 |
Wednesday,
May 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Soft border, tough
stance A losing bet Draft death warrant |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Towards ‘composite dialogue’
Farewell, ‘Dada’
Reaching out to ex-servicemen with health cover
Critics of capitalism
|
Soft border, tough stance KASHMIR has many divided families which have some members
living on this side of the LoC and some in the area occupied by
Pakistan. A family reunion is well nigh impossible for most of them,
because it entails countless trips to the national capitals for
getting a visa and then a circuitous journey (provided there are air,
rail or road links between the two countries at that time). Only the rich can afford it. That is why the idea of easy access across the LoC has been a cherished dream of many Kashmiris. By articulating it forcefully, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed must have won over the hearts of quite a few of his brethren. That goes well with his own ‘soft’ image created with the help of the ‘healing touch’. But the tension between the two countries is at such a level that it is hazardous to expect them to concede this demand. The main problem is that every people-friendly gesture is always misused by Pakistani intelligence agencies to further their nefarious designs. If indeed the LoC is opened for restricted crossing, there is a very real possibility that this facility too will be used by the ISI and others to smuggle in terrorists. Recently there were reports that more than 50,000 Pakistanis who entered India by the Samjhauta Express during the last decade on valid visas were missing. As many as 8,000 Pakistanis did not go back in the year 2000 alone. Perhaps a majority of them merged with their sympathisers here because of emotional reasons. But there are reasons to suspect that some of them were spies, now trying to wreck India from within. A similar situation can hardly be allowed to develop in Kashmir. The LoC is a ground reality which neither country acknowledges fully. There are hawks on either side who would present any kind of accommodation along the LoC as an abject sellout. Ironically, even Pakistan may not be too enthusiastic about a soft border. While it may be more than keen to misuse any such facility to push in its operatives into India, it would not like the common Kashmiris under its bondage to come to India and see the real situation for themselves. Its propaganda machine has been on an overdrive all along to paint the Indian Kashmiris as slaves. If the men on the PoK streets come and learn that their brethren here are actually much better off than those under the Pakistani boot, its propaganda advantage may go kaput. As said earlier, the idea may be a little premature at this stage, but it will certainly help Mr Sayeed to develop a better rapport with the fellow
Kashmiris. |
A losing bet IT is time the Punjab Government realised that its proposal on casinos is a losing bet. AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai's statement that casinos have no place in the Congress' policies is surely a damper on the plans of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to create a Las Vegas in the state. The idea of legalising gambling, which is widely prevalent in the country, can have some justification. But is opening of casinos a better way of tackling the situation? No. Various political, religious and cultural organisations have been opposing the move and they include the Dharam Parchar Committee of the SGPC as well as the Punjab State Women's Commission. Indeed, no religious organisation would be well disposed to allowing gambling in any form, and women have to bear the brunt of the effects of gambling, in which family money is frittered away in the elusive search for the sweepstakes. It is interesting to note that even in Haryana the move to open casinos has been meeting stiff resistance. Those who point westwards in order to justify casinos have obviously not looked at the West closely enough. Why is it that we must pick up the worst in the West for emulation? Even in the US there was widespread opposition to casinos, and there are only specific areas like Atlantic City and Las Vegas that are allowed to have them. It has also been documented that organised crime is never far behind any such effort and it, in fact, controls it. In India, casinos would just legitimise illegal earnings and also ruin thousands of families, since for every winner there are thousands of losers in any game of chance. Why introduce something that has no social value whatsoever and which, in fact, is likely to contribute to the breakdown of the value system as we know it? We already have channels through which people who have the urge to gamble can do so, why add to them? As for the argument that casinos would promote tourism, surely in a state that has such a vast potential for historic, religious and heritage tourism, this line of thinking is frivolous. There are many things that are needed, and the focus should be on basics such as education, health and infrastructure. The revenue for these need not come from casinos, as has been touted, but from cutting government spending and increasing revenue collection through more transparent and rigorous enforcement of various levies. The opposition from within the party high command should prompt the ruling party in Punjab to rethink its priorities. |
Draft death warrant WHEN the bully knocks down the door, the weak can only rave and rant about the absence of justice. By screaming they invite the wrath of the bully who kills them for spreading terror! The series of bomb blasts in Riyadh on Monday and Tuesday, hours before US Secretary of State Colin Powell was to set foot on Saudi Arabian soil, were similar to the cries of the weak. The agony of having their home, hearth and dignity being trampled upon by the invading armies of America and Britain will continue to be expressed, across West Asia and elsewhere, through similar or more daring acts of rage against the evolving unfair world order. Some of the bombs were planted outside the headquarters of the US-Saudi owned oil company in Riyadh. Initial reports spoke of 25 deaths, 10 of them American. But these expressions of rage are not going to stop American President George W. Bush from giving up his dream of American hegemony. The elimination of weapons of mass destruction or Saddam Hussein were merely smoke screens for getting hold of an important piece of real estate in the heart of West Asia. America ignored the United Nations before invading Iraq. Now it wants to finish the only symbol of hope and peace in the world. The message for the rest of the postwar world is screaming out of every sentence of the draft UN Security Council Resolution that seeks to give unfettered powers to the Anglo-American forces for running Iraq for a period of at least one year. The invasion had shown the weakness of the UN as a global peacekeeper. It had failed to prevent the militarily superior nations from invading a sanctions-starved Iraq under false pretense. A warrant for its gradual death has now been taken out in the form of the draft UN Security Council resolution. The next target of attack is not going to be any economically ruined nation like Iraq or Afghanistan. It is the UN itself. In the draft resolution the Anglo-Americans do not want any direct or indirect role for the world body. The so-called draft resolution is actually an open letter of their evil intentions in postwar Iraq and the rest of the world thereafter. The nations that want to survive in a unipolar world must salute America, and those that want to prosper should learn from Pakistan how to do its master's bidding. The resolution avoids any mention of the return of UN weapons inspectors. Mr Hans
Blix, the chief weapons inspector, is an honest man. He did not play ball with America before the invasion and it is unlikely that he will agree to "unearth" WMDs from Saddam's closets now for the benefit of Mr Bush and his cronies. And Mr Bush does not like men, institutions and countries that do not do his bidding. |
Towards ‘composite dialogue’ NOW that the train to Pakistan is back on track, India must profit from the experience of half a century and more to ensure a smooth and steady run. The greatest danger Indians and Pakistanis must guard against is the excess of emotions they indulge in at the slightest hint of better relations. Subcontinentals are emotional people, but emotions remain a bad guide to bringing some sanity to dealings overlaid with the tragedy accompanying Partition and the wars that have been fought. It is pointless discussing how and to what extent the two countries came under pressure from the United States in turning over a new leaf. Clearly, New Delhi’s stance of ‘no dialogue’ was untenable, and for Pakistan, cross-border infiltration, to use the phrase favoured by Americans, held greater danger in an age of America’s worldwide campaign against terrorism. Besides, the impending visit of Mr Richard Armitage, the senior US envoy, was a trigger for Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s offer of a hand of friendship to Pakistan. Behind the April Srinagar call was Mr Vajpayee’s realisation that the hyperpower status of the US and its willingness to use its unmatched power to carve the world in line with its interests holds a lesson. A free translation of that lesson would seem to be that if subcontinental adversaries refuse to deal with each other, Washington would become directly involved. And an imposed solution would not be to the liking of one or the other side or of both. There seems to be a consensus in India that, unlike the two previous efforts, the new attempt at building bridges must begin with a series of preparatory meetings between the two sides. Many previous discussions have left a trail of proposals that can be taken up for what has been catalogued as a composite dialogue. Mr Armitage has counterpoised Pakistan’s obsession with Kashmir as the core issue with India’s priority in stopping infiltration and has politely rebuffed Pakistan’s attempt at floating a red herring in seeking denuclearisation of the subcontinent. Given the will on the two sides, there are many areas in relations that can be explored within the ambit of the “composite dialogue”. First, Indian negotiators must probe the Pakistan’s flexibility in moving away from its traditional position of making the entire relationship hostage to Kashmir. A second benchmark is Islamabad’s willingness to move towards a meaningful trade relationship. There are some signs of movement on the first problem while the moves in relation to the second have thus far been more symbolic than substantive. Indeed, progress in the talks at the officials’ level will depend in the first instance on Islamabad’s readiness to separate the Kashmir issue from the rest of the relationship. This would not imply dumping Kashmir, but would flow from the realisation that complicated as the Kashmir issue is, it would take time to resolve. But faster progress can be made on other problems such as trade, in alignment with the decisions already taken in the South Asian Association for Regional Development, apart from Islamabad’s obligations under world trade rules. Pakistan can take a leaf out of India’s book in relation to China; the development of friendlier Sino-Indian relations came about only after New Delhi gave up its preoccupation to resolving the border question to the exclusion of other areas of mutual benefit. Restoration of road, rail and air links between the two countries is to be welcomed, but a caveat would be in order. The free flow of people is useful in creating a conducive atmosphere for better relations, but the tendency on both sides is to exaggerate the importance of people-to-people contacts. Most of the two-way traffic consists of people visiting relations, and such people do not need to be convinced about the benefits of friendly relations. Perhaps a few more journalists will be allowed to visit the other side, helping to give a more accurate picture to their readers. How dramatically people-to-people contacts can change relations between the two countries is another matter. As the visiting delegation of Pakistani parliamentarians’ reception has revealed yet again, Indians are a hospitable people and nostalgia often takes over on such occasions. Similarly, any number of visiting Indians to Pakistan will testify that Pakistanis are superb hosts. It is, however, doubtful if such visits change anything in the larger context. Once home, delegation members become part of their countries’ collective views. The problem is not lack of knowledge — except for the young — but the collective psyche that takes hold of all but the bravest. For a time, much was made of Track II discussions. Sets of worthy men and women from the two sides met periodically — at one time under American auspices — to discuss at length various contentious problems. Although it was touching to see the transformation of hardline and hardboiled officials into doves of peace after retirement, they seemed to be perceived by the ruling establishments of the two countries as the equivalent of the Flower People of the Sixties and had no impact on policy. It would be more rewarding for serving officials to be given flexible briefs to enable them to probe the limits of the possible. Obviously, the political leadership of the two sides has to contend with hardline constituencies and much discretion and dissembling will be the order of the day. But difficult problems have been resolved around the world and politicians need the will and the astuteness to make decisions and carry them through. In India’s case, Prime Minister Vajpayee’s motivations are clear. He wants to leave his mark on history by bringing about Indo-Pakistani reconciliation. Second, in an age of one hyperpower, the world has become a more dangerous place for countries such as India. For President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, the pleasure of bleeding India through a proxy war must now be balanced by the world’s lower threshold of tolerance for terrorist activity after Nine Eleven. True, the US places Islamabad’s cooperation in the campaign against Al-Qaeda at a higher level than Pakistan’s complicity in the cross-border infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir. But the balance is tilting against any form of terrorist activity, however, it is explained. These are good reasons to begin to move relations between India and Pakistan into a friendlier orbit. |
Farewell, ‘Dada’ THE very mention of his name would inspire awe, admiration and respect. Brilliant, determined, disciplined, hardworking and most importantly, spotless. He had a crushing grip on all administrative matters and had the nerve to keep himself afloat much to the discomforts of his critics and opponents. To top it all he would bring great humility. K.K. Mookerjee or “Dada”, as he was affectionately called by one and all, including his own children and grandchildren, had become the “Karta”, nay father of the family, while still completing his college studies because of the tragic and early death of our father. He inherited all the academic brilliance of father while staying in the premises of Mohindra College, Patiala, where father was the Principal. He would watch the dew drops glisten like pearls in the first light of the dawn from the top storey of the college building, the noon tide bathing the fields with warmth and then the myriad stars twinkle in the sky at night. He had consumed all the books of father’s library right from fiction, history, literature and philosophy during his school career. I learnt about it when I took out books from the book shelves during my college days and found his name and student of seventh or eighth class written inside the covers of each book. That was his early education, a very rare achievement indeed. Perhaps these led to his love for nature, poetry, philosophy and religion. So intense was his love for books that he would pick out the dictionary of the encyclopaedia if nothing else was available and could go through these for hours at a stretch. As Finance Secretary of the Chandigarh Administration he joined the evening classes of “LL.B.” and came out successful with flying colours. Believe me he read the law books only for one month prior to the examination! He had formulated his own philosophy of life, the purpose of life, problems of good and evil etc. He shared the thoughts through a book “At the Seashore of Endless World”, which was published in 1999. He sent a few copies to his friends and was thrilled to get the encouraging comments from none other than the former Chief Secretary of Punjab, Mr P.H. Vaishnav, his dearest friend. “Looking Beyond” was the title of his second book again written during his post-retirement days. This is what he says in his preface to the book: “If we look for hope we will find it everywhere, even behind the darkest cloud. If we search for a smile we will see it bloom in the unlikeliest of places. Joy is the handmaiden of the divine.” During my early days in government job I was uncomfortable with one of my senior colleagues. Hesitatingly I mentioned it to “Dada”. He asked me: “What happens when a money order sent by a party cannot be delivered and reach its destination”? I told him that it goes back to the sender. Smilingly he told me to consider the uncharitable utterances of my senior as an undelivered money order. His further advice to me was somewhat like this: “Pepper your life with wit, humour, light heartedness and dump your ego in the garbage and see what you get.” I followed this and was never uncomfortable. His new approach to the understanding of religion and religious thoughts are contained in a manuscript titled. “Lead Kindly Light” which is yet to be published in a book form. While sending a copy of the manuscript to me he had added with his pen in his characteristic humorous manner: “An avoidable headache!” He had probably an inkling of his coming end as the opening lines of the manuscript is: “My vision seems to get clearer as I approach the end of the day. There is no longer the blinding light of the sun to limit the sky”. He left for his heavenly abode on April 29. His pure spirit reverted to God leaving behind the fragrance of his abiding presence in all things he touched. They bear the imprint of his high values and cherished dreams. We miss “Dada” every moment. |
|
Reaching out to ex-servicemen with health cover THE Central Government accorded approval in early February this year for establishing 270 clinics for ex-servicemen all over the country under the contributory health scheme covering all ex-servicemen. The headquarters of the ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) will be located in New Delhi and there will be 12 regional headquarters which would serve their respective states/areas. The regional headquarters for Himachal, Punjab and Chandigarh will be at Chandimandir (Chandigarh). The scheme provides medical cover to an ex-serviceman and his family (consisting of his spouse, dependent parents with an income of less than Rs 1,500 a month, unemployed sons aged below 25 years and unmarried daughters) who are in receipt of pension, including disability pension, and family pensions with no restriction on the type of ailment or the age of the beneficiary. Those defence personnel retiring after April 1, 2003, will automatically become members of the scheme, but those who have retired earlier will have to contribute towards the scheme. To join the scheme, a pensioner will have to visit one of the locations selected for enrolment. For the preparation of an ECHS card, the ex-service personnel should be accompanied by all dependents with the pension paying order, the service certificate, the ex-servicemen identity card, an affidavit and a bank draft in favour of the Director, ECHS. If any member under the scheme falls sick, the person should be taken to the nearest clinic with the ECHS card. The patient will be treated at the clinic. In case of a serious ailment, the patient will be referred to a specialist for treatment. For tests which cannot be carried out at the clinic, the patient will be referred to a diagnosis centre. Medicines will be provided by the clinic and, if not available at the clinic, the patient can purchase the medicines from the market and get the amount reimbursed. If hospitalisation is required, the patient will be referred to a military or private hospital. The hospital bills will be directly paid by the organisation. So far, so good. On April 5, one such clinic was inaugurated within the precincts of the Military Hospital, Jalandhar. It is understood that all the clinics would be manned by personnel drawn from the three services. It is also apparent that henceforth the ex-servicemen will have to follow the health clinic channel to avail of medical facilities at the Military Hospital. In Himachal Pradesh medical institutes will be set up for ex-servicemen at the military stations situated at Shimla, Dharamsala, Palampur and Solan, while poly clinics will be set up at Hamirpur, Una, Mandi and Bilaspur. The decision to set up the poly clinics only at the district headquarters is arbitrary and against the very spirit of the scheme. There are about 15,000 ex-servicemen in the Dehra sub-division with approximately 80,000
dependents. If a patient from Kurna/Saleti/Shantla have to go for treatment to Dharamsala spending more than Rs 120 per head as the bus fare, then for him it is better to take treatment from private doctor as before. In Una district also a clinic should be set up at Amb, a central place. Don’t expect a patient from Daulatpur to proceed to Una for treatment. In the event of a serious ailment or a mishap one is bound to seek the best available life-saving treatment and won’t mind the distance and money involved. However, in normal circumstances the clinics should be set up centrally so that ex-servicemen living in the remote and interior areas can avail of the facility. There is a need to open a poly clinic at Neharanpukhar for the ex-servicemen of Dehra sub-division. The authorities must think of opening small clinics in the interiors. Surely there would be financial constraints, but there is no dearth of money with the defence services. More than Rs 500 crore pertaining to the non-public funds have been invested by the three services in various companies to derive interest. This money was meant for spending on the welfare of the serving defence personnel. All the ex-servicemen have a lien on all such money because it was meant to be spent on their welfare while in service and not for investment. The Army/Navy/Air Force wives associations are holding about Rs 100 crore which they should part with for the ex-servicemen. Each state government gets a hefty sum from the excise duty levied on canteen goods and liquor issued from the defence canteens to ex-servicemen. Further, the 50 per cent profits of the CSD canteens being run for the ex-servicemen are required to be spent on the welfare of the ex-servicemen of that area as per the existing orders on the subject. Perhaps, the Dehra CSD canteen is the only one in Himachal, which is accounting its 50 per cent profits separately at the station headquarters, Yol cantt. It was possible only after an ex-servicemen welfare association of the Dehra division was formed in 1999. Some of the areas to be covered under this welfare scheme include the setting up of primary health centres, old age homes, launching a scholarship scheme for children, giving family assistance to war widows. Will the authorities concerned publish the accounts of the 50 per cent profits generated from the ex-servicemen canteens w.e.f. 1.6.1996 and expenditure incurred on the welfare schemes for the ex-servicemen? Surely, there is no dearth of money except lack of coordination and cooperation, and due to faulty planning and total neglect of the various ex-servicemen organisations within the district/division. The authorities should consider setting up at least three sub poly clinics at Neharanpukhar, Dadasiba and Khundian for the benefit of a large number of ex-servicemen of the Dehra division. The clinics can be manned by ex-servicemen from the medical branches. It is also doubtful if the services will be able to spare their medical staff to run such clinics without affecting their efficiency in the Military Hospitals. There would be command, control and logistical problems in placing men in uniform in far-off stations. The ex-servicemen from the medical branches whose talent and expertise is getting rusted, can be gainfully employed in such clinics. This would not only provide them re-employment but also rejuvenate their fading talent for the benefit of the ex-servicemen community. The writer, a retired Lieutenant Commander, is the General Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare Association, Dehra (HP) |
Critics of capitalism CRITICISM of capitalism always strikes a particular chord When it comes from the very rich and the very successful. Thus it made a great headline in The London Financial Times last week which said: `Buffetturges rebellion against executive greed.' The targets of Warren Buffett, one of America's richest men and
most influential investors, were 'greedy chief executives, complacent directors and pliable compensation consultants'. Elsewhere, in The International Herald Tribune, it was reported that Buffet also gave President Bush's $ 726bn tax cutting plan a cool reception, because it favoured the rich and was of dubious economic benefit to anyone else. He said: `The idea that it creates all kinds of jobs and everything else, that's what sort of turns me off.' And for good measure, the vice-chairman of Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Charlie Munger, added: `I don't think you can make it so unfair that a man living entirely on dividends will pay zero tax while a cab driver has to work 16 hours a day to barely feed his family.' Of course, it was not capitalism as such that Buffet and Munger were attacking, but what seem to be the excesses that markets always seem to produce in the absence of regulation or a widely accepted ethical code. Thus when one talks of 'Capitalism', one is simply talking of the world as it is today with the demise of the communist experiment demonstrating little other viable alternative. The real question is whether capitalism is governed in a way, which allows the excesses of the market to run riot, or whether there is a restraining element of social democracy. As a reader wrote to The London Times today, 'Capitalist scruples will always revert to the lowest levels of decency if not moderated by a pervading liberal ethos wielded by strong democratic institutions.' Warren Buffet joins George Soros in the recent list of those who have done well out of the system but have sympathy for the underdog, feeling there is a limit to which taxes need to be reduced for the rich and financial markets should not be allowed to play havoc with the very livelihood of entire countries. There is a strong tradition of millionaires becoming philanthropists and/or setting up foundations, which contribute to the wider public good. However, the best way to raise money for worthy causes is through the tax system. As an example, a one per cent increase in British income tax would have an annual yield of some $3.6bn. But these days, even left wing governments are nervous about raising taxes. George Bush, on the other hand, would happily cut taxes for the rich by raiding the US social security budget. He is most certainly a President for the greedy phase of capitalism.
The Guardian |
A time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. — John 16:2-3 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. —John 16:33 There is more happiness in giving than in receiving. —Acts 20:35 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
