The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Special to the tribune Pak rights activist took up his case Khalid Mehmood Khalid Lahore, June 28 Amidst a media blitzkrieg, Indian national Surjeet Singh was released from the high security Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore on Thursday. Sporting a flowing beard and a black turban, just as Surjeet came out of jail, he told reporters that he was headed straight for the Golden Temple in Amritsar to thank the Almighty for his freedom. Arrested on charges of spying during the Martial Law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq, he was sentenced to death by a military court. His sentence was later converted to life sentence in 1989 by then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan on the advice of then premier Benazir Bhutto. Surjeet has let off after serving 30 years in jail. His release comes after human rights activist and lawyer Awais Sheikh petitioned the Lahore High Court seeking his release since he had already served his life sentence. An agent of Indian Intelligence Agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Surjeet was arrested from the Pakistan side of the Indian border near Lahore in 1982. Important secret documents were recovered from him that went on to become the basis of his conviction. After three years of investigation and trial, he was sentenced to death under Section 59/PAA (Pakistan Army Act, 1952) by the Commanding Officer of 106 Brigade headquartered at Lahore Cantt on charges of spying. He appealed for mercy to General Zia, but the mercy petition was turned down. He remained confined in Lahore Central Jail (Kot Lakhpat), but on December 7, 1988, on Benazir Bhutto’s recommendation, the President commuted his sentence to life. On November 2, 2011, Sheikh filed a petition before the Lahore High Court seeking the release of all foreigners in Pakistan. The government acknowledged the presence of 32 Indians and 69 other foreigners, but did not mention Surjeet as one of the detainees. Sheikh again petitioned for the release of Surjeet on November 21, 2011. The very next day, Justice Manzoor Ahmed Malik asked the Secretary Foreign Affairs, Secretary Ministry of Interior and Superintendent Lahore Jail to submit a report. The jail superintendent, in his reply to the court on March 14, 2012, said his office had written to the Interior Ministry that Surjeet has completed his jail term and steps should be taken to initiate his release. He placed the President’s letter granting clemency before the Lahore High Court. At the next hearing on April 19, 2012, the court declared Surjeet as a civil internee and ordered the Interior Ministry to release him within three months and hand him over to India. He was handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah border along with 311 fishermen. Talking to newsmen before crossing over to India, Surjeet Singh said that he really missed his family, but otherwise he was neither tortured nor ill-treated in the jail. Looking forward to meeting his family, Surjeet hoped that his family would receive him on the Indian side of the border and take him to Darbar Sahib before going home. Sarabjit said Indian prisoners were not discriminated against in Pakistan and were treated well. He also confirmed that he had met another Indian prisoner, Sarabjit in Kot Lakhpat jail as part of the weekly meeting of all Indian prisoners. Sarabjit, he said, was also looking forward to being released soon and had said so during their last meeting. Documents recovered from the possession of Surjeet have never been released, but the military court said that these pertained to sensitive information on Pakistan defence and other installations that were to be sent to India. Surjeet has always denied the charges.
	Letters brought news of Surjeet from Pak Balwant Garg/TNS Phidde (Ferozepur), June 28 After he was detained by Pakistani Rangers in January 1981, there was no word about the whereabouts of Surjeet Singh, alias Makhan Singh, for the next 23 years. In November 2004, Gurjit Singh of Mansurwal village of Zira subdivision of Ferozepur, reached Phiddey to met Surjeet’s family. Gurjit had also been in Kot Lakhpat jail with Surjeet and had been just released. He brought with him two letters Surjeet wrote in July 2003 and September 2004, narrating his plight in jail. In the first letter, dated July 23, 2003, Surjeet wrote: “I am in a jail in Pakistan for the past 25 years and my name has been changed from Makhan Singh to Surjeet Singh. Earlier, I was sentenced to death, but after an appeal to the President of Pakistan, my sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. I’m trying for my early release. I was helpless so I could not write to you earlier.” In the second letter, dated September 12, 2004, Surjeet wrote: “I’m in the Kot Lakhpat jail, serving life term and the sentence would end on October 27, 2010. Two days back, I had a dream of two youths pushing Jaswinder Singh (his elder son) into a canal and he was crying for help.” Ask Naib (younger brother) and Basant Kaur (sister-in-law) to inform me if there is any mobile phone connection in the village so that I could speak to my son. You need to contact Major Singh (a close relative, who owned a stud-farm) to approach Harcharan Singh Brar (late Chief Minister of Punjab) and the Prime Minister office to take up the issue of my early release with the Foreign Ministry. You also need to contact Harpal Singh Bhullar to raise the matter for my early release. (Bhullar is president of the International Bhai Mardana Yadgari Kirtan Darbar Society in Ferozepur. The society has been fighting for the cause of Indian nationals languishing in Pakistani jails for the past 15 years). Call it a coincidence that while in his September 2004 letter, Surjeet Singh wrote about his dream of two youths killing his elder son Jaswinder Singh, the latter died in November 2004 due to a prolonged ailment. Surjeet’s family struggled hard Phidde (Ferozepur): Having only 2.25-acre land, Surjeet Singh had joined the police service, but after he landed in Pak jail, the family in Phidde village struggled hard. Harbans Kaur and her elder daughter Parminder Kaur started doing handloom works to earn some money as other three children in the family were quite young. Instead of going to school, both sons, Jaswinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh joined dairy farming. After Jaswinder’s death, Kulwinder started working as a bus conductor. TNS
	U-turn a cruel joke, help us: Sarabjit’s kin to govt Himani Chandel/TNS New Delhi, June 28 Family members of Indian death row prisoner in Pakistan, Sarabjit Singh today met External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and sought the government’s intervention to secure his release. After staging a dharna at the Jantar Mantar here, they also met senior officials of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over Sarabjit’s continued detention in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail. Expressing shock over the Pakistan Government’s volte face on Tuesday over Sarabjit’s release, his sister Dalbir Kaur said they were given a patient hearing by both the Indian minister as well as the High Commission officials. “The Pakistani officials listened to our complaint patiently and said that our sentiments would be conveyed to the Pakistan Government as soon as possible,” said Dalbir Kaur. Sharing the concerns of Sarabjit’s family, Krishna said the government was equally worried about him. “He assured us that the Indian Government will do everything to get him back,” said Swapandeep Kaur, Sarabjit’s elder daughter. Describing as a “cruel joke” the U-turn by Pakistan in Sarabjit’s case, family members said the government there apparently was not in control of the administration. The family members, who were joined in by nearly 100 other protesters, shouted slogans against the Pakistan Government.
	‘Sarabjit’s fine, I used to meet him once a week’ Perneet Singh/TNS Attari (Indo-Pak Border), June 28 Even as Sarabjit Singh's family is in despair after the Pakistan government's volte-face on commuting his death sentence, Surjeet Singh, who was released by Pakistan today, said Sarabjit's family should now make “silent efforts” without creating any hype in the media to ensure his release. Replying to media queries on Sarabjit Singh after his return, Surjeet said, “Both of us were in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore. He is absolutely fine. He has been kept in solitary confinement. He is allowed to move around in his cell.” He said he used to meet Sarabjit once a week, but was not allowed to meet him in the morning today. He said that Sarabjit did not send any message for his family. Regarding Pak’s U-turn on Sarabjit, he attributed the “confusion” to the fact that the spellings of Sarabjit and Surjeet are almost similar in Urdu. He said as soon as the word of Sarabjit’s death sentence being commuted spread in Pakistan, radicals resorted to protests while the ISI and the Army also resented the move. “Sarabjit’s case is different as it is linked to terrorism and, as you know, neither India nor Pak spares anyone in such cases.” He said that Sarabjit’s family should silently make efforts for his release without creating any media hype. He accused the Pakistani media of hurting the prospects of Sarabjit's release.
	Monsoon delayed over North, may revive in July Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, June 28 The southwest monsoon is all set to miss its June 29 date with Delhi and Punjab and is not expected to reach in the next four-five days. The Northern Limit of Monsoon is stagnant at Veraval, Navsari, Malegaon, Betul, Jabalpur, Sidhi, Varanasi and Gorakhpur -- exactly where it was on June 21 -- and it is not expected to move before July 2-3. In the meantime, showers are expected over some places in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh due to prevailing western disturbance. IMD director SC Bhan said the monsoon was not expected to reach Delhi and areas in Punjab aligned on the Northern Limit of Monsoon alongside in the next four-five days. He, however, said dates of onset were based on averages. Sounding an assuring note, he said: “Last year, the monsoon arrived over Delhi on July 8 and the year before that on July 5.” Though Bhan said it was early to commit when the crucial seasonal rains would arrive at the gateway to the country’s northwest granaries, IMD sources said the monsoon was expected to improve next week. “The monsoon is expected to further progress deep into Central India and also towards North India next week,” an IMD official said, adding that rains could arrive over the Northern region by the end of next week. Last week IMD director-general LS Rathore had announced that the monsoon would reach Delhi by June 29 (error margin of three to four days) and cover India by July 15. Even though the Northeastern states and Western Ghats were witnessing a downpour, rains were below average last week and failed to cover as much of the country as they should have, fanning concerns about crop output. Despite a slow start and erratic run, India is sticking to its forecast of an average monsoon. Monsoon rains have been less than normal, but they can still make up the deficit in the next 10 to 15 days, IMD officials say, adding that only if the lull phase continues for another 15 days will the panic set in. Next 2 weeks critical The monsoon has been below normal this year, but can still make up the deficit in the next 10 to 15 days IMD officials say the next two weeks will be crucial as late sowing could hit yield Insufficient rainfall has already affected planting of pulses, cotton, paddy and soybean
	AI pilots urge PM, Sonia Gandhi to help end impasse Tribune News Service New Delhi, June 28 While their families knocked on the doors of the Air India CMD, agitating Air India pilots today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress top brass to help resolve the 52-day-long impasse, saying that condition of some of their fasting colleagues had worsened. The Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), which is spearheading the agitation and the five-day-old hunger strike, shot off letters to the PM, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, seeking their “urgent intervention to resolve the prolonged agitation”. According to the IPG, while three pilots, who were on hunger strike since Sunday, were hospitalised yesterday following deterioration in their health, the condition of a few more in Delhi and Mumbai had worsened. Meanwhile, the pilots today also received support from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA). Urging the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to “make a positive contribution towards ending this dispute”, IFALPA asked the civil aviation regulator to bring both sides to the negotiating table. In a letter to DGCA chief EK Bharat Bhushan, IFALPA president Capt Don Wykoff said, “This is a very sad situation. It is showing no signs of resolution and is surely in no one's interest.” Slamming the Air India management for maintaining “a stony silence” on finding a resolution to the impasse, IPG joint secretary Tauseef H Mukadam said the well being of the airline was "essential if the aviation industry has to be an engine of economic growth". “Sadly, the (Civil Aviation) Ministry and the Air India management have proved to be incapable of handling the affairs of Air India," he wrote. The IPG pilots, who are on strike since May 7, had launched an indefinite hunger strike from Sunday to demand withdrawal of sack orders against 101 pilots and better career progression prospects. The Stir The pilots' agitation has been going on for the past 52 days They have been on fast for the last five days Three pilots, who had been on fast since Sunday, had to be hospitalised on Wednesday after their condition deteriorated The stir has cost AI around Rs 530 crore so far
	Food Security Mission N-E gets Rs 100-cr to boost rice output Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, June 28 The government has decided to extend the National Food Security Mission (NFSM)-rice to all the eight North-Eastern states. This has been done to reduce the burden on the country’s granaries - Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh - and to prepare to meet the demands of the Sonia Gandhi-backed Food Security Bill. Till last year, only Assam was covered under the NFSM-rice scheme. It has now been expanded to include the remaining seven states - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura - for the Rs 100 crore allocation from the Agriculture Ministry for activities related to rice cultivation under the NFSM, officials said. Of the total allocation for the 2012-13 fiscal, as much as Rs 30.94 crore has been sanctioned to Assam, Rs 21.88 crore to Tripura, Rs 11.87 crore to Nagaland, Rs 11.45 crore to Manipur, Rs 7.36 crore to Arunachal Pradesh, Rs 7.31 crore to Mehgalaya, Rs 3.8 crore to Mizoram and Rs 0.89 crore to Sikkim, an official statement said. Under the NFSM, states are given assistance for various activities like seed distribution, soil management, pest control, machines tools, training and field demonstrations. The interventions are expected to improve rice yield, which is low in the North-Eastern states and help these gain self-sufficiency in rice production. At the moment, 136 districts in 14 states - Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal - are covered under NFSM-rice. NFSM-wheat covers 141 districts in nine states and NFSM-pulses in 171 districts of 14 states - both include Punjab and Haryana. While extension of scheme to North-Eastern states may partly address that region’s complaint of neglect by the Centre, Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh need urgent respite from the vicious rice-wheat cycle and chemical fertilisers that have damaged soil quality and hit water resources. With food production in northern states almost becoming stagnant, the government has already started replicating the Green Revolution in Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. While last year’s Budget had allocated Rs 400 crore for boosting rice production in these three eastern states, this year’s Budget raised the amount to Rs 1,000 crore. But with the government planning to bring in the National Food Security Bill in time for the 2014 General Elections for the UPA to reap the benefits, the aim is to increase production rapidly to ensure its smooth implementation. The NFSM scheme was launched in 2007 with an aim to increase production of foodgrains by 20 million tonnes (rice 10 MT, wheat 8 MT and pulses 2 MT) in the 11th Plan period in 19 states and 481 districts. While Rs 4,882 crore was allocated for the scheme in the 11th Plan, the allotment for 12th plan will be much higher considering that the scheme will be extended beyond rice, wheat and pulses to fodder, millets and maize to increase production by 25 MT (rice 10 MT, wheat 10 MT, pulses 3 MT and coarse cereals 2 MT) by covering all districts. (With PTI inputs)
	Indian officials to visit US to study security preparedness Man Mohan Our Roving Editor New Delhi, June 27 Top Indian officials will visit the USA in the first week of July to study homeland security preparedness in major cities for America’s Independence Day celebrations. Officials from the Home Ministry and the Police Modernisation Department will see how Americans secure their cities during big events like the Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, against terror threats. Sources told The Tribune that the New York Police Department (NYPD) chief will host the Indians. They will also visit Washington DC and Baltimore. To gain first-hand knowledge about America’s electronic, digital and aerial surveillance, the Independence Day is the perfect day. It is the biggest annual event in America, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Like India on the Independence Day and the Republic Day, the USA also remains on ‘high alert’ on July 4 as this national holiday attract huge crowds to fireworks, parades, carnivals, fairs, picnics, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies. This makes the cities vulnerable to terror risk and crime. The police authorities beef up security and enhance surveillance. Since 9/11 terrorist attacks destroying the World Trade Center in New York, this most populous city has come under the most extensive electronic gaze of video surveillance cameras. The street-to-street and block-to-block close circuit TV cameras - connected to one command centre - has figured prominently in many Hollywood films. The Indians’ major homeland security experience will be in New York, known as the ‘global commercial power city.’ It is also the home of the United Nations Headquarters. The number of cameras - both private and public - which cannot be detected by an untrained eye has grown so rapidly that the New York Times observed that the “Big Apple” is slowly turning into the “Big Eyeball.” The NYPD has armed special police units with video surveillance cameras. The NYPD has developed a networked ‘Domain Awareness System’ for city-wide surveillance. It includes the NYPD and private closed circuit television cameras providing feeds into the coordination center, Licence Plate Readers (LPRs), and environmental data collected by devices designed to detect hazards related to potential terrorist threats, or to respond to terrorist attacks. The LPRs collects data by fixed or mobile devices. The Indians will also be told about how data is stored, safeguarded and kept in archives. Since major 26/11 terrorist attacks of 2008 in Mumbai, India has started giving priority to ‘safe city’ concept. The first big step was taken in May when Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited-backed consortium bagged the Maharashtra government’s Rs 1,000 crore surveillance project for Mumbai. The Central Government has worked out a ‘safe city’ concept for four Metros - New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata - and three other big cities - Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Later, other urban centers will also be covered. The Americans are engaging India as part of their global network to fight terrorism. Homeland security also means big ticket business. Global experts have predicted a $16 billion market in India in the next 10 years. To encash this, the US government and business leaders have increased their interaction with their Indian counterparts. The US Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano visited India from May 24-27, with stops in Mumbai and New Delhi, where she met with officials and representatives of private industry “to share best practices to promote homeland security and coordinate counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.” New Delhi and Washington announced homeland security dialogue during Obama’s India visit in November 2010. It involves operational cooperation, counter-terrorism technology transfers and capacity building. A social activist, who is aware about how the ‘hidden eyes’ of the police are affecting the personal life of the Americans, said the Indian team must also interact there with the civil liberty groups which have been protesting against the 24x7 gaze of ‘Uncle Sam.’ The American civil liberty groups cite the well-known case of a custom-built helicopter equipped with optical equipment capable of displaying a licence plate 1,000 feet away. The police officers tracked bicycle riders moving through the streets. Then, using the camera’s night vision capability, one officer shifted the focus away from the protestors and recorded nearly four minutes of a couple’s sexual activities on the terrace of their apartment. Indian civil liberty activists are apprehensive about a similar scenario emerging in India too as the authorities are racing to put major cities under electronic surveillance in the name of fighting crime and terror.
	Central govt employees in Kashmir to get spl facilities New Delhi, June 28 The Centre has announced a slew of special facilities for its employees working in Kashmir valley including departmental arrangement for their stay, security and transportation to the place of work. Officials said the employees working in the valley have also been given an option to move their families to a place of their choice across India at government expenses. Besides, the Central Government will pay a per diem (per day) allowance of Rs 10 for each day of attendance to compensate for any additional expense in transportation to and from office to employees who do not wish to move their families to a selected place of residence. "This will be in addition to the transport allowance, which the employee is otherwise eligible for," an official memorandum by the Department of Personnel and Training said. The employees will also be given special daily allowance for food. The move, officials say, is aimed at encouraging others to take up employment in the Kashmir valley and motivate employees posted there already. The package of concession will be admissible only in the valley consisting of ten districts namely Anantnag, Baramulla, Budgam, Kupwara, Pulwama, Srinagar, Kulgam, Shopian, Ganderbal and Bandipora. Earlier this month, the Centre extended till this year end relaxation for Leave Travel Concession (LTC) by air for its employees to visit J&K. "The condition is that air tickets can be purchased either directly from the airlines or through the department authorised agents,” an official said adding that “travel by air continues to be in Economy class only, irrespective of the entitlement of the officer”. — PTI
	India not to share info with Pak on Jundal Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, June 28 Indian authorities have decided against sharing any information on Abu Jundal with Pakistan as officials here feel that no purpose would be served by it. Jundal has been booked by the National Investigation Agency and will be charged for the Mumbai attacks. The charges against him will be as serious as those of death-row convict Ajmal Kasab, said the authorities. Sources in the government confirmed there was no move to respond to the Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s request seeking details on Jundal. Pakistan had issued a passport to Jundal despite a Interpol red-corner notice against him and also the fact that his name figures in the dossiers India handed over to Pakistan on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008. Despite all this, Jundal was given a passport under the name of Riyasat Ali issued on a fake address in Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan. He had two identity cards. One meant for the use within that country and one meant for international use. “Is this not complicity of Pakistan? What purpose will it serve if we share information with Pakistan,” a top functionary told the Tribune. If Pakistan was serious, Jundal could not have got a passport after a red-corner notice. In June 2010, Jundal’s name was among the seven names who were part of the core group which planned, executed and directed the Mumbai attacks in which 166 people lost their lives. Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram had then raised the matter with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. India handed over the first dossier to Pakistan on Mumbai attacks in January 2009.
	Beleaguered Gowda gets a reprieve Anita Katyal/TNS New Delhi, June 28 Beleaguered Karnataka Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda got a temporary reprieve as the BJP put off a decision on the leadership issue and instead decided to focus its energies on the upcoming presidential elections. The BJP core group met here today at party president Nitin Gadkari’s residence amidst reports that it would be taking a view on the demand from former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa’s supporters that Gowda be replaced. Party leaders later said Karnataka was not on the agenda. The core group, which discussed the party’s strategy for the election, will make all efforts to ensure that its MPs and legislators vote for PA Sangma.
	Heated exchange between Mamata, GJM leaders Subhrangshu Gupta/TNS Kolkata, June 28 The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha(GJM) leaders meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Writers Buildings today were involved in a heated exchange with her over formation of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and announcement of the GTA poll dates without consulting the GJM. After an hour-long meeting with the Chief Minister, GJM president Bimal Gurung himself told mediapersons they had some heated exchange of words with Banerjee on implementation of justice Shyamal Sen’s recommendation vis-à-vis the GTA elections. He said they could not finalise their decision in the participation in the GTA poll fixed on July 29 which they would decide at the GJM’s core committee’s meeting at Darjeeling on Saturday. However, he said if the GJM finally decided to participate in the poll, he was confident they would win in all the 45 seats. He also made it clear that in the GTA elections, the GJM would not form any electoral alliance or make any seat adjustment either with the TMC or the Congress. In the meeting, the demand for recruitment of some 12,000 unemployed young Gorkhas in the GLP (hill police) was also raised. Gurung said at their recent meeting with the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in Delhi too, the matter was discussed. An official spokesman said the Chief Minister’s meeting with the GJM had been fruitful. The CM was happy that the elections would take place on July 29.
	TN seeks Central permission to transport elephant herd Salem (TN), June 28 The Tamil Nadu government has written to the Centre seeking permission to transport a six-strong elephant herd deep inside the forest as it was continuing to roam in Salem and Namakkal districts, forest officials said today. The herd had been moving about in the districts since March and has damaged more than 20 fields, sources said. Even though forest officials tried chasing the herd into the forests, it was roaming about in cultivated lands. Rakesh Vasisth, Principal Chief Consevator and Conservator of Forests A Venkatesh held a meeting here to discuss the issue with forest officials. Venkatesh said the Tamil Nadu goverment has sought permission from the Central government to transport the herd into the forest. — PTI