The Congress and UPA Choice: National Embarrassment

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Presidents_son_defies_protocol/articleshow/2998067.cms

In a serious breach of protocol, President Pratibha Patil's son Rajendra Singh Shekhawat, who accompanied his mother on her recent trip to Latin America, disappeared for a day on April 17 to conduct personal business in the US, keeping his Mexican hosts in the dark. Shekhawat was missing from the banquet hosted by Mexican President Felipe Calderon at Castilo de Chapultepec, where a seat was reserved for him.

The lapse was casually explained away as Shekhawat having gone to Florida to visit the university. The MEA also vaguely mentioned his having borne the expense of his journey from Mexico to Florida. As if that was an acceptable enough reason for treating a presidential invitation in the host country with such abandon. In any case, Shekhawat’s name would have been included in the seating plan at the banquet after an acceptance of the invitation by him.

During the same three nations tour of South America, there were reports of the President having walked passed the host country’s national flag without paying the customary compliment. Is it any wonder then that the presence at her address in the host country’s Parliament was inadequate?

Why can’t political parties accept a person of proven merit, like N. R. Narayana Murthy, Kiran Bedi and many more, for the highest office of the country? It is as if they are determined to soil the prestige of the office of the Indian President just to promote their respective party interests. The incident once again confirms that party interests are above national interests for our calculating politicians.

India can thank the Congress and its UPA partners for the national embarrassment.

Bharat Ratna Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Criticised by Bureaucrat Over The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Kalam_erred_on_Office_of_Profit_bill/articleshow/2970756.cms

An office of profit is a term used in a number of national constitutions to refer to executive appointments. A number of countries forbid members of the legislature from accepting an office of profit under the executive as a means to secure the independence of the legislature and preserve the separation of powers. The term is used in Article 102 (1)(A) of the Indian Constitution which bars a member of the Indian Parliament from holding an office that would give its occupant the opportunity to gain a financial advantage or benefit.

The controversy started with the disqualification of Ms Jaya Bachchan as Rajya Sabha MP on the ground that she was holding an office of profit as chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Film Development Council. This turned the spotlight on many other MPs as well and in 2006, Indian National Congress President and MP, Sonia Gandhi, had to to resign from several posts under pressure from opposition who asserted that the posts were 'offices of profit' and thus unlawful.

The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, also referred to as the Office of Profit Bill was passed exempting 56 posts from the purview of disqualification. The politicians came up with this instrument to save the fifty odd MPs from the possible disqualification from their respective offices of profit. The President, Mr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, returned the Office of Profit Bill asking Parliament to reconsider it taking into account the legal propriety of its application with retrospective effect.

As expected, corrupt politicians ignored Kalam’s advice to observe legal propriety and The Parliament (Prevention of Disqualification) Amendment Bill, 2006, was introduced on May 17 and passed on the same day by voice vote without any detailed discussion. The Bill was sent to the President on May 25 for assent and it is common knowledge that besides obtaining expert views, APJ Abdul Kalam personally studied the Bill before sending it back for reconsideration by the Parliament. Exercising his power under Article 111 of the Constitution, the President wanted the Bill's focus to be on evolving a comprehensive criterion, which would be just, fair and reasonable, and applied across all States and Union Territories in a clear and transparent manner.

To achieve the noble objective of ensuring that the lawmakers of the country at the Center and States, who are sworn to uphold the law and Constitution, discharge sacred trust which the people reposed in them, in a fair and impartial manner, the Constitution mandated that the Members of Parliament (MPs) and the State Legislatures should not, during their tenure, hold any 'office of profit' under the Government, so that they would not be 'obliged' to the Executive. Unfortunately, the Constitution also empowered the Parliament and the State Legislatives to identify those `offices of profit' which would be exempted from disqualification. This power has been unabashedly used by the politicians to create a host of offices of profit for themselves which were saved from constitutional disqualification and made a mockery of the Indian Constitution.

APJ Abdul Kalam’s then Secretary P M Nair, now accusing him of sitting over the issue for 17 days and asserting that Kalam was duty bound to give assent to the bill when it came to him a second time, is a blatant and disgraceful attempt by an opportunist to please the Congress and improve his future prospects. His statement that he had advised the then President verbally and in writing to clear the bill amounts to an ill concealed effort to clear himself from the responsibility for the delay in signing of the Bill by APJ Abdul Kalam. That the President said he was going by his conscience is obviously not enough for the sycophant babu to refrain from criticising the best President India has had after independence. It is the collective responsibility of corrupt politicians and sycophant bureaucrats, like Mr PM Nair, that India is stuck with undeserving people occupying the highest post in the country.

Mounting Rape Incidents: Is Mob Fury the Answer?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Delhi_woman_gangraped_in_moving_car/articleshow/2958077.cms

This is one more in a long chain of disgraceful and preventable incidents. Unfortunately, barring updating of rape statistics in the capital no effective action will be taken by those responsible for maintaining law and order in the Capital. Even the culprits who committed the bestial crime will be out on bail before long, if they are caught at all. The judiciary will make nonsense of the trial by dragging it on till the witnesses are bought, murdered or simply harassed by having to drag their tired feet to the courts every so often and turn hostile, unless the media keeps the tragic memory alive. Then there is always the possibility af a 'Ram Jethmalani' helping to keep the culprits / rapists out of jail. The number of sexual assaults in New Delhi has increased 22 percent over last year, yet there is no visible effort on part of the political establishment to check the menace. It is as if they are either not interested or will be shaken out of slumber only after they themselves are affected, as happened when the Parliament was attacked. Why blame mobs taking the law into their hands to punish the guilty?

Priyanka's Benign Gesture to a Repentant Nalini Sriharan

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/I_met_my_fathers_assassin_Priyanka/articleshow/2952959.cms

Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by Thenmuli Rajaratnam alias Dhanu, a suicide bomber of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Siriperumbudur near Chennai in a conspiracy hatched by Velupillai Prabhakaran and his intelligence Chief Pottu Amman on 21 May 1991. Anton Balasingham, LTTE's chief ideologue, was to later declare to NDTV that the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi was a monumental historical tragedy which the LTTE regrets. He tried to justify the senseless and brutal act by saying that “We were not very happy with the political solution proposed by India in 1987 because it did not satisfy the political aspirations of our people”. That, in LTTE’s view, was reason enough to extinguish a bright Indian leader along with 17 other innocent lives. The horrific mentality of the LTTE was revealed in the fact that it had entrusted the task of filming the physical liquidation of Rajiv Gandhi to Haribabu, a local photographer who also perished in the blast at Siriperumbudur. Anton Balasingham even had the temerity to call upon the Government of India and the people of India to be magnanimous and put the past behind and to approach the Sri Lankan ethnic question in a different perspective. He did not specify what that perspective might be.

During the investigation into Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, 25 LTTE cadres, including Sivarasan, the one eyed jack, Subha and others committed suicide in order to block the progress of investigation. While LTTE has a proven record of mindless violence, murder and thirst for blood, and may have forgotten its own cadres who committed suicide to conceal its sordid role in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, the terrorist organisation expected India to forget and forgive the event and promote its cause in Sri Lanka.

S Nalini Sriharan, then 33, was arrested on 14 June 1991 along with her husband Sriharan alias Murugan, a hardcore LTTE militant. A local girl, and the only living member of the five-member assassination squad at the blast site, she faced maximum number of charges including providing cover to belt-bomb assassin Dhanu and her standby Subha, accompanying the duo to a textile shop to purchase the churidar which Dhanu wore to conceal the bomb. She was convicted in 1997 and sentenced to death. An appeal against the sentence was turned down by the Supreme Court. While in custody she gave birth to a female child who now lives in London. It was a compassionate Sonia Gandhi who appealed to the President for clemency and got the sentence reduced to a life term.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi’s daughter, visited the assassin Nalini Sriharan to come to terms with a tragedy which affected the family deeply. It was her way of coming to peace with the violence and loss that she had experienced. Though there might be different perceptions on the issue since the person involved was one of the brightest stars on the Indian political scene of that time and the nation may not be as forgiving, it was a daughter’s poignant attempt to see life on a much larger canvass and comprehend the motivations that drove Nalini Sriharan to participate in the macabre plot to eliminate her father. By all accounts, the grand gesture has helped both, the daughter as well as the assassin. Priyanka has forgiven Nalini for her father’s murder and the latter has felt cleansed of all her sins.

Priyanka’s visit to Nalini Sriharan must only be seen in that light and no other meaning attached to it. Rajiv Gandhi’s brutal assassination was a colossal national loss; it was a much greater tragedy that befell his daughter too. Rajiv Gandhi's daughter should have the right to come to terms with her personal loss and her method for it must be respected.

UK Seeks These Pakistani Islamic Clerics' Help

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/UK_monitoring_30_terror_plots/articleshow/2949643.cms

With terror networks and active terror plots galore in Britain, the Interior Ministry has accurately assessed the threat to UK. Its proposed proactive scheme to deal with the menace effectively and strengthen legal tools for law and order machinery is overdue already. Home secretary Jacqui Smith could not have been more correct when she pointed out the futility of waiting for another 7/7 before rushing to initiate appropriate measures to deal with elements opposed to peace and harmony in the country.

However, all the good intentions of the Interior Ministry will be negated if they bring in ‘moderate Islamic clerics’ from Pakistan to assist British imams in combating extremism in their communities. The UK might as well import good terrorists to reform the bad ones. There are no ‘moderate clerics’ in Pakistan. The Home Secretary would do well to pull out a BBC documentary from its archives titled ‘The Islamic Blowback’ dealing with the role of Pakistan in growth of Islamic extremism in Asia before heading to Pakistan to look for ‘moderate Muslim clerics’.

MP Abdul Wahab Stoops Further: Wont Apologise for Misconduct

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I_wont_apologise_MP_to_pilots/articleshow/2949058.cms

The Indian Muslim League MP Abdul Wahab is right in saying that there was no question of any apology from him and that he had done nothing wrong. Why should he apologize when his party is ready to stand by his uncouth conduct and fight the battle for him? Besides, the other politicians too have been true to form and supported his boorish high handedness in the aircraft. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) has no call to expect any graceful or decent behavior from an elected politician. This is not the first time an elected representative of the people has placed his king sized ego before civilised behavior. MP Abdul Wahab fully justifies the kind of conduct people expect from an elected politician.

Congress: Dont Panic Over Price Rise, Party creates Other Worries

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/No_need_to_panic_over_price_Cong/articleshow/2948036.cms#write

The Congress is right! There is no need to worry on the price rise issue when the very livelihood is being put at stake by the Party pitching for reservation in private institutes. So the picture would only be complete with prices going through the roof and admissions of children, even after they slog and do well at school, being jeopardised by Congress busy collecting votes to ensure its hold on power at the centre. The Congress will stop at nothing to capture votes, even if it means ruining the lives of meritorious students! Doing well in studies is the one aspect that parents emphasize upon their children in order to ensure their bright future. Even that is not acceptable to the power hungry Congress scum like Arjun Singh and some of their equally retarded UPA partners.

Reservation: Congress Gone Berserk

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cong_pitches_for_OBC_quota_in_pvt_institutes/articleshow/2947997.cms#write

The politicians have gone berserk on the quota issue. With Congress having lost all sense of correctitude with its emphasis on caste promotion instead of merit in education, the people must teach these supporters of caste system in India the lesson of their lives in the next elections. But then, this was the expected course after the retrograde Supreme Court ruling on the issue. The next elections must throw these divisive politicians out who are bent upon promoting mediocrity in place of excellence. VP Singh, the biggest proponent of Mandalisation, going out of the country to get quality treatment for his ailment has not taught any lesson to our selfish vote seekers. What a disgrace!

Reservation Road to Personal Ambition: Politicians in a Hurry

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/OBC_quota_HRD_ministry_keen_on_swift_rollout/articleshow/2942767.cms

As expected, the Supreme Court verdict has spurred Arjun Singh to speed up work on the Bill designed to extend the quota to unaided and private institutions. The legislation was put on hold after SC had stayed reservation in the central institutions. Not that it will help him achieve his lifelong ambition of becoming the Prime Minister, with Laloo Prasad Yadav and Mayawati chasing the same dream. The damage to the country and the education system are least of his concerns right now, time being at premium for the ‘Minister in a hurry’.

The Supreme Court’s insistence on keeping the creamy layer out has not helped Lalu Prasad Yadav, RamVilas Paswan, A Ramadoss or Mayawati, as they would have liked to see a more complete destruction of higher education in the country. No half measures for these perfectionists! Not satisfied by ruining the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by constant interference, Anbumani Ramadoss has gone beyond expressing his dismay at the Supreme Court excluding the creamy layer and has promised to keep the issue alive in Parliament until the damage is irreparable. With active support from Laloo Prasad Yadav, he is bound to achieve spectacular results, to the detriment of the nation; all in the name of a sham being passed of as ‘social justice’.

In blind pursuit of their personal ambitions, these politicians have failed to foresee the divided and caste ridden country they will pass on to the next generation. The damaging potential of Mandalisation of the country has completely escaped the imagination of politicians who refuse to see beyond their own selfish and immediate personal political ambitions.

27 % OBC Reservation: Politics Win Over Social Justice

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Supreme_Court_approves_27_OBC_quota/articleshow/2940232.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 based on merit and free from interfering vote seekers like Arjun Singh, Anbumani Ramadoss, Laloo Prasad Yadav and D Raja who won’t think twice before taking the country to dogs with their reservation agenda. If these witless and self seeking politicians were seeking a 27 per cent quota for the deserving out a sense of social responsibility, the folly would have been forgivable. Unfortunately, the Congress and its communist allies have willingly joined the race for vote politics with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) to win the reservation race. That in the bargain the country faces a retrograde future, is of no consequence to them as long as their position in power is ensured. The plight of meritorious candidates deserving admission in these institutes is understandable. But their numbers are small and cannot hold any quid pro quo for the politicians, hence must suffer the unjust treatment silently, now that even the Supreme Court has dashed all their hopes.

The Supreme Court upholding 27 per cent reservations for the OBCs in central educational institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) is bound to encourage calculating politicians to rely on vote-bank politics to make their way to power rather than quality performance. The only saving grace in the Supreme Court ruling is the exclusion of the creamy layer and children of MPs and MLAs from the 27 % quota. But the country can trust the politician-babu combine to find ways to circumnavigate the Supreme Court rider.

Although the issue has been settled once and for all by the Supreme Court ruling, there is still a way to show dissent for the reservation policy. The people must identify the politicians and political parties favoring the policy and ensure their defeat in the next elections. Arjun Singh, Anbumani Ramadoss, RK Dhawan, Laloo Prasad Yadav, D Raja, Mayawati are some of those who advocate reservation to make a career; Congress, RJD, BSP and the Left parties would bid for reservation again, not out of any sense of social justice, but to win elections and gain power.

Apparantly, Rajeeve Goswami and others who lost their lives in 1989-1990 fighting against reservation were mere sacrificial lambs for the political predators and unconcerned political parties.

Arrogant MP Deplaned for Harrasing Passengers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Offloaded_MP_wants_Pilot_punished/articleshow/2935208.cms

This is another example of high handed behavior by an elected politician where he does not find anything wrong in making fellow passengers wait for him and delaying a flight to make a grand entry before the aircraft can get on its way. Instead of being apologetic, the Rajya Sabha MP and Dubai-based businessman PV Abdul Wahab has threatened to move a privilege motion in Parliament against Flight Captain Rajat Rana who forced him to disembark from the plane in Kozhikode. The Indian Union Muslim League MP did not stop at issuing threats, but also called the Captain of the flight a glorified driver. Such arrogant and uncouth behavior of our politicians is nothing unusual and must be put down firmly in Parliament where the MP intends to raise the issue.

Flight Captain Rajat Rana deserves credit for taking a stand in the interest of other passengers and showing the MP his place, off the plane. It is heartening to note that the ICPA has extended full support to the pilot and not cowed down before his uncalled for threat. Kozhikode airport manager Srinivasan Rajachandrasekhar should draw a lesson from the Flight Captain and the investigation of the incident that he has promised should only focus on the conduct of the MP. Being rich and member of the Rajya Sabha does not automatically entitle the MP to enter the cockpit of the aircraft. He deserves to be taken to task for abusing his position and harassing other passengers on board the plane.

Ingrate Behenji Attacks Rahul Gandhi

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2933362.cms

Hope the Congress has learnt a lesson in who to support next time. A corrupt Mayawati is known to stoop to unimaginable levels for political gains. It is the same ungrateful Mayawati whose prosecution was averted by Congress through a pliant Governor of Uttar Pradesh. Wrong thing to do in the first place! The Congress has no one else to blame for the Mayawati attack on Rahul Gandhi. Its own sins have returned to haunt it in uglier forms than the act of preventing a corrupt politician from being put behind bars.

Income Tax raids at the residences of Mayawati's sister Munni Devi, her brothers Subhash and Anand and brother-in-law Narendra Pal Gautam, have failed to deter Mayawati in any way from openly demanding more money from her Party MLAs. Mayawati is so confident about the loyalty of her 'vote bank' that in public meetings she has accepted that she takes money from Thakur-Brahmin candidates to run her party. For the first time, she audaciously gave tickets to 89 Brahmins. It is indeed unprecedented in the caste-ridden society where social prejudices and identities are at the very core of political action-reactions. She doesn't care for niceties and sophistication and is openly contemptuous of middle class sensitivities over issues like corruption. Accused of converting the mission initiated by the Late Kanshi Ram into a Machinery to print currency, she is under investigation for her past misdeeds of corruption, continues to accumulate unaccountable wealth and, ofcourse, power.

On 20 May 2007, Behenji issued a Government notification under which out of 22 offences covered under the Prevention of Atrocities on AC/ST Act, on which legal action is required to be taken under this Act, only two offences,viz. murder and rape have been retained and the rest of the twenty offences have been excluded. The rest of the offences like derogatory remarks against Dalits,forcible occupation of their lands, bonded labour, false evidence against Dalits, eve teasing, will be tried under the ordinary law of the land. Paradoxically, in 1999, Mayawati had alleged that BJP Government supported atrocities on Dalits. So much for her claim of being the champion of the down trodden!

Even as she accuses Rahul Gandhi of purifying himself after meeting ‘Dalits’, she cannot avoid acknowledging the contribution made by Nehru family that opened up chances for those like her. Her big drawback is that she has formed the government twice in the past with the help of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Both times she stabbed Bhartiya Janata Party in the back. Her credibility on issues like secularism, corruption, democratic norms and the constitutional rights of backward classes is less than inspiring.

With her track record, it is amazing that the Congress put itself, and its reputation, on line to prevent Mayawati’s prosecution for corruption. Guess its payback time, Mayawati style!

Pakistan: Visa Free Travel Trap

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pak_may_drop_visas_for_Indians_Sharif/articleshow/2926699.cms#write

Pakistan considering visa free regime for Indians travelling to that country is a generous offer, particularly since there is no reciprocal expectation. However, India would do well to take it with a pinch of salt given the history of Pakistanis coming to India and going underground as well as the fact that Pakistan still maintains terror infrastructure hostile to India, on its soil.

BJP Investing in Indisciplined Politicians for Power

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/BJP_takes_back_Khurana_before_polls/articleshow/2925758.cms

The over ambitious Madan Lal Khurana who was twice thrown out of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has been reinducted into the party with some misplaced notion of the event doing the political party any good in the elections due early next year. On his part, Madan Lal Khurana has smartly refused to comment on his reinduction into BJP until the party clearly defines the future it has chartered for him. The erstwhile Chief Minister of Delhi was expelled from the party for indiscipline, publicly criticising BJP President Lal Krishna Advani in April 2006 over the Kandahar hijack episode and expressing inability and discomfort at serving with him. Khurana had often spoken against the party leadership and joined Uma Bharati’s party, Bharatiya Jan Shakhti. Wonder what has changed since the time he was thrown out of BJP? Has his discipline improved or has the BJP decided to overlook his anti party activities of the past? Maybe a few years in total political oblivion have taught him to be more tolerant towards Advani, if he is to get anywhere near his ambition to regain lost political relevance.

Of late the 'Dilli Ka Sher' (May God forgive whoever coined that title for him) created news for himself by espousing the cause of traders who had been operating their business outside of law and facing sealing of their shops operating from residential areas. That is the best he could do to earn some publicity for himself. The cranky politician does not mind traders breaking the law and reducing the Capital to slums, if that reserves a place for him in active politics.

The BJP hopes to return to power with the likes of Madan Lal Khurana next year. All the best to the party; they will need it with such people forming their ranks!

Rape in Lawless Capital: Corrupt Politicians, Inept Law Enforcers

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2924588.cms

What a pity such incidents recur at frequent intervals and there is no end in sight as the agencies responsible for maintaining law and order in the country continue to display a disgraceful performance. The law makers too are busy filling their pockets with total indifference towards the people who elected them. The saddest part of the sordid event is yet to come; the culprits will be granted bail in a couple of days. It is as if the law exists for the criminals and not for the ordinary law abiding citizens. The corrupt politicians who should be formulating stricter laws to check the growing menace of crime in the country, are incapable of thinking beyond their own political survival; hence the frequent walkouts from Parliament / State Assemblies during business hours. The courts too would pitch in by delaying the trial, to the advantage of the criminals. Is it any wonder the people take law into their own hands to punish the guilty?

Muslim Xinjiang: China's Wild West

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Now_a_rebellion_in_Chinas_west/articleshow/2921322.cms#write

This is not the first instance of Muslim trouble in Xinjiang Province in North West China. The Province borders Pakistan and has active sympathisers and assistance from across the border in fomenting secessionist ambitions. With 26,700 mosques in the Province, the Uighur Muslim have historically been the predominant ethnic group in Xinjiang, which is officially known as the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, also known as the 'wild west of China'. The Uighurs have often accused China of conducting a campaign of repression against its Sunni Muslim minority. China's war on terror is concentrated on Xinjiang. Pakistan Army is known to have trained the Uighurs along with other jihadi groups in a camp near Mirpur in Pakistan occupied Kashmir. A radical Islamic independence group, the East Turkistan Islamic Movement is active in the area and has active support from Pakistan’s ISI created terror outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jamaat-e-Tablighi and Jamaat-e-Islami.

The Muslim protest in Xinjiang is indicative of China’s problems with ethnic and religious minority groups in the country’s vast western regions, where there is a long history of unhappiness with Chinese rule. Beijing has sought to pacify them with economic development programs and suppress dissent with heavy police presence. According to Chinese official version, the Uighurs are using the Beijing Olympic Games as an opportunity to attract international attention to their causes.

The province borders eight separate countries. Foreign fighters, including members of the Taleban, have been captured here. There is a sudden influx of Arabic grammar books in the region so that the people can read the Koran better. The resident Uighurs discreetly disclose to outsiders that they are not afraid of the communist Chinese, that they are only afraid of Allah.

Officially, the Chinese loudly proclaim that they hope to keep all their heritage and customs alive, like ethnic cuisine and dress. But one part of their heritage is actively discouraged in school: Islam. It is clear authorities seek to contain religion within tight parameters. Sermons that advocate behavior that contradicts Chinese law or Communist policy are banned. Government-approved Muslim clerics, or Imams, are not allowed to criticize the Chinese government's family planning policies, for example, if they want to keep themselves and their followers out of trouble. The Uighurs are encouraged to join the Communist Party, a prerequisite for career advancement, and are required to disavow religion and declare themselves atheists.

Northern Xinjiang is rich and fertile, and it has known oil deposits. In 1940, Uranium deposits were located in Bortala, Daladi, Kashgar and Altay Shan in Xinjiang. The region’s importance for China can also be gauged from the fact all of China’s nuclear weapons were tested in Xinjiang. China has flooded the province with Han Chinese. In 1950 Uighurs were 94% of the population - they are now less than half. The indigenous Muslims resent large scale influx of Han Chinese in the area and accuse China of deliberately disturbing the region’s demographic balance.

Democratic Pakistan: Steadfast with Terror

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Pakistan/Pakistan_continues_to_train_terror_outfits_India_/articleshow/2911337.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Kashmiris_must_be_involved_in_resolving_dispute_Pak/articleshow/2920702.cms Sticking to the old and oft repeated position on Kashmir, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a weekly news briefing on 2nd Apr that "Pakistan's position is very clear that Kashmiris are a party to the dispute and must be involved in its resolution". Earlier, similar opinion was expressed by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gillani and members of his Cabinet.

When questioned on Indian National Security Advisor M K Narayanan's comments that Pakistan is still maintaining terror infrastructure inimical to India, Sadiq repeated the familiar lie, "We strictly follow the policy of non-interference in neighboring states” – A statement that amounts to a blatant denial by Pakistan of its involvement in creating the Taleban for interference in Afghanistan and supporting Lashkar-e Toiba, Al Badr and Jaish-e-Mohammed for terrorist strikes in India. It is clear that restoration of democracy in Pakistan has had little impact on its policy of using terror as a state instrument against India. The West is still to catch up with the fact that it is this very terror infrastructure that indoctrinates the terrorists with jihadi philosophy for strikes in Europe, trains them and exports them to Europe. Most terrorists apprehended in Europe have revealed during interrogation that they had been to Pakistan prior to participating in their nefarious activities on European soil.

Pakistan’s post elections approach to terrorism is set to follow the same old double standards it has always had. Conditional cooperation with the West to extract maximum economic benefits and continued maintenance of the ISI reared terror groups to inflict ‘death by a thousand cuts’ on India. Fortunately for India, the policy is fraught with grave consequences for Pakistan itself, some of which have already begun to extract a price from the terror host nation in terms of a raging insurgency in Balochistan and loss of state control in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). The West is aware of the existence of terror infrastructure in Pakistan but has mistakenly convinced itself that it is not directed towards the West. The impact of such myopic approach to terrorism is already visible in Europe. The cold blooded murder of Theo Van Gogh in his own home country, Holland, and the unruly Islamic demonstrations in Brussels, London and other European cities is only the foretaste of more gruesome developments to come. Construction of the world’s largest mosque in London, right next to the proposed site of a 2012 Olympic stadium, should not come as a surprise to anyone.

While the West has hypnotized itself with the idea of ‘political correctness’, Pakistan and other like minded Muslim countries have displayed no such qualms. Some of these countries, in fact, pretend to be on best of terms with the US and the West. India would do well to keep its guard and not expect much help from the West. Infact, the situation seems to be veering towards the West needing help in tackling Islamic fundamentalism.