'What Other Nations are Doing to Curb Terror'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/What_other_nations_are_doing_to_curb_terror/articleshow/2324828.cms

After the September eleven attacks on the US, Western democracies promptly recognized the scourge of terrorism and introduced effective legislations to tackle the menace. The move did face opposition from human rights groups, but these were overlooked in the larger interests of their populations.

In India, Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) was introduced to tackle terrorism in Mar 2002 but was not renewed by the government in 1995, ostensibly forced by vote bank politics. After numerous terror strikes in the country, including the one on the Parliament, Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), was introduced by National Democratic Alliance government in June 2002 as an effective legal instrument to deal with terrorist activities. However, it was repealed by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in Sep 2004, once again the country saw vote bank politics overriding the importance of collective security.
Both, TADA and POTA were effective initiatives to combat terrorism, ban/disband terror outfits, and strangle their funding channels. They represented the nation’s political will to accord correct priority to collective safety of Indian citizens. In the absence of legal sanction, security agencies in India cannot resort to investigating suspect extremist organisations and track their sources of finance. Monitoring hostile or suspect individuals and organisations’ communications without warrants, even in emergency situations, would put them on the wrong side of law. No wonder, then, that our intelligence agencies are forced to act with their eyes blind folded and the security apparatus’ hands tied behind its back. In addition, our legal system is too leisurely and our laws not stringent enough to prescribe deterrent punishments to those guilty of indulging in terror activities against Indians in their own land. If the legal proceedings against Maulana Azhar Masood had not lingered for over six years and his sentencing completed expeditiously, IC 914 could not have been hijacked to Kandahar and he could, probably not have been able to raise the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed which was responsible for the Parliament attack in New Delhi.

Unfortunately for India, its geographical location favors the terror outfits seeking shelter and willing logistical support from the neighbors, Pakistan and Bangladesh. A tiny subverted segment of our population unwittingly providing support to terrorists from within the country can cause indescribable damage. The Western democracies do not suffer from any such handicap; yet have taken adequate precautions and ensured safety mechanism for their populations. The numerous and regular terror strikes in India should have pressed our politicians to enact tougher laws to take on terrorism and attempt to reassure the people. Instead, they remain busy consolidating their respective positions for the next election. Is it any wonder then that India continues to be considered a soft state.

AIIMS Resident Doctors Call off Strike

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/AIIMS_resident_doctors_call_off_strike/articleshow/2322947.cms

For the patients visiting All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), an end of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) three-day-old strike, demanding immediate issuance of degree certificates, is no doubt a major relief. However, given that Anbumani Ramadoss continues to be the Health Minister and President of AIIMS, the relief is bound to be temporary in nature. For, the Minister’s earlier belligerent stance towards the Institute’s Director P Venugopal and his penchant for interfering in the normal functioning of the Institute remain unchanged. A case in point is the Minister’s refusal to sign the degree certificates, a demand put forward by the agitating medical students. The flimsy ground for refusal to sign the document cited by the Minister, that the signature on the certificates of Registrar Dr Sandeep Aggarwal, whose appointment he contended was illegal, is sufficient proof of his indifference to the plight of the young doctors who had no degrees to apply for a job.

The fact that Delhi High Court ruled in favor of the Director of AIIMS in the dispute could not have calmed an already bitter Ramadoss. Never mind that the Mandal II Minister has all along remained an unwelcome mention in the affairs of AIIMS. The recalcitrant Minister’s warning to the striking doctors that they will face suspension if they did not immediately call off the strike, without addressing their main concern of degrees, amply describes the priorities of Anbumani Ramadoss. The Delhi High Court’s intervention in the matter and asking the Centre to take immediate action to resolve the AIIMS crisis, when there is a minister occupying a lucrative portfolio for the job, should be a wake up call for the Government.

The fact that the resident doctors ended their strike on a promise of immediate issuance of their degree certificates by AIIMS administration, albeit minus the Minister’s signature, should have pleased the Minister as it had taken the initiative to solve a problem that was solely in his domain. Instead, the Minister chose to place his ego above the careers of the affected doctors and the problems of AIIMS, whose President he happens to be. The AIIMS administration has rightfully prepared and issued certificates of 49 pass-outs who needed the documents urgently. That the documents bear the signatures of the institute director and the dean, should bother Anbumani Ramadoss less than the plight of patients visiting AIIMS and negative impact on the careers of young medical pass outs, by his senseless and obtrusive refusal to sign them.

Left Plays Hardball on IAEA Talks

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Left_plays_hardball_on_IAEA_talks/articleshow/2321246.cms

The Central Government’s proposed setting up of a Committee to address the Left’s concerns on the Indo-US Nuclear Deal, comprising representatives of the Left as well as all the partners of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), is the right step in the right direction. The Committee will have a Convenor and will submit its findings before fifth September when the nuclear issue is expected to be debated in Parliament. The move once again highlights the Government’s patience towards an obdurate Left and upholds democratic credentials of the Manmohan Singh cabinet.

The Left’s assertion, that the Committee mechanism was acceptable to them only if the government formally declared that it would not go in for negotiating nuclear safeguards that will be the basis to deal with the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), was only to be expected. After all, in its perception, the Left is exercising opposition through democratic means when it had the option to resort to its usual practice of street politics. The Left is not wrong to expect the country and Manmohan Singh Government to be grateful to it for the ‘hold on operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal’ and its reasonable stance on the issue. It would also not be out of order for the country to thank the Left for rigidly sticking to its August 20 Resolution of opposing the Government on the ‘Deal’. Going by the well established behavioral pattern of the Left, the country would do well to expect the Left to reject the findings of the Committee and continue its opposition to all future initiatives of the Manmohan Singh Government.

The Left all along insisted the government press the ‘pause button’ on the Indo-US nuclear deal. It is time the nation pressed the ‘mute button’ on the Left. But then, that would eradicate the difference between the Left and the rest of this great country

RJD MP Shahabuddin Convicted of Attempt to Murder

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/RJD_MP_Shahabuddin_convicted_of_attempt_to_murder/articleshow/2324184.cms

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Mohammed Shahabuddin must not lose hope. He has only been convicted of ‘attempt to murder, a minor offence when compared to ‘murder charge’ proved in lower courts against Pappu Yadav of RJD and Shibu Soren of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM). He must take heart from similar cases of politicians having been sentenced before him. From Pandit Sukhram of Congress who was convicted of corruption charges to Shibu Soren of JMM, the higher courts have maitained an enviable record of never letting the politician down. In fact, it is not difficult to predict a future headline ' Shahabuddin acquitted by High Court due to lack of Evidence'.

Besides, his political compatriots will see to it that the hearing of his petition in higher courts is put off indefinitely or inordinately delayed, ensure immediate bail for him, scare off the witnesses and ensure he spends as little time as possible behind bars. This has become a ‘standard operating procedure’ in all cases where the law makers were found breaking the laws. Why, Hasn’t Lalu Yadav, the Railways Minister, already initiated the first steps in this direction? Lalu himself is a study in getting away with just about anything, be it amassing assets beyond his known sources of income or misappropriating public funds. Did the Congress also not orchestrate denial of permission for trial of Mayawati through the Uttar Pradesh Governor, who owed a debt of gratitude to the Congress for nominating him to that coveted post? The delay in implementation of the Srikrishna Commission Report is, perhaps, the best example of cooperation in political complicity.

Cops in Dock for Greeting Sanjay on His Release

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2313087.cms

The Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, RR Patil, is absolutely right in saying that the policemen violated the police manual as well as the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules when they embraced Sanjay Dutt and promptly ordered a departmental inquiry against them. The media should not raise such a din over his forgetting to order a similar action against his fellow cabinet minister, Baba Siddiki, the minister for labour, food and civil supplies, who committed the same offence. After all, the Deputy Chief Minister is a busy man! It is, in any case, expecting too much from him to equate a politician with other lesser, ordinary citizens of the state? He does wear the same color cap and knows it could be his turn next if he picks on his own kin.

Fortunately, good sense prevailed and Chief Minister Vilasrao deshmukh revoked his over exuberant deputy's orders. It would, however, be interesting to know if the policemen were emulating an example set by the minister or was it the other way round!

The Hyderabad Blasts Could Have Been Prevented if Anti Terror Laws Like POTA had been in Force

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2312272.cms


The Prevention of Terrorism Act, was introduced by National Democratic Alliance government in June 2002 as an effective legal instrument to deal with terrorist activities in India, and repealed by the United Progressive Alliance in Sep 2004. The Vajpayee government was convinced POTA was India's boldest initiative to fight terrorism, disband terrorist outfits, and choke terror funding. The Vajpayee government banned 32 organisations under the anti-terrorism legislation. The Act replaced an earlier anti-terrorism law, the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), which was not renewed by the P V Narasimha Rao government in 1995 arguing that the Act had been misused to settle political scores. It is unlikely that the Government will come up with another alternative after many controversies that POTA and, before it, TADA generated.

It was the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States that had prompted the enactment of the legislation. Several terrorist attacks, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and the Parliament attack in New Delhi too forced the Govt to introduce POTA.

Whether it was TADA or POTA or even MCOCA, the various legal devices devised by the Central and State governments to deal with terrorism, there is no denying the fact that, at times, their implementation shared a common feature with any other law in the country; it was downright shoddy. For example, though TADA was repealed in 1995, there are still prisoners languishing in jails under this Act, there are 14 TADA prisoners still in Patna jail. POTA has been widely used in many parts of Jharkhand to curb the Naxalite menace, which has been equated with terrorism without any legal sanction. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa got Vaiko arrested under POTA for making a public speech in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

Having learnt with experience, the Manmohan Singh government is contemplating alternative measures to check terrorism, the details of which have not been decided yet. But cracking down on terror funding, which has emerged as a major security threat, tops the agenda. The bomb blasts at Hyderabad will, hopefully, spur the efforts to an early formulation of the law. Although there already are certain laws to curb foreign funding of terror outfits in India, these do not have enough teeth to bite the terror machinery active in the country. There is the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), said to be India's most stringent law dealing with foreign exchange transactions. But FEMA is saddled with a big drawback. The Act does not grant the Enforcement Directorate powers to arrest and prosecute money launderers. Thus hawala, or illegal foreign exchange transactions, goes on unabated.

In the recent blasts at Hyderabad, Harkat- Ul- Jihad- e- Islami (HUJI) Formed in 1992-with ideological guidance and financial support from Osama bin Laden is the main suspect. The outfit maintains close contact with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and with other jehadi organisations like Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operating from Pakistan. It also maintains at least six training camps in the Chittagong Hills, Bangladesh. Its hand was also suspected in the Mecca Mosque blast in the same city a few months ago. Had a law to track and tackle terror organisations been in place, timely action by intelligence agencies could have prevented avoidable loss of innocent lives in the blasts.



It is unlikely that a new anti-terror law will be enacted after the Congress-led government's argument that India already has a number of stringent laws like the National Security Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to check terrorism.Under the circumstances, it would take a few more serious terror strikes in the country for the government to knee jerk and formulate another law like TADA or POTA, albeit with a different and more Congress oriented name.

Left to Protest Against Malabar War Games

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Left_to_protest_against_Malabar_war_games/articleshow/2302335.cms

Exercise Malabar is a bilateral U.S.-Indian Navy training exercise held off the coast of Okinawa, Japan to increase interoperability between the Indian and U.S. Navies while enhancing the cooperative security relationship between the two countries.The at-sea training will include sea control operations, maritime interdiction maritime operations, and will exercise all major warfare areas. The participants will conduct personnel exchanges and professional discussions both at sea and ashore.During the exercise, the two nations’ ships will work together in a variety of functional skill areas, including visit boarding search and seizure (VBSS), surface exercises, formation steaming, coordinated surface fire support, air defense exercises and antisubmarine warfare training.This is the ninth iteration of the Malabar Exercise series, which was last held in September 2006 off the coast of India.
This presents a fantastic opportunity for the Indian Navy to train alonside state of the naval vessels of the most advanced navies of the world. What objections the Left can have to our Navy training with the best is baffling. It is interesting that China too objects to the Malabar Exercises.
By now it has become standard practice for the Left to oppose any initiative the govt takes. So where is the outside support it talks about? The people of India too are fed up of Karat, AB Burdhan, D Raja and Sitaram Yechury. Why dont they propose any alternatives that are acceptable to them and beneficial for the nation at the same time? Their list of 'donts' never seems to end anywhere! It would not be out of order to say they promised the Govt 'outside interference' and not support of any kind.

The Govt has rightly rejected the Left's demand to cancell the Exercise and accurately assessed that it would amount to diluting India's international commitments. The five nation Exercise must commence as scheduled on 4th Sep at the chosen venue.

Students Taking up Jobs Abroad Must Pay Tax: House Panel

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2292976.cms

Students having to pay taxes would discourage them to study abroad. Most of them make it abroad on merit through SAT, GMAT,GRE, and TOEFL and have to obtain bank loans to complete their chosen cource(s). The odd jobs like 'Assistant Teacher Assignments' they manage to get is barely sufficient for them to make two ends meet. The jobs they take up on completion of studies pay just about enough to sustain themselves and pay back the educational loans taken by them. If they are made to pay taxes out of meager amounts left after paying loan instalments and the taxes of the host country, most would prefer not study at all. Parliament's standing committee on HRD ministry has once again proposed a sure Recipe for discouraging merit and promoting stupidity.
Taxing students taking up jobs abroad on completion of their studies is not a good idea! Will the PM and Mrs Sonia Gandhi please stop Arjun Singh from coming up with such hair brained proposals? Having failed to reduce chances of merit succeeding at the IIMs and IITs, he is busy devising even more bizzare schemes to damage education in the country.

Cash for Innocent Indian Prisoner

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6955504.stm

The case of Pratap Nayak of Boudh District in Orissa having spent a total of fourteen years in jail, just because a court official failed to inform the authorities about his acquittal, paints the true picture of inefficiency in the Indian lower courts. After a five year long legal battle, the Orissa High Court upheld a petition filed on his behalf by Prabir Das, the man who argued for Pratap Nayak’s constitutional right to freedom and liberty. The saddest part of the case was highlighted when it came to deciding the amount of compensation that Pratap Nayak deserved for inefficiency of the lower court and total indifference of the State Govt. The State Govt pleaded that “Pratap deserved less compensation since he was a poor man." In other words, there was a distinction between the rich and the poor in the eyes of the State. That the court refused to entertain the plea is a saving grace.

That Pratap Nayak was only 13 when in 1989 when he was arrested, eighteen when acquitted in 1994, twenty seven when released from jail in 2003 and thirty one in 2007 when finally granted compensation for a crime he did not commit, speaks volumes for the state of judiciary and kind of governance in the country. And we wonder why people die in the jails due to over crowding!

To add insult to injury, there is a political debate for reservation in higher judiciary. The Indian people have seized to be amazed by the callous attitude of the politicians and total lack of professional integrity of the judiciary.

Hats off to Prabir Das and Santosh Padhi for taking up the cause of Pratap Nayak.

Should the Indo-US Nuclear Deal be Renegotiated

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2290919.cms

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is intended to meet energy requirements of India by granting it access to atomic fuel, technology and plants even though it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Under the agreement, India is allowed to reprocess spent nuclear fuel - something that is seen as a major concession and opposed by some members of the US Congress as well. Even if the accord allows Washington to terminate the agreement if India tested atomic weapons, and under Hyde Act, a US law, the nuclear agreement stands automatically annulled if India does so. It should not unduly worry the opponents of the Agreement as India has perfected its ability and technical know-how to carryout laboratory testing of nuclear devices.

There are no complaints from the Chinese about the Sino-US 123 Agreement. China prompting the Left to oppose the deal by resorting to threats of withdrawal of support is understandable. The BJP, in pursuit of power, prodding and goading the Left to drop the Manmohan Singh Govt is also not too difficult to comprehend. BJP has already said they are ready for elections if the communists withdraw support to the government.

The Left is wary of alienating their core constituency, made up mostly of peasants, blue-collar workers and Muslims. In the Left's perception, the first two are immediate casualties of the government's free-market style economic policies and the latter are opposed to US policy in the Arab and Muslim world, particularly Iraq and Iran. The communists want the government to stall the upcoming meetings with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as a follow-up to the deal. India desperately needs to reach key agreements with the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, after which the US Congress will vote on the deal. Stalling or calling off the deal may lead to the collapse of the Congress-led government, and isolation of India abroad. As a follow up of the agreement, Australia decided to sell uranium to India, overturning the country's long-standing rule of not exporting to non-signatory nations. We would need to thank Australia and say no we are not going ahead with the Agreement.

PM Manmohan Singh has rightly refused to back down from the deal and even challenged the communists to withdraw support for his government. According to him, the Agreement will open new doors to India across the world. He said the deal would not in any way affect India's right to carry out nuclear tests in the future or inhibit the country's nuclear weapons programme. All his assurances seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

All the same, India is a democracy and committed to pluralistic principles. Whether the country should operationalise the 123 Agreement in its present form or renegotiate its provisions, therefore, should be decided after the debate in the Parliament. It will be a sad day for the country if opponents to the deal are able to sabotage it before it has seen the light of day. The hapless Indians can thank themselves for electing leaders like those in the Left parties and the BJP.

Time for Communists to Bite and not Bark: BJP

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Time_for_Communists_to_bite_not_bark_BJP/articleshow/2291095.cms

The Indo-US Nuclear Deal is intended to meet energy requirements of India by granting it access to atomic fuel, technology and plants even though it is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. That the accord allows Washington to terminate the agreement, if India tested atomic weapons, should not unduly worry the opponents. India has perfected its ability and technical know-how to carryout laboratory testing of nuclear devices. This is, perhaps, what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee meant when they said that 123 Agreement will not hinder the country's nuclear testing options. The argument that 123 Agreement will subordinate India’s independent foreign policy also does not have any substance to it. China has 123 Agreement with the US and follows its own foreign policy initiatives, at times, opposed to American interests; whereas, Pakistan accommodates American line of thought in its foreign policy endeavors even without any 123 agreements curbing its style.

While the country retains its right to explore military nuclear options against threats from its neighbors, China and Pakistan, there is no denying the fact that there are no complaints from the Chinese about 123 Agreement between China and the US. Under the circumstances, China prompting the Left to oppose the deal by resorting to threats of withdrawal of support is understandable. The BJP, in pursuit of power, prodding and goading the Left to drop the Manmohan Singh Govt is also not too difficult to comprehend. Whether the Left continues to bark or takes a break to bite, at the behest of BJP or their Chinese friends, the communists seem to have revealed their true identity. Now that they have friends outside (China) as well as inside (BJP), the Left can realize its threat of withdrawing outside support to the UPA Govt and create instability inside the country. They cannot be faulted for springing any surprise for their countrymen and the Chinese, as they had already spoken of serious consequences against UPA operationalising the deal.

BJP Demands Punishment with Regards to Taslima's Case

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/BJP_demands_punishment_with_regards_to_Taslimas_case/articleshow/2291033.cms

Another threat to life of Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, this time issued by Syed Barkati, imam of Tipu Sultan mosque and some other leaders, including Majidulla Khan Farhad of the Majlis Bachaho Tehriq does not come as any surprise. Had the Hyderabad police taken prompt action against Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen’s culprit MLAs when they beat her up and issued a ‘beheading threat’, the fanatics in Kolkata would have got the message and refrained from violating all norms of decency. They would not have dared to issue threats to the life of a woman in democratic India, if the Hyderabad police had not encouraged such elements by registering an FIR against Taslima Nasreen when media reports of her manhandling first appeared.

As long as the law and order machinery of the state continues to be influenced by narrow political considerations and those elected remain fixated to vote bank politics, such fanatical elements will remain at large. The criminal act of Syed Barkati and Majidulla Khan Farhad is an affront to secular India and an open challenge to state authority. The Govts, at the centre as well as the state, must take notice and, for once, forge a joint response to these culprits. Jagdishmadan.blogspot.com

China's Happy that India-US Deal's in Trouble

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chinas_happy_that_India-US_deals_in_trouble/articleshow/2289597.cms

The negative comments in Chinese media on the Indo-US nuclear deal and the limited choice available to the Indian Government between its own survival and that of the deal echoes similar threats issued by Left leaders AB Bardhan, D Raja, Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury. If the Chinese are so uptight about India signing 123 Agreement with the US, why did they not refrain from doing so in 1985? If the deal was so regressive, they had thirteen years to call it off before it was ratified by the US in 1998. Since China chose to go ahead with the deal as it considered it in their national interests to do so, their objections to India entering into similar nuclear arrangement with US, to further its own national interests, sounds hollow and inexplicable. Is it because certain objectionable clauses in the Sino-US 123 Nuclear Deal are absent in the deal struck by India?

China has accused the US of disregarding international opinion to use India as a "tool for its global strategic pattern" by supporting New Delhi's nuclear ambitions. Did it occur to the Chinese that India was emulating their own example? Did the Chinese also think that the US was using China as a tool way back in 1985, and let it pass? India has always been appreciative of the rapid economic progress made by China; unfortunately the gesture has not been returned by the Chinese. India too has a success story of its own to tell. What’s more, the whole world is listening! Maybe that is bothering the Chinese more than the Indo-US Nuclear Deal itself.

The Left parties need to be congratulated in finding willing partners in their condemnation of Manmohan Singh Govt. They also need to be educated on the fact that what is good for their communist friends cannot be so bad for their fellow countrymen. Finally, now that the Americans have clearly stated that India can do as it pleases as far as nuclear testing goes, the comrades still have the choice between honeymoon and divorce.

'Never Said Government Will Fall Tomorrow'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Never_said_government_will_fall_tomorrow/articleshow/2289086.cms

The Left parties deciding to redefine their stand and extending only ‘merit-based’ support to the UPA Govt wherein the government will have to consult them on every key decision, is confusing. Is that not what they were supposed to be doing already from the outside? On the Indo-US Nuclear Agreement, AB Bardhan had remarked earlier that Left’s honeymoon with the Manmohan Singh Govt was over. Does the latest decision mean the honeymoon is still on but will be conditional hereafter? What of his statement that withdrawal of support to the Govt by Left parties seemed inevitable? He also mentioned that there was pressure of imperialist forces" on the government's economic and foreign policies. Does he want the govt to forsake independent & rational functioning and come under pressure of communist forces; that too in democratic India? The Left must stop dreaming and get realistic.

The Left being an outside partner in the UPA Govt always had the option to critically review its performance. In fact, that was the sole occupation of Left leaders up till now. Is it possible the Left did not even know what it was doing all along? One can only hope they know what they are doing now!

I do not Want Govt to Fall: Advani

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/BJP_wants_UPA_to_stay_in_power/articleshow/2288337.cms

BJP Leader LK Advani was right when he said he would not be happy if the government falls as he would like it to continue and "make blunders, commit more mistakes and fill up their pot of sins". Who else can speak of blunders, mistakes and sins with as much authority! The erstwhile Deputy Prime Minister beat everyone else to spring to the defence of Narendra Modi when the latter was criticized for Godhara riots in Gujarat and was over enthusiastic in his declaration of Jinnah as a secular leader. He even drummed up support for Rahul Mahajan after he was arrested in a drug abuse case; all for the sake of rupees two thousand crores that went missing, after the murder of Pramod Mahajan.

His contention that the government must amend the Constitution, to make it obligatory for all international agreements which impinge on our security and integrity to be ratified by both Houses of Parliament, also does not hold any water. Wonder why this did not occur to him when he was the Deputy PM! Maybe he left it for later, when he becomes the Prime Minister. After all, he cannot deny he has had an eye on the post for decades.

All in all, Advani’s statement amounts the BJP pot calling the UPA kettle black.

Parliamentary Panel for Quota in Higher Judiciary

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2288700.cms

Reservation in any place is a regressive idea as the sole criterion for such reservation relegates merit to a lower priority. Advocates of reservations in judiciary, higher education and placements in govt jobs, even if they have a 'social justice agenda’, which most of the time is not the case, can always find irrefutable arguments in its favor. But the end result is always suppression of merit and lowering of standards in public life. Besides, it is bound to frustrate meritorious candidates and encourage mediocrity amongst contenders for such privileges. It violates the very principle of equal opportunity in a democratic nation like ours.

There is another angle to the reservation issue; any individual benefiting from reservation policies is sure to lack the confidence required for fulfilling responsibilities of the position gained through such shortcut methods to success; Exceptions rising to the occasion notwithstanding. Viewed in that sense, reservation of any kind is not just a regressive idea but an oppressive one too!

12 ultras arrested after raids at Manipur MLAs' homes

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ultras_arrested_after_raids_at_Manipur_MLAs_homes/articleshow/2288985.cms

The arrest of cadres of banned militant groups, of all hues, from official residence of Congress MLAs in Imphal only confirms what has all along been common knowledge, that there exists an unholy nexus between the politicians and criminals. And the disease is not restricted to Jammu & Kashmir alone. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Chief Minister of the State, a few days ago, had revealed that his Govt had prepared a list of politicians in the State who were acting hand in glove with terrorists and that action against them was in the offing.

With similar problems in other states surfacing from time to time, there is an urgent requirement for a strategy at the national level to arrest this retrograde trend. To begin with, the govt would do well to formulate laws making such offences non bailable, followed up with exemplary punishments for those who break these laws. Another step could be to have cases of violation of such laws tried by fast track courts; or the country will be saddled by people like Pappu Yadav, Shahabuddin and Romesh Sharma enjoying indefinite state hospitality at the cost of the exchequer. In addition, the political parties concerned must openly disown their MPs and MLAs involved in such acts and expel them from their respective parties, for good. The purpose would be defeated if people like Pandit Sukhram, Bangaru Laxman and Babu Bhai Katara find their way back into respected acceptability once public memory has faded.

Politicians must refrain from extending support to such criminals in politics for petty gains or out of misplaced party loyalties. The media too can play a vital role in refreshing public memory by regular and periodic references to such cases and criminal elements in politics.

The Left is making unnecessary noises over the nuke deal.

The Left probably has directions from China to ensure that India does not overtake them in progress of any kind. Their opposition to all Manmohan Singh Govt's initiatives is suspicious. They are supporting the Govt from outside but acting like fungus from within.

Left Ready to Divorce UPA: Bardhan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2285794.cms

The left is just being its normal and usual irresponsible self by doing everything it can to create hurdles in the country moving forward. Wether it is the Indo-US nuclear deal, disinvestment in PSUs or the proposed free trade agreement with Israel, it is bent upon reminding the Govt of its outside support; and, thereby, its nuisance value.Even its web site has miserably failed to justify its opposition to the nuclear deal.

By choosing to threaten UPA and the Prime Minister of withdrawal of support, AB Burdhan and D Raja have once again proved the unreliability of the Left. They have already been told point blank by the Prime Minister to go ahead; so why are they trying to justify the delay siting BJP as the reason? Is the Left calculating the political cost to itself of the fall of the UPA govt due it withdrawing support? Perhaps, to quote Karat, 'the time is still not right', for it to create instability in the country.

Happy Independence Day

http://aidindia.org/main/content/view/490/1/

This is a fantastic piece of work. Such efforts from many more agencies commenced a decade earlier, would probably have transformed many more draught prone areas into prosperous enclaves by now. Hats off to whoever pioneered the project ! Great job done and may God bless all involved.

Israel offers to invest in WB

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Israel_offers_to_invest_in_WB/articleshow/2283778.cms

India should seriously consider Israel’s offer of a free-trade agreement. If the agreement is not acceptable to Left and there be another attempt at use of threats from it, the Govt can remind the Left that some of Israel's biggest investments are in Left-ruled West Bengal. After all, the Left did not find it revolting enough to deal with Israel's biggest real estate company, EMI, owned by billionaire tycoon Mordechai "Monti" Zisser, and found him to be a good partner for his Indian investments. EMI will invest $230 million to build multi-speciality hospitals and medical centres in the Israel-hating CPM bastion. So how come the Left gets the jitters when the Central Govt does business with Israel? Why the double standards?

It is high time the Govt put national interests above all and made decisions for overall benefit of the country. If the Left has chosen to sulk at all that Manmohan Singh does; so be it.

PM skips nuke deal in I-Day address

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2282733.cms?frmTOI_Home_Poll=1

Indo-US Nuclear Deal is a defining landmark in the relationship between two of the world'd largest democracies and its inclusion in the PM's Independence Day speach would have rightly hilighted its importance for the country. Left parties opposition to it and the political controversy surrounding the deal notwithstanding!

Which Leader Do You Think Impacted India the Most After Independence?

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2007/08/15/4763210.aspx

A question like this should, normally, focus one's attention on leaders who made a positive impact on the country. However, for the sake of looking at the Indian picture as a whole, it would be prudent not to exclude those who had the opportunity to constructively contribute to the Indian story, but did not do so. One person who got such an opportunity, and yet, made a retrograde impact on India is VP Singh. It was VP Singh who gave a fillip to cast system that was, at least in urban India, on the decline. He revived the waning cast system, not out of any sense of social justice, but to strengthen his political position by creating a vote bank.

He is responsible for taking India back by decades and introducing divisive trends so detrimental to national development.

Pakistan Funded and Armed Taliban: US Document

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pakistan_funded_and_armed_Taliban_US_document/articleshow/2282594.cms

Finally, US and the West have been able to conclude what Musharraf has admitted and India has known all along, that Taleban is Pakistan's creation and has always found financial resources and military hardware from its willing creator. According to National Security Archives of the George Washington University, American concerns over Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban is restricted to the seven-year period leading up to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. The report is obsolete as facts brought out have always been common knowledge and it does not touch upon Pakistan's present equation with the Taliban.

Pakistan's Agreement with the tribal leaders in the area, increased Taliban hostile capabilities witnessed in Helmand and South Afghanistan immediately thereafter, and, increase in the number of NATO casualties should have clearly established Pakistan's role in the whole business. Besides, recently seen sophistication of road side bombings, so like those in Iraq, and the introduction of suicide attacks requires ample training and coordination. Interrogation of captured Taliban fighters would have confirmed where all this training is imparted and how it is coordinated. The interrogation reports could then have been corroborated by intelligence agencies through their sources.

There have been numerous media reports of Pakistani tribal region bordering Afghanistan having become a safe haven for the Taliban and Al Qaeda to regroup and reorganize themselves. Safe areas for such activities are a pre-requisite. Pakistan’s prompt rebuttal of such reports, without first attempting to verify them on ground, also reflects its complicity in the game. As to why the Agreement, between Pakistan Govt and the tribal Chiefs, did not arouse American suspicions remains a mystery. That Pakistan would so easily amend its perception of strategic depth in Afghanistan and surrender it in favor of the American war on terror is hard to believe; particularly when it has chaptered the terror script the world is currently witnessing.

Left Shows no Signs of Relenting, Renews Threat

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Left_shows_no_signs_of_relenting_renews_threat/articleshow/2279189.cms

The Left renewing its "political cost" threat to the government if the Manmohan Singh regime went ahead with the 123 Agreement must be ignored again. The Govt must not let itself be cowed down by it.

If it means a formal end to the defunct Left-UPA coordination mechanism, as announced by Prakash Karat, ‘so be it’ of the PM should remain the rejoinder once again.

Prakash Karat’s statement that ‘UPA should forget not only big ticket economic legislations but even the normal functioning would be deeply hampered’ has brought the Left’s narrow outlook towards coalition governance to the fore. According to Left this is not the right time for political instability since no party is prepared for a mid-term poll. Does that mean that it is alright to create instability in the country when the Left and other political parties are ready? Does that mean the Left would not hesitate to create instability in the country when it considers the time right? Does the Party take precedence over national interests for the Left? Are these people for real?

Do Indians Abroad Feel Happy by India's Development?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/usrmailcomment.cms?msid=2224549&usrmail=jagdish.madan@gmail.com

Indians in USA do wish to be part of India's growth. Nothing gives them greater pleasure than to see their country at the fore front of all that is good and appreciated. Some have organised groups that regularly contribute to NGOs doing yeoman's service in the country.
13 Aug, 2007 2126hrs IST

Up to Congress to save govt: Left

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Up_to_Congress_to_save_govt_Left/articleshow/2276298.cms


Prakash Karat's assertion that the government should consider that it ran on Left support and that the common minimum programme (CMP) did not mention a strategic alliance with the US, is incomprehensible. Did the CMP also mention that the Govt would remain a dud just because it had the comrades' outside support and make no effort to take any strategic initiatives. Did it say it would remain rigid as far as opportunities go? Maybe they should have! Is Karat issuing another threat to the PM? Why do the comrades not come straight out and act instead of saying things they cannot afford to mean. Why have the comrades not clearly spelt out their objections to the Indo-US nuclear deal beyond saying that it would not pass muster in the Parliament and that it was not a part of the CMP. It seems they are opposing it out of habit, to remind the Congress of their importance.
Yet, even as Karat said it was Congress's job to ensure that CMP was not violated, he did not indicate whether the Left would press for a discussion in Parliament which would call for a vote. So what does he want? If he is expecting the PM to jot down all his dictats and act upon them, he is thinking without his red cap on.

What is the minimum education level a political leader must have?

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2007/08/12/4761689.aspx

If there are minimum educational qualification laid down for other govt jobs, there is no reason why there should be none for people into whose hands the destiny of India is going to rest. How can they make laws without elementary educational backing? The minimum educational qualifications become higher for more responsible jobs. The politicians have the highest resposibilities and must conform to the standards of education they lay down for lesser mortals in other jobs. A minimum of post graduate level must be mandatory for them to contest elections.

The degrees held by them must not be honrary ones like most them manage to obtain for themselves and their kin.

What is the Maximum age a Political Leader Should be Retired?

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2007/08/12/4761692.aspx

They say 'there are no saturation points in the ambitions of men'. Indian politicians seem to have voluntarily grabbed the responsibilty to prove the idiom correct. With one foot in the grave, the other stretches towards a political seat of significance. Most of the time their calibre does not match the ambition, forcing them to resort to deceit, lies,thugery and sycophancy to get where they do not belong. Even if there is a popular demand, old foggies in the Parliament will ensure there is no legislation to 'age bar' their filing for the next election. Yes, the politician should also be compulsorily retired at sixty years of age.

Militancy prevents Pak's globalisation: Musharraf

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2275235.cms

The Pakistan govt adopting Talibanisation and encouraging extremism as a state policy that has prevented that country benefiting from globalisation. Talibanisation is the outcome and not the cause of all its woes. In its quest for a leadership role of the Islamic world and a desire to dominate its neighbors by sponsoring terrorism, it chose a path towards lack of economic growth and its own isolation in the international arena.

PM Dares Left to Withdraw Support

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/PM_dares_Left_to_withdraw_support_to_UPA_govt/articleshow/2273371.cms


The left has been, unabashedly, exploiting the decency of our PM for rather long now. The likes of Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury and D Raja had openly begun to display their arrogance towards the UPA leadership on smallest of pretexts. They are aware of their strenght of 64 MPs in Parlament and the importance of outside support to UPA for the latter's survival; hence the condescending attitude. The PM has rightly put the left where it belongs.

PM calls Left's bluff on N-deal

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/PM_calls_Lefts_bluff_on_N-deal/articleshow/2274800.cms

The comrades have been opposing every move of the UPA Govt, ever since it formed the coalition at the centre. Whether it is 123 Agreement with the US, the disinvestment in loss making PSUs or the choice of propective candidates for India's presidency. Why are they supporting it from the outside at all if they are opposed to every move of the UPA remains a mystery. Next, they will be objecting to Manmohan Singh having a quiet dinner with his family at home. The Prime Minister has rightly called their bluff and put them in their place this once.

Prakash Karat's contention that the deal does not enjoy majority support in Parliament lacks credibility. If it was true, why have the comrades let it pass when the PM has chosen to snub them to their red faces.

BBC: India's Forgotten War

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/6935673.stm

This article in BBC is only partly true. It plays down the negetive aspects of the militant organisations operating in the state. True, there are excesses by the security agencies, but these are few and far between. The legal action against offenders is swift and exemplary. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1949, is a commonly applied legal tool without which no security aparatus can operate in insurgecy areas, any where in the world. Such powers are vested in the security forces of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Russian Army in Chechnia, Sri Lankan Army in that country, Israel in the Ghaza Strip and West Bank; albiet with a different name. Even the British Army had it in Northen Ireland.

The contension that ethnicity of Manipur is more akin to countries of South East Asia is also misplaced. Majority population are Vaishnavait Hindus who worship Lord Krishna; the christian are a minority community. It is, therefore, more like the rest of India. Their features are different ofcourse. But that logic, if applied, would break up India into more parts than the entire team of BBC can count on fingers of both their hands.

Besides, there are bitter rivalries between the militant groups, basically pertaining to division of the State for collection of taxes not due to any differences in ideology. Insurgency in the State has become an industry inspired by the ISI of Pakistan. Had the BBC gone a little further in their research and included a study of the manner of funding of these militant organisations and the sources of weapons to them, I probably would not be writing this article. Incidently, the funding of these militant groups is also carried out by resorting to drugs trade and production of blue films by forcibly involving the female cadres.

Lalu wants to act with Hema

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lalu_wants_to_act_with_Hema/articleshow/2272907.cms

Hats off to the Delhi cops who offered to escort RJD's Mohammed Shahabuddin to the Tihar jail for a bath. A convicted murderer like him should not have been brought to the Parliament at all. In any case he had furnished false information to become a member of Parliament. The Siwan District and Sessions Judge Abhijit Sinha had on October 24 rejected his anticipatory bail plea in a case related to furnishing false information in the affidavit submitted during filing of nomination in the last Lok Sabha polls regarding the number of cases pending against him.

He has a cheek demanding to be taken to Bihar House.

Maya wants another bungalow for party HQ

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Maya_wants_another_bungalow/articleshow/2273012.cms

The demand of the BSP for allotment of 18, Windsor Place bunglow to the party, for whatever reason, should not surprise the tax payers. In fact, what must come as a surprise is that BSP has demanded only one bunglow. Afterall, it is a small price for the Congress to pay to get its nominee into Rashtrapati Bhawan. They can always circumvent their own policies by finding an alternative like 'grant the lease to the bungalow not to the party but the Bahujan Samaj Prerna Trust' or some such lamentable reason.
The thick skin of politicians, no matter which party they belong to, has ceased to amaze the hapless people of this great country. Mayawati is bargaining for more, even after the Congress nominated Governor of UP refused to sanction her trial for serious offences committed by her. It should not shock anyone if the Congress agrees to her demands for another, equally despicable, quid-pro quo.

'We'll behead Taslima next time'

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Well_behead_Taslima_next_time/articleshow/2272986.cms

The threat of beheading issued to Taslima Nasreen by the same gundas of a local political outfit in Hyderabad is not just a threat to a person but a challenge to the state's authority. Letting them get away with it, for any reason, would amount to a surrender by the democratic govts in AP and the Centre to elements opposed to all principles of civilised behavior. Under no circumstances must these fanatics be allowed to go scot free, even if it means ignoring their political affiliations.
Now that legal provisions for action against Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen's culprit MLAs have been identified and detailed, there should be no delays in setting an example for others of their kind.

New Norms Mooted Against Child Abuse are Unfair on Teachers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?in_leftnav


No amount of measures introduced to check child abuse is enough. As it is, numerous reports of teachers indulging in child abuse has aquired alarming proportions.

Pakistan's Instability will Have Grave Repercussions for India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/?in_leftnav

When has Pakistan at all been stable? A country, whose warped education system has been poisoning the population's mind for jihad, cannot suddenly stabilise by ushering in democracy. For those who believe otherwise, a viewing of the BBC documentary titled 'The Islamic Blowback' pulled out of BBC archives would be educative. India would do well to remember that Pakistan continued to fuel insurgencies in the country no matter who controlled the strings of power in that country; Army or the democratically elected govt. Remember 'OPERATION TOPAC', 'thousand cuts policy' and the 'K2 Plan' devised by Pakistan to bleed India? It would also be wise to keep in mind Pakistan's sinister role in rearing the brutal Taliban and establishing its rule in Afghanistan. And all this was done when Pakistan was supposed to be stable.

Whatever the situation in Pakistan or whichever the govt in power, India must assume the western neighbor as completely unstable before formulating an approach to it.

e: How do you rate the current political leadership in India?

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2007/08/07/4759129.aspx

The correct option is not included in the choices given. The current leadership is absolutely inept, totally corrupt, unbelievably inefficient and strikingly selfish. However, we do have an honest and intelligent PM. He does make a lonely such figure at the top though.

Taslima Nasreen attacked in Hyderabad during book launch

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Taslima_attacked_in_Hyderabad/articleshow/2267996.cms

The incident of attack on Taslima Nasreen at the Press Club premises, Hyderabad on Thursday by Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLAs Afsar Khan, Ahmed Pasha and Mozum Khan and their supporters, no matter what their convictions, reflects a total contempt for law by these law makers. It is a blatant attempt at obliterating the difference between our great country and our neighbor, Pakistan.
In a gesture further defying the laws of the land, President of the All India Ibtehad Council, Taqi Raza Khan ordered elimination (qatal) of the exiled novelist and declared a reward of Rs five lakhs for anyone who killed the "notorious woman". It is heartening to see some of the Muslim organisations and individuals criticising the whole episode and attempting to isolate these scum.
A quiet acceptance of such behavior will only encourage such elements in the society. The law makers who created a din by taking the law into their own hands must be taken to task and an example set for other MPs/MLAs in the country. How come the incident was not editorially condemned in TOI?

Delhi BJP chief demands inquiry by SC Judge into land scam

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Top_Headlines/Delhi_BJP_chief_demands_inquiry_by_SC_Judge_into_land_scam/articleshow/2266583.cms

The incident of Jhuggi Dwellers being swindled by corrupt politicians once again highlights the putrid political system and an increasingly intrepid nexus between politicians and criminals in the country. Any attempt to shield the individuals involved will amount to encouraging the nexus and even more criminals taking up politics as a full time profession.

If the Congress leaders are not involved in the land scam and their conscience is clear, they should agree to the BJP proposed enquiry by a retired judge of the supreme court. Let the truth be known and guilty brought to justice. It would be in the interest of all concerned, including Congress Party, to be favoring an impartial inquiry. It would also help the Congress rid itself of the criminal elements that have managed to find protection under its political patronage.

Asia’s lopsided Economic Boom has Failed to Benefit the Poor

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2265133.cms?frmTOI_Home_Poll=1

The economic boom is not visible as Indian farmers still commit suicide, child labor and prostitution are rampant, millions remain BPL and infrastructure, outside the capital & other metros, does not provide a dignified existence to 70% of India's population. Govt schools depicting a picture of desolation, bride burning for dowry common, female feticide, corruption in govt and pathetic law and order machinery are not signs of an economic boom.

In addition, the state's disorganised and inadequate response to natural calamities, like the current floods, negates the very idea of any economic boom taking shape in Asia.

Conflicting reports on Dawood Ibrahim

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2262641.cms

It is understandable for Pakistan to deny all knowledge of Dawood Ibraham's whereabouts and rumors of his arrest. It is in conformity with their oft repeated and standard response to any such queries. If the reports of his detention by ISI are true, it is highly unlikely that the underworld don will be handed over to the US, unofficially or otherwise, as is being speculated by the media. Letting Dawood out of Pakistani control would also mean letting the cat out of the bag as far as Pakistan’s terror links are concerned. Having denied all information about the 'global terrorist' in the past, Pakistan would not like to furnish proof of what the world has always known, that it had always lied. Besides, Dawood's links to the ISI, and the Pakistan govt by extension, would also be exposed. His elimination by the ISI is also a remote possibility as it would amount to sacrificing a major terror asset painstakingly reared by Pakistan over the last two decades. On the other hand, Pakistan may ditch the don and his henchmen with the dual aim of warding off the pressure mounted by the West for Pakistan to do more in its war on terror and, more importantly, to avoid serious action against bigger targets sheltered in Pakistan, namely Al Qaeda and Taleban leadership.

The possibility of a delibrate media leak of Dawood's detention by Pakistan, as an exercise to cause confusion and deflect attention from reports of presence of Al Qaeda and Taleban hierarchy in Pakistan, cannot be ruled out. However, if the leopard does change its spots, an unlikely event, Dawood will first be thoroughly interrogated by the ISI to extract all knowledge of his sinister network, for subsequent use by his replacement, before his elimination.

Will Pakistan Ever Handover Dawood to India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2262641.cms

A rogue state will never hand over evidence of its complicity in murder of thousands of unarmed and innocent civilians.

Sania: All hype, little substance?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/debate/2259940.cms


Sania Mirza has indeed contributed immensely towards popularising tennis amongst the Indian teens. She has the substance to be where she is; the hype is part of the game and glam attached to it. Why the hallaballoo? Let us try and spur her on instead of offering discouraging comments. Many of her critics will willingly donate a kidney to be in her tennis shoes.

Give the kid a break!

Aging Europe seeks manpower from India

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2257907.cms?frmTOI_Home_Poll=1


This a writng on the wall ! The average Indian is a hard working individual, unafraid of hazards of work conditions and the stress of long hours of toil. His demands are few and complaints rare. If the Indian workers can boost the economy of their own country inspite of being paid peanuts, they will do wonders for the European economy where they get their dues.

Dawood, Tiger Memon in ISI custody

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Dawood_Tiger_Memon_in_ISI_custody/articleshow/2260818.cms


Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) having taken Dawood Ibrahim into custody, along with his trusted lieutenant Chhota Shakeel and the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts Tiger Memon, is the natural follow up of the US demanding handing over of the underworld Don to the US. It was also tactically wise for ISI to pick up Dawood and his trusted henchmen, Shakeel and Memon to effectively cover their tracks (Role) in the games Pakistan has been playing with Al Qaeda, Taleban, its neighbors as well as its partners in the War on Terror ‘WOT’. That intelligence agencies the world over see the development as an ISI attempt to save further embarrassment to the beleaguered Pervez Musharraf regime should Dawood get caught by American forces, is also not too difficult to conclude.

What is interesting though, is that the incident lays bare a common thread binding Pervez Musharraf, ISI and Pakistan. It makes nonsense of the claim that the first two are different power centers in Pakistan. If anything, the move is bound to expose the so called different centers of power in Pakistan as acting in tandem to one another in a well coordinated and orchestrated strategy. The possibility of Dawood and his henchmen being eliminated by Pakistan, since they have lost their utility to it, is remote. The reports that ISI may be eyeing Dawood’s vast assets should also not mislead the world into believing that the days of the Don are numbered. These assets can be multiplied for the ISI by the Don’s underworld connections without the former being called to account for its actions. Besides, Pakistan is yet to shake off the suspicion of harboring Al Qaeda and Taleban leadership on its soil. There is every likelihood, therefore, of Pakistan making serious efforts to preserve Al Qaeda & Taleban hierarchy and Dawood, the former for a future role in its grand design of a strategic depth in Afghanistan and a terror role for Dawood and his underworld to pursue its ‘thousand cuts’ agenda in India.

No matter what the end game, the move is bound to deprive Pervez Musharraf an alibi, at some later stage, of the ISI acting on its own to accommodate Al Qaeda, the Taleban and the terrorists wanted by the USA and India.

Panchayati Raj law amendment in Karnataka

http://www.indiatogether.org/2005/dec/gov-mpsscam.htm

Instances of MLAs being subjected to horse trading and corruption abound. Suffice to say that their integrity is not entirely unquestionable. Another argument that favors decentralization of ex-chequers funds is the 'cash for query' and 'MPLADS" cases. Some of the MPs,from different political parties, were caught on tape Literally accepting/demanding bribes for the schemes, putting the whole exercise of Karnataka Assembly's intension behind the amendment of the State constitution in doubt. In stead, the people who conducted the sting operation were punished.

Case against Lalu for landing IAF chopper on highway

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Case_against_Lalu_for_landing_IAF_chopper_on_highway/articleshow/2251134.cms

There is no point in making a case against Lalu Prasad Yadav and those of his ilk. Have such cases in the past seen justice in our courts of law? Public memory being short and the judiciary being what it is in in our country, criminals like him will continue to get away with blue murder. What has happened to the 'Fodder Scam' case? He has already been aquitted in the 'Disproportionate Assets' case and he will get away with this one too; with the blessings of the Congress ofcourse. Remember the case against Mayavati being blocked by a pliant and Congress nominated Governor of UP?It is political parties like the Congress that make a mockery of the Indian democracy and fools out of Indians. All the same, it is frustrating to see criminals in power ignoring public safety and interests to follow their whims with impunity.

Does India Need More IITs and IIMs ?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/vote.cms

The main reason for India emerging out of economic wilderness is its large educated genext. Imagine the heights we can achieve if the next generation is equipped with quality education; like that provided in the IITs and the IIMs. Yes, we must have as many of them as we can; in fact, if we can help it, we must have one IIT and an IIM in every state, if not in every town.But ofcourse, these fine institutions must be thoroughly insulated from political interferences. There is also a possibility of people like Arjun Singh, A Ramdoss and Lalu Prasad Yadav ruining the institutes by their reservation politics. These Institutes must only admit students based on merit and no other consideration.

re: Is it time for the police to shed their khaki and go in for a colourful image makeover?

http://o3.indiatimes.com/mytimes/archive/2007/08/01/4755904.aspx?Pending=true

The uniform, any uniform, imbibes pride in one's organisation. If the police feels they need a more colorful and smarter uniform, it should be given to them. At the end of the day, they are our police, and we owe them this much. Besides, a police force with pride in its uniform will also perform much better.

Troop deployment in Iraq must account for regional players

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bombs_rock_Baghdad_leaving_at_least_70_people_dead/articleshow/2249403.cms


'The Surge,'a plan for a coordinated American strategy, implemented in Feb 2007, involved deployment of 30,000 additional troops in Baghdad and areas around the Iraqi capital to restore security by the summer of 2008. "Sustainable security" is to be established on a nationwide basis by the summer of 2009. The overarching goal is to advance political accommodation and avoid undercutting the authority of the Iraqi prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The plan seeks to achieve political stability. However, whether the strategy took into account the ever growing sectarian strife in Iraq and included measures to bridge the Sunni – Shia divide remains ambiguous. For, no increase in troop deployment can impact the security environment in Iraq unless the principal characters in the situation comprehend the underlying philosophy of the plan and are willing to act as partners in nation building.
The chaos in Iraq is further compounded by introduction of other regional characters with vested interests. In the North, Syria, going the Pakistan way, has become a sort of staging platform for injecting Al Qaeda militants of all hues into Iraq to settle a score with the Americans. In the South and South East, Iran has taken it upon itself to train, arm and support the numerous Shia militias to settle scores with the ‘Great Satan’ as well as the Iraqi Sunnis. In the West, The Saudies are playing a different game with rules known only to them.There are also the Kurds in the north with a militant agenda of their own.
In the resultant pot boiler that Iraq has become, cooling of temperatures cannot be achieved by flooding the Capital with troops and weapons. If at all, the additional troop deployment should have focused on the borders with Syria and Iran to curb any interference by the two in Iraqi affairs. This would also have stemmed the seemingly endless flow of terrorists, arms and explosives into the hands of elements opposed to the idea of stability in Iraq. 'The Surge' has positioned additional troops in an area which has become the final destination of terrorists from all over the world. A troop concentration of this level in built up areas is a sure recipe for inviting casualties.
The US avoiding troop deployment on the Iraqi borders with Iran and Syria is understandable as that could escalate the situation and widen the conflict in the region. Both, Iran and Syria, seem only too aware of the American hesitation and are bent upon exploiting the situation to their advantage. They must be made to recalculate the cost benefit ratio of indulging in such antics.
Under the circumstances, a modification of the American strategy to bring stability in Iraq may pay better dividends. ‘The Surge’, in addition to enhancing security measures in Baghdad, must focus on Iran and Syria, one at a time. The chances are that the second country will get the message and mend its ways. Engaging the land-locked and comparatively weaker Syria would be a better bet! A second prong of the same strategy should aim at drying up the area of all weapons; in effect, it implies disarming of all militias no matter what their affliation.

The Indian link in the UK attack will affect the country's image.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/specialcoverage/2181994.cms

Indians going abroad must keep in mind the fair name and a clean record of our country. Nothing in their conduct must reflect even a shadow of our neighbor, Pakistan. The Indian services sector has painstakingly established a fine reputation for the country all over the globe. It has taken them decades of honest hard work to get to this point. Any immature act under misguided notions of a subverted philosophy can do unimaginable damage to our reputation and image.

Besides, the IT and ITES services contribute almost 50% to the country's GDP; which in turn adds to the economic prosperity of India and Indians. It would be a shame if a few individuals bring to naught the sincere efforts of millions of Indians toiling away from home.

Autonomous Body to Deal with Threats to India

http://in.indiatimes.com/vote.cms

There is a pressing requirement for an autonomous body to deal with internal as well as external threats to India's security. The organisation would obviate lack of coordination bet ween the Defence and Home ministries currently dealing with the threats. For this setup to have any meaningful effectiveness, it must be headed by an expert professional and not some dimwit politician who happens to be from the ruling party and whose king sized ego and the dictat of chair person of his/her party will be more important to him/her than the national security.