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Article106.pngMedical doctors and experts from the US, UK, India, Brazil and Mexico have come together to support the proposed sin tax on sugar sweetened beverages in India. In a joint statement, experts from these countries have said that a changing Indian diet landscape was leading to an alarming increase in rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, ad cardiovascular diseases in India while cautioning that India stands to reverse decades of public health gains if these trends are left unchecked. Recently, India’s Chief Economic Advisor proposed increasing sin taxes on aerated drinks containing added sugars and treating it similar to tobacco.  The proposal is expected to come up for a vote in Parliament as part of the larger Goods and Services Tax Bill. The statement, which has been mailed to key Members of Parliament and Ministries in India this week, notes that, “While processed foods in general are a source of concern, an increasing body of new public health research shows that one set of products­ sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) ­pose a unique risk of increasing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

In the US, where 69% of adults are  overweight or obese, 36% of the added sugars consumed come from liquid drinks such as carbonated beverages, juices and energy drinks. In January this year, the World Health Organization issued a strong public statement  in support of SSB-taxation, and another report released last week showed that more Indian men die from diabetes than in any other country. Many of the statement supporters have led initiatives internationally to tax sugar sweetened beverages, including recent successful efforts in Mexico, South Africa, UK and Berkeley, as well as ongoing efforts in cities such as San Francisco, Oakland and Philadelphia in the US. “”All of the evidence we have to date suggests that taxing sugary drinks would be far more powerful and effective for protecting public health than simple education measures. Such taxes also generate funds to further support public health and combat the rising rates of chronic diseases in India,”” said Dr. Sanjay Basu, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and one of the originators of the statement.

 India would follow the successful taxation strategies in Mexico and parts of the United States, which have significantly lowered SSB consumption. Mexico introduced a soda tax in January 2014 and saw a 12% drop in SSB sales by December 2014. A 2014 Stanford University study concluded that a 20% tax on SSBs in India would avert 11.2 million cases of overweight/obesity and 400,000 cases of type 2 diabetes between 2014 and 2023. The tax would also substantially increase revenue available to the government to support other public health measures. With over 60 million people with type 2 diabetes, the Indian government has a duty to its citizens to address a crisis that causes such misery, and that threatens to break an already over-burdened public health system. Diseases caused by SSBs—such as diabetes—are chronic, irreversible conditions that will levy a heavy burden on health care spending for many decades to come and will particularly impact low-income Indians disproportionately. India cannot afford to ignore the changing diet landscape that will exact a high toll if current trends in the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages continue. Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages in ways similar to tobacco is a positive step forward to protect the public health interests of all Indians, the joint statement said.

Some other signatories to the statement include Dr. Arun Gupta, Senior Pediatrician and Regional Coordinator, International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Asia, New Delhi; Dr. Anand Krishnan, Professor, Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, President, Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi; Frank B. Hu, MD, PhD, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Michael F. Jacobson, PhD, President, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC; Robert S. Lawrence, MD, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; Reynaldo Martorell, PhD, Robert W. Woodruff Professor of International Nutrition, Hubert Department of Global Health & Senior Advisor, Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta and Dr. Carlos A. Monteiro, Professor of Nutrition and Public Health, School of Public Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.”

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Article105.pngPuttingal temple fire in Kollam in Kerala which has claimed more than 100 innocent lives has once again given rise to a raging debate on TV channels and in the print media. But do we learn any lessons from such events except discussing them for a short period? If the recent past is any indicator, the answer would be an emphatic no. India has seen number of devastating fire tragedies in the past which were probed but hardly any lessons learnt. The question also arises that whether the politicians and bureaucrats whose inaction, their whims and fancies result in loss of precious human lives will continue to be unaccountable.

Own Experience

The tragic incident takes me back to my own experience. When I was Assistant Superintendent of Police at Vijayawada, the fire crackers were sold in ‘One Town Police Station’ limits which was very congested market and where in some of the lanes even it was difficult for a fire tender to reach in the event of any mishap. One small incident of accidental fire, in which fortunately nobody was killed, sent shivers down my spine – as we could reach the spot with lot of effort and delay. As Police used to be the licensing authority for storing and selling fire-crackers, in the next festival session, I decided under the active support of my Superintendent of Police not to allow storage and sale of crackers in that part of the market. We also came down very heavily on enforcing the standards prescribed for storage of crackers. There was stiff opposition to our efforts but we stuck to our guns.

We also decided to allow sale of firecrackers in temporary planned market place for which the public PWD ground was converted into a make-shift market with proper storage and properly marked escape routes for any exigency. Fire brigades were placed in each corner of the market. There was huge furore against our efforts. The traders threatened to go on strike – the local politicians took out processions against Police, blaming it for high-handedness. But their efforts did not succeed thanks to the then Chief Minister N T Rama Rao (NTR) who always supported sincere efforts by the Police. In spite of all these efforts we had one fire incident but due to steps in place, it could be brought under control and there was no loss of life.

Later, when I headed a District Police of Khammam, the Pattabhisekam of Lord Sri Rama was to be celebrated- a festival which happens once in 60 years at Lord Rama’s temple situated at Bhadrachalam on the banks of Godavari river attracting a crowd of more than 10 lakhs. It fell in the month of June which is one of the hottest months in coal belt when temperatures soar to 48-50 0C. The Endowment Minister of the state hailed from that area and was closely involved in the proposed celebrations. He informed that they were planning to have an elephant procession carrying the deity. As Superintendent of Police I opposed the idea but the Minister dismissed it. My District Collector supported me but I did not get any support from my immediate superior who advised me not to oppose the Minister. I stuck to my decision – fearful of the idea of an elephant running amok in that heat could result in stampede. The matter reached higher authorities who were not very enthusiastic about my idea.

CM backed the police

Finally, a meeting was called by the then Chief Minister NTR. I decided to oppose the idea in spite of not much support and told the CM that I would not be held responsible in case any untoward thing happened. NTR endorsed my views in his typical filmy style and overruled the Endowment Minister. The festival passed away peacefully.

Enforcing the Rules

The narration of these incidents is not to talk about my achievements or great work. It was simple common sense approach for the welfare of the public and the decision to enforce the correct thing. The enforcement, in my view, is the key to a successful and efficient administration. Rules, regulations and orders unless enforced would mean nothing – however well these may be drafted. What happened at Puttingal temple in Kollam is a typical example when the administration declined to permit the use of crackers but the order was not enforced resulting in tragedy of such colossal magnitude. Enquiry has been ordered and the commission will submit its report in six months’ time which would perhaps gather dust.

It is high time when the officers decide to take a stand and enforce the rules and regulations — be it traffic rules, fire safety regulations, explosive storage rules or even normal encroachments which often make movement of fire brigade vehicles difficult. Second, the accountability of officers who fail to enforce rules and regulations must be fixed and appropriate punishment handed over. Unless that happens, nothing much is expected and we will continue to see more of such avoidable tragedies.

(The writer, an IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, recently retired as DG of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and served for long years in CBI and NIA. The views expressed are personal)”

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Article110.pngIndia will adopt the Statute of the South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) and become its formal member to strengthen ties with the member countries in controlling the trans-boundary wildlife crime through communication, coordination, collaboration, capacity building and cooperation in the region. The approval to adopt SAWEN was given by the Union Cabinet which was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. SAWEN, a Regional network is comprised of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It aims at working as a strong regional inter¬governmental body for combating wildlife crime by attempting common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in the region. Adoption of SAWEN statute envisions India being part of the regional inter¬governmental body in combating wildlife crime in the region and beyond.

Following objectives have been set to attain the goals. These goals include undertaking initiatives for bringing harmonization and standardization in laws and policies of member countries concerning conservation of fauna and flora; documenting the trend of poaching and illegal trade, and related threats to the natural biodiversity within and across countries in the region; and strengthening institutional responses to combat wildlife crime by promoting research and information sharing, training and capacity building, technical support, sharing experiences and outreach. The move will also encourage member countries to prepare and implement their National Action Plans in curbing wildlife crime and to collaborate towards effective implementation. The South Asia region is very vulnerable to illegal traffic and wildlife crimes due to presence of precious biodiversity and large markets as well as traffic routes for wildlife products in the south East Asian region. The collaboration in harmonising as well as enforcing the wildlife protection in the region is considered very important for effective conservation of such precious biodiversity.”

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Article109.pngIndia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will shortly sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in preventing and combating human trafficking. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for signing of the MoU and it is expected to be operationlised very soon. The MoU will increase the bilateral cooperation on the issues of prevention, rescue, recovery and repatriation related to human trafficking especially women and children expeditiously, an official spokesperson said after the Cabinet meeting. The MoU will help strengthen cooperation to prevent all forms of human trafficking, especially that of women and children and ensure speedy investigation and prosecution of traffickers and organized crime syndicates in either country, and will help in taking preventive measures that would eliminate human trafficking in women and children and in protecting the rights of victims of trafficking.

Anti-trafficking Cells and Task Forces will work on both sides to prevent human trafficking with police and other authorities concerned working in closely and exchanging information which can be used to interdict human traffickers. The repatriation of victims would be done as expeditiously as possible and the home country will undertake the safe and effective re-integration of the victims. A Joint Task Force with representatives from both sides would be constituted to monitor the working of the MoU. As a destination of trafficking, South Asian countries are mainly affected by domestic trafficking, or trafficking from the neighboring countries. However, South Asian victims are also increasingly detected in the Middle East.

India is a source and transit country as far as trafficking to UAE is concerned, whereas UAE is a destination and transit country for men and women, predominantly from South, Southeast and Central Asia and Eastern Europe who are subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking. Migrant workers, who comprise over 95 percent of the UAE’s private sector workforce, are recruited primarily from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iran and East, South and Southeast Asia. Some of these workers face forced labour in the UAE. Women from some of these countries travel willingly to the UAE to work as domestic workers, secretaries, beauticians and hotel cleaners, but some are subjected to forced labour by unlawful withholding of their passports, restrictions on movement, non-payment of wages, threats and physical or sexual abuse.

The reinforcement of anti-trafficking efforts at all levels between the UAE and India is essential for prevention and protection of victims. This requires mutual cooperation among both the countries for intelligence sharing, joint investigation and a coordinated response to the challenges of human trafficking. For this purpose, it is proposed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with UAE, the spokesperson said. India has already signed one MoU to prevent trafficking with Bangladesh and another with Bahrain is to be signed during this month. According to the Global Report on Trafficking in People, 2014, victims in Europe and Central Asia are mostly trafficked for sexual exploitation (66 per cent), whereas in East & South Asia and the Pacific forced labour is the main reason (64 per cent). In the Americas, both types are detected in almost equal measure (48 per cent for sexual exploitation, 47 per cent for forced labour).

People are trafficked to be exploited in a range of different sectors: of the detected victims in 2011, 53 per cent were involved in sexual exploitation and 40 per cent in forced labour which includes exploitation in agriculture, horticulture, construction, textile production in sweatshop conditions, catering and restaurants, entertainment services and domestic servitude. Other forms of exploitation have been found such as forced marriage, organ removal, illegal adoption and the exploitation of children for begging and as child soldiers. Most countries have now criminalized trafficking with a specific offence in line with the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol. But impunity remains a serious problem; only four in 10 countries reported having 10 or more yearly convictions in 2010-2012 and nearly 15 per cent having no convictions at all in the same period.

The Dubai Police website also describes the crime of Human Trafficking as one of the biggest challenges in the field of human rights as it affects human dignity and freedom, of the worst forms of exploitation. In recent years, successive efforts and global initiatives to combat this crime, such as the protocol for the global fight against Human Trafficking, and the International Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, which includes combating, prevention, and punishment of human smugglers and human traffickers, the website says. But the rest of these efforts and initiatives are inadequate in front of the proliferation of Human Trafficking and the doubling number of victims. Because prevention is the main step to tackle this issue; nations, governments, and non-governmental organizations depend on prevention and awareness campaigns as one of the basic tools to support efforts to combat these heinous crimes.”

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Article108.pngGods in God’s own country Kerala seem to have been displeased by man’s callous disregard for the lives and safety of fellow human beings. The devastating explosion in the wee hours of Sunday caused by fire crackers in a store house at the century-old Puttingal Devi temple in the coastal town of Paravur in Kollam district, some 60 kilometres from the state capital Thiruvanthapuram, that killed as many as 110 people and injured some 350 people was a tragedy waiting to happen. It was a result of gross negligence and callous attitude. Mishaps from bursting of fire crackers have been a regular occurrence in Kerala temple festivals but April 10 tragedy that flattened an entire area near the store house apparently stocked about 50 tonnes of gunpowder and assorted explosive material, which sent shock waves across the country. There were around 15,000 people in and around the complex when the fire started. Temples in Kerala always have an fascination for pyrotechnics and decorated elephants and it is an integral part of festivals in Hindu places of worship and churches for decades and their scale has been rising year after year, mainly due to the element of competitiveness.

Competitive fire works displays are relatively recent additions in festivals to entertain and attract crowd and business in Kerala. At many places, such displays are held as competitions with one group trying to outdo another. Nothing is seemed excessive in these exhibitions of financial clouts – not even incendiary materials of dangerous potency. Banned chemicals are known to have been used in crackers burst at the festival contests.At Paravur too, there used to be a competitive fire works display every year. But this time, the District Collector and the Additional District Magistrate had decided to refuse permission for fire works show on the grounds of safety. The temple authorities flouted the ban and went ahead with the display. With growing scale of pyrotechnic displays disregarding all safety norms, fire works related accidents have also been on the rise. Many have died in explosions as fire crackers were being manufactured or burst. The first major fire works mishap that shocked Kerala was in 1952 at the famous hill-shrine of Sabarimala in which 68 people died and many maimed. Another tragedy occurred in 1987 when 27 spectators sitting on a railway track and watching the fire works at the Sri Jagannatha temple in Thalassery were run over by the train.

The deafening noise created by the display had drowned out the sound of approaching train. Since then, there have been major fire works accidents every now and then killing and injuring people in different parts of Kerala. Rough estimates show that in the last 50 years, there have been more than 400 such incidents and they have claimed many lives. The world famous Thrissur pooram, around the corner, an annual temple festival, which is known for its mutiple rounds of competitive fireworks display held at the Swaraj Round at Vadakkunnath temple, has been hit thrice with high casualties. It is not just the pyrotechnics that make Kerala temples veritable disaster sites during the annual festivals but also parading elephants and over crowding. Along with the fire crackers casualties, what is also on the rise is the loss of lives and property due to attacks by elephants who run amok. Festivals in Kerala are getting bigger and bigger and both the fireworks and elephants have a pride place in the scheme of things. Incidents have also taken place where terrorised elephants due to stampede have gone astray and injured mahouts and innocent bystanders.

Most often this is the outcome of continuous tortures of these giant creatures by the insensitive owners and mahouts, who overwork them, bundle the elephants in lorries, tie them so that they cannot move and ferry them from one temple to another without food in searing heat to collect maximum possible revenue during the festival season.The state’s temples – managed by rich and powerful trusts that often flout local regulations – and a clutch of religious organisations have planned to do away with fireworks displays. But the Travancore Devaswom board that manages about 1,255 temples in Kerala said it does not favour a blanket ban. Since 2003, Kerala has a law that bans the use and storage of certain types of locally-made firecrackers, the ones predominantly used for festivals. That the police raided and seized more that 150 kilograms of explosive- the legal limit is 15 kg– from various places in and around Kollam also shows that if officials had been alert, this tragedy of such magnitude could have been avoided. Kerala High Court has banned use of high decibel crackers and fireworks display after sunset in places of worship across the state.Thirteen people, including the members of the managing committee of Puttingal Devi temple have been arrested in connection with Sunday’sfire crackers tragedy.”

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Article113.pngPakistan’s unexpected diplomatic one-upmanship on India when its High Commissioner in New Delhi Abdul Basit, who has been hawkish in his approach, announced with much fanfare on April 4 that the “”Comprehensive Bilateral dialogue”” between the two neighbours stands “”suspended. There are no talks being planned now between the foreign secretaries,”” he added, leaving it to the scribes to interpret it in any manner they liked. It sent the mandarins in the imposing South Block housing the high profile Ministry of External Affairs into a tizzy. Islamabad not only caught India napping but on the wrong foot which is bound to compel Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reassess matters for himself about what is it since his stunning and unannounced visit to Lahore on Christmas day last year that has compelled his counterpart and host Nawaz Sharif to suspend the “”Comprehensive Bilateral dialogue”” even before it has got under way.

Pakistan’s powerful Army

Clearly, the powerful Army establishment in Pakistan has played its pre-eminent role of being a spoiler as always when it comes to India. Be that as it may, Modi and Sharif’s efforts to invest afresh in the bilateral peace process with the former’s initiative on December 25 appears to have been snuffed out prematurely. After the terrorist attack in Pathankot in the new year, New Delhi postponed the Foreign Secretary level talks. India and Pakistan are again back to square one in their efforts to normalise relations which has remained a exercise in futility so far. On his part Modi, known for thinking out of the box, will become highly circumspect in the future when it comes to Pakistan. He is not one to throw in the towel. At the same time his National Security Adviser Ajit Doval may have to change tack. Doval spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Naseer Khan Janjua on April eighth after giving more than 30 hours to Islamabad to put the record straight. That did not happen and Janjua maintained that Basit had only stated the factual position. Nevertheless, Janjua was not averse to the two NSAs meeting and trying to sort out the differences or misunderstanding.

There is no guarantee that Janjua can stop or negate the Pakistan military’s continuing efforts to block any forward movement in the political leadership’s attempts to resolve protracted issues and irritants between the two sides. However, former Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf insists he ordered “”Operation Kargil”” as a revenge for the humiliation suffered by them 45 years back when that neighbouring country split with the creation of Bangladesh. Discriminating observers believe the inputs provided to Modi in evolving his Pakistan policy has fallen flat.

Denial of reciprocal access to NIA

A case in point is Pakistan’s denial of reciprocal access to India’s National Investigative Agency (NIA) after having created a controversy by allowing the neighbour’s SIT to come to this country and visit Pathankot in the first instance. This is believed to have been agreed to at the level of the two Prime Ministers. The opposition has launched a frontal attack against Modi for his theatrics but the ground realities cannot be overlooked requiring reconciliation along with some give and take by both sides. Islamabad and the General Headquarters of the Army in Rawalpindi must understand that the vale of Kashmir is never going to be handed over to the neighbour. The resolution adopted by Parliament is categoric that Jammu and Kashmir is an inalienable and integral part of India.

Terror remains India’s dominant concern having faced its brunt not only in Jammu and Kashmir but in different parts of the country for more than three decades. There is a strong section of opinion in India that it should give up being a soft state and become pro-active in giving it back to Pakistan where it hurts the most for aiding and abetting terrorism for nearly four decades. Once again the Pakistan Army is trying to undermine the political leadership of Sharif. As expected it has deliberately sought to derail and scuttle the bilateral dialogue. Indeed Basit played his part effectively. Despite New Delhi’s objections, he has continued to hob nob with the separatists in Srinagar.

On April 9 an NIA special court in Mohali adjacent to Chandigarh in Haryana issued arrest warrants against Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and three others wanted in January’s Pathankot air base attack case. The others were Abdul Rauf, Kashif Jan and Shahid Latif. On March 28 when the talks began between the NIA and Pakistan Joint Investiation team, the former showed the visitors the evidence of the Pakistani link including the involvement of JeM in the attack.

India has been quite miffed with Pakistan’s posturing over the last few weeks specially in the wake of new allegations of India’s spying activities. Not only there were calculated leaks in the Pakistan media while their SIT was in India, Islamabad doubted whether any Pakistani militants were involved in the attack. The GHQ in Rawalpindi wants matters between India and Pakistan to remain in a limbo. It is evident New Delhi failed to factor in that NIA will not be allowed to visit Pakistan once its Special Investigating Team had returned home. The MEA cannot absolve itself of failing to read Pakistan’s real intent or the machinations of the Inter-Service Intelligence. What is bewildering is Pakistan backing away from a terror investigator after having achieved its goal. Unfortunately, some of the Pakistan High Commissioner’s remarks in New Delhi about the suspension of the “”Comprehensive Dialogue”” process has the portends of worsening the atmospherics between the two neighbours.

What is painful is that attempts to promote peace has suffered a grievous blow time and time again. Pakistan’s powerful men in uniform, who control 70 per cent of that country’s economy, need to awaken to the painful reality that the Frankeinstein monster created by them is leading to its own annihilation and inevitable destruction.

(The writer is a senior journalist and commentator. Views expressed are personal.)“

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Article112.pngWith the BJP firmly committing itself to the “”Agenda of Alliance”” and reticent about the confidence building measures proposed by Mehbooba Mufti following the death of her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in January left the heir apparent no option but to take oath of office and secrecy as chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir on April 4. This time Governor’s rule lasted 87 days in the sensitive border state. Mehbooba could not have pushed her luck any further as the chances of a revolt against her in the PDP was brewing. Had it erupted and come into the open, it would have been disastrous for the PDP as the Mufti’s legacy in the only Muslim majority state in the country would have come to nought. In the event of a snap poll that she had cautioned her party time and time again, it was no secret that the PDP would have lost the plot. The advantage would have rested with her rival National Conference and the Congress to make a comeback bid.

Finally, Mehbooba has come out of the shadows enjoying the distinction of being the first woman chief minister of J & K. Caught in a delicate situation, she has to tread guardedly between the cacophony of the separatists on the one side and the unthinkable aspect of getting the North Pole and the South Pole especially the PDP-BJP combine working in tandem for development and progress rather than pushing their extreme ideologies. On his part Prime Minister Narendra Modi after returning from Saudi Arabia telephoned Mehbooba and assured full cooperation and financial assistance from the centre. She told her council of ministers that her mission is to realise the vision of her father of “”a peaceful, prosperous and stable J & K.”” Interestingly, she conceded having more BJP ministers in her council of ministers.

No sooner than she had assumed the office of chief minister she was staring at a flare up in the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Srinagar where a section of students were roughed up. The matter should have best been left to the NIT administration. But that was not to be given the penchant for central intervention by the HRD ministry under the charge of Smriti Irani. It posed a challenge to Mehbooba’s leadership in ensuring that the situation did not go out of hand along with soothing ruffled feathers so that calm prevailed. It has become apparent that the unwarranted Central intervention has added to the Valley’s sense of bias against Delhi. Such interventions took place in other institutions of higher learning like the JNU in the national capital and the Central University in Hyderabad attracting national attention and complicating matters. Growing instances of intolerance in higher institutions of learning must be curbed rather than fanning it with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP, in the forefront backed by the fringe elements of the Sangh Parivar.

The crisis in Srinagar brings to the fore the divisive politics of nationalism. The dangers of such tactics cannot be overlooked. The bottom line is for the PDP and BJP to work in concert for instilling confidence among the people at large. Considering the rising militancy in J & K there is mounting frustration in the Valley. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is complicated as it pertains to the protection required by the Army and whether they should be redeployed out of relatively calm areas. The Supreme Court has already laid down strict guidelines for counter terrorism operations that has contributed to adequate decline in human rights violations by the military. In Jammu and Kashmir the clamour is for according priority to police reforms.

At the first cabinet meeting chaired by her earlier this week on Monday, Mehbooba announced people welfare measures like doubling the ration from 5 Kg to 10 Kg per person involving an annual additional expenditure of Rs 1500 crores to an enhanced population of 1.19 crores. Pensions have also been raised by 30% for those between 85 to 90 years, 40% for those between 90-95 years, 50% to those in 95-100 age group and 100% for the centurians and above. Travel allowance has also been revised from Rs 15000 to Rs 20,000 per month for the Durbar move with immediate effective. Mehbooba wants to fulfil her father’s wish of making J&K a welfare state. Mehbooba needs to generate goodwill for herself in all the three distinct regions — Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh — of the state peculiar to J&K alone.

Simultaneously, she has to build bridges with the centre. It is in this context her meeting with the Prime Minister on Wednesday assumes importance. She reminded Modi of his desire to make J&K a model state. She requested him to include Srinagar and Jammu in the plan of making them part of the “”Smart Cities Mission”” of the Urban Development ministry. Looking back it makes immense sense why the Mufti as a tall leader preferred having an alliance with the BJP led NDA government on the majestic Raisina Hill in the national capital. After mulling over matters for 90 days from January to March last year, the Mufti proposed an unimaginable tie up with the BJP without which he was convinced the centre would have throttled J&K for direly needed financial resources.
Going with the Congress or anyone else for that matter was not a viable option. Considering his tall stature as a leader in J&K, no one dare oppose him openly despite the underlying resentment in his party. There is no doubt despite the stone walling by the BJP on the CBMs that Mehbooba direly wanted to put in place, she had to necessarily take the plunge of forming the government despite the challenges it presented. Politics is the art of the possible. Lets wait and see.

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator. The views expressed here are personal.)”

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Article111.pngThe Modi government has come under sharp attack from the Congress-Left combine on its in principle decision to sign the Logistics Support Agreement with the U.S., expressing strong reservations and claiming that it was intrusive and amounted to compromising national sovereignty and strategic autonomy of the country. Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Anand Sharma said that the LSA was earlier proposed by the U.S. in 2004 but the UPA government, led by the Congress, had resisted it for the past 10 years on the basis of some valid concerns. The agreement, still under negotiation, envisages providing logistical support, fuel supplies, services and repair facilities to each other’s military.

Mr. Sharma said the LSA would be misconstrued by India’s other strategic partners as India being drawn into a Military Alliance with the U.S. and two other agreements form the part of The Foundational Agreements as they are called – the second one is CISMOA i.e. The Communication and Information Security MOA and the third is BECA – Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement. “”Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government do not have a national mandate to push India into a situation in closer, deeper Military Alliance and become part of the larger operational designs and requirements of the US in Asia, in Pacific and South China Sea. It would be detrimental to India’s interests, our security interest and also undermine or rather underrate the critical geo-strategic balance and also the balance for forces in India’s extended neighbourhood in the Region,”” Mr. Sharma said.

He clarified that India has refused to be drawn into any Military Alliance and has only strategic partnerships. He asked the government to retrace its steps and ensure that India’s past position of not leaning or being drawn into Military Blocks is respected. He also questioned the U.S. decision to supply lethal weaponry, including F-16 fighter jets, to Pakistan knowing fully well that Islamabad’s armed forces do not have any friendly intention towards India and its people. The Communist Party of India (CPI) feared that the proposed agreement would allow the US Armed Forces to be stationed on Indian soil in the name of repairing and maintenance facilities for American ships and aeroplanes.

“”While the people of Japan, Philippines, Cuba and other countries are fighting to remove the American bases from their soil, India is providing such a facility to USA, though in the name of “Maintenance facility” is very dangerous. The CPI said such strategic agreements should be discussed in Parliament and there should be no compromise on the question of national sovereignty,” the CPI said in a statement. The CPI (M) said the Modi government has taken the dangerous step of deepening military collaboration with the U.S. by agreeing to allow US armed forces to use base facilities in Indian naval and air force bases. In doing so, the BJP government has crossed a line which no other government has done since independence – converting India into a full-fledged military ally of the United States. All political parties and patriotic citizens should oppose this surrender to the USA, the CPI (M) said.”

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Article115.pngThe suicide bomber of Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of Pakistani Taliban, carried out bomb blasts in a park in Lahore on March 27 where Christians were celebrating Easter. The powerful bomb explosion in which more than 20 kgs of explosives was used killed more than 72 persons and caused injuries to about 340 others, mainly Christians. The spokesman of the terrorist outfit not only took the responsibility of the heinous act but also threatened of more such attacks against Christians. The ghastly act was condemned by Pakistani Prime Minister, Pakistani Chief of Army staff as well as by several other local leaders. Indian Prime Minister as well as leaders of United States, Australia and other countries also condemned the blast.

Both Pakistani Prime Minister and Chief of Staff chaired separate meetings to deal terrorism especially in Punjab. Nawaz Sharif promised to take stringent action and the police also arrested few persons suspected to be involved in the blast. Pakistani civil as well as military leadership project Punjab as a peaceful state hence terrorist activities in the province are kept underground instead of dealing with them severely. At present military operations against terrorists are going on in North Waziristan and Karachi while Punjab is publicized as a safe province. The Islamic Jihadists attacked Christians, whose population is about 2.5 million in Pakistan. In the past too, two blasts in Lahore in March 2015 killed 14 persons and injured 80. In 2013 more than 80 persons lost their lives in bomb blasts that shook Peshawar.

The Islamic extremism is increasing in Pakistan rapidly. Christians are badly treated in the country and face inequity, abhorrence and constant maltreatment by the Muslim majority. There were reports of destroying dwelling places, villages, churches and even the religious books of Christians without provocation. The blasphemy laws in Pakistan are grossly misused against the minorities to settle their personal feuds. The minorities have to face mob fury even on false allegations of blasphemy. Both civil and military leadership made tall claims to prevent such occurrences but no worthwhile effort were made to protect the Christian minorities.

Pakistan administration claimed that bomb blasts were not against Christians and more Muslims were killed in the explosion than the Christians but it was a distortion of facts as Christians were celebrating Easter with their families and in the blast more women and children were killed. Not only this spokesman of Jamat-ul-Ahrar the terrorist outfit took responsibility of the blast and unambiguously mentioned that the blast was against Christians and they would carry out more such terrorist attacks. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who wanted to avoid attending 4th and final Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington cancelled his visit under the pretext of Lahore bomb explosion. The summit was expected to converse about the safety and security of nuclear and other radiological weapons in view of terrorist threat.

Pakistan Army is the real custodian of nuclear warheads and the civilian government headed by Nawaz Sharif has a little sway over it. Besides this Pakistan is also a breeding ground of terrorists and the world community is worried about the safety and security of the nuclear weapons especially of ‘Nasr’ missile which is capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to 60 kilometers. There are umpteen number of press reports that Islamic State (IS), the most powerful and resourceful terrorist organization, is trying to procure nuclear warheads from Pakistan. Several Islamic terrorist organizations active in Pakistan also claim that they would procure nuclear warheads through some Islamic fanatic who can lay hands on the nuclear weapons. The cohorts of Mumtaz Qadri, the assassin of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer surrounded Islamabad and demanded the execution of Aasia Bibi who was guilty of blasphemy. The administration is unable to take stringent action against the protesters who were supporting a murderer of a governor who was against blasphemy law.

Pakistani administration should take stringent action against the perpetrators of terror on Christian minority. The security agencies are taking half-hearted action against the terrorists especially in Punjab hence terrorist outfits are strengthening. There are also reports that Christians are migrating to other countries especially Sri Lanka, Thailand as migrating to Europe and America is difficult from Pakistan. The Pakistani administration must take corrective measures as migration of Christian community would send out wrong signals. The administration must understand that extremism and terrorism have no limits. The Islamic extremists first eliminate non-Muslims and then to Shia Muslims and afterwards various Sunnis groups like Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki, Hanafi, Wahabis, Shafi, Barelvi, Deobandis would fight among themselves. According to an estimate more than 44 percent Madrassas of Pakistan are in Punjab and they are propagating extremism in the province. These Madrassas are financed by various terrorist outfits as well as by few Mid-East countries hence controlling of these Madrassas is essential.

(Jai Kumar Verma is an independent security analyst based in Delhi.)“

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dialdfordon.pngFormer Delhi Commissioner of Police Neeraj Kumar’s book — DIAL D FOR DON : Inside Stories of CBI Missions — is highly absorbing for its forthright narrative which puts one on the edge of a seat. Needless to say it involves painstaking investigation in the cloak and dagger game which is real with all the concomitant dangers. There have been several instances where the author has been caught in tricky situations along with his team in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) where he was on deputation for nine years and established some enviable benchmarks.

Kumar provides an account of the country’s underworld particularly in Mumbai ranging from organised crime to match fixing along with the blood letting and mayhem of terrorism. He has tried to put matters in perspective without undermining its deleterious impact on society. Being his first book the author’s personality comes across as being a pragmatic and a dogged sleuth leading to convictions in court. There have been moments when he has wondered if he has taken a wrong decision which might bring a bad name to the CBI, acknowledged as the premier investigating agency in the country. Ultimately his steadfast approach and quiet confidence paid rich dividends.

Raja Vijay Karan, former Director of CBI as well as Commissioner of Delhi Police, draws pointed attention to Kumar’s remarkable memory with “”no notes, no documents and no background papers”” which has held him in good stead. In his foreword, he refers to Kumar’s narration which brings out though mutedly the anxiety that he had to face due to personal jealousies of fellow officers in the CBI and the police. “”It is a shame that we human beings are such imperfect entities, capable of spite, deceit and needless oneupmanship.”” Further, India still continues to pay a heavy price for the communal riots that occur frequently in the country. Pakistan is always there to exploit this faultline in our country both to to give this country a bad name and inveigle the minority community into terrorism against India,”” observed Karan.

A book of this kind is uncommon as one has hardly come across real time painstaking investigations on transnational terrorism which has never been the forte of the CBI. Nevertheless the agency had taken up the challenge and come up trumps despite the handicaps. Subsequently there was a felt need to constitute the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to exclusively probe terrorism in its entirety. The book has been devoted to the investigations connected among others with the serial bomb blasts in Mumbai along with Mumbai’s shady and dangerous under world. The topics range from — Gifts from the Gulf, The rise and fall of Aftab Ansari, Operation Desert Safari: the story of an anti-kidnap, Dial D for Don: My Conversations with Dawood Ibrahim, Devil Wears Khadi, Our Man in Dubai: the CBI versus the ISI and Between 22 yards: Tracing of ‘MK’ the pioneer of match fixing in cricket.

“”Operation Desert Safari”” is the tantalising story of an anti-kidnap operation pertaining to an Abu Dhabi based entrepreneur Thekkat Siddique ready to venture into uncharted territory. He arrived in Delhi on 11 March 2001 at the invitation of one Vijay Rathore whom he had never met. Vijay had repeatedly spoken to Thekkat on the telephone and through emails inviting him to Delhi for business negotiations. Hailing from Calicut, Thekkat had moved to Abu Dhabi more than two decades back. As it turned out a Dubai based gangster had received news of Thekkat’s ‘boundless riches”” and plotted to have him kidnapped during his visit to India. He was received at the airport by one of Vijay’s PAs and taken to a well appointed bungalow in South Delhi. Once inside the house Vijay was conspicuous by his absence. Instead Thekkat was confronted by unkempt men who roughed him up.

The captive was informed he would have to pay a ransom of $ two million if he wanted to be set free. Thekkat realised his mistake of not checking the antecedents of his host in Delhi. He was made to speak to his wife in Abu Dhabi and notify her about his abduction. On the following day on March 12, Thekkat’s family members met India’s then ambassador in Abu Dhabi K C Singh seeking his help. The Ambassador took a written complaint from the victim’s wife and faxed it promptly to R K Raghavan, the then Director of CBI. Kumar was not sure how to respond especially as the CBI’s capabilities in tackling a live kidnap situation had never been tested. The option was to take up the case in the Economic Offences wing of which the author was the Joint Director. At this stage the CBI had three divisions: Anti Corruption Division, the Economic Offences Wing and the Special Crimes Division.

A hostage situation requiring search and rescue operations was unheard of in the CBI. Volunteering to investigate such a case was “”sticking one’s neck a bit too far.”” Kumar took it up as a challenge and did not want to disappoint the Ambassador who had reposed faith in him. To cut a long story short Kumar worried endlessly for the man being held hostage by transnational criminals. His perseverance and resoluteness paid. His highly dedicated team facilitated Thekkat’s rescue along with the Special Cell of Delhi police. All the surviving accused in the case were awarded life sentences. Kumar found operation Desert Safari easily one of the most thrilling and satisfying experiences of his professional life.

In Dial D for Don, the author drew attention that before moving to CBI on deputation he was DCP, Crime Branch in the national capital where he became aware of the movement of gangsters acting at the behest of the dreaded Dawood Ibrahim in securing arms and ammunition in large quantities for creating chaos in the western metropolis of Mumbai. Two names that figured often were Ahmed Mansoor from the Jama Masjid area in Delhi. Mansoor had grown up with Dawood and knew a lot about his formative years and his later life as well. Dawood’s father was a constable in the police and extremely strict with his seven children. The family lived in a small room in a crowded chawl. Dawood knew there was no future for him in these environs.

Mansoor also told police about Dawood’s lavish lifestyle in Dubai, his fondness for mujras (soirees musicale) and women along with keen interest in cricket and Bollywood and how his word was the law in Mumbai. Most disputes involving real estate, monetary matters, release dates of films by different producers, casting of film stars etc were decided in his ‘court’ in Dubai. Kumar and the Don had three long conversations on 10 June, 20 June and 22 June 1994. “”What Dawood wanted to convey to me was that Tiger Memon had approached him ostensibly in connection with his dispute with Haji Ahmed. Tiger had tricked some of his aides into thinking that he was part of the overall controversy behind sending consignments of weapons and explosives. Dawood was kept in the picture when the conspiracy was hatched. “”D”” continues to be safely hiding in Pakistan with no chance of India getting him back.

Pakistan, despite being given Dawood’s place of hiding, routinely denies his presence in the neighbouring country. Giving up Dawood is a difficult demand for Pakistan to comply resulting in ISI losing its credibility in engaging Indians for terrorist activities in the future. Willy nilly but happily destiny brought Kumar to be part of four major inquiries/investigations into match fixing malpractices in cricket. “”I was exposed to the rot that has set in the game once played by lords and royals on sunny afternoons. It was common for batsmen to ‘walk’ even when declared not out if the batsman knew he had nicked the ball and had been caught behind. If given out even when he was not, the batsman would still walk.”” A few rotten eggs have muddied the waters and given the game a bad name,”” emphasises Kumar.

He acknowledged he needed hard facts to beef up the stories in this book and while researching the author had to reconnect with police officers at all levels in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Gujarat and the CBI. The book has some explosive details and nerve tingling suspense. Overall a must read book.

TR

(T R Ramachandran is a senior journalist and commentator.)
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