Dr Aashish Contractor

A healthy mind resides in a healthy body’ goes the saying, but what about the heart? We cannot ignore the strongest muscle of the body. The time has come for India to wake up to the real threat of heart disease, especially when the world community is becoming aware about the onslaught of Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) in the world. The first ever UN General Assembly meeting on the prevention and control of NCDs was held in New York in September this year. As the world focuses on chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases, India needs to look inward and assess its own status with respect to these diseases.

The leading cause of deaths in India among NCDs is due to cardiovascular disease. India loses about 30 lakh persons per year to heart disease. According to the WHO, cardiovascular diseases will be the largest cause of death and disability in India by 2020. If this does not serve as a wake-up call, then what will?

If we take the threat of heart disease seriously, we need to act and act quite fast. It’s important to trace the problem to its source and tackle it from there. As a developing nation we cannot bear the huge economic burden of these deadly lifestyle diseases. The government is already struggling to tackle the healthcare issues in the country. At present, it has spent just one per cent of its gross domestic product on public health, leading to a sorely deficient public health infrastructure. Apart from the health problems faced by the developing world, India now has to grapple with the dual burden of chronic diseases that accompany unhealthy lifestyles — diabetes and heart disease.

However, on a more optimistic note, heart disease can be prevented as it being a lifestyle disease, intelligent changes in that lifestyle can bring down the risk levels. Some of the risk factors for heart disease that can be modified are diabetes, high-blood cholesterol, consumption of tobacco, high-blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity and stress. The focus should be on attacking and correcting these risk factors.

A smoker’s risk of having a heart attack is twice more than that of a non-smoker. Diet and exercise are known to play a key role in controlling the heart disese. Exercise helps protect against heart disease. It’s important to know that every extra step one takes during the day builds up the “health balance” and helps prevent the disease. Incorporating 30 minutes’ exercise in daily life can lead to immense benefits.

It is also important to maintain a healthy weight, according to one’s height. Studies have shown that healthy eating and exercise lead to improved health parameters, even in the absence of weight loss.

Eating right is as important as exercising. One should stay away from diet fads and stick to sensible diets that result in long-lasting benefits. Several servings of vegetables and fruits, oil lowest in saturated content and several small meals in a day are ways to eat right. The intake of simple sugars needs to be kept to a minimum, while consuming more of complex carbohydrates. A regular check-up of parameters is also a must. Most of the risk factors for heart disease are silent and therefore one needs to keep a regular watch over weight, glucose levels, blood pressure etc to pre-empt the disease.

One can combat the heart disease at the grassroots level by simply being more aware and cautious about the risk factors and symptoms. But existing cases of heart disease and those in the danger zone need governmental help as well. Access to quality, affordable healthcare is absolutely essential, especially for the poor and marginalized population.

Many lifestyle diseases have their origin in childhood. Unhealthy eating habits among children lead to lifestyle diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease later in life. This calls for the need to educate children about the ill effects of unhealthy snacking. The Centre recently asked state governments to ban the sale of junk food and carbonated drinks on the schools’ premises. The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry wants guidelines to be framed to serve good-quality food like dal, roti, sprouts etc in schools and colleges. The ministry has stated that any food that has poor nutritional value is considered unhealthy.

Even a healthier choice of cooking oil and opting for oils with a higher monounsaturated fat content and lower saturated fat content, such as olive oil, canola oil, and groundnut oil is a step in the right direction.

More needs to be done to curb childhood obesity and related and resulting problems like the heart disease. People in the metros are not only hard pressed for time but also for open spaces to exercise.

A study of 4,000 Indian children in 15 cities indicated that 23 per cent of children in the 5-14 year age bracket in urban schools were overweight, while nearly 11 per cent kids were obese. Overweight children are at a greater risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. The civic administration in cities needs to give heed to the development and maintenance of open spaces for the citizens.

Heart disease can be prevented if the individual, the state and the medical fraternity join hands to take the necessary steps and come up with preventive measures. A holistic view of the disease would lead to holistic measures being taken. Programmes to combat NCDs are under-funded in India at present. As the world discusses this growing malaise at a world forum, India needs to chalk out its own plan to combat it.

The writer is the Head of Department, Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation, Asian Heart Institute, Mumbai

Checklist for a healthy life

Cardiovascular disease causes 29 per cent of all deaths globally every year. It is the world’s number one killer. In order to prevent the incidence of heart disease we need to be aware about the disease and know what causes it.

Smoking: It is the one of the most important preventable causes of premature death. A smoker’s risk of having a heart attack is twice more than that of a non-smoker. Smoking speeds up the development of plaque in the arteries, reduces the level of the good HDL cholesterol, and increases the stickiness of blood cells causing blood clots inside the arteries.

Hypertension: High blood pressure or hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer.” The reason for this is that people often suffer severe problems related to hypertension, without being aware that their blood pressure is high. It is a common misconception that your systolic BP should be your age plus 100. This is a myth. A high blood pressure has been defined as either the higher number, called systolic pressure being over 140 or the lower number, called diastolic pressure being over 90. However, your ideal blood pressure should be below 120/80.

High cholesterol: If LDL or bad cholesterol is too high in your blood, some of it sticks to the walls of blood vessels and is absorbed. The end result is large fatty deposits in the blood vessels which cause the vessels to become narrow, stiff, and less responsive to triggers to expand and constrict, reducing the blood flow to the heart and other organs. This leads to heart diseases and potentially a heart attack. Therefore it is important to make lifestyle changes, exercise regularly, eat healthy and minimise the sources of bad fats. Alongside other fats in daily diet, cooking oil is an everyday source of fat and it is advisable to use oils with a higher monounsaturated fat content and lower saturated fat content, such as olive oil, canola oil and groundnut oil.

Diabetes: Indians have one of the highest genetic risks for diabetes. It is a very serious disease in itself and leads to complications of the eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels, besides being one of the major risk factors for heart disease. We are observing more patients (and at younger ages) with Syndrome X, also called the ‘Metabolic Syndrome’, in which high blood sugar, high blood pressure, a large waistline, and abnormal lipid values are all clustered together. Diabetes is diagnosed on the basis of fasting glucose levels. A level of more than 126 mg/dl indicates diabetes. However, this should be confirmed by another test done on a different day. Normal fasting blood sugar should be 70 –100 mg/dl

Obesity: As India is becoming more ‘prosperous’ so are the waistlines of its citizens. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, as well as other complications such as arthritis. A sensible diet, combined with an exercise programme is the best way to lose weight. Crash diets do not work in the long term, and may actually be harmful for the body.

Stress: The role of stress in the development of heart disease is not clearly defined as it cannot be ‘measured’ by any test, but it is advisable to keep your stress levels as low as possible.

The triggers of heart disease can be controlled by leading a healthy life. The key is to stay away from risk factors of heart disease. The more risk factors a person has, the greater the possibility of developing heart disease.