Who Killed Karkare? The Real Face Of Terrorism In India
By M Zeyaul Haque
26 October, 2009
The Milli Gazette
Who Killed Karkare? The Real Face Of Terrorism In India
Author: SM Mushrif
Price: Rs 300/ USD 25
Pages: 319
Publisher: Pharos Media (www.pharosmedia.com), New Delhi
A new book curiously titled Who Killed Karkare? says a nationwide network of Hindutva terror that has its tentacles spread up to Nepal and Israel is out to destroy the India most Indians have known for ages and to remould it into some kind of Afghanistan under the Taliban.
The writer, a former IG Police of Maharashtra, SM Mushrif, has reconstructed a fearsome picture out of former Maharashtra ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s chargesheet against alleged Hindutva terrorists like Lt. Col. Purohit, Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur and others.
The chargesheet pointed towards a mind-boggling nationwide conspiracy with international support to destabilise the constitutional order and the secular democratic Indian state that upholds it, to be replaced by a Hindutva state run according to a new Constitution. For that the conspirators were prepared for a massive bloodbath, using bomb attacks on religious places to trigger an anti-Muslim holocaust.
Mushrif, who has over three decades of diligent policing behind him and whose feats include exposing the Telgi scam, has made an elaborate case out of nearly a dozen blasts over a large area of the country conducted by Hindutva terror groups of different stripes. His case: a section of India’s intelligence services, a miniscule group in the armed forces and a section of different state police forces have been compromised and infiltrated by these elements, a development that bodes ill for the future of the country.
In Hemant Karkare’s net (of investigations, of course) many big and small fishes of VHP, RSS, Bajrang Dal and Sanatan Sanstha (which has been found to be involved in Diwali-eve blasts in Goa last week) had been trapped. Serving and retired army officers, academics, serving and retired officials of India’s premier intelligence service were ensnared in Karkare’s fishing net. The menacing power of the latter groups, inspired by sustained anti-Muslim hate campaigns of the last six decades, gave the plot a sinister and highly destructive character.
Among the plans unearthed by Karkare was a blueprint for the assassination of 70 prominent Indians who could by a hindrance to the project of Hindutva. Interestingly, most of the persons marked for elimination would, naturally, be Hindus because it is they who primarily run the dispensation. The conspirators were also unhappy with organisations whose Hindutva they suspected to be less virulent than desired.
Mushrif, who very well knows the power of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) to make or mar lives and careers, says he is prepared to face the consequences of hostility of this power hub. He musters “evidence” to show that the IB has regularly been interfering with regular police investigations to let Hindutva terrorists slip out of the net and replace them with random Muslim youth. To fudge the issues further obliging police officers in the states would not mind exterminating a few Muslim youth to be branded posthumously as “terrorists”.
There are quite a few number of such cases where such extra-judicial killing of Muslim youth has turned out to be false police encounters. All this is done to cover tracks of Hindutva terror. Mushrif says a “Brahminist” network that has its origins in Maharashtra, and is closely knit across political parties, government services, including IB, and other vital sectors of life is behind the terror that seeks to destroy the secular, democratic state. He hastens to clarify that very few Brahminists are Brahmins. Many are from other high Hindu castes, some from middle and lower castes.
Most Brahmins are fair-minded and would not like to associate themselves with hate ideologies. Hemant Karkare, too, was a Brahmin, Mushrif says. So is Mushrif’s son-in-law.
It is pertinent to note that “Brahminism” and “Brahminical order” first appeared in Dalit protest vocabulary in the Dalit uprising movement in Maharashtra towards the turn of the 20th century. Mushrif, who appropriates part of this vocabulary for the present discourse, says that Maharashtra still remains the centre of this ideology that, among other things, has the dubious distinction of killing the Father of the Nation.
The power establishment that really runs the affairs of this country (Mushrif says it is not Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh or Rahul Gandhi) does not want to expose the Hindutva terrorists. One example is the blasts in Samjhauta Express, which the IB said was carried out by Pakistan’s ISI. Mushrif quotes a report in The Times of India that said, “the Centre had blamed the ISI on the basis of the IB’s findings.” However, during a narco-analysis test under Karkare, Lt. Col. Purohit had admitted having supplied the RDX used in the blast. The IB, which draws its power from its proximity to the Prime Minister (its director briefs the PM every morning for half an hour), did not want Karkare’s investigation that blew the cover off the IB’s shenanigans, to continue.
Once Karkare was removed from the scene, the IB moved in to fill his position with KP Raghuvanshi, a pliant police officer with extremely low credibility among Muslims for his record of letting off known Hindutva terrorists and implicating innocent Muslim youth even in bomb attack cases on mosques.
There are quite a few interesting vignettes here, like Raghuvanshi and Col. Purohit’s association with Abhinav Bharat in Maharashtra, whose hand was evident in a series of blasts across the country. It has old connections with men like Veer Damodar Savarkar (whose relative Himani Savarkar leads the Abhinav Bharat movement), Dr Munje, who led the Hindu Mahasabha, and other Hindutva luminaries. It is at the Bhonsala Military Academy run by these groups that Purohit trained police officers, including Raghuvanshi. Mushrif asks a pertinent question: Will Raghuvanshi pursue the investigation against Purohit, his guru? A plausible answer is, perhaps no. Already charges have been dropped by a special court under MCOCA against 11 accused, including Purohit, on the grounds of insufficient evidence produced in the court by the prosecution.
This was just the beginning of the undoing of Karkare’s painstaking investigation. Mushrif says slowly the system is working to undo all of Karkare’s work and let off the terrorists who over the years destroyed scores of lives and wreaked irreparable economic damage. The ATS team under Karkare had pointed out VHP leader Praveen Togadia’s role in the blasts. The ATS under Raghuvanshi dropped the investigation against him saying (please hold your laughter) they do not know who Togadia is!
A number of investigations have been thus sabotaged by the powers that be and the tracks of the Hinduta terrorists duly covered. The 319-page book is crammed with such information.
But what about who killed Karkare? Mushrif says two teams were at work on 26/11 – one which did the maximum damage, and was from outside. The smaller team took advantage of the confusion of the moment and acted only on the relatively small CST-CAMA-Rangbhavan stretch that killed Karkare. It was a desi unit that wanted Karkare and his men out of the way.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Caste abuse in Indian schools: UNESCO
Who Killed Savita (11), Kavita Motiram (13), Rita (11) and Saraswati (9)
By subhash gatade
NEW DELHI , Higher caste teachers in India have physically and verbally abused lower caste students and India will not be able to achieve the literacy goals set for 2015, says a UNESCO-commissioned report on the Education For All (EFA) programme. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the Indian version of EFA. India is among 30 countries that the UNESCO feels will not make the target.
Caste abuse in Indian schools: UNESCO
Education for all: Report lists India among 30 countries that will miss 2015 goals, VARGHESE K GEORGE
I Few years back a study commissioned by Ken Livingstone, the then Mayor of London had discovered how ‘Black teachers face bullying and racism' in the school and had linked the plight of the black teachers to the ‘continuing problem of underachievement among black pupils'. The landmark report had called for a formal investigation - akin to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry into policing - to address concerns that black teachers are isolated, maligned and robbed of proper pay and status. (Hugh Muir, Friday September 8, 2006 , The Guardian). There were also calls for a public inquiry into racism in schools.
One is yet to come across a comprehensive study of a similar nature to know how ‘apartheid of different kinds' unfolds itself in schools in this part of the earth and whether teachers coming from - socially oppressed communities- are similarly ‘.isloated, maligned and robbed of proper pay and status..' and how does it impact the performance of the students coming from similar sections of society. Of course, one does get an inkling of the state of affairs through related studies, reports and investigations.
As of now we have before us plethora of sample studies/enquiry reports occasioned by specific complaints lodged mainly by students to protest discrimination faced inside particular institutions. It is widely known that in recent times, a few premier institutions of the country reached headlines for following policies, adopting mechanisms, continuing processes which put students coming from socially oppressed communities in disadvantageous position and denying them their constitutional rights.
The treatment meted out the scheduled category students in the premier institute reminds one of a three year old report of the Parliamentary committee wherein it had expressed concern over the ‘abysmally low' participation of SC and ST students, ‘as compared to their percentage in total population.' It divulged that ‘ the enrollment of SCs in higher education has ranged between 8.6 per cent in 1990-91 to 11.3 percent in 2002-2003.' (Parliament of India , 172 nd Report on Higher Education, presented on 22 nd May 2006)
If students from socially oppressed communities going for higher education find it difficult to wage a consistent struggle against exclusions, discriminations and are condemned to face it, one can just imagine the plight of students coming from similar background who go for school education.
There is no doubt that the most vulnerable among the lot seems to be those who are admitted in the scores of ‘Ashram Schools' - residential schools - where they are at the completemercy of teachers and non-teaching staff.
Perhaps few recent news clippings from such residential schools can give an idea about the gravity of the situation
II Nobody would have imagined in their wildest dreams that 66 girls studying in N Jhalarsingh Kanyashram, a government-run school for SC/ST girls in Gajapati district, (Orissa) would walk a distance of 25 kms from their hostel unannounced, to protest the behaviour of three teachers who allegedly made casteist taunts to them.Altogether there are 250 girls studying in the institution. Of them 238 live in the hostel.
It is learnt that the triad would "always keep telling" them that "You all belong to lower castes,"
"They have inflicted unbearable torture and trauma on us. Even over a trifle thing, they make fun and remind us of our so-called low-caste background. It's very very cruel. For long, we put up with the trauma, hoping things will improve someday. But nothing of that sort happened," one of the girls said on condition of anonymity,
Of course, it was not for the first time that SC/ST students studying in Gajapati district had undertaken such an action. Earlier, a group of students of Ekalabya Abasika Bidyalaya at Chandragiri and Laxmipur Abasika Bidyalaya near Koinpur in Gajapati district walked out to protest against alleged mismanagement and misbehaviour of teaching staff.
(Caste taunts by teachers drive 66 SC/ST girls run away from Orissa school, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/
city/bhubaneswar/articleshow/4874588.cms, Sunil Mohan Patnaik, TNN 9 August 2009, 11:31pm IST)
Another news report which appeared in ‘The Statesman' which covered the incident tells us : More than 70 residential schools are run by SC/ST welfare department, ITDA and the mass education department in Gajapati. The students are given stipend ranging between Rs 400 and Rs 500 per month for their education and this is utilised for their food and accommodation.
It is difficult to imagine the situation in which large number grown-up girls from underpriveledged backgrounds, studying in various government schools, are condemned to live where they have limited protection in their own premises. Male teachers are put in charge of the girls and outsiders have free access to the girls' hostels. They stay in badly maintained accommodations and are prone to diseases due to congestion.
While the students of Gajapati could unitedly protest the humiliation heaped on them, for students of Kasturba Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in Barwani district, (MP), where around 1,071 girls are studying at present, things unfolded themselves in such a rapid manner that they could not even get a chance to say anything.
For Savita Gangaram Barela (11), Kavita Motiram (13), Rita Hawaldar (11) and Saraswati (9) the ‘Khichdi' and ‘Halwa' they consumed a day before independence day (14 August) - when they were getting ready to participate in the celebrations - proved fatal. They died within few hours after consuming this contaminated food in a hostel at the tribal dominated Niwali village in Madhya Pradesh.
Around 92 girls had to be admitted to different hospitals after they developed symptoms of food poisioning.
(Hindustan Times, 19 th August 2009, Fourth victim dies of food poisoining in MP School)
If the girls from Barwani had to pay with their lives for the acts of omission and commission on part of the management, an altogether different story unfolded itself in Gulabrao Ukey Adivasi Ashramshala in Wardha district, 150 km from Nagpur, which was started with the ‘noble aim of providing quality education to the tribal population.' The Maharashtra government also promptly provided aid for its work. Little could have anyone the premonition that the Ashramshala would metamorphose into a torture chamber for the tribal children and a day would arrive when the proprietor and peon of this residential school would be sent behind bars for allegedly raping minor girl students over the past three years. It is learnt that at least five minor girls were found to be sexually exploited by the duo.
( Aug 20, 2009 , Hindustan Times).
It is ‘normal' to find staff working in similar Ashramshalas wanting on many occasions, the management also seems to condone caste apartheid getting practised before their own eyes, but the apathy on part of the government seems to be the key factor in worsening the situation. The manner in which a fifty year old school established with the purpose to rehabilitate children of “denotified criminal tribes”, Vikas Vidyalaya — the oldest boarding school for Dalits in Allahabad — finds itself lying in shambles just goes to vindicate this. It happens to be the only school in eastern UP where Dalit children belonging to the denotified tribes category from Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Allahabad , Pratapgarh, Mirzapur, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Ghazipur and Sant Ravidas Nagar are admitted and can study upto class X.
One of the two hostels has not been used for long after its roof had collapsed. “In the space meant for two students, eight students live in each room in the hostel,” said Joshi.
“The school gets Rs 18 per day per child for food as opposed to Rs 40 given to other government-aided schools. Only Rs 150 per year per student is given for books and Rs 300 annually for clothes,” added Joshi.
There are no teachers for maths and science,” added Joshi. The teachers and staff are yet to receive the benefits of the Fifth Pay Commission. (School for Dalits running on its ruins, Vijay Pratap Singh, Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 0246 hrs IST, INDIAN EXPRESS)
III. Definitely one can go on narrating instances of institutionalized discrimination getting practiced at various levels inside these schools.
Any close watcher of the situation would vouch that there is nothing ‘surprising' about the situation. Few years back hundreds of students from a Ashram School in Thane ( Maharashtra ) had undertaken similar ‘long march' a la the students of Gajapati district, to protest the inhuman treatment meted out to them inside the school where they were even not properly fed.
It was only last year that few students from a government run residential school for tribal students in Jharkhand died when they supposedly consumed contaminated milk.
Madhya Pradesh, which tops the list of states in ‘atrocities on tribals' witnessed deaths of few students in a Ashram Shala because of snakebites last year. The school which had been built in marshy area had no provisions for protection from such poisonous reptiles.
Last year a two member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam had issued a notice to the central and state governments ( 24 th Oct 2008) over a petition filed by a students organisation about the inhuman conditions existing in 1,130 hostels meant for SC-ST students spread in 240 districts of the country. The said organisation had undertaken a study in 2006-2007 of such hostels and made it a basis of their petition. Their survey had pointed out that many such hostels have been built in jungles where students have to study in candlelight and are compelled to consume impure water.
IV. The plight of the SC-ST students inside such Ashram Schools is a marker of the situation, which exists at the grassroot level. One can see it as a deeper malaise of our society where we are ready to protest the ‘racial attacks on Indian students in Australia ' but are not ready to look inward and see for ourselves what we are doing to our own people.
Looking at the overall situation it does not appear surprising that despite 60 plus years of independence and all talk of affirmative action programmes, till today for majority of SC-ST boys and girls, getting education still happens to be a game of hurdles.
A close look at the recent changes in economy and polity in our country makes it clear that the situation is getting worse for them. Unless urgent steps are not taken to ameliorate the situation there is going to be further shrinkage of avenues of education as well as employment within educational institutions. First and foremost, the economic reforms of the 90s and the consequent process of privatisation and commercialisation of education and the abandonment of affirmative action in these sectors, has further marginalised these sections. Secondly, the technological changes signified by the ‘information technology' revolution has given birth to a new ‘digital divide' wherein the dalits and tribals are finding themselves at the receiving end.
Question naturally arises about apportioning the blame for the state of affairs, as it exists today.
It is true that the state itself comes out in rather unflattering terms when one takes up the issue. But the key point worth emphasising is that caste discrimination much like gender discrimination or racial discrimination has a specificity which transcends the binary of ‘state as perpetrator' and ‘people as victims' . In fact it implicates the partisan role played by the people themselves.
In fact in this case a section of civil society itself becomes a distinct beneficiary of caste based order and it helps perpetuate the existing unequal social reactions and frustrates attempts to democratize the society because through the customary arrangements the dominant classes are assured of social control over people who can continue to abide by their commands without any protest.
The founding fathers of the Constitution had solemnly resolved to secure to all citizens Justice: Social, Economic and Political, Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. And equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all fraternity, assuring the dignity of individual and unity. It also emphasised that : The state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, place and birth or any form. The Directive Principles of the Constitution underlined The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interest of the scheduled castes/tribes and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
SUBHASH GATADE,
H 4 Pusa Apts, Rohini Sector 15,
Delhi 110089
Ph : 011-27876523
email : subhash.gatade@gmail.com
By subhash gatade
NEW DELHI , Higher caste teachers in India have physically and verbally abused lower caste students and India will not be able to achieve the literacy goals set for 2015, says a UNESCO-commissioned report on the Education For All (EFA) programme. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the Indian version of EFA. India is among 30 countries that the UNESCO feels will not make the target.
Caste abuse in Indian schools: UNESCO
Education for all: Report lists India among 30 countries that will miss 2015 goals, VARGHESE K GEORGE
I Few years back a study commissioned by Ken Livingstone, the then Mayor of London had discovered how ‘Black teachers face bullying and racism' in the school and had linked the plight of the black teachers to the ‘continuing problem of underachievement among black pupils'. The landmark report had called for a formal investigation - akin to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry into policing - to address concerns that black teachers are isolated, maligned and robbed of proper pay and status. (Hugh Muir, Friday September 8, 2006 , The Guardian). There were also calls for a public inquiry into racism in schools.
One is yet to come across a comprehensive study of a similar nature to know how ‘apartheid of different kinds' unfolds itself in schools in this part of the earth and whether teachers coming from - socially oppressed communities- are similarly ‘.isloated, maligned and robbed of proper pay and status..' and how does it impact the performance of the students coming from similar sections of society. Of course, one does get an inkling of the state of affairs through related studies, reports and investigations.
As of now we have before us plethora of sample studies/enquiry reports occasioned by specific complaints lodged mainly by students to protest discrimination faced inside particular institutions. It is widely known that in recent times, a few premier institutions of the country reached headlines for following policies, adopting mechanisms, continuing processes which put students coming from socially oppressed communities in disadvantageous position and denying them their constitutional rights.
The treatment meted out the scheduled category students in the premier institute reminds one of a three year old report of the Parliamentary committee wherein it had expressed concern over the ‘abysmally low' participation of SC and ST students, ‘as compared to their percentage in total population.' It divulged that ‘ the enrollment of SCs in higher education has ranged between 8.6 per cent in 1990-91 to 11.3 percent in 2002-2003.' (Parliament of India , 172 nd Report on Higher Education, presented on 22 nd May 2006)
If students from socially oppressed communities going for higher education find it difficult to wage a consistent struggle against exclusions, discriminations and are condemned to face it, one can just imagine the plight of students coming from similar background who go for school education.
There is no doubt that the most vulnerable among the lot seems to be those who are admitted in the scores of ‘Ashram Schools' - residential schools - where they are at the completemercy of teachers and non-teaching staff.
Perhaps few recent news clippings from such residential schools can give an idea about the gravity of the situation
II Nobody would have imagined in their wildest dreams that 66 girls studying in N Jhalarsingh Kanyashram, a government-run school for SC/ST girls in Gajapati district, (Orissa) would walk a distance of 25 kms from their hostel unannounced, to protest the behaviour of three teachers who allegedly made casteist taunts to them.Altogether there are 250 girls studying in the institution. Of them 238 live in the hostel.
It is learnt that the triad would "always keep telling" them that "You all belong to lower castes,"
"They have inflicted unbearable torture and trauma on us. Even over a trifle thing, they make fun and remind us of our so-called low-caste background. It's very very cruel. For long, we put up with the trauma, hoping things will improve someday. But nothing of that sort happened," one of the girls said on condition of anonymity,
Of course, it was not for the first time that SC/ST students studying in Gajapati district had undertaken such an action. Earlier, a group of students of Ekalabya Abasika Bidyalaya at Chandragiri and Laxmipur Abasika Bidyalaya near Koinpur in Gajapati district walked out to protest against alleged mismanagement and misbehaviour of teaching staff.
(Caste taunts by teachers drive 66 SC/ST girls run away from Orissa school, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/
city/bhubaneswar/articleshow/4874588.cms, Sunil Mohan Patnaik, TNN 9 August 2009, 11:31pm IST)
Another news report which appeared in ‘The Statesman' which covered the incident tells us : More than 70 residential schools are run by SC/ST welfare department, ITDA and the mass education department in Gajapati. The students are given stipend ranging between Rs 400 and Rs 500 per month for their education and this is utilised for their food and accommodation.
It is difficult to imagine the situation in which large number grown-up girls from underpriveledged backgrounds, studying in various government schools, are condemned to live where they have limited protection in their own premises. Male teachers are put in charge of the girls and outsiders have free access to the girls' hostels. They stay in badly maintained accommodations and are prone to diseases due to congestion.
While the students of Gajapati could unitedly protest the humiliation heaped on them, for students of Kasturba Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram in Barwani district, (MP), where around 1,071 girls are studying at present, things unfolded themselves in such a rapid manner that they could not even get a chance to say anything.
For Savita Gangaram Barela (11), Kavita Motiram (13), Rita Hawaldar (11) and Saraswati (9) the ‘Khichdi' and ‘Halwa' they consumed a day before independence day (14 August) - when they were getting ready to participate in the celebrations - proved fatal. They died within few hours after consuming this contaminated food in a hostel at the tribal dominated Niwali village in Madhya Pradesh.
Around 92 girls had to be admitted to different hospitals after they developed symptoms of food poisioning.
(Hindustan Times, 19 th August 2009, Fourth victim dies of food poisoining in MP School)
If the girls from Barwani had to pay with their lives for the acts of omission and commission on part of the management, an altogether different story unfolded itself in Gulabrao Ukey Adivasi Ashramshala in Wardha district, 150 km from Nagpur, which was started with the ‘noble aim of providing quality education to the tribal population.' The Maharashtra government also promptly provided aid for its work. Little could have anyone the premonition that the Ashramshala would metamorphose into a torture chamber for the tribal children and a day would arrive when the proprietor and peon of this residential school would be sent behind bars for allegedly raping minor girl students over the past three years. It is learnt that at least five minor girls were found to be sexually exploited by the duo.
( Aug 20, 2009 , Hindustan Times).
It is ‘normal' to find staff working in similar Ashramshalas wanting on many occasions, the management also seems to condone caste apartheid getting practised before their own eyes, but the apathy on part of the government seems to be the key factor in worsening the situation. The manner in which a fifty year old school established with the purpose to rehabilitate children of “denotified criminal tribes”, Vikas Vidyalaya — the oldest boarding school for Dalits in Allahabad — finds itself lying in shambles just goes to vindicate this. It happens to be the only school in eastern UP where Dalit children belonging to the denotified tribes category from Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Allahabad , Pratapgarh, Mirzapur, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Ghazipur and Sant Ravidas Nagar are admitted and can study upto class X.
One of the two hostels has not been used for long after its roof had collapsed. “In the space meant for two students, eight students live in each room in the hostel,” said Joshi.
“The school gets Rs 18 per day per child for food as opposed to Rs 40 given to other government-aided schools. Only Rs 150 per year per student is given for books and Rs 300 annually for clothes,” added Joshi.
There are no teachers for maths and science,” added Joshi. The teachers and staff are yet to receive the benefits of the Fifth Pay Commission. (School for Dalits running on its ruins, Vijay Pratap Singh, Posted: Aug 21, 2009 at 0246 hrs IST, INDIAN EXPRESS)
III. Definitely one can go on narrating instances of institutionalized discrimination getting practiced at various levels inside these schools.
Any close watcher of the situation would vouch that there is nothing ‘surprising' about the situation. Few years back hundreds of students from a Ashram School in Thane ( Maharashtra ) had undertaken similar ‘long march' a la the students of Gajapati district, to protest the inhuman treatment meted out to them inside the school where they were even not properly fed.
It was only last year that few students from a government run residential school for tribal students in Jharkhand died when they supposedly consumed contaminated milk.
Madhya Pradesh, which tops the list of states in ‘atrocities on tribals' witnessed deaths of few students in a Ashram Shala because of snakebites last year. The school which had been built in marshy area had no provisions for protection from such poisonous reptiles.
Last year a two member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam had issued a notice to the central and state governments ( 24 th Oct 2008) over a petition filed by a students organisation about the inhuman conditions existing in 1,130 hostels meant for SC-ST students spread in 240 districts of the country. The said organisation had undertaken a study in 2006-2007 of such hostels and made it a basis of their petition. Their survey had pointed out that many such hostels have been built in jungles where students have to study in candlelight and are compelled to consume impure water.
IV. The plight of the SC-ST students inside such Ashram Schools is a marker of the situation, which exists at the grassroot level. One can see it as a deeper malaise of our society where we are ready to protest the ‘racial attacks on Indian students in Australia ' but are not ready to look inward and see for ourselves what we are doing to our own people.
Looking at the overall situation it does not appear surprising that despite 60 plus years of independence and all talk of affirmative action programmes, till today for majority of SC-ST boys and girls, getting education still happens to be a game of hurdles.
A close look at the recent changes in economy and polity in our country makes it clear that the situation is getting worse for them. Unless urgent steps are not taken to ameliorate the situation there is going to be further shrinkage of avenues of education as well as employment within educational institutions. First and foremost, the economic reforms of the 90s and the consequent process of privatisation and commercialisation of education and the abandonment of affirmative action in these sectors, has further marginalised these sections. Secondly, the technological changes signified by the ‘information technology' revolution has given birth to a new ‘digital divide' wherein the dalits and tribals are finding themselves at the receiving end.
Question naturally arises about apportioning the blame for the state of affairs, as it exists today.
It is true that the state itself comes out in rather unflattering terms when one takes up the issue. But the key point worth emphasising is that caste discrimination much like gender discrimination or racial discrimination has a specificity which transcends the binary of ‘state as perpetrator' and ‘people as victims' . In fact it implicates the partisan role played by the people themselves.
In fact in this case a section of civil society itself becomes a distinct beneficiary of caste based order and it helps perpetuate the existing unequal social reactions and frustrates attempts to democratize the society because through the customary arrangements the dominant classes are assured of social control over people who can continue to abide by their commands without any protest.
The founding fathers of the Constitution had solemnly resolved to secure to all citizens Justice: Social, Economic and Political, Liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship. And equality of status and of opportunity, and to promote among them all fraternity, assuring the dignity of individual and unity. It also emphasised that : The state shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, place and birth or any form. The Directive Principles of the Constitution underlined The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interest of the scheduled castes/tribes and shall protect them from social injustice and all forms of exploitation.
SUBHASH GATADE,
H 4 Pusa Apts, Rohini Sector 15,
Delhi 110089
Ph : 011-27876523
email : subhash.gatade@gmail.com
Modi Denied Visa By Oman
Modi Denied Visa By Oman -
News Reverberates In India
By Mirza A. Beg
Some times good guys also win. It happens only once in a while, but when it does, it gives hope to many who struggle against the evil perpetrated by the powerful, the rich and the connected.
Such is the case when some decent ordinary people with the support of many other decent people were able to convince the Government of Oman to deny Mr. Modi a visa. It thwarted, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Mr. Modi from falsely projecting himself as a world trotting statesman and camouflaging his evil deeds.
Mr. Modi was elected the Chief Minister of Gujarat State in the western part of India, on the platform of a fascistic leaning Indian Peoples Party (Hindi initials BJP). It came to power in late1990s. It got that chance because the Congress party that had governed India since independence from Britain in 1947, with only one break of four years, had become stale and the populace was tired. In that vacuum stepped in the rightwing BJP. It cashed in on its years of devious hard work, promoting sectarian riots and fear mongering in the well trodden footsteps of demagogues, albeit with an Indian patina. For years the BJP had engineered riots against the Muslim minorities, Christian evangelism and lower cast Indians. Finally it was able cash in on the fear it had planted among decent ordinary Hindus.
Mr. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat in February 2002, when a train carriage in which the BJP goons were travelling and harassing people on the railway station, was burnet at Godhra in Gujarat. To this day it has not been conclusively proven as to who did it. Instead of arresting those responsible for the event and bringing them to justice, he blamed Muslims, whom his party has been killing for years in contrived riots. The next day in the manner of Nazi “Krstallnacht” he unleashed a reign of terror and mayhem, by the goons of his party under the protection of his chosen police force, in the manner of Nazi SS.
As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Modi presided over and orchestrated widespread riots in which about 2000 hapless Muslims were massacred and more than 200,000 were rendered homeless. It was internationally reported as a pogrom against the Muslim minority in Gujarat.
International human rights organizations, including the Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the National Human Rights Commission of India held Mr. Modi directly responsible for orchestrating that gory mob violence in which innocent Muslims were butchered, burnt alive and women gang raped.
Mr. Modi has also succeeded in corrupting and intimidating most of the judiciary in Gujarat. The criminals are protected by Mr. Modi’s police, while thousands of displaced Muslims are unable to return to their homes. The same gangsters also harass Christians and have burned their Churches.
The Supreme Court of India felt compelled to step in. It compared Mr. Modi with the infamous Roman Emperor Nero and ordered an especially constituted team from the Federal (Central) Government to investigate Mr. Modi’s crimes.
Though his party has lost national power in two successive national elections of 2004 and 2009; unfortunately in the federal structure of India, states have power over law and order, just as the federal US government was hampered in the American South of1960s. Mr. Modi has succeeded in polarizing the normally decent people of Gujarat and has won elections to remain the Chief Minister in Gujarat. And because as often happens, fascistic demagogues are efficient, Mr. Modi is indeed efficient and has brought businesses to Gujarat supported by some among the rich diaspora of Guajaratis from the US.
Now that his party is in decline in the rest of India, he has been trying mightily to project himself as a world class leader with an eye on gaining national leadership. With a well-deserved harvest of global condemnation haunting him, Mr. Modi is desperately courting foreign collaboration to mend his image to achieve political restitution in India.
Fortunately because of the efforts of those who value the Gandhian tradition of India, Indians from all religions and ethnic groups came together, petitioned and convinced the US State department to deny Mr. Modi the coveted visa, not only once but twice in three years.
Spurned by the US and some Western countries, he aimed at developing contacts with the rich Gulf Emirates. Mr. Modi nefariously planted stories of being invited by the Sultanate of Oman. Again some concerned people took it upon themselves to circulate a petition on line. Again many human rights organizations all over the world, but most importantly from India extended their full support. Many wrote personal letters to the Ambassador and the government of Oman.
In response, not only the Ambassador of Oman in India refused the visa, but took out an advertisement in a well respected national newspaper, Indian Express, stating that the Sultanate of Oman had not invited Mr. Modi to Oman.
To Mr. Modi’s discomfort the news is reverberating though the Indian press and has even been picked up by the international web based media. (It can easily be searched on Google, “Modi denied Visa to Oman”). It puts his efforts towards gaining coveted visas from Indonesia that he has been working on, and visa from many other countries in jeopardy.
Though it is only a small victory for decency, and not much help to those who perished in the Mayhem engineered by Mr. Modi in Gujarat, but it does give incentive to average people. They can make a difference. All they have to do is, try.
Mirza A. Beg can be contacted at mab64@yahoo.com or Mirzasmusings@blogspot.com
News Reverberates In India
By Mirza A. Beg
Some times good guys also win. It happens only once in a while, but when it does, it gives hope to many who struggle against the evil perpetrated by the powerful, the rich and the connected.
Such is the case when some decent ordinary people with the support of many other decent people were able to convince the Government of Oman to deny Mr. Modi a visa. It thwarted, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Mr. Modi from falsely projecting himself as a world trotting statesman and camouflaging his evil deeds.
Mr. Modi was elected the Chief Minister of Gujarat State in the western part of India, on the platform of a fascistic leaning Indian Peoples Party (Hindi initials BJP). It came to power in late1990s. It got that chance because the Congress party that had governed India since independence from Britain in 1947, with only one break of four years, had become stale and the populace was tired. In that vacuum stepped in the rightwing BJP. It cashed in on its years of devious hard work, promoting sectarian riots and fear mongering in the well trodden footsteps of demagogues, albeit with an Indian patina. For years the BJP had engineered riots against the Muslim minorities, Christian evangelism and lower cast Indians. Finally it was able cash in on the fear it had planted among decent ordinary Hindus.
Mr. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat in February 2002, when a train carriage in which the BJP goons were travelling and harassing people on the railway station, was burnet at Godhra in Gujarat. To this day it has not been conclusively proven as to who did it. Instead of arresting those responsible for the event and bringing them to justice, he blamed Muslims, whom his party has been killing for years in contrived riots. The next day in the manner of Nazi “Krstallnacht” he unleashed a reign of terror and mayhem, by the goons of his party under the protection of his chosen police force, in the manner of Nazi SS.
As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Mr. Modi presided over and orchestrated widespread riots in which about 2000 hapless Muslims were massacred and more than 200,000 were rendered homeless. It was internationally reported as a pogrom against the Muslim minority in Gujarat.
International human rights organizations, including the Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the National Human Rights Commission of India held Mr. Modi directly responsible for orchestrating that gory mob violence in which innocent Muslims were butchered, burnt alive and women gang raped.
Mr. Modi has also succeeded in corrupting and intimidating most of the judiciary in Gujarat. The criminals are protected by Mr. Modi’s police, while thousands of displaced Muslims are unable to return to their homes. The same gangsters also harass Christians and have burned their Churches.
The Supreme Court of India felt compelled to step in. It compared Mr. Modi with the infamous Roman Emperor Nero and ordered an especially constituted team from the Federal (Central) Government to investigate Mr. Modi’s crimes.
Though his party has lost national power in two successive national elections of 2004 and 2009; unfortunately in the federal structure of India, states have power over law and order, just as the federal US government was hampered in the American South of1960s. Mr. Modi has succeeded in polarizing the normally decent people of Gujarat and has won elections to remain the Chief Minister in Gujarat. And because as often happens, fascistic demagogues are efficient, Mr. Modi is indeed efficient and has brought businesses to Gujarat supported by some among the rich diaspora of Guajaratis from the US.
Now that his party is in decline in the rest of India, he has been trying mightily to project himself as a world class leader with an eye on gaining national leadership. With a well-deserved harvest of global condemnation haunting him, Mr. Modi is desperately courting foreign collaboration to mend his image to achieve political restitution in India.
Fortunately because of the efforts of those who value the Gandhian tradition of India, Indians from all religions and ethnic groups came together, petitioned and convinced the US State department to deny Mr. Modi the coveted visa, not only once but twice in three years.
Spurned by the US and some Western countries, he aimed at developing contacts with the rich Gulf Emirates. Mr. Modi nefariously planted stories of being invited by the Sultanate of Oman. Again some concerned people took it upon themselves to circulate a petition on line. Again many human rights organizations all over the world, but most importantly from India extended their full support. Many wrote personal letters to the Ambassador and the government of Oman.
In response, not only the Ambassador of Oman in India refused the visa, but took out an advertisement in a well respected national newspaper, Indian Express, stating that the Sultanate of Oman had not invited Mr. Modi to Oman.
To Mr. Modi’s discomfort the news is reverberating though the Indian press and has even been picked up by the international web based media. (It can easily be searched on Google, “Modi denied Visa to Oman”). It puts his efforts towards gaining coveted visas from Indonesia that he has been working on, and visa from many other countries in jeopardy.
Though it is only a small victory for decency, and not much help to those who perished in the Mayhem engineered by Mr. Modi in Gujarat, but it does give incentive to average people. They can make a difference. All they have to do is, try.
Mirza A. Beg can be contacted at mab64@yahoo.com or Mirzasmusings@blogspot.com
DIVERGENCES - Spearhead Analysis
Spearhead Analysis
DIVERGENCES
Yesterdays New York Times has a story that hints at divergences between the US and Pakistan in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials are reported as having said that Pakistan had concerns that the US operational surge in Afghanistan could raise the pressures on Pakistan—particularly in the Baluchistan area where the troop strength was nowhere near what it was in FATA. They are also quoted as saying that perceptions differed over the threat from India and therefore Pakistan could not move troops from the east to the west. Pakistan has often indicated that the subversive activity in Baluchistan is from Afghanistan and that India is involved because it wants to create leverage in Kashmir. Lately Indians have been saying that activity in Kashmir is picking up again.
The US thinks that a body called the ‘Quetta Shura’ runs the Taliban operations in Afghanistan from Baluchistan and this ‘shura’ is tolerated by Pakistan as it poses no threat to Pakistan unlike the local Taliban in FATA and Swat. The US Secretary of State said in India that the ‘perpetrators of 9/11 were in Pakistan’. This was countered officially in Pakistan by a Foreign Office spokesman who said that they were in Afghanistan. The perception in Pakistan is that the US operations in Southern Afghanistan are not achieving success and now that sanctuaries in FATA cannot be blamed for the lack of success because of Pakistan military operations the US is talking of the ‘shura’ in Baluchistan. Over the last two weeks casualties have been high in Afghanistan and four aircraft have been lost raising the specter of ground to air weapons in Taliban hands. If true this could increase the scale of operations significantly.
Implicit in these perceptions is the idea that Pakistan is carrying out counter insurgency operations in FATA and Swat areas because the local or ‘Pakistani’ Taliban had challenged the writ of the state but it is not doing anything against the Taliban fighting US/NATO in Afghanistan and in fact tolerates their presence. There is even the unspoken thought that Pakistani intelligence is in contact with the Taliban commanders operating in Afghanistan---this ‘contact’ is never fully explained because Pakistani intelligence is the best bet for influencing the Taliban to negotiate if that ever became an option. Pakistan understands that the insurgency in its FATA area springs from Southern Afghanistan and is supported by the Taliban/Al Qaeda there---it is therefore unlikely that Pakistan would be so moronic as to fight the Afghan supported insurgents in one sector and support people behind them in another sector. It does make sense however, that Pakistan would keep all options open to bring the insurgency to an end---something that can happen only with an end to the violence in Afghanistan.
There is a fringe in Pakistan that believes that the entire situation in FATA, Swat and Baluchistan is being manipulated by the US to involve Pakistan’s military fully on the entire border with Afghanistan because that suits US, Indian and Afghan government interests. Yet another thought is the fear of violence marring the Presidential elections in Afghanistan and that this is behind the pressure on Pakistan to ‘do more’. A failed election would signal overall failure in Afghanistan.
It is vitally important that the US and Pakistan have a bilateral discussion to remove the doubts, concerns and fears on both sides. The US strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan was discussed before it began to be implemented. Pakistan has been and continues to be cooperative. Pakistan is making enormous sacrifices while fighting the insurgency in FATA. If these efforts remain unappreciated and in fact if Pakistan begins to be doubted then a reappraisal of exactly how much Pakistan should be doing would be warranted. There should never be a feeling in Pakistan that Washington and Delhi putting their heads together translates into targeting Pakistan. The need of the hour is not Af-Pak’, whatever that means, but US- Pakistan and US- Afghanistan and US-India---three separate tracks with convergence only where it is possible and required. There is enormous appreciation for US support of Pakistan---this opportunity should not be lost. Impatience with Pakistan should not drive US policy---it should lead to serious thinking on how Pakistan can be supported to act urgently in its own interest and how the capability to do so can be built up.
www.spearheadresearch.org
DIVERGENCES
Yesterdays New York Times has a story that hints at divergences between the US and Pakistan in the war on terror in Afghanistan. Unnamed Pakistani intelligence officials are reported as having said that Pakistan had concerns that the US operational surge in Afghanistan could raise the pressures on Pakistan—particularly in the Baluchistan area where the troop strength was nowhere near what it was in FATA. They are also quoted as saying that perceptions differed over the threat from India and therefore Pakistan could not move troops from the east to the west. Pakistan has often indicated that the subversive activity in Baluchistan is from Afghanistan and that India is involved because it wants to create leverage in Kashmir. Lately Indians have been saying that activity in Kashmir is picking up again.
The US thinks that a body called the ‘Quetta Shura’ runs the Taliban operations in Afghanistan from Baluchistan and this ‘shura’ is tolerated by Pakistan as it poses no threat to Pakistan unlike the local Taliban in FATA and Swat. The US Secretary of State said in India that the ‘perpetrators of 9/11 were in Pakistan’. This was countered officially in Pakistan by a Foreign Office spokesman who said that they were in Afghanistan. The perception in Pakistan is that the US operations in Southern Afghanistan are not achieving success and now that sanctuaries in FATA cannot be blamed for the lack of success because of Pakistan military operations the US is talking of the ‘shura’ in Baluchistan. Over the last two weeks casualties have been high in Afghanistan and four aircraft have been lost raising the specter of ground to air weapons in Taliban hands. If true this could increase the scale of operations significantly.
Implicit in these perceptions is the idea that Pakistan is carrying out counter insurgency operations in FATA and Swat areas because the local or ‘Pakistani’ Taliban had challenged the writ of the state but it is not doing anything against the Taliban fighting US/NATO in Afghanistan and in fact tolerates their presence. There is even the unspoken thought that Pakistani intelligence is in contact with the Taliban commanders operating in Afghanistan---this ‘contact’ is never fully explained because Pakistani intelligence is the best bet for influencing the Taliban to negotiate if that ever became an option. Pakistan understands that the insurgency in its FATA area springs from Southern Afghanistan and is supported by the Taliban/Al Qaeda there---it is therefore unlikely that Pakistan would be so moronic as to fight the Afghan supported insurgents in one sector and support people behind them in another sector. It does make sense however, that Pakistan would keep all options open to bring the insurgency to an end---something that can happen only with an end to the violence in Afghanistan.
There is a fringe in Pakistan that believes that the entire situation in FATA, Swat and Baluchistan is being manipulated by the US to involve Pakistan’s military fully on the entire border with Afghanistan because that suits US, Indian and Afghan government interests. Yet another thought is the fear of violence marring the Presidential elections in Afghanistan and that this is behind the pressure on Pakistan to ‘do more’. A failed election would signal overall failure in Afghanistan.
It is vitally important that the US and Pakistan have a bilateral discussion to remove the doubts, concerns and fears on both sides. The US strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan was discussed before it began to be implemented. Pakistan has been and continues to be cooperative. Pakistan is making enormous sacrifices while fighting the insurgency in FATA. If these efforts remain unappreciated and in fact if Pakistan begins to be doubted then a reappraisal of exactly how much Pakistan should be doing would be warranted. There should never be a feeling in Pakistan that Washington and Delhi putting their heads together translates into targeting Pakistan. The need of the hour is not Af-Pak’, whatever that means, but US- Pakistan and US- Afghanistan and US-India---three separate tracks with convergence only where it is possible and required. There is enormous appreciation for US support of Pakistan---this opportunity should not be lost. Impatience with Pakistan should not drive US policy---it should lead to serious thinking on how Pakistan can be supported to act urgently in its own interest and how the capability to do so can be built up.
www.spearheadresearch.org
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Independence Day: Some obligations as a nation
During the crucial struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of Subcontinent from the yoke of British elites and dominant Hindu class, the Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, once said that, “I have no illusions in the matter and let me say again that India is not a nation nor a country. It is Subcontinent composed of nationalities with Hindus and Muslims being the major nations”. Once the destination was achieved, the great leader emphasized on good governance, by setting high goals and said: “I shall always be guided by the principles of justice and fair play, without any prejudice or ill-will, in other words partiality or favouritism. My guiding principle will be justice and complete impartiality and I am sure that with your support and cooperation, I can look forward to Pakistan becoming one of the greatest nations of the World”. With these towering envisioned determinants, the first ideological Muslim state of the world took a formal start having Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah; a dedicated leader at its driving seat on August 14, 1947. Regretfully, the indomitable founding fathers of the country could not continue for a long and met the fate first, Quaid-i-Azam died in September 1948 and then Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951. T hereafter, Pakistan; the great gift of God, has been at the mercy of the dwindling leadership which continues even to date in one or the other form. Thus, there remains a lack of good governance in the country, which could not be addressed by successive rulers. In the process, the country was confronted with the greatest turn of the history, once in the efforts of undoing it, its crucial adversary; India disintegrated it in 1971. Thereafter, this great nation, although could not gulp down the loss of its eastern half, but progressively acquiescent and recovered from the shock to re-adjust itself in order to meet challenges at the global level as a living nation. Therefore, in a very short span of time, it did not only convalesced alone, but also attained the status of a nuclear power. However, owing to the ill-timed Russian invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979, Pakistan once again became a battleground of major powers of the cold war. The upshots of the war left a horrific future for Pakistan, mainly the militancy which gave way to a new form of war, the global war on terror, following the inexplicable incident of 9/11. This western sponsored form of civilizational clash is gaining popularity in the world as an age of “long war”, as the interlude from 1945 to 2001 is being considered as the period of “long peace”. These global transformations badly affected the environment of Pakistan both at domestic and external level. Currently, the country is facing a gruesome level of militancy conspired by a host of anti-state forces. Indeed the multiplicity of threat perceptions has put the independence of the state at stake. Conservation followed by preservation of the independence has thus become a real challenge for the Pakistani nation as a whole. In order to meet these challenges the nation perhaps would be required to work harder than what our forefathers did in attaining the independence for us in 1947. While analyzing the challenges being faced to protect and safeguard the independence, two striking parallels are being identified: first; in the historical perspective, there was no infrastructure and institutional setup in the newly independent state in the beginning as everything was in the areas becoming part of India. And secondly; the current collapse of most of its institutions and organisations throughout in the country at the critical stage of its history. In the initial days, the nation had to build anew, all the infrastructure, institutions and organisations and now we need to re-orientate and put-right all of them. To begin with let us start from the two glaring problems facing the society side by side. These are; the lack of justice at all levels and extraordinarily low ratio and abhorrent standard of education. As also adequately highlighted by the Quaid in his above mentioned excerpt of the speech, denial or delayed justice creates most of the ills in society. According to a survey, over 80% crimes in society are the result of direct or indirect denial or delay in the provision of justice. In the absence of justice grieved people take the law in their hands, thus promoting violence and “violence begets violence”. The element of violence has a major contribution in the ongoing militancy in Pakistan, which can be accredited to the non-availability of justice. At the political level, Pakistan is a federation where all provinces have grievances against the Centre or differences among each other, mainly against the larger one. This factor is major hurdle in the national integration. There is an immediate need to realise the mistakes of past with the motives to rectify them at three levels; provision of basic justice at the level of social setup, provision of justice through unbiased judiciary to every citizen and giving an equal treatment, including awards and provincial shares to the provinces by the federal government. This essentially important step would reduce the grievances of masses and provinces alike, subsequently enhancing the national integration; a gateway for the conservation of independence. Listing education after the justice system never meant to lessen its priority. Indeed, both have to be dealt simultaneously or in most of the cases, education takes the lead role. Education is the basic media for awareness among the masses, without which all other aspects of a society and a state would cease to exist. Even provision of justice owes a lot to the quality education. Over the years, there has either been absolutely low intake of the children in the existing educational institutions or the dreadful decline in the standard of the educational output. This trend has been at the peak in rural areas, but even at the level of cities, there has been far less than what was to be desired. Apart from the multiple educational systems and syllabi prevalent in the country, the educational institutions under the government have been much below the required standard; both intakes wise as well as the output is concerned. An educated lot of masses would better understand the price of independence in its true perspective, rather an illiterate mind. For this purpose, there is a need that government should ensure steps like: one; adoption of uniform system of education throughout the country without any discrimination. Two; educational system must have elements of nationalism, national interest and national integration inbuilt in syllabi at all levels. Three; among the educated lot, the best one should be selected as teachers, keeping merit as the yardstick without any political or bureaucratic influence. Four; strict enforcement of the compulsory education at the level of secondary school by everyone in the country on tangible terms instead of being a paper plan only. The educated youth would get motivation by reading the past history of Pakistan and sacrifices made by our forefathers for attaining the independence for us, therefore would make all out efforts to preserve it for the sake of their own future. Poverty and unemployment are yet other impediments, which restrict the national thinking. Over 40 per cent population of Pakistan suffers from these two very serious issues since the last almost two decades. There is no letup in the social cost of the life; rather, it is becoming costlier day by day. Since a common man cannot think beyond his bread, how would we expect him to preserve the independence, which in practical terms is not available to him? The government therefore should take concrete steps to address these real issues amounting to lives and deaths of the bulk of the masses of Pakistan. Human resource development coupled with the establishment of the resources bases would prove a key to resolve the issues on priority. Only the financially freed masses would be able to concentrate on the issue of securing the independence in true perspective. As immediate measures, there is a need that government machinery, the elected representatives at federal and provincial levels and above all the media should launch a massive campaign for creating awareness among the general masses, highlighting the significance of the independence. The students of higher educational institutions may be grouped in the campaign for immediate and long lasting results. The masses be educated of the conspiracies cropping up against the integrity of Pakistan both within as well as across the borders. Sovereignty is always a blessing, therefore must be respected. Today Pakistan is at the cross roads of its history. The nation has always stood by the challenges posed by circumstances ever since the first ideological Islamic state came into being in August 1947. The current challenges facing the country in the form of militancy and threat to its basic ideology are to be dealt on multiple fronts by every Pakistani. We have to identify the root causes and then address them in their entirety. Good governance, awareness through education, unprejudiced justice and addressing the basic needs of deprived masses would pay a rich dividend in this regard.
Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan
Email: drmk_edu@yahoo.com
Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan
Email: drmk_edu@yahoo.com
India, Afghanistan Supporting Terror in Pakistan
India, Afghanistan Supporting Terror in Pakistan
Major General Salim Nawaz
QUETTA: India and Afghanistan are supporting an insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, trying to bolster the leadership of separatists fighting the Pakistani government, a top security commander said on Saturday.
Baloch nationalists have for decades campaigned for greater autonomy and control of the province’s abundant natural gas and mineral resources, which they say are unfairly exploited to the benefit of other parts of the country. Separatist guerrillas have also been fighting a low-level insurgency for decades.
‘A lot of evidence of Indian involvement through Afghanistan is there, supporting the separatist movement,’ Major General Salim Nawaz, inspector general of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force in Balochistan, told Reuters in an interview at his headquarters in the provincial capital, Quetta.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947 and accuse each other of supporting militant groups in each other’s countries.
Pakistan has been accused of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. India has been accused of backing the Baloch militants.
Nawaz said the separatists were not very strong as they did not have enough foot soldiers or a proper command.
‘The foreign element, especially the element there in Afghanistan, is trying hard to create more leadership,’ he said.
Brahamdagh Bugti, the grandson of a Baloch militant leader killed in late 2006, is said to be hiding in Afghanistan and is regarded as one of the main Baloch separatist leaders.
Nawaz said proof of Indian involvement had been provided.
‘The proof has been given at various levels…photographs have been provided,’ he said. He did not elaborate.
Pakistan and India compete for influence in Afghanistan where India is one of the main backers of President Hamid Karzai and his US-backed government.
Pakistan has been accused of being the main backer of the Taliban until the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
While Pakistan officially stopped supporting the Taliban at that time, US and Afghan officials suspect some elements of the Pakistani security agencies are still helping the Taliban, the main Afghan faction opposed to Indian involvement there.
On Thursday, a bomb attack on the India embassy in the Afghan capital killed 17 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility but many in India also see the hand of Pakistan, which considers Afghanistan a fall-back position in the event of war with India.
The Indian government has not blamed Pakistan which condemned the attack.
No Quetta shura
Nawaz denied US accusations that the Taliban leadership was based in and around Quetta, saying the United States was looking for an excuse for the difficulty it was facing with an intensifying Taliban insurgency.
‘These allegations have been levelled in the past,’ he said.
‘They had been dying a death but lately they have started again. In my view, whatever is happening in Afghanistan, if they are not succeeding, there has to be some escape route.’
The United States had handed over no information to back up its assertion regarding the Taliban ‘Quetta shura’, or leadership council, he said.
‘If they have any evidence — which they have not given us a bit of until this moment — they should share it with us. Pakistani forces are quite capable of sorting them out,’ he said.
Nawaz said it was impossible for Taliban leaders such as Mullah Omar to go unnoticed.
‘If he has to move, or if their leadership has to move, they have to move with some paraphernalia, they need to make some arrangements,’ he said.
Major General Salim Nawaz
QUETTA: India and Afghanistan are supporting an insurgency in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, trying to bolster the leadership of separatists fighting the Pakistani government, a top security commander said on Saturday.
Baloch nationalists have for decades campaigned for greater autonomy and control of the province’s abundant natural gas and mineral resources, which they say are unfairly exploited to the benefit of other parts of the country. Separatist guerrillas have also been fighting a low-level insurgency for decades.
‘A lot of evidence of Indian involvement through Afghanistan is there, supporting the separatist movement,’ Major General Salim Nawaz, inspector general of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force in Balochistan, told Reuters in an interview at his headquarters in the provincial capital, Quetta.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence in 1947 and accuse each other of supporting militant groups in each other’s countries.
Pakistan has been accused of backing militants fighting Indian security forces in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. India has been accused of backing the Baloch militants.
Nawaz said the separatists were not very strong as they did not have enough foot soldiers or a proper command.
‘The foreign element, especially the element there in Afghanistan, is trying hard to create more leadership,’ he said.
Brahamdagh Bugti, the grandson of a Baloch militant leader killed in late 2006, is said to be hiding in Afghanistan and is regarded as one of the main Baloch separatist leaders.
Nawaz said proof of Indian involvement had been provided.
‘The proof has been given at various levels…photographs have been provided,’ he said. He did not elaborate.
Pakistan and India compete for influence in Afghanistan where India is one of the main backers of President Hamid Karzai and his US-backed government.
Pakistan has been accused of being the main backer of the Taliban until the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
While Pakistan officially stopped supporting the Taliban at that time, US and Afghan officials suspect some elements of the Pakistani security agencies are still helping the Taliban, the main Afghan faction opposed to Indian involvement there.
On Thursday, a bomb attack on the India embassy in the Afghan capital killed 17 people. The Taliban claimed responsibility but many in India also see the hand of Pakistan, which considers Afghanistan a fall-back position in the event of war with India.
The Indian government has not blamed Pakistan which condemned the attack.
No Quetta shura
Nawaz denied US accusations that the Taliban leadership was based in and around Quetta, saying the United States was looking for an excuse for the difficulty it was facing with an intensifying Taliban insurgency.
‘These allegations have been levelled in the past,’ he said.
‘They had been dying a death but lately they have started again. In my view, whatever is happening in Afghanistan, if they are not succeeding, there has to be some escape route.’
The United States had handed over no information to back up its assertion regarding the Taliban ‘Quetta shura’, or leadership council, he said.
‘If they have any evidence — which they have not given us a bit of until this moment — they should share it with us. Pakistani forces are quite capable of sorting them out,’ he said.
Nawaz said it was impossible for Taliban leaders such as Mullah Omar to go unnoticed.
‘If he has to move, or if their leadership has to move, they have to move with some paraphernalia, they need to make some arrangements,’ he said.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Arms race in South Asia
In 1993, more than five years before India and Pakistan came out of nuclear closet, director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had said: “The arms race between India and Pakistan poses perhaps the most probable prospect for future use of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons”. One could not visualize then that the US and India would one day become strategic partners, though the US had always espoused ambitions to have India on board right from 1950s yet India always looked the other side ie the former USSR. Former president Bill Clinton, at the fag end of his tenure had visited India and promised to make it not only a regional but a world power. The die was cast during his tour when he stayed in India for three days and with a lot of persuasion by former president Pervez Musharraf he agreed for a stop-over in Pakistan. Since then the US and India have come closer to the detriment of countries of South Asia who are already wary of India’s attitude and hegemonic designs. Despite the sane voices opposing the Indo-US nuclear agreement and also some US lawmakers’ questioning the wisdom of providing atomic fuel and technology to India that always refused to sign NPT, the US administration had gone ahead with the programme.
This agreement had created asymmetry in South Asia by enabling India to enhance the production capacity of nuclear bombs from 6 to 10 a year to several dozen per year. India is also on a shopping spree for sophisticated and lethal weapons’ systems and has also allocated $30 billion for purchase of tanks and planes. In addition to that, India has planned $100 billion worth nuclear installations. As recently as in May 2009, Israel has supplied the first Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform, which is set to alter the dimension of the see-through capability of the IAF beyond conventional visions of ground-based and tethered electromagnetic sensors.
Now with the induction of India’s nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant, imbalance in South Asia has been exacerbated. This will enhance offensive operational capability of India and there is a perception that it would jeopardize the security paradigm of the entire Indian Ocean region and threaten Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries of the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Office statement said: “The continued induction of new lethal weapon systems by India was detrimental to regional peace and stability. Without entering into an arms race with India, Pakistan will take all appropriate steps to safeguard its security and maintain strategic balance in South Asia in the interests of peace and security in the region”. This nuclear-powered submarine is fitted with India’s K-15 ballistic missiles that can be launched from under water with the capacity to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
According to defence experts, a distinct advantage of a nuclear-powered submarine is that while it can remain under water for a long duration, a diesel-fired submarine has to rise to the surface every day for ejecting the carbon-dioxide produced by the diesel-generator to avoid problems to the crew. With the Indo-US nuclear deal and AWACS deal with Israel, Indo-US-Israel nexus is obvious. Last year, Israeli Army Chief Avi Mizrahi was in New Delhi with a view to enhancing cooperation in training of Indian forces in anti-insurgency operations. Both sides had also discussed holding joint exercises and mulled measures to boost defence cooperation. Mizrahi had also visited Indian Held Kashmir and met top army officers deployed there. He also met Indian Naval Chief and the Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Admiral Suresh Mehta. According to press reports, both countries had clandestine relations much before that, as India did not like to annoy Muslim countries especially Arab countries and Iran because it benefited immensely from bilateral trade relations with them.
In 2007, India had bought the USS Trenton - the giant American landing platform dock - for about Rs 215 crores and had been re-christened as INS Jalashwa. It was originally commissioned into the US Navy in 1971. It is equipped with four landing mechanised craft and can carry up to 1,000 troops along with vehicles, tanks, artillery, ammunition and tracked landing vehicles. Pakistan may not be able to match this heavy spending on nuclear installations but Pakistan would definitely maintain minimum deterrence, come what may. But India’s arming to the teeth has purpose and that is to extend its hegemony over the neigbouring countries. India has dispute with China, as the latter claims that India has occupied its large swathes of land in Aruna Chal. India has dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. India’s attitude and behaviour with other small neighbouring countries has persistently tended to violate the norms of peaceful co-existence. Instead of recognizing their equal status and sovereignty, India’s domineering attitude demands of her neighbouring countries to act according to her dictates.
India’s neighbours like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan are expected to formulate their external and internal and even defence policies according to its wishes, as India arrogates to herself the role of determining the extent of sovereignty its neighbours will enjoy. India considering Pakistan as an obstacle in its insidious designs has been trying to destabilize it through organizing and coordinating the activities of saboteurs in Balochistan from consulates in Afghanistan’s provinces adjacent to Pakistan’s provinces. Recently, President Karzai is reported to have acknowledged the existence of training camps in Afghanistan and promised to see to it that they are closed. Pakistan has however taken measures to counter India’s machinations, and has already proved that it has the will and determination to take militants, extremists and saboteurs head on.
There is a perception that the US wanted to use India as a countervailing force against China. In view of China’s economic and military might, India would never try to flex muscles with China. However, India would increase its military strength to bully its smaller neighbours. Some analysts are of the opinion that if the US faces any obstacle in advancing its global interests or feels threatened from any emerging force or group of nations, it would go up to any extent. It is however imperative to undertake a major review of our foreign policy and reassess our national interest in the drastically changed post-cold war scenario, as the US continues with its policy that has led to asymmetry in the subcontinent by providing India with latest equipment. And this policy is bound to make the Kashmir issue more complicated. Already on 9th October 2000, the US Ambassador to India Richard Celeste had said; “We anticipate India as a true global leader looking down the road 10 to 20 years”.
In order to implement that vision, a 10-year defence pact between India and the US was signed that had paved the way for joint weapons production, cooperation on missile defence, and more recently cooperation in nuclear field. As regards relationship with Pakistan, the US needs Pakistan’s cooperation till situation is brought under control in Afghanistan.
The US leadership must be remembering that despite its best efforts, it had failed to bring India on board during Cold War era. The US should have realized that since 1950s Pakistan has been an ally of the West intertwined in various pacts; in 1980s it was a frontline state against the former USSR when it invaded Afghanistan posing threat to US interests in the region, and even now Pakistan is a key partner in war on terror.
Mohammad Jamil
Email: mjamil1938@yahoo.com
This agreement had created asymmetry in South Asia by enabling India to enhance the production capacity of nuclear bombs from 6 to 10 a year to several dozen per year. India is also on a shopping spree for sophisticated and lethal weapons’ systems and has also allocated $30 billion for purchase of tanks and planes. In addition to that, India has planned $100 billion worth nuclear installations. As recently as in May 2009, Israel has supplied the first Indian Air Force AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) platform, which is set to alter the dimension of the see-through capability of the IAF beyond conventional visions of ground-based and tethered electromagnetic sensors.
Now with the induction of India’s nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant, imbalance in South Asia has been exacerbated. This will enhance offensive operational capability of India and there is a perception that it would jeopardize the security paradigm of the entire Indian Ocean region and threaten Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries of the region. Pakistan’s Foreign Office statement said: “The continued induction of new lethal weapon systems by India was detrimental to regional peace and stability. Without entering into an arms race with India, Pakistan will take all appropriate steps to safeguard its security and maintain strategic balance in South Asia in the interests of peace and security in the region”. This nuclear-powered submarine is fitted with India’s K-15 ballistic missiles that can be launched from under water with the capacity to carry both conventional and nuclear warheads.
According to defence experts, a distinct advantage of a nuclear-powered submarine is that while it can remain under water for a long duration, a diesel-fired submarine has to rise to the surface every day for ejecting the carbon-dioxide produced by the diesel-generator to avoid problems to the crew. With the Indo-US nuclear deal and AWACS deal with Israel, Indo-US-Israel nexus is obvious. Last year, Israeli Army Chief Avi Mizrahi was in New Delhi with a view to enhancing cooperation in training of Indian forces in anti-insurgency operations. Both sides had also discussed holding joint exercises and mulled measures to boost defence cooperation. Mizrahi had also visited Indian Held Kashmir and met top army officers deployed there. He also met Indian Naval Chief and the Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman Admiral Suresh Mehta. According to press reports, both countries had clandestine relations much before that, as India did not like to annoy Muslim countries especially Arab countries and Iran because it benefited immensely from bilateral trade relations with them.
In 2007, India had bought the USS Trenton - the giant American landing platform dock - for about Rs 215 crores and had been re-christened as INS Jalashwa. It was originally commissioned into the US Navy in 1971. It is equipped with four landing mechanised craft and can carry up to 1,000 troops along with vehicles, tanks, artillery, ammunition and tracked landing vehicles. Pakistan may not be able to match this heavy spending on nuclear installations but Pakistan would definitely maintain minimum deterrence, come what may. But India’s arming to the teeth has purpose and that is to extend its hegemony over the neigbouring countries. India has dispute with China, as the latter claims that India has occupied its large swathes of land in Aruna Chal. India has dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir. India’s attitude and behaviour with other small neighbouring countries has persistently tended to violate the norms of peaceful co-existence. Instead of recognizing their equal status and sovereignty, India’s domineering attitude demands of her neighbouring countries to act according to her dictates.
India’s neighbours like Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan are expected to formulate their external and internal and even defence policies according to its wishes, as India arrogates to herself the role of determining the extent of sovereignty its neighbours will enjoy. India considering Pakistan as an obstacle in its insidious designs has been trying to destabilize it through organizing and coordinating the activities of saboteurs in Balochistan from consulates in Afghanistan’s provinces adjacent to Pakistan’s provinces. Recently, President Karzai is reported to have acknowledged the existence of training camps in Afghanistan and promised to see to it that they are closed. Pakistan has however taken measures to counter India’s machinations, and has already proved that it has the will and determination to take militants, extremists and saboteurs head on.
There is a perception that the US wanted to use India as a countervailing force against China. In view of China’s economic and military might, India would never try to flex muscles with China. However, India would increase its military strength to bully its smaller neighbours. Some analysts are of the opinion that if the US faces any obstacle in advancing its global interests or feels threatened from any emerging force or group of nations, it would go up to any extent. It is however imperative to undertake a major review of our foreign policy and reassess our national interest in the drastically changed post-cold war scenario, as the US continues with its policy that has led to asymmetry in the subcontinent by providing India with latest equipment. And this policy is bound to make the Kashmir issue more complicated. Already on 9th October 2000, the US Ambassador to India Richard Celeste had said; “We anticipate India as a true global leader looking down the road 10 to 20 years”.
In order to implement that vision, a 10-year defence pact between India and the US was signed that had paved the way for joint weapons production, cooperation on missile defence, and more recently cooperation in nuclear field. As regards relationship with Pakistan, the US needs Pakistan’s cooperation till situation is brought under control in Afghanistan.
The US leadership must be remembering that despite its best efforts, it had failed to bring India on board during Cold War era. The US should have realized that since 1950s Pakistan has been an ally of the West intertwined in various pacts; in 1980s it was a frontline state against the former USSR when it invaded Afghanistan posing threat to US interests in the region, and even now Pakistan is a key partner in war on terror.
Mohammad Jamil
Email: mjamil1938@yahoo.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)