HAWK EYE

EXCERPTS: COAS GEN VK SINGH'S PETITION

2012-01-17T01:06:00.000-08:00

GAURAV C SAWANT
NEW DELHI, JAN 16

Document after document in the Chief of the Army Staff General Vijay Kumar Singh’s 66 page petition and 150 page annexure in the Supreme Court give evidence of his ``correct’’ date of birth 10 May 1951.

The best legal minds in the army and the country have launched the final assault on the Government of India and the Ministry of Defence for quashing his statutory complaint to `reconcile’ the discrepancy in his age.

From his matriculation certificate issued by the Rajasthan Board to his father Major Jagat Singh’s service records, letter written by Officer Commanding, 14th Battalion of Rajput Regiment, letters written by DIG CID, query made by UPSC at the time of joining NDA, IMA, his commissioning identity card, awards, citations and promotion Boards, the army chief has attached documents to show how he has been wronged by both the Army Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence.

The Chief in his petition says`` respondent (Ministry of Defence) without going into the factual aspect as well as the law settled by this Hon’ble Court has dismissed the Statutory Complaint filed by the petitioner under section 27 of the Army Act. While dismissing the complaint, the respondent failed to appreciate that Matriculation Certificate and Date of Birth mentioned in the Service Records can only be the authentic proof of Date of Birth.’’

To strengthen his case, he has also annexed the opinion of former Chief Justice of India, JS Varma, taken by the Adjutant General’s Branch. The petition says:

``That it is also important to mention that the AG Branch also sought the opinion of Justice J.S. Verma, former Chief Justice of India, who also concluded that the Petitioner’s date of birth is 10.05.1951 and all records need to harmonise accordingly.’’
Giving a brief history of the issue, the petition says: ``since there was no certificate regarding DOB available for submitting with the UPSC application form including the class X certificate from the Rajasthan Secondary Education Board, a certificate from Officer Commanding, 14 Rajput Regiment dated 03.08.1965, certifying the date of birth of petitioner as 10.05.1951 as per the official records of his father, Shri Jagat Singh who was Major in the Army, was obtained and submitted to UPSC just before the written examinations.’’

The Army chief is also relying on CID investigation done way back in 1966 which show his ``correct’’ DoB as May 10 1951. In his petition he says:
``candidates seeking commission in the armed forces are required to undergo verification and are required to fill up Form SP-103 for this purpose, which has to be attested by the DIG of Police, C.I.D. of the respective States. The form for verification was filled by petitioner on 09.05.1966 and duly verified by the D.I.G., C.I.D., I.B., Rajasthan and the D.I.G., C.I.D., I.B., Punjab on 22nd June, 1966. The verification also reflects petitioner’s date of birth as 10th May 1951.’’

The Chief insists he was under the impression his correct DoB had been recorded as his I-Card at the time of commissioning showed so.
He writes: ``it is relevant to point out here that every cadet before his commissioning to the Army from the IMA receives an identity card which is carried on for life by every officer. The identity card as issued to petitioner reflects his date of birth as 10th May 1951. The date of birth in the identity card is cross-checked from relevant document and there exists an elaborate procedure for this. On commissioning of an officer on joining the unit, a Record of service is also prepared and counter-signed by his commanding officer. Petitioner was commissioned in the Indian army on 14th June 1970 in Infantry in 2nd Battalion of the Rajput Regiment and his record of service at the time of his commission in 1970 also has the date of birth as 10 May, 1951. ‘’

The Chief has also hinted at his seniors – naming then COAS General Deepak Kapoor having let him down.

``That since the then Chief of Army Staff had personally assured him that he will resolve the issue regarding petitioner’s date of birth, but when nothing had been done for almost three months thereafter, the petitioner vide letter dated 1st July 2008 addressed to the then Chief of Army Staff, General Deepak Kapoor requested for justice to be done in his case. Petitioner also enquired as to the constraints mentioned by the MS Branch which compelled them to maintain DOB as 10th May 1950 despite petitioner’s having submitted the SSC Certificate in 1971 and mentioning his date of birth as 10th May 1951 in all his confidential reports.’’

The Chief in his petition says it is almost unbelievable that the government would get wrong advise from the Attorney General.

``It also seems almost unbelievable that the Attorney General would give precedence to the inadvertent mistake of wrongly writing the date of birth over the prescribed procedure such as preparation of IAFZ-2041 and therefore, the petitioner doubts as to whether a correct query was asked from the Ld. Attorney General.’’

HANG AFZAL GURU BUT DONT JUST STOP THERE

2011-12-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

Members of Parliament should hang their heads in shame today.

On the 10th anniversary of the attack on the temple of democracy – Parliament, families of martyrs stayed away from the remembrance ceremony in Parliament - in protest.

They wanted Afzal Guru, convicted for the Parliament attack to be hanged. But this blog is not about Afzal Guru. Not hanging Afzal Guru is just symptomatic of the malaise. What is our attitude towards national security? Are we blind to the threat – government and opposition? Our lawmakers owe not just the next of kin of Parliament attack martyrs but even the nation, an explanation.

•Where is the biggest threat to India's national security originating from?
•10 years after Parliament attack are we as a nation more secure?
•Can we effectively deal with the threat from the source of terror?
•Not just neutralise the pawns in the terror matrix – can India take out the kings of terror?

Afzal Guru is a mere pawn. Hanging or not hanging him is not as big an issue today. What the nation's powers that be on Raisina Hill must answer is - can we, as a nation, 10 years after 13/12 effectively target the source of terror?

Pakistan was the source of terror, 10 years ago and remains a threat today. Perhaps even bigger than 10 years ago. Terrorists like Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, Masood Azhar, Dawood Ibrahim operate in tandem with Pakistan's ISI to strike India at will – at a place, time and with intensity of their choosing.

Do prime minister Manmohan Singh, Leader of opposition Sushma Swaraj and the 800 respected lawmakers have a plan to deal with the threat? This is not a threat to the government. This is not a threat to the opposition. This is a threat to the nation and together the lawmakers have to discuss, debate and move forward to effectively deal with the threat.

10 years after 9/11 the US took out Osama Bin Laden, the biggest threat to US national security. The US has been waging war relentlessly on the source of that terror – not winning yet – but engaging the terrorists and their masterminds in Pakistan (often failing). But you cant blame the US for not trying or as Admiral Mike Mullen finally did – calling a spade a spade.

India neither has the military wherewithal nor the political will to take Pakistan's jihad factories – funded by the Pakistan Army and ISI – head on. India clearly cannot do an Abbotabad type operation to take out Hafiz Saeed, Dawood Ibrahim and Masood Azhar.

But there are hundreds of other options that the government must pursue. Covert operations to tell the enemy – every action has a bigger reaction that hits the perpetrators hard. It should be on the table. And should be exercised.

The Prime Minister and the lawmakers have fortified themselves in multi layer security. It's the aam aadmi – who travels in Mumbai and Delhi trains, shops at local markets, visits temples and mosques –is in the line of fire.

Real tribute to those who gave up their lives protecting the temple of democracy – and those who give up their lives every day protecting the nation from Pakistan sponsored terror would be to neutralize the threat at its source. Otherwise remembrance ceremonies at Parliament or Gateway of India will mean nothing.

You must hang Afzal Guru. But don't just stop there.

AFSPA: WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD

2011-11-16T23:05:00.000-08:00

Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir has two elements - the smaller local involvement, and the larger Pakistan's proxy war. In the past two decades the Jammu and Kashmir Police, central police organisations, para military forces and the army have together contained the situation effectively. With the active assistance of the local population, to a large extent, black sheep have been neutralised.

The army having fenced almost 500 km plus of the 740-kilometre-long Line of Control (LoC), effective electronic measures and multi-tier grid has managed to stem the flow of terrorists. However, the situation is far from 'normal'.

The latest army intelligence assessment accessed exclusively by Headlines Today says:

•There are approx 2,500 terrorists undergoing training in PoK/Pak.
•There are approx 400 terrorists operating both north and south of Pir Panjal.
•20,000 'released' terrorists can be exploited by elements across.
•There are 42 active terrorist camps in Pakistan.
•There are a large number of active launch pads across the LoC.

We will talk about the local elements a little later, lets for a moment concentrate on Pakistan. Can terror survive in J&K without Pakistan Army/ISI recruiting, training, arming, funding and supporting terrorists? The answer clearly is no. Has Pakistan stopped training, arming and launching terrorists? The answer again is no.

Terrorism in J&K is a part of Pakistan's war on India. This, the army calls the 4th generation of hybrid war. Pakistan army regulars, irregulars, criminals and terrorists are all waging war on India by different means. In JK the much maligned Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is just a tool - an enabler - to fight this war.

As far as perception is concerned - the AFSPA needs to go. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is completely right the situation is improving and as a test case - from Srinagar and Budgam, where the army has not operated from in the past half a decade at least - the Act can be lifted. Both the J&K police and the CRPF (which is facing an uphill task dealing with the Maoists - because of poor training, tactics and deployment) are confident they will be able to handle the situation in Srinagar and Budgam.

No arguments there. We saw how the CRPF and J&K police 'controlled' the rioters and stone pelters in Srinagar last summer. One flag march by the Army, pelters knew the state means business and they quietly melted away.

At the same time it is also a fact that there have been no terrorist related incidents in Budgam - barely 10 kilometres from Srinagar since 2008. And even before that in 2006 and 2007 there were only two incidents each year. The J&K police perhaps, have the best intelligence grid in the valley.

In Srinagar town, the army has not operated since 2005 (except the symbolic flagmarch in 2010- which had the desired result).

But what when AFSPA is removed and there is a situation that warrants army's involvement? Has that been wargamed? No. First all the pros and cons should be extensively debated and wargamed, then a decision taken. Here a decision has been taken without even taking the army into the loop.

The state needs one spark to explode - for people to start spilling out on the streets. From Shopian drowning to Amarnath land protests to Srinagar stone pelters - last three years were extremely hot. In every situation, the army was on heightened alert; often strengthening the grid - backing up the police.

Suddenly in one peaceful summer - should army's enabler powers be curtailed? In a proxy war (unless we say J&K terrorism is not Pak's proxy war) there are no islands of peace. If security forces operate without enablers - the vacuum is filled by forces inimical to the state.

What does Army's internal assessment say:

•Pakistan's agenda on J&K has not changed.
•There is a nexus between the Pakistan Army, ISI, separatists & terrorists.
•Pak Army and separatists want Indian Army dis-empowered .
•Terrorists will use non-AFSPA spaces to fester and grow.
•Even if army has not operated in Srinagar & Budgam there is an active-Int Grid.

On Chief Minister Omar Abdullah saying it is a long standing demand of the people of the state to revoke AFSPA, top ranking sources point out:

•There were over 450 protests in the valley in 2011. Not one against AFSPA.
•In Poonch-Rajauri there were protests for army re-deployment when troops were relocated.
•There are no 'islands of peace'. Situation in Srinagar & Budgam peaceful because of proactive operations.
•Area domination, intelligence gathering and security of assets and lines of communication are all a part of the proactive strategy.
•If AFSPA removed from Srinagar and Budgam, the vital assets and vital points will be vulnerable to terrorist action.

In my detailed interaction with both commanders operating in the area and those involved in higher management of terrorism one thing was clear. Nobody wants Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to lose face. When the matter was raised in 'Regional committee' the army gave its recommendations justifying the retention of AFSPA in February 2011.

After February 2011, till the time that Omar Abdullah went public in October - there was no communication between the state government and the army on the issue.

A senior officer said that at a recent Unified Headquarters meeting a detailed presentation to highlight the complexities of the internal security situation and proxy war were given.

Are politicians only looking at the short term goals? One may or may not agree with army's big picture but it merits a mention here.

The army assessment of Pakistan's strategy in the coming years is - enhanced focus on J&K in the years to come. Pakistan balances Afghanistan, Pakistan's own internal security situation and engagement in J&K depending on who applies more pressure - USA or Pak trained terrorists.

With the US downsizing from next summer (2012) - this will reduce pressure on the Taliban in Afghanistan and more terrorists will be available to send across to J&K.

Elections in the US (2013) and India (2014) will see changes in the regional dynamics.

India's tenure at UNSC ends in 2012. Pakistan and OIC can then increase UN attention on J&K.

"The terrorists are desperate for non-AFSPA pockets to use as safe havens to strike and return to safety and also use as training ground for new crop of indigenous terrorists. Let us study the way situation evolves next summer. In case peace prevails, the army would be more than happy to return to fortify the LoC," a top commander said.

Is one more summer too much to ask for?

ISI IN THE DOCK IN CHICAGO COURT

2011-05-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

GAURAV C. SAWANT

IN CHICAGO

There is pin drop silence on the 19th floor Federal court room of Judge Harry Leinenweber. The 12 member jury and benches packed with international media are listening in stunned silence as terror’s blue eyed boy describes how Pakistan’s ISI and Lashkar-e-Tayeba jointly planned and executed the worst terror attack on India with military precision. And LeT’s American operative David Coleman Headley should
know. He not only had a ring side view of the entire operation but was a part of the planning of this operation. In his low voice – often he has to be coaxed to speak up – Headley narrates how LeT and ISI jointly planned and executed the operation that killed 166 innocent people.

These are not allegations being leveled by India. This is the inside story of how heated debates took place between LeT’s operational commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakvi and ISI’s Major Iqbal on the perfect landing site for the 10 terrorists. And how it was finally a Pakistan navy frogman (name yet to be revealed) whose writ finally prevailed and Budhwar Park was finally chosen as the perfect landing site and
not Gateway of India as Lakvi wanted.

Lakvi wanted Gateway of India as a symbolic gesture of invasion of India but both the Pakistan Navy frogman and Headley who poured over India’s coastal maps over several days decided against it because of the heavy presence of Navy and Coast Guard in that area. ISI’s Major Iqbal also wanted two boats to reach India – one with additional arms, ammunition and explosives for future operations to be dumped but the LeT shot down the idea. It was also revealed that the 10 terrorists
were not on a suicide mission. Headley told the court room that he had been tasked to find a safe house where the 10 terrorists could live undetected for several months after the terror attacks to be able to carry out more attacks subsequently.

Some of this may not come as a surprise to many in the security and intelligence establishment in India but here in the United States there is alarm at the jointmanship between LeT and ISI. On trial in the Chicago Federal court is Pakistan born Chicago businessman and army deserter Tahawwur Hussein Rana but in the dock is clearly Pakistan’s ISI.

Wearing a black casual jacket, T-shirt and slacks Headley tells the Jury that ISI coordinates activities of groups like LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). He lists out names of Pakistan army and ISI officers who have either trained or handled him – Major Ali of Khyber Rifles Regimental Centre who met Headley when he was in detention in Pakistan’s northern Areas trying to smuggle in drugs. Major Iqbal of ISI, Headley’s handler at Lahore, Major Sameer Ali, a contact, Major Abdur Rehman alias Pasha and Major Haroon, another contact and handler.

``But it is not just officers at the rank of Majors who are handling terrorists or sponsoring terror,’’ James Krindler, attorney for the American victims of 26/11 tells Headlines Today. ``Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, Director General ISI and Lt Gen (retd) Nadeem Taj, former DG ISI should come clean. Without their knowledge this terror strike could not have happened. Not all ISI officers are terrorists but the
rot runs deep,’’ he adds. Krindler should know. He has filed a case for civil damages against the ISI and its DG in a New York court.

Headley’s testimony helps fill in the gaps about Pakistan’s planning for 26/11 terror attacks. Headley, a convicted drug peddler in the US was on his way to the north west frontier province of Pakistan to buy more drugs with an ex Pakistan army major turned terrorist Major Abdur Rehman alias Pasha. Together they were detained by the police and came into contact with a Major Ali at the Khyber Rifles Regimental Centre. The officer was in uniform, introduced himself as an ISI officer. When
Headley told him about his sympathies for the LeT and the fact that since 2002 he had done several courses – religious, weapons training, intelligence gathering and leadership – with the LeT in Muzaffarabad, Major Ali offered to rope him into the ISI.

That is where Headley’s association with the ISI began. On returning to Lahore, he was contacted by Major Iqbal a serving ISI officer posted at the Lahore cantonment. He expressed dissatisfaction at Headley’s level of training and offered to have ISI officers train him.

``I was taken to a double storied white building in a residential complex near the Lahore airport where ISI non commissioned officers (NCOs) trained me over a period of time,’’ Headley said in response to a question posed by accused Tahawwur Rana’s counsel Charles Swift. Though Major Iqbal always came in civvies (civil clothes and not uniform) he drove an army jeep, Headley said.

Headley told the court that during his training in Lashkar in 2002, he came into contact with Sajid Mir and Pasha, both people he learnt to admire for their dedication to the `cause.’ Since he was American looking (courtesy an American mother), spoke fluent English, Urdu and Punjabi and had an American passport, LeT and ISI (Sajid and Major Iqbal) decided to launch him into India. Rana’s immigration company was the perfect cover. Headley roped in Rana and with the 25,000 USD
given by Major Iqbal of the ISI Headley came to Mumbai for the first time in 2006 to start his reconnaissance mission.

At the same time he always kept Pasha (ex Maj Abdur Rehman), who he met through a common Lashkar contact at a Lahore mosque, in the loop about his activities and association with both the ISI and the LeT. Armed with his cameras, posing as a immigration consultant and tourist Headley undertook several boat trips to study the harbour to find the perfect landing spot. He marked them all on the GPS provided to him by the ISI and LeT.

Lakvi wanted him to take a boat and come into the international waters to bring in the 10 terrorists but Headley was against it saying as a foreigner he could not sail out of Indian territorial waters without arousing suspicion. Headley also told the court that he also met Hafiz `saab’ (Hafiz Mohammed Saeed) at the Lashkar Headquarters. When US Attorney asked him who Hafiz `saab’ was Headley replied: ``He is the chief of the Lashkar-e-Tayeba.’

Both ISI’s Major Iqbal and LeT’s Sajid wanted him to take multiple videos of the second floor conference hall of the Taj Mahal hotel. They had heard that there was going to be an important conference of Indian Defence scientists and contractors and wanted to strike then, But Headley could not get either the guest list or the dates of meetings so final dates of assault could not be worked out. But at every step, Headley told the court that both the LeT and the ISI gave him the same orders. ``It was clear to me that Sajid and Maj Iqbal were in touch and compared notes,’’ he said.

Headley also told the court that ISI was unhappy that the areas that Headley filmed for possible attack did not include the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Major Iqbal sent him back to take pictures of the nuclear facility for ``possible future operations.’’

During the trial it also emerged that the 10 terrorists first set sail from Karachi to Mumbai in August 2008. But barely had they sailed for some time that their boat hit a rock and capsized. The terrorists were wearing life jackets and managed to reach the shore but lost all their weapons and ammunition. The second time in September they managed to reach the international waters but the moment they tried to hijack an Indian fishing trawler, the captain of the Indian trawler managed to
evade them. The Indian trawler was faster and swiftly sailed out of reach. The 10 terrorists returned to Karachi empty handed. Finally in November they succeeded.

Headley also told the court that the LeT team commander Sajid was in Karachi along with LeT’s Abu Al Qama and Qahafa along with others watching the entire 26/11 terror attacks and guiding the terrorists. When the terrorists inside the Jewish Chabad House lost their nerve seeing NSG commandoes rappling down from the Mi-17 helicopter and asked Sajid for guidance, he told them to use a mattress as cover and fire at the commandoes. Headley claimed the plan worked and the terrorists succeeded in pushing back the commandoes. When he narrated this incident to Dr Rana, he is alleged to have said Sajid deserved to be called Khalid-bin-Waleed, the great military commander who fought with the holy Prophet Mohammed PBUH.

Headley also said that it was Sajid who insisted that all 10 terrorists before being launched into India needed to be given operational Indian mobile phones and sim cards. With 9 dead, Dr Rana is alleged to have said they all deserved the Nishan-e-Haider, Pakistan’s highest military medal.

On Wednesday in the Chicago Federal court house Headley rattled off a list of top priority targets that included Bollywood stars, Somnath temple, Shiv Sena office and Jyllands Posten newspaper office in Denmark. His fifth high priority target was the National Defence College in Delhi. His logic ``More Colonels, Brigadiers and Generals
will be killed in a single attack than put together in all the wars fought between India and Pakistan till date,’’ Attacking the NDC was Al Qaeda commander Illyas Kashmiri’s idea and interest, he said.

In fact after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and with mounting international pressure, the LeT wanted to lie low but after having tasted success in the Mumbai terror attacks, Headley was already following the same surveillance procedure at Denmark, the court was told. Headley posing as a consultant of Rana’s immigration firm reached Copenhagen and went to the office of Jyllands Posten to place
an advertisement for his immigration firm. As he did that he made 13 surveillance videos of approach and access to the newspaper office, Copenhagen train station, King’s Square and the office building itself.

He told the court that Illyas Kashmiri sent him to England to meet his contacts who would arrange for funds, men and weapons for the attack as the LeT had backed down because of rising international pressure. However, the men in England instead of GBP 10,000 gave him only GBP 2,000 and no guns or men. A disappointed Headley reached Copenhagen alone. He saw Danish army personnel march on parade through Copenhagen’s King’s Square. Headley says, he struck up a conversation with a Danish army captain and found out that the weapons were always loaded. That’s when LeT’s Sajid suggested they throw a grenade at the parade, steal the weapons and then use them.

Before the plan could succeed, Headley was arrested and so was Tahawwur Hussein Rana. The prosecution maintains Rana may not have pulled the trigger himself but since he gave material support knowingly to Headley he is as guilty. His counsel Charles Swift insists Rana was taken for a ride by his master manipulator friend
David Headley. Swift insists Headley is guilty. Those who are guilty should be held to account. Unfortunately, he added, we’ve done a deal with them.

Either ways, the threat for India does not come much from people like Rana. The threat to India comes from people like Major Iqbal, Major Pasha, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Major Alis of the ISI. For India till the ISI is held to account – there is clear and present danger.

TERROR DECODED

Headley, Rana, Maj Iqbal of ISI, Sajid of LeT and Pasha of LeT spoke
in codes and frequently changed their email addresses. However in
court Headley explained the codes they used to converse.

Marriage meant martyrdom

Investment meant plans for terror strikes

Old Uncle meant Hafiz Mohammed Saeed

In hospital meant either jail or house arrest

Doctor – depending on the context meant Illyas Kashmiri or Dr Tahawwur Rana

Company meant ISI

Bala meant Major Iqbal

Micky Mouse Project-Plan to kill Danish cartoonist

TITANIC OF THE SKIES: AIR INDIA

2011-04-30T12:06:00.001-07:00

The officer who called me is tasked to protect our borders from external threat. As Delhi boils in 40 degrees Celsius temperature, he guards our frontiers in sub zero temperatures even today. With great difficulty he manged to get 15 days off from his Commanding Officer to help his daughter with her admission and his father with his operation. But will the national carrier Air India fly him home?

With more than 800 pilots on strike demanding a salary much higher than the Rs 3.65 lakh per month they get, he is not too sure if he will get home in time. The officer desperately trying to reach Delhi - cannot extend his leave from 15 days to 16. He does not have the luxury of going on strike demanding additional leave, more family time or a higher pay packet. That's a luxury only Air India pilots can afford in today's day and age where the airline industry is desperately trying to take off again post slump.

Air India got Rs 2,000 crore of the tax payers money post merger. Today its losses stand at a staggering Rs 16,000 crore and mounting. Air India officials say they incur a daily loss of Rs 21 crore and the strike has increased it by Rs 4 crore every day. So Air India bleeds the nation by Rs 25 crore per day.

CUTTING THEIR NOSE TO SPITE THEIR FACE?

For JRD Tata, Air India was his baby.Nurtured with love, care and affection. It is not without reason when he was the chairman (took only Re 1 as salary) Air India was considered among the top 5 airlines of the world.In his times, Air India was the nation's pride.

Today Air India is national shame. And its pilots are perhaps hammering in the last nail in the coffin. The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) claims they are fighting corruption and gross mismanagement by AI's CMD Arvind Jadhav. They claim he is bleeding the airlines to death and benefitting private players.They want a CBI inquiry into the mismanagement of Air India.

With due respect, isn't this exactly what the pilots are doing - bleeding the airlines to death and benefitting the private airlines.So are they not as guilty if not more than the management.

When the ship is sinking all hands are on the deck trying to save the ship.Not like pilots making more holes in the ship and blaming others for the sinking ship. From one of the best airlines in the world, Air India has now plumetted to number 4 position even within India behind Jet,Kingfisher and Indigo.

A section of Air India pilots celebrated the fact that Jet and other pilots were supporting them. Why not - with Air India pilots on strike - other airlines have increased their fares and are raking in the moolah. Why should they not want a longer strike. 150 of Air India's 200 domestic flights stand cancelled. Who benefits? other private players. Why should they not encourage Air India pilots to fight for higher pay packets while the private players drive Air India off the map.Once Air India was considered most reliable. Now some travel agents are telling potential fliers to spend a little extra and book with private airlines. At least they don't strike and travellers will reach their destination.

The timing of Air India pilots strike is also curious. April last week. Just when summer vacation is about to begin and most families have either booked or are in the process of booking their tickets. If pilots thought public pressure would force the government to act - they could not be more wrong. The public is so angry that they'd rather see Air India shut down rather than have another bail out for the airlines in red at the tax payers' expense.

DO WE NEED AIR INDIA?

Do you feel a sense of pride when you hear the name Air India?
Is Air India your preferred Airline when you fly domestic or international ?
Does Air India inspire confidence internationally as a brand name ?

If the answer to all of the above is no - it is time to shut down Air India. An Airline that does not take pride in its name, where employees are not struggling to keep it afloat and where the pilots and the management are on a Kamikazi mission does not deserve India in its name. India is a name I am proud of.

The pilots appear to be selfish, self centered, cribbing lot of have alls crying for even more when the airlines is in the red. I do not agree with civil aviation minister Vylar Ravi when he says the pilots are only 10+2 and crying for more when they earn at least 3.65 lakh a month. I could have forgiven a 10+2 for holding the nation to ransom. How do I forgive a group of 800 professional pilots - including 200executive pilots who have flown all across the country - some across the world - know ground realities and yet behave like spoilt rotten rogues.

SACK THEM AND CANCEL THEIR LICENCES

Vylar Ravi looks really angry on television as he tells pilots to return or face disciplinary action.Air India has sacked 6 pilots and suspended another 4. Of the 800plus pilots who are running Air India to the ground, action has been taken against 10.Is that enough?

In the past pilots have been sacked and suspended for a number of reasons when on strike. But they were reinstated later. Did the pilots lose anything? no. Did the management lose anything? no. Who lost? Well Air India lost its name and the nation its prestige. Of course you and I as taxpayers are the ultimate losers.

The pilots once sacked from Air India can join any of the private sector airlines, fly chartered planes or fly abroad. But this time the sacked pilots should lose their licence to fly. Let them know they cannot hold the nation to ransom. Again and Again.

MANAGEMENT & GOVERNMENT AS GUILTY

The Air India management and the government are perhaps as guilty as the striking pilots if not more.Why did Air India stop flying on 32 profitable routes including Chennai-Colombo and Gulf in the past couple of years. Who insisted on the merger that benefited the private airlines, especially on the Gulf route paving way for the second airline to operate on the route.

On what grounds has the management and government promised to look into the ``legitimate demands'' of Indian Airlines pilots on pay parity with Air India pilots. How can you compare apples and oranges?Air India pilots fly longer routes, bigger aircraft, longer duration...how can salaries have parity?

Why were domestic flying hours reduced drastically for Indian Airlines pilots? Why are private airlines growing at the cost of Air India? The management and the government need to explain why losses that stood at Rs 447.93 crore (Air India) and Rs 240.29 cr (Indian Airlines) shoot up to Rs 16,000 crore post merger?

Why was a decision to purchase 111 aircraft for Air India - international and domestic cleared when proper home work was not done on debt servicing, use of aircraft and requirement.

Experts say there has been no accountability in the functioning of Air India management and the government too. Pilots alone cannot be blamed. I completely agree with the pilots that there should be a CBI inquiry into the functioning of the national carrier and strict action be taken in a time bound manner against the guilty.

ANOTHER BAIL OUT?

A lot of what is happening - from covert threats of a lockout to overt calls for talks are all `tamasha' for public consumption. If one goes by past cases, sacked pilots have no reason to worry. Sooner than later talks will be fruitful and there will be those Kodak moments, all smiling photo opportunities and once agin it will be business as usual.

Except you and I perhaps would be forced to bail out Air India once again. Another multi thousand crore bailout. Pilots without working would have got a massive salary hike. With 1600 pilots getting a salary hike the remainder of the 14,000 Air India work force will threaten or actually go on a strike demanding parity and a raise. Another strike and another bail out.

Private airline owners will laugh all the way to the banks and you and I...the aam aadmi will be left wondering why despite paying such high taxes India remains a poor third world country.

This time when the nation is actually standing up to corruption - let there be a transparent probe into allegations of corruption in Air India. Let those who have played an active role in running the airline to the ground be jailed. Let pilots show commitment work without a raise - lift the airlines out of the red and soar into the blue skies. Money will follow.

The Anna Effect: My Jantar Mantar Diary

2011-04-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

A driver in the Indian army during the 1965 Indo-Pak war in the Khemkaran sector, is today the General of the peoples army fighting the war against corruption.
He has taken the nation by storm. From five year old class one students to those in the twilight of their lives, were all at Jantar Mantar to see a movement take shape. The government initially did not realise the gravity of the situation. Such a movement had been initiated once earlier.A similar battle cry had been sounded. But that time the movement did not succed. This time it did - at least so far. SUPER SHOCKING SCAMS But that time nobody was talking about the Rs 1,76,000 crore 2 G spectrum scam, Rs 70,000 crore rupee Commonwealth Games Scam, the Adarsh Scam, the Antrix deal and a ``clean'' prime minister presiding over what was seen as one of the most corrupt ever establishment. Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal saying with a straight face that there was no scam in 2G spectrum allocation angered the man on the street.For the aam admi prices of food, vegetables, fruits, education - daily life - spiralling out of control was a scam. The government seemed unresponsive, at least ineffective. Anna Hazare's call to combat corruption struck a chord in perhaps every heart and people came out of their homes. Media has been `blamed' for egging Anna Hazare on. Especially television media. For beaming pictures of the protest and Jantar Mantar and ``breathlessly creating a frenzy.'' The Congress party went on record to say they respected Anna's cause but not the course. Now that was a bit confusing. A fast unto death was the course that Mahatma Gandhi, father of the nation took recourse to. There was no violence - no bloodshed and the only person punished was self. Yet the Congress did not agree with the course. WITNESSING HISTORY I was at Jantar Mantar every day. Saw the crowds build up - from a couple of hundred the first day to several thousand on day 4. I met school children (class IV to XII) impressionable age - they had been brought there by their teachers to learn first hand the Gandhian form of protest. Peaceful non violent fast. Children were ecstatic they were seeing history being made. One school teacher (prestigious Delhi missionary school) told me she had learnt about Gandhi only from books but her students were luckier to see it first hand. A Lesson they would never forget. ROLE OF REFORMERS A heated debate started at Jantar Mantar and in television studios the day Yog Guru Baba Ramdev sat on the platform next to Anna Hazare whether Gurus and Sants should be sharing that platform. What was unique about this protest at Jantar Mantar was the fact that every evening there would be a sarv-dharm sabha. A vedic prayer, the Gurbani, a sermon and reading a verse from the Holy Koran. It had a calming effect. We are a secular nation after all and religion plays a crucial role in our lives. Should the Babas, maulvis, Padris and Granthis have been there? My take: India has a history of Sants, Gurus, Mahatmas and teachers spearheading change. Maharshi Vishwamitra, Chanakya, Samarth Guru Ramdas, Swami Dayanand, Swami Vivekanand...the list is endless. Their role in history has not been confined to religious preaching but extends to nation building. BLAMING TV MEDIA To say TV led and `fomented' this movement is insulting not only Anna Hazare but the intelligence of the people of this country. This was perhaps a spontaneous outburst of peoples pent up anger and frustration. TV reported it - constantly - because there was interest in it. The number of people who called to ask how Anna Hazare was, how they could help, should they be at Jantar Mantar or in their own neighbourhoods...Each day the crowds swelled - not just in Delhi, Mumbai and other metros but even in smaller towns across the country. Tushar Gandhi in an interview to Headlines Today asked if the crowds were there because of the media - to appear on TV? My reading - majority were there to be a part of a process trying to improve the nation's future and fight corruption. WRONG PRECEDENT BEING SET? Well respected journalists and columnists have commented on TV journalists reporting and almost egging on the movement not realising its harmful aftereffects and side effects. I think for 60 years we have suffered this corruption and each year the problem becomes bigger and bigger. While I totally agree it is for the lawmakers to make laws but when they don't for 42 years, should we just wait another 42 years. This is an experiment. Instead of being cynical and saying it is bound to fail without even giving it a shot - lets push for it. If it fails there is not much to lose -after all for 42 years all other efforts have failed. And then the government can put on its most holier-than-thou mask and say we told you so - leave governance to us. But to pan it without trying it - almost echoes a politician's take - who are mighty alarmed being under the microscope even if briefly. Another Congress party spokesperson said today it is Anna Hazare tomorrow it can be the Jats and the Gujjars who would want a notification and civil society -govt joint drafting committee and cite this case as a precedent. Well, if jointmanship can bring better laws why not. And for anyone else to make such demands they would first have to reach Anna Hazare's stature. After all Jats protested earlier too and did we see the entire nation rise with them? Did we see one of the most well respected Indians - metroman E Sreedharan join them? Did we see CEOs, COOs and head honchos of top companies join the movement? ROLE OF TWITTER/FACEBOOK Tremendous. Much more than expected.And will have a bigger impact in the times to come. This is power to the people. The aam admi is the journalist. Your mobile phone is the camera and you are the journalist. The so called mainstream media follows social media - tweets, facebook updates, youtube. And in the times to come the role will only grow. But as J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted - with power comes responsibility. Will this street power prove to be responsible and actually bring about a positive change after camera have moved to the next big story? My take: awareness level has increased. THE ANNA EFFECT In Mumbai, a government servant was beaten up by a mob and handed over to the police for demanding an accepting a bribe from a tea shop owner. The official demanded Rs 25,000 as bribe, as the news report said. The poor tea stall owner managed to just arrange the instalment of Rs 2,000. As soon as the money was handed over- passers by caught the official, roughed him up and handed him over to the police. That's a positive step. Not the thrashing but people coming together to combat corruption. Godwilling we shall have many more stories like this in the days, weeks and months to come. Then perhaps there will be a genuine grassroots movement to combat corruption. At India Gate (crowds lesser as Anna Hazare was not there) - I asked a group of youngsters will they go on a fast unto death for their demands - to fight for justice and corruption free society. Pat came the reply: No sir - we will starve the politicians and establishment - we will not pay bribes. If the youth actually mean this and actually do what they say - the battle is won.

POINTLESS CRICKET DIPLOMACY AT MOHALI

2011-03-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

It is not Yusuf Raza Gillani or Asif Ali Zardari but Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, if at all, who should be invited to watch the high voltage India-Pakistan semi finals at Mohali.

After all it is not the titular president Zardari or pawn prime minister Gillani but the chain smoking chief of the army staff General Kayani who wields actual power in Pakistan.

Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh would do well to press home the point with Kayani about the importance of maintaining stability in the region - which is now as much in Kayani's interest given the war with their home grown, trained and armed terrorists on their western flank.

Pakistan's military dictators from General Zia-ul-Haq (Jaipur,1987) to Pervez Musharraf (Delhi, 2005) have in the past used cricket diplomacy to talk to India in a less structured environment. Those talks may have momentarily reduced tensions but did not help bring about a change expected of a summit level meeting - aimed at cutting through the diplomatic red tape and stated positions.

Let me at the onset say I am not against talks. I am not an opponent of warmer Indo-Pak ties. I think both India and Pakistan stand to gain with friendly relations between the two nuclear weapon states. But the million dollar question is - who will tell the Pakistan army that?

Will Dr Manmohan Singh travel to the Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul and tell the young cadets that India is not their enemy. Terrorists are. That threat to Pakistan does not come from its eastern flank but from its western flank and now within. That the Pakistan army desperately needs reforms in military affairs (it just bypassed the region) to re-orient itself to take on terrorists it gave birth to, armed, trained and launched both in Afghanistan and in India.

The situation is far more desperate and radicalised now. The US, with all its clout -money and muscle power had to literally go down on its knees to gets its spy Raymond Davis out of Pakistan. Do we actually expect to move forward after one cricket match? If so, our understanding and appreciation of Pakistan army is very poor. Hating India is in Pakistan army's DNA. That DNA restructuring will not happen through these cricket matches. For that India will have to engage the Pakistan army directly in military-to-military contacts - off the battlefield. And seeing the US having limited success, we should really set very realistic goals.

These Mohali-type talks are more for the sake of talks. More like talking at each other - or just talking to keep the Americans happy. Indo-Pak engagements follow a pattern. It is almost like theatre. There is a script. The prime minister here, the president/military dictator there are just characters in a play. And it is almost as if someone is directing the play, ordering the characters to follow the script sitting across the seven seas.

Lets just go back one decade. Lahore bus journey in Feb 1999 was seen as a turning point in Indo-Pak relations. A new dawn, many fawned. It was followed by a devious war in Kargil masterminded by General Pervez Musharraf. More than 540 brave soldiers laid down their lives just to restore the Line Of Control.

In 2001, India let Pakistan off the hook and became the first country in the world to give legitimacy to a military dictator; Pervez Musharraf. India gave him a ceremonial tri-services guard of honour, reserved only for heads of state, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Agra summit that followed was a complete disaster.

The same year terrorists trained, armed and launched by Pakistan attacked the J&K state assembly and then in December the Indian Parliament.

The same script was followed. India's desperate breast beating and sulking. A military stand off - Operation Parakram for 10 months and then again it was business as usual. Reports say more than 800 soldiers were killed during Operation Parakram without a single bullet being fired.

In 2004 Vajpayee travelled to Pakistan. Once again Pakistan was off the hook. The Indian cricket team traveled to Pakistan for the so called friendship series. In 200 Musharraf wrangled an invite to India to watch the cricket match at the Feroz shah Kotla grounds in Delhi. All for laying the foundation for better ties with India.

Did it bring peace in the sub continent? Delhi, Mumbai and several other cities across the country were repeatedly targeted by Pakistan sponsored terrorists. The Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore was targeted by terrorists. Tehre was a terror attack at Ayodhya and a serial bomb blast in Delhi on Diwali eve that killed almost 70 innocent people.

In 2006 the Sankat Mochan temple and the Railway station at Varanasi were attacked and in July, the same year, a serial blast in the Mumbai suburban train system killed almost 200 innocent Indians.

2007 again saw a series of blasts and terror attacks across the country. The government claimed it was Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jamat-ud-Dawa and other Pakistan sponsored terror groups that were responsible for these terror attacks.

In 2008 terrorist attacks increased. Not only were several Indian cities like Ahmedabad, Surat and Bangalore targeted but the ISI targeted Indian embassy in Kabul before the biggest ever terror attack on India in Mumbai 26/11 2008.

To all these terror attacks what has Pakistan's response been ?

Pakistan signed an agreement saying it will not permit its territory to be used for terror attacks against India. Now that agreement is not worth the paper it is written on since even post 26/11 not only are terror factories up and running in Pakistan but they are mushrooming along the line of control in Jammu and Kashmir and in Punjab.

Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, Illyas Kashmiri, Dawood Ibrahim are flourishing in Pakistan. Now that is an open secret. You do not need R&AW inputs for that. But Pakistan refuses to acknowledge that. What does that show? invite Pakistan for as many cricket matches - it will remain hostile to India.

Forget the past. Post 26/11 India's home minister P. Chidambaram cried himself hoarse telling Pakistan to give voice samples of alleged terror masterminds who were directing the 10 Pakistani terrorists during the 26/11 attacks. Has Pakistan delivered ? No.

Twice the Indian embassy in Kabul was targeted. Not just R&AW - intelligence agencies ranging from CIA to MI-6 to French and German agencies blamed Pakistan's ISI. Any action against even a low ranking non commissioned officer (NCO) let alone the mastermind - Director General of ISI ? No.

The civilian establishment needs to be strengthened in Pakistan no doubt. But the foundation cannot be laid on dead bodies of innocent Indians killed in terror attacks in India and Afghanistan. India should talk to Gen Kayani and tell him next time India is targeted - the nation will not turn the other cheek.

India should say exactly the same to the United States. While US interests in the Af-Pak region are important, Indian interests are far more important and cannot be sacrificed at the altar of US war on terror.

If India can do that then Gen Kayani would be equally desperate for that ticket at Mohali. Our Prime Minister would do well to keep that in mind while hosting Gilani at Mohali.

VIDEO: Reporting From Ras Lanuf During Libyan Air Raid

2011-03-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

A DREAM DYING A BLOODY & BRUTAL DEATH

2011-03-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I write with a heavy heart. I am safe in Cairo. Physically more than 1,400 kilometres out of harm's way. But mentally and emotionally I am still in Benghazi and Brega and Aj Dabiah and Ras Lanuf in eastern Libya with the men who are so desperately fighting a losing battle for dignity, honour and freedom.
Imagine 15 days ago I did not know any of them. Never met them - never heard of them. Today they feel a part of me. There is not a day that passes without me thinking of them - praying for them and for Libya.
Why? I have covered conflict before and in other parts of the world - with little or no Indian connection. Sierra Leone, Lebanon, Iraq... why this attachment with Libya? A country that I along with perhaps more than half the world thought was synonymous with Muammar Gaddafi and believed what practically every one said - Libya is a rogue state.
10 days in eastern Libya changed all that. Libya - at least the 500 kilometres of eastern Libya that Headlines Today senior special correspondent Shiv Aroor and I saw is a lovely nation with equally lovely people - yearning for peace and prosperity and freedom from Muammar Gaddafi, Saif El Islam, Khamees and the rest of the Gaddafi family.
Tonight I am upset as reports indicate after Ras Lanuf, the rebels are on the verge of losing Al Brega. It is now only a matter of time before Gaddafi's mercenaries approach Benghazi, the opposition stronghold (our home for the past 10 days). Benghazi cannot be any stretch of imagination be described as a modern city. It is a small dusty port city on the Mediterranean coast. It could have been a beautiful tourist resort - as could perhaps more than half of Libya - a tourist paradise instead of being described as a rogue state. But its ruler for the past 41 years is happy to keep it backward and locked in a time warp. That helps him and his offsprings control the country better.
Can you imagine a country in the 21st century that prohibits its citizens from learning computers and English so that they cannot communicate with the outside world. There is so much oil in the country and so much foreign exchange coming in that if properly spent the country will be more advanced than perhaps the most advanced Arab country - if not Europe. After all Gaddafi only has to look after 6.5 million people spread over a vast African nation.
but Railway lines are still being laid in projects that started in the 1980s. Roads are still laid only on paper. There is a systematic effort to ignore the development of the eastern part of the country.
Revolutionaries love the media, we are told. They see the media as an ally or maybe a tool to carry their message to the world. The people we met saw us as family. Shiv and I walked into Libya with no contact whatsoever. No idea of what lay ahead. In the dead of the night we crossed over into Libya from the Egypt land border. The first welcome was heartening. The border guards, young `freedom fighters' stopped a taxi to take us to Tubruk, 200 kilometres from the border. The driver in the dead of the night took us to Tubruk and despite our pestering him refused to accept money. He was not engaged in psychological warfare. He was not using us as a tool. He was just a Libyan who wanted freedom and willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who could help get his message across. Even when we did pay him the money, he put it in a contribution box towards their revolution. He did not take a dollar or Dinar for himself.
We met many-many people like that in Libya. My story about Libya can never be complete without mentioning my good friend - or brother - Issam Khalil, an expat. He lives in Shanghai, China. Makes a lot of money importing Chinese goods into Libya. He gave it all up to join the freedom struggle. He took Shiv and me across the rebel held areas explaining the movement and the trauma the nation has been facing for the past 41 years of Gaddafi rule. His never say die attitude and fierce commitment for the cause of a free Libya are worthy of mention. I shall write more about him later.
Shiv and I were equally impressed with Dr Suheil Altarash - working tirelessly at the Ras Lanuf hospital - till moments before it fell to pro Gaddafi forces. Shiv, a British freelance photographer James Wardell and I reached Ras lanuf at last light. We filmed extensively in the town and then following ambulance sirens reached the hospital. As one battle casualty after the other was wheeled in, Dr Altarash and his team worked non stop to try and save lives - often literally snatching the seriously injured fighters in heavy arms fire - from the jaws of death. Dr Altarash spoke to us between life saving procedures in the operation theatre. He was calm, composed - matter of fact. He called us his brothers. Thanked us for being there in his hour of need. Have dinner with us. Eat what we have. Stay with us at the hospital, he said. If we have to die, we die together. we are brothers.
Barely two hours after we left that hospital, pro-Gaddafi forces bombed the hospital complex. Shiv and I prayed for the doctor and his team. We have not been able to get in touch with them ever since. These are just some names. There were many many people like that who spoke to us - both off and on record. We saw the Libyan prisons in Benghazi under Gaddafi rule. Heard the tales of horror. Not propaganda for the media. Just victims we sought, found and spoke to. Some did not come on camera. They did not want a story. They wanted justice. And freedom.
Freedom that is under threat today. Shiv and I are both keen students of military strategy and tactics. the rebels clearly have none. The days we spent with them - we saw their bravado. Holding a gun - from an AK series rifle to anti-aircraft guns, anti-material rifles, rocket propelled grenandes and even an odd mortar. But they are not an organised fighting force that can withstand - let alone take on Gaddafi's much better trained, armed and funded forces.
The writing is on the wall. The Libyan dream of freedom from Gaddafi appears to be dying a bloody death. The intervention that was eagerly awaited - desperately sought from the world - is not coming.
Gaddafi's forces are steamrolling all opposition in their bloody and brutal march towards Benghazi. Sitting in Cairo - with my heart in Benghazi - I can almost see my friends - brothers - fighting to their last breath for something that is so dear to all of us - HONOUR, DIGNITY AND FREEDOM.

War Dispatches From Libya #3

2011-03-13T03:52:00.000-07:00

War Dispatches From Libya #2

2011-03-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

War Dispatches From Libya #1

2011-03-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

LIBYA: THE STRUGGLE TO REPORT

2011-03-08T09:31:00.001-08:00

Early in the morning we hired a taxi to take us to Benghazi some 500 kilometres from Tubruk. The previous night after flying half way across the world we had driven almost a thousand kilometres. Another group of journalists joined us and our cavalcade zipped through the cold north African desert. Nothing but rocks and sand for miles. The road was smooth. All cars were headed in the opposite direction – towards Egypt. Cars, buses and trucks all loaded beyond capacity with suitcases and bags piled on rooftops and hanging precariously from the sides. 300 kilometres and 3 hours later the landscape changed suddenly. The sand was replaced by red soil and rocks by lush green grass and trees. The sun disappeared behind clouds and it began to rain. A good omen I thought. As temperature dropped further I asked the driver to roll up his side of the window. It is broken, he smiled. I saw no reason too. Despite three layers of clothing, both Shiv and I were cold and wet.

We reached Benghazi by 5 in the evening. It was deserted. A ghost town. The vibes were rather negative. The first hotel we went to refused to take us. The rates had shot up to $ 200 per day. Every hotel had only journalists from all over the world. We then moved to Tibesty hotel – locals say the best in the city. The hotel had no rooms and no internet. Our hearts sank.

Early in the morning at Turbruk I had requested a Japanese journalist if we could use his Beegan system to uplink just two pieces to camera to India – just to establish our presence in Libya. He had very kindly consented. It must have cost his company a packet but he refused to accept the money we offered, In my school days I had read somewhere that Japanese were very helpful people. This action had confirmed it. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya had no internet. We had no means to send our feed to India.

Since phone lines were down we could not even ask our office in New Delhi to book a 10 minute feed for us either through the Associated Press or the EBU. We sent smses but none reached Delhi. We were cold and hungry but since both Shiv and I cover security issues and spend time with soldiers from across the world – our morale usually remains high. By late evening one journalist checked out of the hotel – moving back to Cairo because he had not been able to communicate with his office for 6 days. We checked into his room. We went to the town centre and were amazed to see thousands of Libyans assembled there – singing – dancing celebrating ``freedom from Gaddafi.’’

``This is real freedom. Two generations have not experienced this,’’ said a 50-year-old. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has been at the helm of affairs for 42 years and with the much feared intelligence agents all over – nobody ever spoke their mind. This time they not only abused Gaddafi openly – savouring every word like a sweet dessert – they also openly talked of democracy, rights and freedom. ``Had we done so even three months earlier we would have been locked up in a secret prison and our family would never have heard of us,’’ he added.

Little children played on tanks that had been sent to crush the movement. A major part of the Libyan army deployed in the east rebelled against Gaddafi and joined the freedom fighters. There was a carnival at the square on the Mediterranean coast. Despite the icy wind people were rejoicing in the new found freedom. Even if some seniors warned the celebrations were a bit premature. The people of Benghazi may have succeeded in pushing back Gaddafi’s forces freedom is still a distant dream.

Distances in this country are killing. From Tubruk to Benghazi was more than 500 kilometres. Aj Dabiah and Brega where pitched battles took place between forces loyal to and opposing Gaddafi were another 200 to 300 kilometres away. Ras Lanuf the major oil hub and port another 500 kilometres away from Benghazi. In the next 48 hours Shiv and I travelled to all these places.

With Issam Khalil, an expat who returned to join the freedom struggle we followed a convoy of fighters from Benghazi to Ras Lanuf. This was an experience I will never forget. But more on it later.

(to be continued…)

DATELINE LIBYA: IN HARM'S WAY

2011-03-06T02:56:00.000-08:00

Crossing over illegally into Libya was the aim. Armed with a multiple entry visa to Egypt and Tunisia Shiv Aroor and I boarded the Etihad flight from Delhi to Abu Dhabi and then to Cairo.

Within an hour of landing in Cairo we left for Sallum – the border between Egypt and Libya. The 800 kilometre long journey through the changing landscape and the famous second world war battlefield Al Alamien took almost a lifetime – despite our car zipping across at 140 kmph. The drive to the border was cold and tense. The border was cold and windy. There were thousands of people – Indians, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Egyptians desperately waiting to cross over to safety into Egypt.

Shiv and I were the only two trying to cross over into Libya. In harm’s way. The border security personnel could not believe with no back up, no fixers and no local help – two journalists who did not even speak Arabic and had no idea about what to expect across the fence in cold desert – were desperate to cross over.

The Egyptians were friendly. They turned a blind eye as Shiv and I began interviewing the evacuees at the border post and then quietly had exit stamped on our passports and slipped across the barbed wire fence well past midnight.

As we walked along the no man’s land we almost expected a shout or a burst of AK fire. Or were we being too dramatic. Across the Libyan border – armed civilians – some in battle fatigues stopped us. Checked our passports. ``Welcome to the peoples’ Democratic Republic of Libya free of Gaddafi,’’ said one. We instantly felt at home. One of them offered us a cigarette. I declined Shiv accepted. We had some pictures taken before they waved an oncoming car – that had dropped some evacuees to Egypt – to take us to Tubruk, a magical tourist town on the Mediterranian sea coast some 150 kilometres inside east Libya.

``Into fate’s hands,’’ said Shiv. We had absolutely no idea who the driver was. He did not speak English and we did not speak Arabic. At night we had absolutely no idea where he was taking us. There were burnt cars all along the highway. Lights were lit in every house but there was not a soul in sight for miles. We were too scared to even doze off. After flying from India to Egypt for 12 hours and driving non stop for another 12, we were tired, hungry and sleepy. But dared not sleep. But our fears were totally unfounded.

The driver took us into Masera hotel in Tubruk. It was a surreal experience. From crossing over into Libya illegally here we were in a swanky five star deluxe hotel. Except for two other journalists the hotel was empty. The hotel staff did not even ask where we came from and why. They saw our passports and gave us the room keys. But kept our passports with them. That was scary. In a strange land with passports not with us. A very scary thought but the hotel manager showed us the passports of other journalists too. Both of us were too tired to argue. We walked into our rooms and even before the door shut we crashed out.

(to be continued…)

THE ROAR OF DEMOCRACY IN CAIRO

2011-02-11T07:17:00.001-08:00

The roar of democracy will shatter the window panes of the Presidential palace and the ear drums of the regime, scream protesters at the Al-Tahrir square. It is people power versus the President in Egypt. The embattled president Hosni Mubarak has once again sidestepped the overwhelming demand to step down. He is giving up power drop by drop, talking about delegating some responsibilities to the vice president Omar Suleiman. But this has angered the protesters even more. There was a massive build up to the presidential address. The secretary general of the national democratic party Hossam Badrawy indicated the president had been advised to step down. The supreme council of the armed forces met and a spokesperson said the peoples' demands will be met. Thousands and thousands rushed to the Liberation Square - all wanting to be a part of history being made. They wanted to be there and experience change. They were bitterly disappointed. I spent a week at the Al-Tahrir square and it is an island of democracy in midst of a sea of uniform.

In unity lies their strength. And more and more people are pouring into the Al-Tahrir square to boost the morale of those camping there for the past 18 days. All eyes are on the all powerful Egyptian Army, an institution well respected by the masses. While covering the Friday - Day of Departure protests - last week at the Al-Tahrir square in Cairo I had met and interacted with an Egyptian army colonel. There was a major general personally supervising security arrangements and several other senior officers standing by. They were at ease - smiling and receiving friendly salutes from the masses. Little children begged to have pictures taken with them.

A Major of the Egyptian Army Parachute Regiment and two other officers walked into the Square and were almost lifted on the shoulders by the pro-democracy protesters. The army permitted the protesters to sleep on the tank tracks as a symbolic gesture to ensure the tanks do not move. Will the army continue to stand by tonight and in the days to come? The army’s supreme council has told the people it will ensure smooth transition to democracy and wants the people to go home. The vice president Omar Suleiman has said the same thing. One thing is clear the army is the establishment in Egypt.

Will the protesters take on the army ? Can there be a Tiananmen Square at the Tahrir Square? As of now it appears not just unlikely but nearly impossible. Why? Egypt is no China. They might have an authoritarian regime but the masses have well and truly smelt the sweet smell of freedom. It is intoxicating. The whiff of Jasmine will anyday overcome the smell of burnt gunpowder. The people are certain that their own army will not open fire on them.

The people are fighting against president Hosni Mubarak and not the army - even though for many they have been two sides of the same coin. The army has stakes in the country and will ensure it does not go to the dogs. They will not let mobs rule the streets of Cairo - not even at the Qasr el Nil or 6 October Bridge. The army will stand by and watch the masses protest peacefully. The army, it appears, will tire them out. The army too appears to be realising Mubarak is not Egypt. Ultimately the army will choose Egypt over the man who ruled it for 30 years. The roar of democracy will shatter whatever illusions remain. The revolution is successful. Egypt has arisen and the world is watching.

Even if the protesters go home, or are made to go home they have achieved their aim. It will not be back to business as usual for the ruling elite. Change will come.

Freedom will come to the people of Egypt. The question now is not if but when.

IN CAIRO: TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE

2011-02-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

When the government in Egypt said foreign journalists could not use television cameras to film the protests and events as they unfolded before the all important Day of Departure Friday protests, I used my mobile camera to shoot.
That time it was not the quality of pictures - but the fact that pictures could be taken and sent at all - that was more important.
Pro-Mubarak protesters ensured many journalists could not step out of their hotels, but we were lucky. I accompanied a group of protesters and entered the heavily fortified Al-Tahrir square with them. And used my mobile phone to tell the story.
There was a story to tell and this was the only way to do it.
Technology came to my rescue again when I used a mobile phone to connect to the Headlines Today studio in Delhi and did a live report form the Al Tahrir square.

Gaurav_cairo_mobile.wmv

2011-02-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

RISE OF THE ARAB STREET

2011-02-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

A SPECIAL GROUND REPORT CARRIED IN THE INDIA TODAY MAGAZINE

Gaurav C. Sawant | Cairo

Egyptians rally in Cairo to demand President Hosni Mubarak's resignation

The chants of 'Go Mubarak Go' at Tahrir Square in Cairo are rivalled by the pro-Hosni Mubarak slogans requesting the 'beloved leader' to stay on for the country. State-sponsored vigilantes are on the street clashing with pro-democracy protesters. The tottering Egyptian president's televised address, insisting he would step down in September, was booed by thousands of freedom marchers.

Pro-Mubarak demonstrators attacked me and other members of the Headlines Today team, hitting the cameraman for shooting visuals of only anti-Mubarak demonstrators and not of Mubarak supporters. They accused the team of being a part of a "hostile Arab channel". The cameraman was beaten up and his camera tripod broken. They also yanked out the tape and smashed it. "I tried to tell them I am an Indian and not an Arab but the mob does not listen," said cameraman Tahir Chowdhary.

The attackers relented only when we showed our passports. "We kept saying we are Sahafi al Hind (Indian journalists). But the mob was not listening. It was only when a section of the mob saw the passports and intervened did the rest of the mob relent and then targeted another group journalists," said Chowdhary. They also roughed up several foreign journalists covering the crisis in Cairo, accusing them of deliberately trying to destabilise the Mubarak regime.

Braving chilly winds and 4ÂºC temperatures are the 'freedom fighters' who insist they will continue to fight for change even if the army opens fire. This is battleground Egypt. For the first time ever people have dared to defy the state in such large numbers.

Protesters use a shoe to disgrace an image of Mubarak woven into a carpetThe Jasmine Revolution of Tunisia has spread to Egypt and a whiff of freedom is in the air. "This time we will be free. Allah is with us," says Dr Nashwa Salah, professor of philosophy at Cairo's prestigious Ain Shams University. Many tents have come up at the roundabout at Tahrir Square. Thousands of people camping through the week, saying they will leave only when Mubarak leaves. Twenty-eight-year-old Salma Sayed teaches interactive theatre to schoolchildren. "But this is no drama. This is an issue of our life and death. I am here with my parents and entire family. Our entire neighbourhood is camping here," she says.

This is the most unique aspect of this movement. Men, women, children, some as young as five, are taking part in an effort for what they say is Egypt's brighter future. But what is the future when the 82-year-old president who has ruled with an iron fist for over three decades refuses to step down? "I do not know if it will be Mohamed ElBaradei or Omar Suleiman. But even the Muslim Brotherhood cannot be as bad as Mubarak," adds Yaseer Beraka, an engineer from Fayaum who came to Cairo to join the protesters.

A former International Atomic Energy Agency chief and Nobel Peace Prize winner, ElBaradei is the face of moderate upper class Egypt. He has returned to Egypt and is being seen as the spearhead of the movement against Mubarak. He said the president's concessions are too little and too late. He has the support of the youth and the intelligentsia but lacks a mass base. His critics insist he has spent so much time in Vienna that he has completely lost touch with ground realities and the issues concerning the masses in Egypt.

Suleiman, the former chief of intelligence and the newly appointed vice- president, is seen as the acceptable face of transition to democracy.

Then there is also Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi. He is the country's deputy prime minister and defence minister. He controls the army and has played an extremely crucial role in shaping the army's measured response. He has said to have instructed the army not to open fire at the protesters and that news has led to his popularity increasing.

Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, who is the face of moderate upper class Egypt, is the focus of the movement against Mubarak.
"There is also Ayman Nour, the leader of the Al-Ghad party. In the 2005 elections he was very popular but those elections were rigged. He could also be a part of the transition government. More and more people should have a voice. In fact, Mubarak had him jailed because of his rising popularity," says Aisha Shehab, a Nour supporter.

The Muslim Brotherhood, though officially banned, is the biggest opposition group with grassroots support. It will play a key role in the formation of the next government. The Brotherhood's main support base lies in the rural areas among the downtrodden. They lack a mass base in urban areas especially since they insist they want Egypt to be an Islamic state ruled by the Sharia. Their supporters are moving on the streets carrying banners that read "Islam is the only solution to the crisis".

The Muslim Brotherhood has said that ElBaradei is acceptable to them and experts say a combination of ElBaradei and the Muslim Brotherhood could pave the way for a smoother and widely acceptable transition model. One thing is clear, the army will have a major say and role to play in the future of Egypt with Mubarak losing his moral legitimacy to rule. Experts say he is and will remain at the mercy of the army.

Both pro- and anti-Mubarak supporters want peace to prevail and insist they do not want Egypt to become another Iraq. But the country has come to a virtual standstill. Schools, colleges, offices, shops, malls, banks, the stock market are all closed. There is no public transport. Not even neighbourhood shops are opening in the non-curfew morning hours. "I have run out of food. What do I feed my children?" asks Tariq Sadiq, a school teacher. Truckers fear looting and burning, so they are unwilling to ferry cargo to Cairo. The police, virtually non-existent on the streets, are forcing youngsters to form neighbourhood watch schemes to protect their homes and surroundings from looters.

Mohamed ElBaradei addresses the crowd at Tahrir Square in CairoOverall the country is descending into chaos. And many say this is being encouraged purposely by the embattled president to give the people an impression of the chaos that the country will be engulfed in if he quits.

Anarchy in Egypt would mean trouble in the Arab world and its impact will be felt in more ways than one across the globe. The Suez Canal, the shortest link between the East and the West due to its extremely unique geographical location, is one of the world's most critical navigation channels. The canal is still open but there is no loading and unloading of cargo at the ports since workers are staying away due to the crisis. The added tension to the world is what happens if the route that connects the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea is shut down. More than 2.5 million barrels of oil, which is more than 2 per cent of the global production, pass through the canal each day and any trouble in the canal would mean the entire sea trade will have to pass through the Cape of Good Hope adding another 6,000 miles to the journey. That would mean loss of time and money.

A hostile Egypt is Israel's worst nightmare coming true again. If the peace treaty with Egypt collapses, Israel will have to rewrite its security doctrine after three decades of peace. A major military threat to Israel's southern border would only embolden Hamas in Palestine and divide the Israeli forces. The Egyptian army is well equipped with American military hardware. The American-trained Egyptian army numbers more than 6,50,000 troops with 60 combat brigades, more than 3,500 tanks and 600 fighter planes, including American F-16s.

Israel's worst nightmare would be a regime change both in Egypt and Jordan where it would return to a 1977-like situation facing a hostile combined Arab army of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestinian fighters.

Tunisia was a wave sparked by one young man setting himself alight. Egypt has the power to amplify that wave into a tsunami of change across the Arab world.

Gaurav C. Sawant is deputy editor with Headlines Today

TERROR KNOWS NO RELIGION

2010-12-17T03:51:00.000-08:00

For someone who has seen and suffered terror up close and personal, Rahul Gandhi’s comments are disappointing and sad to say the least. Not comments you’d expect from a man being groomed to take over the reins of a billion strong nation of secular Indians.

What is extremely frightening, these comments were not made for public consumption. These were not words uttered at a rally to sway voters. These words were uttered in private – in confidence to the US ambassador to India Timothy Roemer. One would naturally feel this is what Rahul Gandhi actually thinks.

That be the case his appreciation of terror needs a mid course correction. He is a member of parliament. He is seen as the heir apparent of the ruling party in the country and he has the prime minister’s ear. Perhaps, it would be in the fitness of things to have the Director Intelligence Bureau and the Secretary Research and Analysis Wing depute officers to brief Rahul Gandhi about the Lashkar-e-Taiba and its activities in India.

Terror is terror – it has no religion, caste, creed, sex or colour. Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian is not the question at all. This characterization of terror only helps terrorists succeed.

Rahul Gandhi has been quoted as saying that Hindu Radical groups are a bigger threat than even the Lashkar-e-Taiba. He was talking to the US ambassador in India on July 20, 2009. The ambassador is learnt to have broached the subject of LeT activities in the region and its immediate threat to India.

Remember, this conversation was taking place barely 8 months after 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists attacked Mumbai and held off the Indian state for 59 hours killing 166 innocent people.

The Yuvraj of the Congress party said there was evidence of some support for LeT among certain elements of Indian Muslims but he felt the bigger threat was the growth of radicalized Hindu groups.

So eight months after the worst ever terror attack on India, which police insist was carried out by Pakistan based Lashkar –e Taiba, the prime minister in waiting felt radical Hindu groups are the bigger threat.

Rahul Gandhi is making the same mistake that Bal Thackeray made in Mumbai – our mafia versus your mafia. So Chota Rajan was acceptable but Dawood Ibrahim was not. The police and security agencies just follow signals they receive from the political masters. The police automatically went soft on one set of mafia and hard on the other.

A statement like this from Rahul Gandhi may send the wrong signal again. Rahul Gandhi flanked by armed to the teeth special protection group commandoes, will, God willing remain safe. It is the common man on the street that would bear the brunt of terror. Once again.

This is not the time for point scoring and pontificating. The BJP should not try and score points. After all this is not a high school debate and clearly the BJP’s track record in fighting terror is nothing much to write home about.

A party that sent a union minister to escort dreaded terrorists to Kandahar – who in turn killed scores of innocent Indians and the party that gave respectability and acceptance to a military dictator like Pervez Musharraf has no locus standi to take the high moral ground on combating terror.

This is the time for the entire political leadership to come together and educate themselves about terror and the harm it does to the man on the street. How terror not only kills people in bomb blasts and firing, but also destroys lives of people who have lost their near and dear ones. Rahul Gandhi should know that.

CHINESE WHISPERS: LOST IN TRANSLATION

2010-12-16T04:47:00.000-08:00

As China walks away with business deals of about $ 16 billion dollars from New Delhi what is in this for India? What is in it for our economy, diplomacy and strategy?

Bharat Karnad, Professor in National Security Studies at the Centre for Policy Research said on Headlines Today that a fool and his money are soon parted. He fears that this happening to India with billions of dollars worth of deals being signed with China, France and the US with corresponding strategic gains not being harnessed.

But for the moment let us talk about China. It is nobody’s case that India should not engage with China. But is this the best format of that engagement. What is India taking away from this summit table?

India’s core issues - terrorism from Pakistan, nuclear support to Pakistan, Chinese strategic involvement in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), the boundary issues all remain. The added pin prick – stapled visas to people from Jammu and Kashmir still remains on the table. However in an exclusive interview to Headlines Today Foreign Editor Saurabh Shukla, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said that China has given assurance that they will solve the stapled visa issue. But see how China makes India go down on her knees.

India has been unable to resolve the existing outstanding differences with China and have shot themselves in the foot by making stapled visas such a major issue. Have we forgotten the art of statecraft so completely? Why must we go running to Beijing – from foreign secretary to National Security Advisor to the Foreign minister - with a begging bowl pleading with them to resolve the stapled visa issue?

Our Ambassador in Beijing should have been in a position to tell us the ground realities. He is a seasoned diplomat and from the next day itself we should have started giving stapled visas to those living in Tibet.

Friendship is always between equals. China is militarily, strategically and economically far superior to India. But India, South Korea, Japan and like minded powers can together form a block to effectively tackle China. And that is what India should try for. Could this $ 16 billion dollar worth of business not be shared with Japan and South Korea ?

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao says relations between India and China are much better than they were two or three decades ago. Trade ties have doubled – even tripled in the past two decades – but in the past 10 years alone diplomatic face off with China has only intensified.

As Brahma Chellany, strategic affairs expert and a renowned Sinologist told me that enhanced trade and economic ties are no guarantee of better strategic relations. Brahma Chellany analyses the situation thus: China is taking raw material (mainly iron ore) from India and giving us steel. There is a 24 billion dollar trade surplus in China’s favour. And China is dumping goods in India – from tyres to ceiling fans for example - only delivering a body blow to the industry but also creating more unemployment in India.

Is this not what was happening to India when the British were ruling us for 200 years. They would take cotton from here to feed their mills at Manchester and then give us the finished products. Is that not what China is doing in the 21st century to us? Our exports are mainly raw materials (quite like African countries) and buying Chinese products. They are desperate for the huge Indian market. Are we are not bending over backwards and dancing to their tune?

If better economic ties are no guarantee of better strategic and diplomatic relations – is it possible to combine the two. Let economic ties grow but let them grow simultaneously with diplomatic and strategic ties. We open our markets to you when you open yours to us – to our IT and Pharmaceuticals sector as the government says (with no hidden barriers – as we face today).

Why is it that we need to please China first – before China even thinks about answering our concerns on stupid issues like stapled visas. Ambassador G. Parthasarthy told me on the show that China respects power. Let us at least learn to display our power and presence as a growing super power that we claim to be.

Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier called himself a Gandhian. Nice! The Gandhian Chinese prime minister has a nobel laureate locked up in prison and the country put pressure on half the world not to attend the nobel prize ceremony in Oslo. India attended that ceremony. Please show more spine – engage with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on issues related to China – after all is he not the legitimate leader of the Tibetan masses.

Sources in the government say China was not keen to take questions after the summit level meeting between Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao. Is it because China has no answers to its completely unwarranted pin pricks on the visa issues and `support’ for terror-breeding Pakistan? India is a democracy and questions are asked freely.

The Chinese ambassador to New Delhi said relations between the two countries are fragile. Foreign secretary Rao says they are robust. Is this diplomatese? Or in this game of Chinese whispers is the message lost in translation.

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INFLICT COSTS ON TERRORISTS

2010-12-10T05:40:00.000-08:00

On the 18th of December 2010, Swastika Sharma would have turned one. But on 7th December, 11 days before her birthday she was killed by terrorists on the ghats of Varanasi. The union home minister, P. Chidambaram and the Uttar Pradesh Chief minister, Mayawati visited the ghats and have promised to nab the perpetrators.

It is essential to nab the planter of the bomb, but it is of utmost importance to eliminate the masterminds of such terror attacks. There is a pattern to these attacks – strike temples on Tuesday and mosques on Fridays.

This is what Rajiv Kumar, Associate Producer, Research, Headlines Today pieced together. There is a very sinister design behind these terror attacks.

Targets and dates have been carefully chosen. A close look at recent attacks reveals the sinister design: Hindu temples have been targeted on Tuesdays, an auspicious day for the devotees of Hanuman, while Muslims and their mosques have been attacked on Fridays.

CONSIDER THIS:

Varanasi Dec 7, 2010: Tuesday, Shitala Ghat Blast: 38 people injured.1 foreigner among the injured, The blast took place at around 6:30 PM just five minutes after the Ganga Aarti.

Jaipur May 13, 2008 : Tuesday serial blasts including one outside Hanuman Mandir, kills at least 60 in Jaipur

Ajmer Sharif Dargah October 11, 2007: Terror struck the revered Sufi shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti as thousands were breaking their Ramzan fast, a day before the Friday prayers. The bomb inside the complex killed two persons and injured another 28.

Mecca Masjid, Hyderabad May 18, 2007: 14 persons killed, more than 50 injured in blasts and subsequent police firing in adjoining areas. Blasts took place during Friday prayers.

Noorani Masjid, Malegaon September 8, 2006: Blasts on Friday coincided with the Shab-e-Barat. First bomb went off outside Masjid. Blasts at Mushaira Chowk and grave yard too. The toll: 38 killed, over 200 injured.

Jama Masjid, Delhi April 14, 2006: Low intensity blasts at India’s most famous mosque left 14 injured. First blast took place as the faithful prepared for Friday prayers.

Sankat Mochan Temple, Varanasi March 7, 2006: Twin blasts in city left 28 dead, injured over 100. Blasts took place on Tuesday when the temple is packed with devotees.

July 05, 2005: Terror In Ayodhya: Terrorist attack on the site of the 16th century Babri Masjid -Ram Janmabhoomi Hindu temple in Ayodhya on July 5, 2005 ( TUESDAY). Following the two-hour gunfight between Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists based in Pakistan and Indian police, in which six terrorists were killed, opposition parties called for a nationwide strike with the country's leaders condemning the attack, believed to have been masterminded by Dawood Ibrahim.

September 24, 2002: The Akshardham Temple Attack occurred on September 24, 2002 ( TUESDAY) when two heavily armed terrorists arrived at the Akshardham in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat at around 1630 hrs local time. They scaled the perimeter fence and opened fire, killing a woman and a temple volunteer right away. Then they began throwing grenades into the crowd at the temple. About 600 people were in the temple at the time. By the end of the attack, 29 people were killed and another 80 wounded. Apart from the 25 people killed in the first assault, 1 state policeman and 1 commando also died in the action (the total toll was 31 at the time the case started). One more seriously injured commando died after 2 years.

The devilish aim of those masterminding these attacks is to create a communal divide and cause riots.

After the Batla House encounter the Delhi Police succeeded in delivering a near fatal blow to the terrorist organization Indian Mujahideen. But terrorist sympathizers put so much pressure on the security forces that they did not move in to deliver the final blow. Some terrorists managed to escape – there is proof in public domain to show they lived with politicians and slowly have managed to regroup and strike at Varanasi.

These terrorists are still at large. They have fall back options – and not just in Azamgarh. They strike and melt into some ghettos where they are like fish in water.

After the Ahmedabad serial blasts and the failed Surat serial blasts – the Gujarat police led the way. Despite strong political opposition they moved in and made arrests. They went into Azamgarh. This was a time when the intelligence bureau and the Uttar Pradesh Police despite political opposition – moved in with great speed and made arrests in Azamgarh.

Political pressure once again forced the police to get their foot off the pedal giving these terrorists crucial breathing space. That nationwide effort to hunt down and neutralize terrorists that began after a spate of terror attacks in Delhi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Surat became a victim of vote bank politics.

What are terrorists doing by attacking the ghats of Varanasi? Sending a message – we can strike at a place and time of our choosing. Hit you where it hurts the most and despite having intelligence about planned attacks (David Coleman Headley interrogation talks of attacks at Ghats and temples in Varanasi specifically), there is little Indian police can do to stop them.

An anti-terror drive cannot be an off again on again policy. Pressure has to be maintained constantly – irrespective of Congress or BJP in power.

The nation has to take a conscious call to kill convicted terrorists. Afzal Guru and Kasab are potential threats. Terrorists could hijack trains, planes, take school children, patients at hospitals, politicians, their kin, scientists…VIPs hostage and demand release of these terrorists like in the case of Maulana Masood Azhar.

Our governments have buckled in the past and there is no guarantee they will not do so again. Kill terrorists in custody and have a declared policy – terrorists may strike but they will have hell to buy when caught. They will be killed and their supporters/sympathisers jailed. There has to be a cost.

It is the government’s responsibility to ensure Swastika Sharma gets justice. Her killers – including those who planned the attack are punished! Evil must die.

PLAYING WITH FIRE: AFSPA

2010-09-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh, home minister P. Chidambaram and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah are together playing a very dangerous game. After the unfortunate deaths of over 84 people in J&K in the recent spate of violence, the trio instead of going after the perpetrators of the violence are trying to deflect the issue to the armed forces special powers act; its dilution or lifting it from some parts of the state.
The three leaders – Dr Singh, Mr Chidambaram and Omar Abdullah were all seen as visionary leaders who would not only `think out of the box’ but also take the situation from better to best. On the contrary, one thing is clear from the events of the past couple of months – the situation has gone from bad to worse because neither men are either thinking out of the box or even interested in tackling the situation in the right earnest.
The situation in J&K today is not what it is because of the armed forces special powers act. It is because both Omar Abdullah and P. Chidambaram failed to stem the rot; each hoping the other would bell the cat. The prime minister is clearly more interested in winning browny points from the world community than actually sorting out the situation for the benefit of the nation.
The world criticises George W. Bush II for attacking Iraq when the real trouble was in Afghanistan. The Indian trio are doing just the same. The trouble is in Pakistan paying the separatists and disgruntled elements to foment trouble in J&K. Instead of tackling that – like Bush attacked Iraq, PM, HM and CM J&K are attacking the AFSPA. If you cannot catch the culprit hang the guy whose neck fits the noose.
General Ved Prakash Malik, former chief of army staff was on Centre Stage debate and he insisted the army would be handicapped in battling Pakistan sponsored terrorism in the state of J&K minus the AFSPA.
So is it in national interest to tamper with the AFSPA at this stage? Lawyer and activist Shabnam Lone was also on Centre stage on Monday evening and she raised the same point. The present crisis in J&K has nothing to do with the AFSPA. None of the 80 plus live lost in the state, especially in and around the valley have anything to do with the army. So why bring in the AFSPA at this stage.
Dr Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram and Omar Abdullah owe the nation an explanation. Are they playing politics with such a sensitive issue? Are they playing to the gallery?
The union government is of the considered opinion that the chief minister needs to do more to connect with the people. He also needs to be more assertive with his administration. Two things come to fore at this stage – one if the Hurriyat’s Gilani faction is indeed fomenting trouble in the state then those trouble makers need to be dealt with in the strictest possible manner, what ever the repercussions. And Omar Abdullah not only needs to spend more time in the state but also spend that time meeting with more people and not be flanked by just a coterie. As the youngest chief minister with popular mandate, he should reach out to the people directly than rely on either some ministers or officials who have their own axe to grind in the state.
As far as the people of the state are concerned – they need to wake up and appreciate the ground realities. Asiya Andarabi of Dukhtaran-e-millat is more interested in sending her son abroad for education but wants the kids of the valley to give up their future for the `cause.’
The Hurriyat leaders are being paid to create trouble in the state – more than one intercepted conversation has proved that point. Their only interest is in fomenting more trouble – just to keep their `shops’ running. So Clearly it is for the parents to decide – would they want peace in their lives and the state or keep chasing the mirage called `azadi’ and play right into Pakistan’s hands.
The governments both at the centre and the state too need to ponder – by advocating dilution or partial lifting of the AFSPA are they playing right into ISI’s hands or actually thinking of national interest.
Political interests are important but nothing is more important that national interest. And that is not just the job of the armed forces. It is the job of the nation and those who head it.

OF TOURISTS AND TERRORISTS FROM PAKISTAN

2010-07-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

India can certainly do well without tourists like Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's Foreign Minister with a penchant for theatrics. After his extremely undiplomatic remarks during S.M. Krishna's Pakistan visit, Qureshi shot his mouth off again.

"I will undertake a visit to India only if I am assured that the neighbouring country (India) has the intention to hold a meaningful and result-oriented dialogue, otherwise I am not really fond of taking a tourist trip," he was quoted as saying.

Pakistan's biggest export remains terror and India certainly enjoys the most-favoured-nation status here. India can undoubtedly do better without tourists like Qureshi and terrorists like Ajmal Amir Kasab.

Let us examine Qureshi's statement closely. How can India assure Pakistan that there can be meaningful and result-oriented dialogue when Pakistan refuses to take a single step to dismantle the terror infrastructure aimed at India and prosecute the 26/11 masterminds?

New revelations prove the active involvement of Pakistani state actors. Pakistan has seen American terrorist David Coleman Headley's interrogation report. He has spoken about the direct involvement of Pakistan Navy personnel in training the 10 terrorists sent to Mumbai.

Worse, it now emerges that Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, director general of the ISI, not only paid Rs 25 lakh to buy the boat (Al Husseini) for the 10 terrorists but also personally visited Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakvi and Sajjid Mir in jail. Any country with a powerful democratic set-up would have ordered a probe and taken the rogue general to task. But not Pakistan, where the army clearly calls the shots and orders puppets like Yousuf Raza Gilani and Qureshi to parrot the lines handed over to them.

Terror from Pakistan rightly is and should remain India's focus. Islamabad, without dismantling the terror infrastructure aimed at India and without going after the 'real' masterminds of 26/11, hopes to resume the composite dialogue. There is clearly no middle ground. So why go through the façade of talks?

I am not against talks. But talks for the sake of talks when the Pakistani establishment continues to plot attacks on India and Indian interests in Afghanistan do not make sense. After the sellout at Sharm-el-Sheikh, India agreed to talk to Pakistan when Gilani told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Thimpu that he had clearance from the army to resume talks. And then, the disaster in Islamabad with Qureshi calling India's foreign minister Krishna names.

This is clearly a part of Pakistan's blow hot-blow cold tactics. Pakistan is doing what it does best. Complicate the situation so much and create so many power centres that everybody has rights and nobody has any responsibilities. The civilian establishment can blame the army and the army can blame the civilian establishment. In the end there is the ISI and the 'fundoos' (fundamentalists) to blame for any fiasco.

India has to take care that it does not fall into Pakistan's trap anymore. Civil or military establishment remains immaterial. Power is wielded by the army. Any lasting peace and prevention of future terror attacks can only be ensured if the Pakistan Army is aboard the peace bandwagon. And that clearly will not happen till they change the syllabus at Pakistan military academy.

Till then, talk if you must. But do not lower your guard. Expect Pakistan to hit you when and where you least expect it. When that happens, instead of frothing in the mouth, hit back hard and fast.

Wargame your response now. If you have reasonable proof that elements of the Pakistani establishment were involved, punish them. That's the only way to ensure that the next terror attack is at least delayed if not prevented completely. Offence is not just the best but the only defence when you are living next door to terror.

INDIA FAILED BHOPAL

2010-06-11T01:12:00.000-07:00

Warren Anderson escorted out of Bhopal in a state government aircraft. The then district magistrate of Bhopal, Moti Singh, told Headlines Today that he was under express orders to ensure that Anderson was granted bail and escorted safely to the aircraft. Arjun Singh was the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in December 1984. He owes the nation an explanation. If he chooses to keep mum because of loyalty to the party over justice for the 20,000 people killed and over five lakh affected, then this is an act of treason.

Former chief justice of India A.M. Ahmadi too owes the nation an explanation. Why was the case against Union Carbide officials watered down from 304 II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) to 304A (causing death due to negligence)? He was the chief justice of India.

The Supreme Court too let down the people of Bhopal. Former chief justice R.S. Pathak accepted the watered down compensation of 470 million dollars when the state of Madhya Pradesh demanded 3.3 billion dollars as compensation and punitive damages against Union Carbide. The judge concerned owes the nation an explanation. Is his conscience clear today?

B.R. Lal, the CBI officer supervising the case that time, claims there was pressure from the ministry of external affairs not to pursue the extradition of Anderson.

The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary together let down Bhopal and the nation.

The learned chief judicial magistrate Mohan P. Tiwari gave the maximum punishment to the convicted as permitted by the law under 304A. He did his best. His hands had been tied by former chief justice of India A.M. Ahmadi. The former chief justice too has some questions to answer.

Yesterday, while speaking to journalists he used words to the effect in case his orders were bad in law it could have been challenged by a review petition then. He claimed as far as he knew there was no review petition. But there was a review petition. A Bhopal-based NGO, the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udhyog Sangathan, claims it filed a review petition. Today former chief justice Ahmadi changed his stance. He did a U-turn, saying there may have been a review petition. He said: "I do not recollect any review petition."

Look at the anguish of the people of Bhopal. Rajkumar Keshvani, a senior journalist and petitioner, wrote: "It's an irony that Justice Ahmedi, on retirement, got appointed as lifetime chairman by the Supreme Court for the Bhopal Memorial Hospital Trust, which runs a hospital in Bhopal created by the funding of Union Carbide. An eminent Supreme Court lawyer Indira Jaisingh opposed his appointment on the grounds that Ahmedi provided relief to Carbide officials accused in the Bhopal criminal case."
Keshwani's anguish is clear when he writes: "Earlier, incidentally, another Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice R.S. Pathak too got the posting as a judge in the International Court of Justice, Hague, in April 1989. This was just three months after Justice Pathak facilitated the infamous out-of-court settlement between the Union Carbide and the Government of India, which had assumed the role of the 'parent of nation' (Parens patriae) by taking away the rights of Bhopal gas victims to contest their compensation cases.

"In this dirty deal by the then Rajiv Gandhi government, Justice Pathak also quashed the criminal proceedings against Carbide in lieu of the payment of settlement money of $470 million. The case could be revived only after victims challenged the decision in the SC.

"It was this revived case in the Bhopal court which was decided on Monday to utter disillusionment of the survivors and to a great delight of the accused, since none of them had to go to jail even for a minute. They were granted bails then and there by the CJM against a surety of Rs 25, 000 each."

Our political masters came out with the Bhopal Gas Leak Disaster (Processing of Claims) Act 1985. This Act conferred certain powers on the central government to secure claims arising out of, or connected with, the Bhopal gas leak disaster. The aim was that the claims are dealt with speedily, effectively, equitably and to the best advantage of the claimants. Can anyone of our leaders today stand up and say that they did so? A claim of 3.3 billion dollars watered down to 470 million dollars. Is this the best they could do?

This is India, a growing superpower so desperate for that permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. This is a country let down by its political leadership. This is a country that looked up to its so well-respected judiciary. But justice was not only delayed but also denied.

The executive, the legislature and the judiciary clearly appear to have favoured the rich, the high and the mighty over the poor suffering people of Bhopal.

It is a pity that even today, none of the powers that be are interested in the truth coming out and the guilty brought to book. Before we attack the US, let us look within. Unless we take ourselves seriously, the world will not. Unless we are more serious about bringing the guilty to book, how can we complain if the US does not take us seriously on extraditing Anderson?

We can only complain that Barack Obama cares more about American dolphins (looking for ass to kick in the BP oil spill) than Indian lives in Bhopal. But what are we doing to ensure Arjun Singh speaks the truth? What are we doing to ensure former chief justices Pathak and Ahmadi explain their actions.

Twenty thousand people were killed in Bhopal, many in their sleep. Over five lakh suffered and continue to suffer. Do we care? We should. For nuclear power, we are to set up plants and the world will soon be at our doorstep trying to sell its wares. An accident there will be a Bhopal multiplied a million times. We should care because we could be next. The next Bhopal could be in our city.

If foreigners like Anderson and powerful companies like Union Carbide could get away so easily that time, their money could buy our establishment again and again. We have to be aware to demand accountability. And that starts today.

Fight a guerrilla like a guerrilla

2010-05-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

There is a basic flaw in the anti-Naxal operations being undertaken by the security forces. There is a clear lack of aim and no clarity on standard operating procedures (SOPs) resulting in Dantewada-like disasters. Headlines Today accessed the E.N. Rammohan report on the Dantewada massacre, and even to a layman it is unbelievable how the 81-member CRPF company moved around like headless chicken for three days before finally being slaughtered.

There is a crisis in command. The Director General of CRPF needs to do some serious soul-searching. If this is how his men are going to fight the Naxals they'd better pack their bags and leave. Not just the officers on the ground, what was the CRPF brass doing? What was their plan B, their contingency plans for an ambush-like situation? If they had not factored in an ambush, they were not doing their basic job right.

Headlines Today's Ashish Khetan travelled to the forests in Dantewada where the encounter took place. He spoke to his sources on the ground and also in the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was shocking that the CRPF patrol did not even follow the SOPs.
While they left the camp at 7 pm on April 4, they did not enter the forest as tasked. Instead they camped a few hundred metres outside their base. This indicates their fear of entering the jungle they were tasked to dominate.

Camped inside village

The CRPF personnel violated the patrol plan and entered village Mukram, 4 kilometres from their Chintalnar camp. They asked villagers for cots, utensils to cook and a goat for meat. As per their SOPs they were supposed to maintain secrecy and not mingle with local villagers or stay at any location for long.

This was a big mistake. By camping just outside their camp, they displayed a total lack of seriousness of approach. By asking the villagers to bring cots to sleep in, utensils to cook food and a goat for meat, the CRPF team behaved like an 'occupation army'. Not a lean mean war machine out to neutralise Maoist guerrillas. They were just marking time - in the bargain - the better trained, armed and motivated Maoists found time to plan their operation annihilation.

Lost wireless set during patrolling

The CRPF personnel botched the patrolling operation at every stage. Such was the level of fear and demoralisation that they did not even follow the set plan for area domination.

The CRPF personnel did not follow the laid out plan for patrolling. They entered another housing cluster at Tadmetla. A CRPF officer lost his wireless set here. The personnel looked for the set but gave it up midway.

Returned to same village at night

Ignoring the grid references for the patrol, the CRPF patrol party returned to Mukram village and camped at the Chintalnar Ashram for school children 4 kilometres away. Again a violation of norms.

Did not dominate high ground

The CRPF patrol party patrolled the same area for more than 24 hours, giving ample time to the Maoists to follow their movement and plan an ambush. This is exactly what the Maoists did on April 6. They ambushed the 82-member CRPF patrol at Tadmetla and killed 76 personnel.

Maoist training, strategy and operations

Maoist literature seized by the security forces indicates their high level of military training and tactics. Consider this:

1. How to launch an offensive on a security forces patrol party. How company of Maoist guerrillas (100-120 men) will split into three platoons (25-30 men each) and attack from flanks…how a reserve platoon of Maoists will launch a deception attack…and then the main party will hit from the rear…how another platoon will be in place to beat back any rescue operation mounted by the security forces.

2. How the Maoists will disengage from operations if outnumbered, re-group and then launch another offensive.

3. How to plant IEDs and trigger them at an appropriate time to inflict maximum damage and disappear into the jungles and then regroup at a pre-appointed place.

4. There are several such training maps and sketches that talk of how sections (10 men) will loot weapons and reach the reserve platoon and secure the flanks to beat back counter attacks.

And this is exactly what the Maoists did during the four-hour long offensive in Dantewada. They took the high ground, launched an ambush with military precision, attacking the security forces from three sides. The jawans ran in one direction for cover. That is where the Maoists had apparently placed guns on tree tops and opened fire, cutting down the jawans.

Two Maoist platoons were in place to beat back the CRPF rescue operation. They triggered a landmine to ensure mine protected vehicles could also not reach the troops.

Maoist air defence and attack plans

Even as the Centre and the states debate the use of airpower, the Maoists already have a air defence and counterattack plan in place.
From aiming at rotor blades to bring down a chopper, the Maoist air defence training manual says engage helicopters with small arms when they are hovering or moving slowly. Also aim at the hub of the rotor so that the bullet or the debris falls into the engine that will bring the chopper down.

Using natural camouflage and total radio silence is also a part of the passive air defence taught to the guerrillas.

Naxals are also being trained to fix light machine guns on treetops to be used as anti-aircraft guns for low-flying helicopters.

Naxals are also being trained to lob grenades at helipads and fire at helicopters when they come in to land and take-off. Four such attacks have already been carried out in the past two years.
Neutralise top leaders

The counter Maoist forces need to improve their intelligence gathering abilities. Some of the top IB officers are now heading forces in the region and they need to pinpoint the location of Ganpathy, Kishenji, Kosa, Nambala Kesav and Kisan Da among others. A entire sector of CRPF and state police will not be able to locate them. It is shocking that the media reaches Kishenji each time but the state police and other forces are still unable to locate him. This despite the best technology available with the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Pinpoint the location of these commanders and neutralise them. The movement will be directionless. But don't rest on your laurels. Before the second-rung leadership can completely take over, neutralise them. Then the guerrillas will move around like headless chicken and will be easier to pick.
But this would require a national resolve. It is hard to believe that the Maoists who seriously started arming themselves only in 2001 are today too powerful for the state to handle. It appears that the state - or elements within the state - is happy to let the situation continue the way it is.

Poverty helps politicians and both bureaucrats and the police benefit from additional funds - being pumped into states in the name of development and counter-insurgency operations.

Learn from the army

I don't buy the logic that you don't use the army against your own people. This is the most flawed argument. Are Kashmiris not our own people? Just to name a few: Are Nagas, Manipuris, Assamese, Punjabis not our own people? Yet we have used the army extensively in all these states. The army runs the counter-insurgency and jungle warfare school in Vairangte. Use their training and tactics. Fight a guerrilla like a guerrilla. And you shall win. Behave like an occupation army and you will be like the Romans taking on the Gauls. Bound to lose. Wake up before it is too late. It is now or never.

SYED SALAHUDDIN CAUGHT ON CAMERA BREEDING TERROR

2010-05-09T11:11:00.001-07:00

The footage was shocking. Syed Salahuddin, commander-in-chief of the Hizbul Mujahideen, flanked by two terrorists holding Kalashnikov rifles and ordering a group of terrorists to cross the Line of Control (LoC) and attack India.
This most certainly appeared to be a launch pad somewhere in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The words were full of hate and the orders were to kill and be killed. Salahuddin, a wanted terrorist in India, is an 'honoured guest' in Pakistan. He travels freely between Muzaffarabad and Islamabad.
"Go to India, wage Jihad. You will be fighting in the most inhospitable weather conditions. You will be killed there but your martyrdom will be supreme," screams Salahuddinin the visuals accessed exclusively by Headlines Today.
In the video, Salahuddin is seen indoctrinating his suicide attackers. They are armed to the teeth with rocket launchers and Kalashnikov rifles.
"The battlefield of Kashmir is no doubt the most difficult of all battlefields. That is why compared to others, the holy war (Jihad) in Kashmir will bear you the sweetest fruit," Salahuddin is seen in the video motivating his cadres before they cross the LoC.
He warns them of the might of the Indian army. He tells his terrorists they will be killed in Kashmir and that they would be fighting in the most inhospitable weather conditions and altitudes.
Highly placed sources told Headlines Today this is a very recent video - as recent as late January or early February 2010. Salahuddin is seen on video talking about the 21-year-old fight in J&K. "Recently on the 5th of February 2010, Kashmir Solidarity Day was observed across Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, where Salahuddin was quoted talking about the 21-year-long struggle in Kashmir," highly placed sources told Headlines Today.
This is not literature, Mr Salman Bashir"For the past 21-22 years, in the beautiful valleys and snow clad peaks of J&K, along the Dal Lake and Jhelum River, we have been fighting a war with the 7.5 lakh-strong Indian army," Salahuddin tells his band of suicide bombers.
Sources also tell Headlines Today that this video is in line with intelligence intercepts and warnings about expecting "one of the hottest summers ever" in J&K. Intelligence agencies have warned that terrorists across the LoC have been ordered to carry out a series of intensified spectacular terror strikes in J&K.
Bullets rang out at Lal Chowk, the heart of Srinagar, early on Tuesday morning. Within minutes, a CRPF jawan lay martyred. In a daring attack, a terrorist walked up to the jawan and shot him at close range before disappearing in the early morning crowd at Lal Chowk, popular among locals as 'Bomb Chowk'.
"Terrorists are now attacking security forces at least once a week. According to reports, Pakistan has reactivated training camps in PoK and infiltration figures are on a sharp upward curve," sources said. Union Defence Minister A.K. Antony, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of Op Vayu Shakti in Pokhran last week, said: "Our real concern is the existence of terror camps intact across the border after the 26/11 attacks. There are 42 terror camps. And there has been no serious effort to dismantle these camps."
According to sources in the Jammu and Kashmir Police, the number of trained terrorists who crossed into Kashmir has risen dramatically by a hundred percent. "Sixty sneaked in during 2008 and that number doubled to 120 in 2009. The army and intelligence agencies are now estimating this to double once again in 2010," a top-ranking police officer told Headlines Today.
Sources also tell Headlines Today this is evidence of terrorists openly using Pakistani territory to launch terror attacks across the LoC into India. "Terrorists like Syed Salahuddin, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Illyas Kashmiri represent the terror troika openly operating out of Pakistan. Salahuddin has been leading the oldest group of terrorists. He is not confined to PoK and has a house even in Pakistan's capital Islamabad,'' the sources said.
Even as India prepares for one of the hottest summers ever in the counter-terror operations, attacks like the one at Lal Chowk and the recent ones at Tral and Sopore - where the army lost a special forces officer and an infantry officer - are proof of Pakistan's stepped up operations to spread terror across the LoC.
Pakistan's terror troikaThe civil establishment in Pakistan does not really matter. They parrot the lines given to them by the all powerful military establishment. And for the military establishment, Salahuddin, Hafiz Saeed and Illyas Kashmiri are strategic assets.
Pakistan has fought and lost four conventional wars to India. This proxy war is a win-win situation for the Pakistan army and the terror troika — Saeed, Salahuddin and Kashmiri — are generals of the Pakistan army fighting this proxy war.
From Saeed to Salahuddin, the terror masterminds misuse Islam to indoctrinate the terrorists. The Pakistan army is understood to be giving them better training, teaching them more advanced tactics and giving them better weapons to take on the security forces. This is apparent from the diverse tactics terrorists have used in J&K recently — a 72-hour stand-off in Sopore where Captain Devender Singh Jas and two other Para commandoes were martyred, the 30-hour stand-off in Tral where Captain Yadav was martyred and the hit-and-run attack in Lal Chowk, Srinagar.
Options for IndiaOne thing is clear. Whether you talk to Pakistan or not, terrorists armed, trained, funded and nurtured by the Pakistan army and ISI will continue to strike. The intensity may vary - from an occasional Mumbai 26/11-style attack to the more frequent Pune, Jaipur and Delhi serial blast-style attacks. This has been the history of Indo-Pak talks. The attack on Parliament and Mumbai may have forced our old, weak kneed and equally if not more weak-minded political leadership out of their slumber and threaten Pakistan with war. But both Pakistan and India know that our politicians lack the will and army the preparedness for war.
The world knows we lack a foreign policy, especially a Pakistan policy. They have a consistent policy to bleed us. Our prime ministers keep reading Urdu couplets, taking buses to Pakistan or selling out the country's interests at Sharm-el-Sheikh.
India clearly needs to set benchmarks and put it in public domain. If talks have to resume in the right earnest, Pakistan has to crack down on the forces hostile to India on Pakistani territory. If Pakistan is not even willing to do that, why even go through the charade of talks? Unless Hafiz Saeed, Syed Salahuddin and Illyas Kashmiri are put behind bars, it cannot be business as usual.
Chidambaram's litmus test for PakistanThe only hope in India's otherwise rather dismal political leadership is Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram. One feels safer with Chidambaram at the wheel. At least he is honestly trying to ensure that the security apparatus delivers.
Post-26/11, there has been a sea change in the style of functioning of security forces on ground, and at least the first steps have been taken to ensure there is accountability in the intelligence agencies.
Speaking at the India Today conclave 2010, Chidambaram asked Pakistan to walk the talk on terror. If Pakistan is actually serious about cracking down on terror, especially terror aimed at India, it should provide the voice samples of terrorist handlers who were guiding the terrorists during the Mumbai attacks. At least then there is hope that Pakistan is serious about fighting the cancer of terror.
If Pakistan does not do any of this and yet calls for resumption of composite dialogue and India agrees, we would once again be let down by our political and diplomatic leadership. Then only God help India. We cannot keep raising the bar and then do a low jump.

PAKISTAN'S DOUBLE STANDARDS ON TERROR EXPOSED

2010-05-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hours after 30-year-old Faizal Shahzad, son of a retired air vice marshal of the Pakistan Air Force, was arrested in the US, Pakistani authorities swung into action. Faizal's father-in-law and a friend were among the seven 'suspects' detained for questioning. Faizal's uncle retired as a major general in the frontier corps of the all powerful Pakistan army.

Contrast Pakistan's response to the failed terror attack at New York's Times Square with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

India caught Ajmal Amir Kasab with a smoking gun. He confessed he was a Pakistani, named his parents, village, Lashkar-e-Tayeba trainers and Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. Pakistan went into a denial mode. And to a large extent remains in denial even today.

But from Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik to foot-in-the-mouth Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Pakistan's ambassador to the US Hussein Haqqani, everybody is bending over backwards to assure the US that strictest possible action will be taken against the plotters of the Times Square attack.

LESSONS FOR INDIA

There is a lesson here for India's Pakistan policy planners. In the US, national security and national interest are supreme. From President Barack Obama downwards, the focus is on ensuring safety of US citizens. They are answerable for every failure.

In India despite the loss of 166 precious lives, despite knowing that state actors were involved in plotting mayhem in India, despite knowing that the jihad factories are still churning out more Kasabs, the prime minister extends his hand of friendship.

Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor in the court of special judge M.L. Tahaliyani described Kasab as a snake, a demon and a killing machine. Kasab is just a product of the jihad factory where other snakes, demons and killing machines are being prepared. What is the prime minister doing to ensure that factory is shut down?

What is Shiv Shankar Menon, the national security advisor spearheading the 'talk to Pakistan initiative' doing to ensure that the CEO of the terror factory - Hafiz Saeed - is arrested and prosecuted?

Meeting of hands does not mean anything...hearts should meet. That is not possible when one heart is so full of poison. Unless India sticks to its stand of no further movement on any issue till the terror factories are shut down and its CEO, staff and products are locked up, Pakistan will continue to bite that extended hand of friendship with impunity.

Why should Pakistan crack down on the jihad factory aimed at India? It has India back on the negotiating table without even paying lip service to cracking down on terror. The US has the power to ostracize Pakistan. The US has the power to inflict costs on Pakistan. India lacks that power.

Questions are being asked in the US if the country was getting its money's worth from Pakistan. A country living on US dole, plotting to launch more terror attacks across the US. In the US, its intelligence agencies too are in the line of fire - why was Faizal not on the terror radar and more importantly how did he manage to board the aircraft to the UAE despite being on the no-fly list? Taxpayers in the US are demanding answers.

HOW MANY DEATHS ACCEPTABLE?

In India losing the life of a dozen people every month to terrorists in J&K or even across the country is considered "acceptable". So the loss of a young army captain and a jawan in Bandipora on May 5 is a part of 'acceptable' damage. That is really sad commentary on the state of the nation.

In India questioning the motives of the prime minister or his NSA are considered anti-national. With the Opposition in a perpetual state of disarray, the government is able to get away with murder.

Let India learn a few lessons from the US. They interact directly with the Pakistan army - the real wielders of power in the country. We in India keep harping on talking to civilians who have to get back to the army to take their orders.

The main focus of the prime minister and his NSA should be to take the Opposition into confidence and carve out a clear Pakistan policy. Let India have a national policy on Pakistan. Come rain, some shine India will not deviate from that policy. That let be a rational policy keeping India's national interest in mind.

If the government of the day in its wisdom has decided to talk to Pakistan, let the ground rules be settled. Terror and talks do not go together. Let our intelligence agencies be held accountable. Get credible evidence of the terror factories, hand them over to Pakistan. See if the jihad factories are shut down and those spreading terror in India put behind bars.

If that does not happen, talking for the sake of talking will never make Indians safe. Let us learn from the US - national security above all. The world will listen.

SHOW SPINE HANG KASAB

2010-05-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Special Judge M.L. Tahaliyani delivered a landmark verdict on Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab in a packed courtroom at Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail. This is one story I have followed very closely. On November 26, 2008 I had just finished anchoring at 9.30 pm when the first flash came - shooting at Leopold. Was this gang war? We broke the regular show and dived into breaking news. The next flash - automatic weapons used, AK-47s and grenades hurled. This was most certainly a terror attack. Moments later, shooting at VT (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus), a blast in a taxi at Ville Parle. It was unending...shooting at the Oberoi Trident and the Taj and then at Nariman House.
A.N. Roy, then director general of police, Maharashtra, told me on a 'live phono' that this was most certainly a very well organised terror attack and asked our channel to request people watching TV to stay where they were and not venture out on the streets. Leave the roads open for emergency services.
The young reporters and camerapersons of Headlines Today and Aaj Tak braved bullets to get us live shots of the terror attack. The entire team fanned out across the affected areas, capturing events on the ground, speaking to sources and piecing together the nightmare that was unfolding live. The killing of Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar came as another extremely rude shock. Just hours earlier, our western India bureau chief Sahil Joshi had interviewed him.
Sahil was returning from the police commissioner's office at VT and was on his way to Andheri when he got a call about firing in Colaba. Principal correspondent Ariz Chandra was at TV Today's Nariman Point office with senior camerman Raju Inamdar. He also heard about the firing at Oberoi Hotel - barely 2 minutes of walking distance from our office. They rushed there. They heard the gunfire and saw the injured being taken by the police in a van. Raju Inamdar rushed to Cafe Leopold in Colaba.
Our guest coordinator Muqtar Sheikh called Sahil and said his relatives had heard blasts at the CST. Reports came in of firing at the station too. Most reporters were on their way home. They rushed back. Principal Correspondent Vidya rushed to Metro Cinema. Rajesh Kumar went to the CST. Aditya Aman rushed to Taj. Vivek Bhat rushed to cover the Vile Parle taxi blast. Cameraman Kiran and Virendra Singh Ghunawat went to the Nariman House. Our outdoor broadcasting vans were placed at the Oberoi, Taj and CST.
Rahul Kanwal, our executive Editor, and I anchored till after 3 that night. The studio was live through the night. At 5 am on 27th November, I rushed to the airport. Sabina Sehgal Saikia's brother Nikhil and husband Shantanu were on the same flight. Sabina was at the Taj. We were all tense. At 8 when we landed, our entire team from Delhi fanned out to different attack spots.
I rushed to the Oberoi Hotel - a childhood friend of mine in the security forces was engaged in the anti-terror operations. The picture he painted was scary. He said they were facing trained commandos. The 'enemy' knew the training, tactics and standard operating procedures of the security forces.
Late that night I moved to cover the Nariman House operations where the NSG commandos launched a heli-borne operation at dawn. Over the next 60 hours, we reported from the historic Gateway of India (Taj Hotel), CST, Oberoi, Nariman House and from the homes and hospitals across the city. India had been attacked.
I was back in Mumbai on the first anniversary of the terror attacks. Was Maximum City safer? Had we learnt our lessons? What were Mumbaikars saying? And then again back in the city for the verdict. Reporting from dawn till past midnight on the verdict and then the death sentence.
Sense of closure?In the past decade or so, I have covered almost every major terror strike in the country...The stench of burnt flesh, limbs strewn around, crying faces, mangled shops, cars and scared people are etched in my mind. The terror attack at the Ahmedabad civil hospital was horrifying but nothing was as horrible as the Mumbai terror attacks.
The death sentence for Kasab is a significant step but in no way gives a sense of closure - to the victims of 26/11, their families and next of kin or even to people like us who covered the attacks and the trial.
Our weak-kneed leaders and the equally weak resolve of our entire political leadership leave much to be desired for. In 2005, Afzal Guru was convicted by the Supreme Court of India for his role in the attack on the temple of Indian democracy - the Parliament. Yet the terrorist remains on death row for over five years. Neither the BJP nor the Congress has shown urgency to display a brave and united face to combat terror. This is not only sad but downright disgusting. Politics over terror.
There is a genuine fear that politics will take over even Kasab's case. Some 'jhola-wallahs' will stand up for their five minutes of fame and put a spoke in the wheels of justice. Even the learned judge M.L. Tahaliyani feared that Kasab should not be allowed to live because there is a history in this country of a Kandhar-like hijack. The same could be repeated...this time for the release of Kasab. A prominent politician could be kidnapped or their kin could be abducted, and like in the case of Rubiya Saeed the government will release terrorists.
After all, the life and safety of the common man means nothing in India.
Show resolve, hang KasabThe real sense of closure will come when India hangs Kasab. The judiciary in this country is held in very high esteem and looked up to for guidance. Let the High Court and Supreme Court decide Kasab's case in record time. Hear it on a daily basis and deliver their verdict. And then let the government of the day at the Centre and in Maharashtra show the same speed in advising the President of India on the issue. Let Kasab jump the queue and meet his fate. Every day that Kasab, the lives of innocent Indians are endangered. If the government shows signs of delay, the government will also have blood on its hands.
Nail the CEOs of jihad factoriesHafiz Mohammad Saeed, Maulana Masood Azhar, Illyas Kashmiri, Dawood Ibrahim and the CEOs of the jihad factories in Pakistan are still active and plotting more terror attacks on innocent Indians.
Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad...the entire nation is on the terror crosshairs. Indian interests in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world are also threatened.
The government should focus on taking out the CEOs of the jihad factories by overt and covert means. Talk to Pakistan but ensure India is never attacked again. Show a firm resolve and tackle terror as a national aim. The government owes it to the nation.

YUDHAYE KRIT NISCHAYA: TAKE A FIRM RESOLVE AND FIGHT

2010-04-10T04:40:00.000-07:00

The mood in the army camp was tense. The morale low. The commanding officer did not even have the luxury of shedding tears - some of the younger officers and jawans stood in attention - tears freely streaming down their eyes. In front of us lay several bodies - of soldiers killed while launching an impossible attack on the icy peaks of Drass during the Kargil war. I had spent the last couple of days at this camp, had even shared a drink with the young officer who lay dead in front. I followed the commanding officer to his tent. Some officers followed. In the fog of war, no one knew how many peaks were held by the `enemy.' The orders from the top were to launch another attack the following night. But every where that the army went they drew fire. This peak, that bump, that tit and that hump. It seemed as if the Pakistani army had prepared its defences well. In the initial days of the war the reverses the severe.

A mug of hot coffee was brought in. But our throat was so heavy that not a drop went in. A soldier walked in, saluted the CO and sought permission to speak freely. It was granted. He was the religious preacher. He held the Bhagwat Gita in one hand and his INSAS 5.56 rifle was slung over his shoulder. That was the rule, even for religious preachers and cooks - the non combatants. The preacher in combat fatigues began :

HATO VA PRAPYASI SWARGAM, JITVA VA BHOGSHASE MAHEEM
TASMAD UTHISHT KAUNTEYA, YUDHAYE KRIT NISCHAYA..

In the Kurukshetra battlefield Arjun lost his will to fight. Even before the war Arjun's resolve failed him. He did not have the will to kill his cousins, uncles, guru and loved ones. Yogeshwar Shri Krishna told Arjun - If you are killed in combat, you will go to heaven, if you win you will rule over earth that seems like heaven...therefore o son of Kunti, take a firm resolve and fight.

The CO, the officers and the jawans assembled once again. There was a prayer ceremony. The commanding officer of the adjacent artillery regiment joined in. In the next couple of days more howitzers, additional troops, aerial reconnaissance pictures and fighter jets came in. The unit launched another attack. This time they won - and continued to press ahead till the enemy was pushed on the other side of the line of control. The CO is today a senior army general. Some of the young officers are now commanding batallions at the LoC and other parts of the border.

But there is a lesson here for Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and his brave men combating what prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has rightly called the biggest threat to India's internal security - the Maoists. There will be set backs. There will be serious reverses. But that should only firm the nation's resolve to fight to the finish. It is time to call in the experts. I am not advocating that we remove the brave men of the central reserve police force and other central police organisations. They need able commanders. Senior army officers - both serving and retired who have decades of experince in counter insurgency and jungle warfare. Jawans who have the experience to fight in the jungles of Nagaland and Kupwara.

In one of my previous blogs I have argued a piecemeal effort will never succeed. Chidambaram will have to rope in chief ministers - more importantly the director generals of police of all the affected states. They will have to launch simultaneous offensives in the states. Neutralise the leaders and the movement will fizzle out. Deny them the oxygen of publicity. Do not discuss tactics and operations in the media. Be transparent - let operations be open to coverage so that rumours do not fuel further trouble but let this be a war for the victory of the nation - above narrow petty political interests.

PLAN OPERATIONS WELL

The initial mistake in Kargil was rushing in without appreciating the might of the enemy. We seem to be repeating the same mistake even in Operation Greenhunt. The operations dont have to begin today. Plan well. Intelligence about the Maoist strength, weapons, escape routes, supporters, tactical and senior commanders is essential. The police in Delhi, Chattisgarh and West Bengal seem have to gathered sufficient intelligence about the training, tactics, weapons and operating procedures of naxalites from the arrest and interrogation of several maoist leaders and sympathisers. Let that information not be restricted to police files only. Let it percolate down to the platoon commanders - after all they are the ones in the line of fire.

74 CRPF personnel being killed by Maoists not only points to poor planning of operations but also extremely tardy tactics, training and SOPs in place. For every soldier it should be his second nature to break out of an ambush. After all you do not have to be Clausewitz or Sun Tzu to know how Maoists attack and how to beat it back. Gather intelligence and then launch an offensive at a place and time of your choosing. To use the army or air force or not is the decision of the commander on ground - the media may discuss it threadbare - but let the war planners deliberate - take a decision and stick to it.

To win a war - aim is important. But equally important is maintaining that aim. Shifting the goal post will only lead to more Dantewada type set backs.

FIGHT TO THE FINISH

In India we have had this discussion for a long time - decades. we have romanticised the naxal movement and we have criticised it. We have debated long enough. Now is the time to act. and act decisively. the Maoists have been given long enough to join the national mainstream. If they claim to represent the masses let them represent them in the state assemblies and the national parliament. The election commission and the media - let there be international media if they so desire - to see the transprency of elections. But the Maoists and their jhola-wala sympathisers have to realise in India - the majority believe in democracy. Power does not come from the barrel of the gun and you cannot overthrow the democratically elected government (even if you and I hate it for a million reasons) by a so called revolution. It is ballot over bullet. Believe in it or please go where ever they believe in your kind of jungle-Raj.

The commanding officer of that Kargil unit is today a senior general in the army. He told me even he felt like putting in his papers that icy morning in Kargil. But like the Bhagwat Gita preaches - he took a firm resolve and the nation won. He did not even have the luxury of putting in his papers. That in the army during war is cowardice. India is at war Mr Chidambaram. The nation needs you to lead from the front. Your resignation is victory for the Maoists. Your resolve is the nations' victory. Fight on....you owe it to the 74 martyrs of Dantewada and the nation.

INDIA RAISES THE BAR, DOES A LOW JUMP

2010-02-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Pakistan not taking any action against the Mumbai attacks accused. I reiterate Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s stance that dialogue is possible only after Pakistan takes action against the Mumbai accused and dismantle the terrorists’ dens inside the country.

Shashi Tharoor,

Minister of State, External Affairs

December 22, 2009

No question of dilution of our demand for extradition of the suspects wanted for the Mumbai attack and other terrorist activities. Perpetrators must face Indian justice.

Pranab Mukherjee

Former External Affairs Minister

January 1, 2009

Let me say there is no pressure on us to resume a dialogue. If there is any attempt, we will not succumb to that pressure. I have said several times that dialogue with Pakistan is a necessity. But this dialogue cannot resume unless Pakistan gives sincere evidence of its willingness to prosecute all those involved in the Mumbai attacks.

Dr Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister, India

April 11, 2009

I did brief them (USA) on the state of the trial of Ajmal Kasab (the lone surviving Mumbai attack terrorist) in India and I also did mention about no progress in Pakistan in respect of the five or six people they have arrested. And Hafeez Saeed (LeT founder) remains a free man. I think thats enough. They know to draw the lessons from that statement.

P. Chidambaram

Union Home Minister

September 11, 2009

We have taken up the matter with all the force at our command with the government of Pakistan. We expect the masterminds of the attack and their supporters to be tried and punished. The infrastructure of terrorism and all safe havens have to be dismantled. The government will not rest till we have brought the perpetrators of this crime to justice. This is our solemn duty.

Dr Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister, India

November 26, 2009

WHY HAS PAKISTAN BEEN LET OFF THE HOOK?

Since 26/11, we have had the Indian prime minister, external affairs minister, home minister and defence minister tell us they will not let Pakistan off the hook till the perpetrators of 26/11 are brought to justice. India repeatedly insisted it will not be business as usual till action is taken against those who planned the worst ever terror attack on India.

What happened?

Why are we behaving like the eunuchs in the harems of the court of later Mughals – waving our swords in the zenana Mahal and thinking we are brave.

Today as an Indian citizen, I feel cheated, let down and very unsafe. Hafiz Saeed is not only roaming around freely in Pakistan, he is addressing conferences and meetings of terrorists and openly threatening India. And yet we invite Pakistan for talks.

Pakistan has taken no action against any of the main accused of 26/11, nor has it shown any desire or intention to either. And yet we invite Pakistan for talks.

Terror factories and fake currency mints are still operating in Pakistan. Yet we invite Pakistan for talks.

Both the army and the Jammu and Kashmir police are on record to say Pakistan army is openly pushing terrorists across the line of control and the international border – giving them covering fire. Yet we invite Pakistan for talks.

Instead of Pakistan being desperate to talk on our terms, Pakistan is actually setting the agenda – saying no talks unless composite dialogue resumes. Pakistan is actually pontificating. Yet we invite Pakistan for talks.

INDIA LACKS STRATEGIC THINKING

What are our long term aims when it comes to Pakistan and how do we intend to achieve them? India clearly lacks a roadmap. There is no consistency in our policy and approach. And Pakistan takes advantage of that.

Pakistan for the past 63 years has followed a consistent policy. War by all means – overt (1947, 65, 71 and Kargil in 1999) and covert (sponsoring terror in Punjab, J&K, the north east and now trying to make inroads in the naxal areas).

We know it. Pakistan remains unrepentant. And yet despite no tangible action on ground each time India changes its stance. We buckle under pressure – whether from the US or from Pakistan. Let us then just accept we are a soft state, led by weak kneed leaders with a weaker resolve. We leave ourselves open to attack – again and again.

Pakistan has done nothing since 26/11. The terror camps have still not been dismantled. The terrorists are not on the run. On the contrary they are holding open meetings – issuing threats to India under the full glare of the international media. And yet we meekly move forward for talks.

TERROR COMMANDERS MEET IN PAKISTAN

Even as India extended an invitation for talks, terrorist groups held open meetings across Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. The so called Kashmir Solidarity Conference is nothing but the Lashkar-e-Taiba/Jamat-ud-Dawa and the Hizbul Mujahideen coming together and opening ``base camps’’ in PoK to launch terror attacks in India.

So no longer are the JuD and its terror commander Hafeez Saeed lying low. For the first time after the 26/11 terror attacks, the terrorists are out in the open talking about launching fresh strikes against India.

Along with them is Lt Gen Hamid Gul, former director general of the ISI, considered by many as one of the main architects of terrorist movements in J&K and now even beyond. He is seen as one of the links between the state and the non actors. But with several Pakistan army officers – both serving and retired – working in tandem with the terrorists it is virtually impossible to differentiate between the two.

GENERAL KAYANI’S FRESH SALVO

Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani who considers the Taliban a `strategic asset’ clearly stated in Rawalpindi that the Pakistan army remains India centric. Issuing what is being seen as a veiled threat, he said unless Kashmir is resolved, the Pakistan army shall remain India centric.

Kayani again gave the speel of state and non-state actors claiming if India and Pakistan do not resume talks, non state actors would feel emboldened.

India has clearly failed yet again to tell Pakistan in particular and the world community at large, it is very difficult if not possible to differentiate between the state and non state actors in Pakistan – especially when Kayani and Hafiz Saeed break bread together during Iftaar in Rawalpindi.

RUDDERLESS FOREIGN POLICY

After the sell out at Sharm-el-Sheikh, national interest has been sold out in our own backyard. This, despite the prime minister insisting India will not buckle under international pressure. But today let us just accept US interests are more important to our leadership and diplomats than our own national interests.

Our political and diplomatic leadership would rather see American soldiers and citizens safe in Afghanistan than our own soldiers and citizens in Jammu and Kashmir and across the country.

Our national interest and safety has been bartered at the US altar. Pakistan, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Al Qaeda have once again got proof that India is a soft state. There is a pattern. Attack India at will - bigger the strike – louder will India scream – there will be a stand off situation, a freeze, a deep freeze and then within a couple of years it will be business as usual.

This is what happened after Kargil, Kandahar, attack on Parliament and Mumbai. Our diplomats lack the long term strategic goal and insight. Our politicians and diplomats fail to stand up to international pressure.

They fail to look Pakistan in the eye and call a spade a spade. It has been the same story after 1965 when our diplomats and political leadership lost the Haji pir pass and the same story after 1971 when we lost everything on the negotiating table at Simla.

SECURITY FORCES NOT IN THE LOOP

Be it the armed forces or the intelligence agencies - our security agencies insist Pakistan (both state and non state actors) are working overtime to target India – not just in J&K and the rest of the country but targeting Indian interests across the world. The Pakistan army (pushing infiltrators across) the ISI (pushing in terrorists from J&K, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the sea route), government (printing fake Indian currency) are all working in tandem.

And yet we invite Pakistan for talks. Sources in the army and the intelligence bureau insist they are not in facour of talks. As soon as talks resume, there is a semblance of normalcy and India lowers its guard. Terrorists use the opportunity to strike and each time the strike is bigger than the last one.

India pays the price – this low intensity conflict operation (LICO) is a no cost option for Pakistan to bleed India. We know it all and yet we continue to bleed and invite them for talks.

WHAT AFTER THE NEXT TERROR ATTACK

So what will India do after the next terror attack? Continue to talk or stop talking again. Perhaps, the ministers will once again wave their swords – protected by an army of soldiers and policemen. The prime minister downwards each will scream louder than the other, threaten Pakistan, visit homes of killed innocent Indians in the protection of an army of SPG and NSG commandoes and six months later it will be business as usual.

There is a pattern and Pakistan knows it. It will continue to inflict a thousand wounds. We will continue to bleed. Because we are a soft, weak kneed state with a weaker resolve.

IMAGINE BEING NUKED FOR NOT SELECTING SHAHID AFRIDI!

2010-01-23T08:09:00.000-08:00

* If only Pakistan spoke in one voice condemning the 26/11 terror attacks like they are condemning the IPL auction.
* If only Pakistan took action against the perpetrators of 26/11 like they are in the case of IPL auctions.
* If only the Pakistan rose as one nation in support of India after 26/11 as they are against India in the IPL auction.

Then India and Pakistan would have perhaps played together happily ever after.

I am amazed by Pakistan’s response to 11 Pakistani cricketers not been selected by individual team owners of the IPL.

PAK’S IMMATURE RESPONSE

From their interior minister Rehman Malik to their sports minister Aijaz Jakhrani to the man on the street – they want to sever all ties with India. Pakistan has cancelled the visit of their election commission officials to India in retaliation. The visit would have been unnecessary anyways. Who ever wins elections in Pakistan, it is the Army that calls the shots. So ``free and fair’’ elections perhaps means little even to the Pakistanis. Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Abdul Basit termed Indian foreign minister SM Krishna’s `stern warning’ to Pakistan ``immature.’’ But from all accounts it is Pakistan’s response to IPL that is rather immature – bordering juvenile. An entire country is up in arms over 11 cricketers not being selected by private cricketing bodies. For Heaven’s sake! We live in the most dangerous neighbourhood in the world. Imagine being nuked for not selecting Shahid Afridi. Pakistan wants Lalit Modi to apologise to the entire nation. But why should Lalit Modi apologise? And why should Shilpa Shetty be forced to explain her decisions? It is for the team owners and advisers to decide who suits their requirements the best. Did we ask Ratan Tata why he bought Jaguar or Lakshmi Nivas Mittal why he pulled out of the Kazakh oil fields? Then why should the IPL team owners have to explain their investments.

WHAT NEXT - RESERVATIONS IN IPL?

Why is only Pakistan crying foul? No Sri Lankan was taken and neither was a single Bangladeshi player selected. Only a single Aussie was taken. Of the 67 up for auction only 13 were sold. So does Pakistan enjoy a special status in the IPL? Does IPL stand for India-Pakistan league? This kind of brouhaha needs to be nipped in the bud otherwise soon there will be pressure to have reservation in the IPL teams. 22.7 per cent Pakistanis. 27 per cent Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Australians and 25 per cent from rest of the world – leaving only 25 per cent for Indians. Then it will be a ``propah’’ team. Oh! So politically correct. Forget making money – the franchisees need to do their bit for being diplomatically correct in the sub continent. I still can’t come to terms with the reaction in Pakistan.

Cricket and terror don’t go hand in hand Mr Gilani!

Barely 14 months ago, Pakistan said India was over reacting when 166 innocent people were killed in the worst ever terror attack and India pushed the pause button on composite dialogue. Even today Pakistan prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani wants India to separate composite dialogue from terror. And yet the Pakistan government decides not to send a high level parliamentary delegation to India because of the ``humiliation’’ their 11 cricketers faced.

Going by that logic India should close down its High Commission in Islamabad and end all ties with Pakistan, because not just India – the world is convinced Pakistan is responsible for all the major terror attacks in India. Lets start from the beginning:- October 1947.

Barely two months after Independence, Pakistan raiders attacked Jammu and Kashmir. 1,104 Indian army soldiers and 684 soldiers of the J&K state forces were killed in the first Indo-Pak war.
3,000 Indian soldiers were killed in the 1965 Indo-Pak war.
3,843 Indian soldiers were killed in the 1971 Indo-Pak war.
530 Indian soldiers were killed in the 1999 war in Kargil.
170 innocent people were killed in Mumbai, the worst terror attack on India. And yet we are going hysterical over 11 Pakistani players not selected by private team owners for the third edition of the IPL.

14 months after the worst terror attack on India, Pakistan has done nothing to bring the perpetrators to book. And Pakistan’s Interior minister Rehman Malik wants India to apologise for these 11 players. Did Pakistan apologise for Mumbai? No! Did Pakistan apologise for terror attacks in Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, J&K, Andhra Pradesh? No!

ANOTHER 26/11 IN INDIA?

Pakistan’s prime minister Gilani says there could be another 26/11 terror attack in India. Is that a veiled threat? Talk or face another attack! Take our players or face another attack? What next – get out of Afghanistan or face another terror attack? Actually to an extent Gilani is right. He is powerless to stop the attacks. For it is the Pakistan army that calls the shots in the country and as long as Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul continues to preach hate for India – the terror tap will never be closed. But Pakistan needs to watch out. It has been described as the terror epicenter of the world. And the world is watching. US defence Secretary Robert Gates has warned Pakistan not to test India’s patience. Another 26/11 would have very dangerous repercussions. British High Commissioner Sir Richard Stagg has also insisted Pakistan cannot shrug off its responsibility. And foreign minister SM Krishna has been unusually frank when he said any misadventure will have serious consequences on bilateral relations. Intelligence agencies have warned there could be another spectacular terror attack. Terror could strike from the skies. Security forces are gearing up to face perhaps – multiple terror attacks across multiple cities but the government needs to do more to tell Pakistan – back off or else…..

MYSTERY MAN IN THE SUKNA LAND DEAL

2010-01-14T10:30:00.000-08:00

The army court of inquiry report in the shameful Sukna land case categorically points out when Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash, Military Scretary visited his highness Maharaja Gaj singhji of Jodhpur with Dilip Aggarwal another ``Gentleman'' accompanied them in July 2008. Sources in army headquarters said despite repeated questioning neither businessman Dilip Aggarwal nor the military secretary Lt Gen Prakash named the ``gentleman''. The Chief of the Army Staff General Deepak Kapoor should come clean - who this gentleman was. What was his role in the entire Sukhna land scam case. Why did neither Lt Gen Prakash nor businessman Aggarwal name him ? And why is the army not trying to get to the bottom of the case. Who is Lt Gen Prakash trying to shield and is that the reason why the Chief of the Army Staff is going soft on his `trusted' aide. Former Generals want the army to come clean on the issue.

The military court of inquiry found chief of the army staff General Deepak Kapoor’s key aide Lieutenant General Avdesh Prakash, military secretary blameworthy for ``taking undue interest in furthering the vested agenda of a businessman, misusing his position of authority to pressurize the staff of headquarters 33 Corps,’’ in the Sukhna land scam. Despite the report clearly indicting top generals including Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash Military Secretary and Lt Gen PK Rath, then GOC 33 Corps, the ``soft stance’’ adopted by the army chief has come as a ``shocker.’’ A senior official in the MoD told Headlines Today that the army was trying to ``buy time,’’ so that Lt Gen Prakash can retire with just a rap on his knuckles on January 31. ``The show cause notice is just a way to postpone an uncomfortable decision and prevent other skeletons from tumbing out of the cupboard,’’ sources said.

Headlines Today is in exclusive possession of the court of inquiry report that says Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash not only suppressed information but also tried to mislead the court. The report forwarded to the Army Chief for further action says ``Lt Gen Prakash maintained that he was not aware about Mr Dilip Aggarwal’s effort to get franchise of Mayo College where as he actually accompanied him at Jodhpur to meet his Highness Maharaja Gajsinghji and also visited the Mayo College.’’ Highly placed sources in army headquarters told Headlines Today ``lying to a military court, suppressing information or misleading the court’’ is a serious offence in the army. ``Yet Gen Deepak Kapoor appears to be shielding his key aide. This will send a wrong message down the rank and file in a force where discipline is the backbone of smooth functioning,’’ a top ranking officer said. The Court of Inquiry report goes on to say: ``He (Lt Gen Prakash) flatly denied that he had any official dealings with Dilip Aggarwal while posted in this region where as Aggarwal carried had out a construction project at the Detachment IMTRAT Rear in 2006.’’ Not only that the army probe report reveals that Lt Gen Prakash denied monitoring or influencing the case where as ``call records of 20 March 2009 clearly indicate conversation with Mr Dilip Aggarwal at the time MoU was being signed.’’ The report says the land in question is literally adjacent to the Sukha Corps Headquarters and given the security scenario it was not recommended that any construction be carried out in the area.

In fact the army was keen to acquire that land due to the security considerations. But the army suddenly changed its stance. According to the inquiry report the ``influencing factors’’ included Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash’s official visit to Sukhna on October 18, 2008.

He met Dilip Aggarwal and visited the land in question along with the businessman. The military secretary referred to Aggarwal as ``his friend’’ introducing him to the Corps Commander Lt Gen PK Rath and asked Rath to ``look into the request,’’ to establish a residential school. The report goes on to say that the army did not even verify the credentials of Dilip Aggarwal or the veracity of Geetanjali Education Trust.

Worse, the report says between 18-20 March 2009 businessman Dilip Aggarwal kept asking for amendments to the clauses of MouU to suit own requirementsand kept speaking to Lt Gen Prakash and Lt Gen Rath to convey the latest to them. Paragraph 17 of the Draft MoU was the most potent paragraph giving rights to the army to terminate the MoU on security grounds but this was removed as it was not acceptable to businessman Dilip Aggarwal. The report says the MoU favoured the civilian party. The army fact finding report says large number of telephone calls were made between Dilip Aggarwal and lt Gen Avdesh Prakash during the period of signing of the moU. There were also anomalies in the MoU. Initial paperwork was for construction of a girls school but MoU was for educational institutions – schools and colleges.

`Nobody was able to explain how that happened nor the security considerations such a campus would create,’’ says the report. ``The army does not run Kangaroo courts. Due process of law is followed. But transparency needs to be ensured and promopt action should be taken in such cases,'' General Shankar Roy Choudhary, former chief of the army staff said. ``The army will have to speed up action in the case but even if the officer (Lt Gen Prakash) retires by the month end, and the army decides on action subsequently, he can be recalled from his retired life to face the punishment.

This does not in any way mean that the guilty officers will get away if they retire,'' he adds. The charges against Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash are extremely serious. The court of inquiry report has come down seriously on him for not only suppression of information but also accused him of trying to mislead the court. An extremely serious offence in the army. ``These are officers on whose single order jawans lay down their lives for the country in times of conflict. If they are not above board, how will they command respect and lead their men into war. If these officers either tell lies or get away with charges as serious as moral turpitude it will send a wrong message down the rank and file,'' a senior official said. ``Moral turpitude is a very serious offence. Such officers should not go unpunished,'' says Major General Afsir Karim, a senior defence analyst. ``The chief of the army staff needs to see that crimes as serious as the court of inquiry makes out - should not go unpunished. Simply a rap on the knuckles is no punishment,'' he adds.

Former chief of the army staff General Ved Malik feels the chief is accountable not just to his own soldiers but also to the people of the country. ``I am certain action will be taken in a timely fashion. The military secretary has been given time to respond and he has been granted this leave to formulate his respone in the matter,'' General Malik said. General Deepak Kapoor is facing severe criticism of going slow in the case. ``The court of inquiry findings are very clear. Top Generals of the Indian Army including the Military Secretary and the then 33 Corps Commander (Lt Gen Pratap Kumar Rath) not only lied to the court of inquiry but deliberately tried to mislead it. Lt Gen PK Rath concealed that Lt Gen Prakash had referred the civilian businessman to him. And the fact that the military secretary inquired about the progresss of the case thereafter. Lt Gen Prakash not only lied about not knowing about the businessman's efforts to get a franchisee of the Mayo College but also concealed the fact that he had accompanied the businessman during a trip to Jodhpur to meet Maharaja Gaj Singhji. All these are very serious charges. the army chief cannot afford the luxury of going slow on the case. It is the reputation of the entire force at stake here,'' sources in the ministry of Defence said.

``The army chief has the moral responsibility towards his force. They look up to him. And in this case with the defence minister having made statement and the media watching it very closely the army chief cannot delay the proceedings. He will have to take action against the officers found guilty. It is his prerogative based on the advise he receives from the Adjutant General and the Judge Advocate General (JAG) to decide on the quantum of punishment in the case,'' feels Major General Ashok Mehta, a former division commander. Former commanders feel that the chief of the army staff should neither be soft on the guilty generals nor should he postpone the decision. ``There is the aspect of security of the Sukhna Corps Headquarters. If the Corps commander before Lt Gen Rath felt that the land adjacent to the Corps headquarters should not be given out due to the security of the extremely sensitive area, then the officers need to explain to the nation what changed that security aspect. Was security no longer a consideration or did the threat levels come down. These are very serious lapses for which the officers have been found blameworthy.

There cannot be different yard sticks for junior officers and top commanders. If this is a serious offence and a young officer would have been court martialed for it then the same should apply even to the top officers,'' adds Maj Gen Afsir Karim. Caeser's wife should be above suspicion. But here there is talk in the corridors of South Block action is not being taken against Lt Gen Avdesh Prakash to prevent other skeletons from tumbling out of the closet. The COAS should clear the air on this and fast. Because justice delayed is justice denied.

RUCHIKA CASE: BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS

2009-12-29T01:30:00.000-08:00

Working on the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case leaves you with a feeling of utter helplessness and sheer frustration. Unrepentant policemen, bureaucrats and politicians even today – 19 years after they let down Ruchika and her family.

They literally forced her to commit suicide. They are perhaps as guilty as Rathore. It is because of people like them, Rathore came out of the court room smirking at the system. Six months for a life!

THE UNHOLY NEXUS

Hukum Singh, former chief minister of Haryana, Sampat Singh former home minister of Haryana are perhaps as guilty as Shambhu Pratap Singh Rathore, the evil child molester. On Centre Stage was R.R. Singh, former Director General of Police Haryana and J.K. Duggal, former home secretary Haryana.

R.R. Singh, then the senior most serving police officer – DGP of the state – carried out an inquiry and recommended that a case of molestation be filed against Rathore. This is what the CBI said in its charge sheet.

``After conducting the enquiry into the incident, Sh RR Singh concluded that whatever Ms Ruchika had stated about her molestation by Sh SPS Rathore was based on true facts and that he was of the considered opinion that a cognizable offence was made out. Sh RR Singh, therefore, had recommended registration of a case under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code and had forwarded his enquiry report 3.9.90 to the Home Secretary Govt of Haryana.

Despite this no action was taken against Rathore. Why?

RR Singh told me he had forwarded his report to JK Duggal, then Home Secretary. Duggal told me he had forwarded the report to Sampat Singh, then home minister Haryana in September 1990 itself, less than a month after the molestation. And yet nothing was done against SPS Rathore. Why?

According to both RR Singh and JK Duggal, then home minister Sampat Singh was to blame. He sat on the report. Sampat Singh was also on Centre Stage. He blamed then chief minister Hukum Singh for sitting on the file.

My only point to Sampat Singh was had he taken action against Rathore in September 1990 itself or even in October, Ruchika might still have been alive. God forbid had their own daughters been at the receiving end of this evil man’s designs would they have been satisfied with just pushing files from one table to the other.

Evil needs to be nipped in the bud. These men by their sheer inaction – had encouraged Rathore. Duggal and RR Singh insisted politicians did not permit them to take action against Rathore.

While the two officers did the right thing on file, I still cannot comprehend how they could be content by just recommending action on file and forgetting about it completely. After all it was the life of a 14 year old girl. Both RR Singh and Duggal continued to live in Haryana. They were reading newspapers and knew about the torture Ruchika and her family underwent. And yet!

This is worse than the court of later Mughals where the order of the Mughal court was not even implemented from Delhi to Palam.

RATHORE’S `TERROR TACTICS’

I sat shocked as Ruchika’s father Subhash Chandra Girhotra wept and narrated how Rathore unleashed the worst form of harassment and torture over the next three years forcing Ruchika to end her life.

What was Rathore – a Mafiosi in uniform? Nobody had the power to touch him as he unleashed the worst form of terror on a regular middle class family. Rathore allegedly put pressure on Sacred Heart School (where incidentally his own daughter Priyanjali also studied and was Ruchika’s classmate) to expel Ruchika on grounds of indiscipline and non payment of fees.

A case should be registered against the school principal and management for buckling under this evil man’s pressure. They too have Ruchika’s blood on their hands. There is nothing sacred about the Sacred Heart School of Chandigarh’s sector-26.

When Ruchika’s father still did not take back the complaint against Rathore, Ashu, Ruchika’s brother was picked up by the police. He was booked under several false cases of car theft. Beaten up, paraded handcuffed and tortured in custody.

Ruchika’s father was crying when he said on our show that Rathore forced him to sell off his house in Panchkula and flee the city.

But the horror had still not ended. Ruchika consumed pesticide. Rathore is accused of tampering with the post mortem report and getting the doctors to say she died of an overdose of anti-obesity pills.

That is not all. According to SC Girhotra, he ensured Ruchika’s body was released only after Ruchika’s father signed on some blank papers. Ashu was released from police custody only after Ruchika’s funeral. Not just that Girhotra told us that Rathore did not release Ruchika’s body till the time the family signed some blank papers.

CBI’S WEAK CASE

The CBI knew all of this. All of it. The people of Chandigarh and Panchkula knew it. The judges knew it. And yet it took 9 years for an FIR – first information report to be registered against Rathore. Worse – the CBI did not mention any of this in its chargesheet.

Look at the limp CBI chargesheet when it talks of Ruchika’s suicide. On page 10, the CBI says ``The investigation has also disclosed that after the incident of molestation Ms Ruchika remained confined to her house and remained depressed. Later Ms Ruchika committed suicide by consuming poison on 28.12.93 and died on 29.12.93.’’

Rajesh Ranjan, then CBI Deputy Inspector General of Police owes not just Ruchika’s family but the nation an explanation. Why such a limp charge sheet? Is loyalty to lanyard more important than the fight for justice.

Why did the CBI not make Ashu a prosecution witness?
Why was a case of filing false cases and fabrication of evidence not registered against Rathore?
Why was he not booked for intimidation of witnesses?
Why was Ruchika’s school not booked for abetment to suicide?
Why were Haryana politicians, bureaucrats and cops not questioned and booked for ``sitting on the file.’’

RATHORE ABOVE THE LAW

Clearly Rathore knew he was above the law. Politicians – from Hukum Singh, Bhajan Lal, Bansi Lal to Om Prakash Chautala – nobody did anything to stop him. They all knew what he was up to. Today these politicians are crawling out of the wood work trying to say they are not guilty. But they are. They promoted him, gave him police medals for meritorious service, made him director general of police of Haryana and above all failed to uphold the dignity of the law.

And that is why even after 19 years Rathore walked out of the courtroom with a smirk on his face. He had beaten the system. For 19 years of pain and trauma he caused – all he got was 6 months of jail (bail within an hour) and Rs 1,000 rupee fine.

The punishment for molesting a minor girl in this country if you are SPS Rathore is only 6 months imprisonment and a fine that is perhaps equal to being challaned while driving and talking on your cell phone.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW?

Reopen the abetment to suicide case. Hear it in a time bound manner.
Take away his pension and police medal forthwith.
Identify the policemen, bureaucrats and politicians who sat on the files.
Proceed against them for their acts of omission and commission.
Take stern action against the Sacred Heart School authorities for letting down Ruchika.

Award compensation to Ruchika’s brother and father. But not from the state exchequer. Take that money from the salaries and pensions of guilty officials and politicians.

Restore our faith in the system! Enough is enough!

DO NOT LET THE `BASTION OF ISLAM ' REMAIN `BASTION OF TERROR'

2009-12-08T04:49:00.000-08:00

1. After a series of attacks in crowded market places, hospitals, mosques and offices in Multan, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar - targetting innocent people and security forces including the all powerful army - will Pakistan even begin to understand the pain and agony of India bleeding for over two decades ?

2. After the attack on the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and the attempted attack on the naval headquarters, will Pakistan understand the pain and agony of the attack on the Kaluchak military station ?

3. Will Pakistan now understand the pain and agony of the attacks on Raghunath temple, Sankatmochan temple, Akshardham temple and the Amarnath Yatris. `Not even safe in God's home,' wept a headline in a Pakistani newspaper - the day after the Parade Ground mosque attack.

Trained by elements in the ISI and the Pakistan army to attack markets, hospitals, temples and the army in India, the terrorists having mastered the `art of mayhem' are now unleashing terror inside Pakistan. The Pakistan army and ISI trained them to kill innocent civilians - unsuspecting shoppers and worshippers - the terrorists are doing just that. Except now instead of India they are doing it inside Pakistan.

India - I speak for a large cross section of people I have been interacting with - feels the pain of the people of Pakistan. I have also been speaking to friends on the other side of the border - they realise how Indians suffered for over two decades - and continue to do so - live with fear - of a sudden blast - a terror attack. Who is responsible for this - perhaps General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Pakistan's chief of the army staff and his trusted director general of inter services intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Shuja Pasha need to actually do some soul searching.

On Friday, December 4, armed terrorists opened fire and hurled grenades inside the Parade Ground Mosque, next to the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

One Major General (Umar Bilal), director general of Pakistan's mechanised forces, one brigadier general, two lieutenant colonels and two majors were among 40 killed. Lieutenant General Masood Aslam, a top commander overlooking Waziristan operations lost his son. In all 17 children were killed in the terrorist attack.

And this is what General Kayani said: ``The nation, including the army, stands united in sharing their grief. Pakistan is our motherland. It is the bastion of Islam and we live for the glory of Islam and Pakistan. Our faith, resolve and pride in our religion and in our country is an asset, which is further reinforced after each terrorist incident.''

Terror attacks, anywhere in the world are painful. The pictures of wailing families, tears, pain and coffins are all too familiar. India has been hurt so often and by the same set of people who are now attacking Pakistan; and more importantly their military establishment.

But the 1.5 billion dollar a year question is will it jolt Pakistan finally to cut that umblical cord which funds, feeds, trains and arms the terrorist organisations. It is not without reason that Pakistan is called the terror epicentre of the world and former US secretary of state madeline albright felt Pakistan has all the ingredients to give the world an international migrane.

Now that migrane is cancerous. That cancer is eating Pakistan from within. Even as I write there are reports of another terrorist attack inside Pakistan. The ISI office in Multan was targetted killing 10 people including the two bombers. On November 13 too the ISI office in Peshawar was attacked. Clearly, the Frankenstien's monster is striking with alarming frequency.

MOSQUES UNDER ATTACK

Mosques are increasingly coming under attack in Pakistan. Terrorists slamming explosive laden vehicles and suicide bombers have killed more than 350 Pakistanis in 2009. More than 900 have been injured, according to figures released by Pakistan's ministry of interior. This is the favourite style of attack used by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

The December 4, 2009 armed attack targeting the parade ground mosque in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, which killed 44 people including 17 children, was the latest in the series. In one of the worst incidents of terrorism in recent years, a group of six fidayeen attackers belonging to the Tehrik-e-Taliban stormed the crowded Parade Land Askari Mosque close to the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army during Friday prayers and sprayed gunfire at worshippers besides throwing hand grenades. A serving major general of the Pakistan Army, a brigadier, two lieutenant colonels, a major and a number of soldiers were among those killed in a multi-pronged attack which was carried out in cold blood while violating the sanctity of a mosque by those who claim to be fighting for the glory of Islam. The blood-spattered episode eventually came to an end after two suicide bombers blew themselves up.

For the terrorists - claiming to fight a jihad for Islam, nothing is sacred, not even the home of God! Even the people of Pakistan, I am sure realise, this so called jihad is just a sham - for the terrorists and their handlers it is an industry, a business, an occupation.

ISI ADDICTED TO TERROR

Despite repeated attacks on the Pakistan army and the ISI, powerful elements within the Pakistan security establishment continue to support the terrorists. Why would they continue to sleep with the enemy ? Two reasons - the strategic depth in Afghanistan and to bleed India.

Al Qaeda, Taliban and Pakistan realise they only have to lie low for the next 18 months. As soon as US president Barack Obama begins withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the battle will be won. For 9 long years, Pakistan and Al Qaeda took on the US and allied forces in the firm belief that US and Europe do not have a strong belly to take body bags and sooner than later they will run. Barack Obama while announcing the surge, also gave a date for Al Qaeda to slowly start re-asserting itself. 18 months from January 2010.

Pakistan will once again prop a dummy Taliban like government in Afghanistan and win back its strategic depth.

Under pressure from the US Pakistan is fighting terror, though half-heartedly. It wants to shift focus once again on the Indian border; the perceived enemy.

PAK CIVIL SOCIETY SHOULD RISE

The civil society of Pakistan we are told appreciates terror is the enemy and not India. Lawyers, students and journalists - the real people's strength of Pakistan should start a movement. A people's movement so that the message to the army is loud and clear - Fight terror the real enemy and not India an imagined enemy.

The first step can easily be to dismantle the terror infrastructure aimed at India, arrest and prosecute terrorists like Dawood Ibrahim, Hafiz Mohammed Saeed and Jaish-e-Mohammad's Masood Azhar. Take action against the likes of terrorist commander Ilyas Kashmiri.

Pakistan may be a bastion of Islam, as their chief of army staff claims, but it is for the people of Pakistan and the army to ensure it does not remain a bastion of terror.

INDIA'S SECURITY: CHINKS IN THE ARMOUR

2009-11-18T05:41:00.000-08:00

1. Who gave Pakistan born US national Daood Gilani or David Coleman Headley multiple entry visa to India and exempt him from reporting to the police in India.

2. Why was Pakistan born Canadian national Tahawwur Hussein Rana too exempt from reporting to the police every week while in India ?

3. How could Rana and Headley set up an Immigration Service in India ? Who did a background check and give them clearance to do business in India ?

4. How could they place advertisements in newspapers to send Indian abroad. Did they seek and get clearance from Ministries of Labour and external affairs ?

5. How could Syed Amir Ali (allegedly a Pak national) get an Indian passport ?

6. How could Ali get a PAN Card and file returns for 4 years.

Shocked!

Security in India appears worse than even a banana republic. Anti-India elements in Pakistan's ISI and the army establishment must be laughing themselves silly over the ease with which they succeeded in penetrating India's so called strong defences even post 26/11.

India needs to expose the weak link. - the chinks in our armour. One weak link and the strongest fortress collapses like a pack of cards. The first weak link - India's consulate in Chicago. What is really shocking is the fact that this particular post belongs to the people who are tasked to protect the nation from external threat by gathering information and intelligence. How could they not see through Tahawuur Rana and Daood Gilani (David Coleman Headley).

How could the Indian authorities exempt people like Rana and Headley from reporting to the nearest police station every week.

Did the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) not know that they are both originally Pakistanis. Both studied at the Hasan Abdal Military College - had links with the ISI. they may be US and Canadian passport holders but were men with a past. Changing the colour of the passport does not change the mindset.

Was there no background check done - about the so called immigration company that the two claimed to run. What was its antecedents...its turnover..funding...clearances from other governments. Clearly someone was not doing his homework and risking the lives of hundreds and thousands of innocent Indians.

When Headley and Rana came to India - instead of welcoming them to Atulya Bharat - the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) and the immigration authorities should have gone through the contents of the luggage. That is how alert immigration authorities in the US red flagged Headley. Denmark too was on Headley's terror radar. He visited Denmark regularly apparently on immigration business but immigration authorities in the US found he carried no paperwork.

Why were our immigration authorities not alert. The second weak link - FRRO and Immigration authorities.

Once in India Headley and Rana criss-crossed across the country - Delhi, Agra, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Munnar...more skeletons will tumble out of the closet in the days to come. But the million dollar question - Local Intelligence Units of the state police. LIU. what were they doing ? they are paid to keep an eye on suspicious activities. If suspected Indian Mujahideen activists, their overground supporters and sympathisers were coming and meeting Headley and Rana...in a post 26/11 scenario why were the police unaware of it.

Why would a particular foreigner (of Pakistani origin) keep returning to Mumbai, Pune, Kochi, Delhi, Agra....This means that the effort to strengthen the beat policing system and the local intelligence unit has not succeeded even one year after 26/11. The third weak link - local police intelligence units.

Let's shift focus now to Syed Amir Ali - an alleged Pakistani national - living in Delhi and Lucknow for more than four years. He allegedly spied on military cantonments - at Delhi, Meerut and the Hindon air base. How could Syed Amir Ali get an Indian driving licence, an Indian passport, an Indian PAN card and file returns for four years.

The Uttar Pradesh police and the regional passport officer need to explain this. The fourth and fifth weak link - UP police and RPO Lucknow. The passport is the most authentic document in the country. It is the last word in proving an individual's nationality. It is a sad state of affairs that we have come to accept that a driving licence can be faked, pan cards can be faked but a PASSPORT!

There are multiple checks - local police, administration, verifying agencies, witnesses, references.....The police need to now investigate this in the right earnest. The country has a history of losing battles because of the Jaichands and Ambhis....We as a nation cannot afford to lose this war.

We are at war - with terror. This is not corruption - this is treason!

The punishment is not suspending some police constable or lower division clerk. Strict action needs to be taken against the top brass. Let this mistake never be repeated....we are still not out of the woods. Headley and Rana may have been arrested by the FBI but the Indian police have failed to nab a single person they were in touch with during their stay in India.

There is clear and present danger!

KHUDA KE LIYE - WAKE UP PAKISTAN

2009-10-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

* 11 killed in suicide attack near a mosque in the cantonment area in Peshawar on Friday.

* 41 killed in simultaneous attacks on Police training academy Manavan, elite commando training centre and the Federal Investigations Agency (FIA) headquarters in Pakistan. The attacks were carried out by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

* Over 100 killed last week in attacks on the Pakistan army headquarters (GHQ) Rawalpindi, United Nations Food Programme Office in Islamabad and in the Peshawar market.

ADDICTED TO TERROR

And yet Pakistan considers India its biggest enemy. Pakistan is like a drug addict. It knows terror is bad for its existence but is unable to kick the addiction. The military establishment and the ISI are addicted to terror. Terror gave Pakistan a high initially. Pakistani army generals felt on top of the world - literally invincible. That's exactly how drug users feel initially. On a high. And before you know it you are sucked in the trap. You keep thinking you are not a slave of the drug - the day you want you can kick off the habit. But suddenly it is too late.

For the Pakistani military establishment it is too late. That's why even after the attack on the General Headquarters in Pakistan - the biggest slap in the face of the Pakistan army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani - the country is dithering on cracking down on terror. For a country that takes immense pride in its army - a brigadier and a lieutenant colonel were killed by terrorists - the enemy is still not terror but India.

Only a drug addict does not know what is good for it and what is not. Not only does General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani consider Taliban a strategic ally, the army refuses to permit the government to even consider taking action against the professor of terror Hafiz Mohammed Saeed. In fact he is still invited to the Rawalpindi Corps Iftaar party. Saeed continues to be a General of the Pakistan army - minus uniform. The Pakistani security establishment is addicted to the Lashkar e Taiba. The terror outfit continues to be an arm of the Pakistan army.

Who is paying the price for this fatal addiction? the common man on the street in Pakistan and in India. The hundreds of people who are being killed on the streets of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Kohat, Swat and in Waziristan are all Pakistani citizens paying the price of their army's teror addiction. But what is disturbing is the fact that the political leadership of Pakistan continues to be timid, weak and in effective. They appear to be mere pawns in the hands of the powerful military commanders. the judiciary and the civil society that rose in a remarkable protest against General Pervez Musharraf seem to be running out of steam or scared to take on the lethal combination of military commanders and taliban militia.

PARTIAL CRACKDOWN ON TALIBAN

Why do security analysts feel Pakistan is not sincere about cracking down on teror ? Because even after Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone attack, the Pakistani army well positioned to move in for the mopping up operations refused to do so. Instead it let the situation deteriorate. When Taliban commanders were fighting a bitter succession war, the army remained a mute spectator and sources say elements within the ISI actually tried to find a suitable boy to take over Mehsud's mantle.

Pakistan army generals still nurture the dream of re-gaining the strategic depth in Afghanistan when the US forces withdraw ``like in Vietnam''. Therefore, they do not want to eliminate the entire Taliban leadership. Pakistan is only cracking down on the Taliban elements who no longer believe in taking instructions from the ISI. So the moment Baitullah Mehsud started thinking and operating independently of the ISI, he became the bad Taliban. Remember even Benazir Bhutto had accused elements within the ISI and Pakistan army of colluding with Mehsud to kill her.

TALIBAN STILL A STRATEGIC ALLY

Strategic depth in Afghanistan is the reason that despite repeated attacks within Pakistan, its all powerful army is not willing to order a total crack down in the Af-Pak region. How can the Pakistan army order a crack down on the Taliban when they are seeking Taliban assistence in attacking Indian and Afghan interests in Afghanistan. US convoys and interests are repeatedly under attack by the Taliban. Is that possible if the Pakistan army seriously proceeds against them.

To justify getting the US aid, Pakistan army does go after the pawns and the foot soldiers in the Taliban but never the top commanders. On 8th October 2009, ISI used the Taliban once again to attack the Indian embassy in Kabul. Afghan Ambassador to the US Said T. Jawad went on record to blame the ISI for the latest attack on the Indian embassy.

This was the second attack on the Indian embassy in 15 months. both India and the US claim they have evidence of ISI involvement in the earlier attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. In fact the US claimed the ISI masterminded the July 7, 2008 attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. India's defence attache, a senior diplomat and ITBP personnel guarding the embassy were among 58 killed in the attack.

India has pledged $1.2 billion for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, making it the sixth largest bilateral donor and this is bad news for those Pakistani generals who are seeking that strategic depth. For the sake of ensuring the US war on terror fails they are still willing to bleed their own people.

PAK ANTI-TERROR OPERATIONS

Al Qaeda and Taliban are growing in strength in Pakistan. Repeated attacks in Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar are indications that the terrorists are not limited to Af-Pak border. They can strike at will deep inside the most secure locations inside the heart of Pakistan. After all what can be more secure than the office of the chief of the Pakistan Army - the General Headquarters. This is not the first attack on the GHQ - but the most audacious one beyond doubt.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has sent a clear signal in attacking the FIA office, the elite commando training centre and the police training academy Manawan. They have attacked the very fortress of anti-terror operations.

Pakistan is now gearing up to attack the Taliban in South Waziristan. Air operations will be easy. Pakistan Air Force will pound terror camps from the skies. But the real war will begin when the Pakistan army puts more boots on ground.

But for victory in those operation - the Pakistan army commanders will need to decide who their real enemy is - terrorists or India. And if India is still their answer - then the addiction is complete. Then the cancer of terror affecting the Pakistan army is in terminal stage.

Most security analysts feel the cancer is in its terminal stage... but that are still those who feel the civil society can once again rise to the occasion and force Pakistan's all powerful army to stop playing the double game - realise the true enemy is not India but terror. It is for their own good.If not for themselves then KHUDA KE LIYE...WAKE UP!

NOT REVOLUTIONARIES NAXALS ARE COLD BLOODED MURDERERS

2009-10-08T10:34:00.000-07:00

Oct 8, 2009 : Seventeen policemen killed in an ambush by Maoists at Laheri police station in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

Very important lessons here for the police officers. They need to learn to train with their constables and fight shoulder to shoulder.

Indian Police Service (IPS) and state police service officers will have to undergo vigorous training with the jawans - live with them - treat them as family and then - fight shoulder to shoulder. Then the police constables will know they can beat back an ambush and inflict higher costs on the Maoists.

On the day that the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) deliberated upon the use of air power (strictly in self defence), the Naxalites embarked on a bloody mission in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

They had prior information about a 40 member police patrol operating in the area. More than 200 Maoists laid an ambush and butchered the police.
The Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik earlier in the day spelt out the rules of engagement in case of use of air power.

1. The IAF would only fire in retalliation.
2. The firing would have to be authorised by the captain of the helicopter.
3. The Garud Commandoes of the IAF will protect helicopters.
4. Only small arms would be used - no area domination weapons.
5. Due care would be taken to avoid collateral damage.

There have been instances of Maoists opening unprovoked fire on the IAF during a casualty evacuation (in which the IAF lost an engineer) and on election duty. Maoists have also fired at IAF helicopters from the ground trying to bring them down. The IAF sought permission to fire back.

Rights activists are bending over backwards to oppose this. But I wonder why these activists lose their voice when Maoists kill innocent people and security personnel. The Maoists are no revolutionaries. They are cold blooded murderers.
Consider this:
Oct 05: Maoists beheaded Inspector Francis Induwar in Jharkhand after failing to secure the release of three top ideologues - Kobad Gandhy, Chandra Bhushan Yadav and Chatradhar Mahato.
Sep 30: Naxalites set ablaze Gram Panchayat offices at Korchi and Belgaon in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.
Sep 26: Naxals kill BJP MP from Balaghat Baliram Kashyap's sons at Pairaguda village in Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh).
Sep 4: Naxals kill four villagers in a forest in Aaded village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.
Jul 31: Two persons, including a special police officer (SPO), killed by Naxals in Bijapur district.
July 27: Six people killed when Naxals trigger a landmine blast at Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh.
July 23: A 40-year-old tribal killed by Naxalites at Ettapalli taluka in Gadchiroli district.
July 18: Naxalites kill a villager in Bastar and in a separate incident torch a vehicle engaged in road construction work in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
June 23, 2009: A group of motorcycle-borne armed Naxal rebels open fire on Lakhisarai district court premises in Bihar and free four of their comrades including the self-style Zonal Commander of Ranchi.
June 16, 2009: Maoists kill 11 police officers in a landmine attack followed by armed assault. In a separate attack, four policemen killed and two others seriously injured when Maoists ambush them at Beherakhand in Palamau district.
June 13: Naxals launch two landmine and bomb attacks in a small town close to Bokaro, killing 10 policemen and injuring several others.
June 10: Nine policemen including CRPF troops and officers ambushed by Maoists during a routine patrol in Saranda jungles in Jharkhand.
May 22: Maoists kill 16 policemen in the jungles of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra.
April 22: Maoists hijack a train with at least 300 people on board in Jharkhand and force it to Latehar district before fleeing.
April 13: 10 paramilitary troops killed in eastern Orissa when Maoists attack a bauxite mine in Koraput district.
July 16, 2008: 21 policemen killed when a landmine blast hits a police van in Malkangiri district of Orissa.
June 29: Maoists attack a boat on the Balimela reservoir in Orissa carrying four anti-Naxalite police officials and 60 Greyhound commandos, killing 38 troops.
Feb 16, 2008: A group of 50 rebels including women cadre raid a police training school, a police station and an armoury in Orissa killing 12 policemen and leaving four wounded.
Sept 7, 2007: Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Janardhan Reddy and his wife N Rajyalakshmi, escape unhurt while three Congress workers killed in a Maoist attack in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.
July 10: Naxalites attack a police team with light machine guns and mortar bombs in a dense forest area of Chhattisgarh, killing at least 24 security personnel.
July 1: Nine persons, including five policemen, killed and as many wounded as CPI-Maoist rebels carry out simultaneous attacks on a police station and an outpost in Sasaram in Bihar's Rohtas district and flee with arms and ammunition.
Apr 28: Five security personnel killed in a landmine blast triggered by Maoist rebels in Michgaon village of Kanker district, about 175 km south of Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
Mar 16: Maoists attack a police post in remote jungles of Rani Bodli in Chattisgarh with guns, hand grenades and gasoline bombs, killing at least 49 people.
March 5: Naxalites shot dead Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Lok Sabha MP Sunil Kumar Mahato. Two of his bodyguards and a party colleague also killed in the attack when they were witnessing a football match at a village in Jamshedpur in Jharkhand.

Three quick points

1. Police training and tactics is very poor. Time and again the Maoists ambush them - kill them - and disappear with their weapons. Not just patrols but even attacking the police in their barracks, police stations and guarded compounds.

2. Naxals have a better intelligence network. The fact that they know the timing of police patrols, area of operation and then lay an ambush - means they know not only police standard operating procedures but also timings and tactics.

3. Police officers should lead from the front: Both police and army jawans come from the same stock - same villages and towns. In the army soldiers do better because of better training, a strong sense of pride in the honour of the paltan (battalion) and because army officers lead from the front - not JCOs alone.

Claiming 15 Maoists were killed and losing 17 men is not victory in operations. it is defeat. Once again India has been defeated by the Maoists. HOW MUCH LONGER ? The police top brass need to answer this.

RED TALIBAN: LITMUS TEST FOR HOME MINISTER

2009-10-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

The eight year old old boy could barely speak. Sobbing he told his school principal that his father inspector Francis Induwar had been killed. ``Please send my elder brother Aniket home,'' Animesh wept. Inspector Induwar's family had been maintaining a brave face since the day of his abduction.

The day newspapers in Ranchi carried a report saying the Maoists want to swap Induwar with the three arrested top brass - Kobad Gandhy, Chandra Bhushan Yadav and Chatradhar Mahato, Induwar's wife bravely came on television and said she was opposed to the swap. ``It is with great difficulty that the police have arrested the top Maoist leaders. My husband is a police officer. He must not be exchanged for them,'' she said bravely.

But the million dollar question here - why must the common man be brave all the time. It is now time for the government to deal with the menace with an iron hand. No excuses. No soft peddling and no vote bank politics. The prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has said, for five years now, that the Maoists are the biggest threat India faces. Then it is now time to eliminate that threat.

The brutal beheading of Inspector Induwar has shown that the Naxals are no different from the Taliban. It is now time to declare war on India's Red Taliban. And the war not remain confined to government files alone. Give the security forces an aim; give them a time frame, lay down the ground rules for the security forces and then let them achieve that aim - without fear or favour.
Because if not now then when!

WHY ARE RIGHTS ACTIVISTS SILENT

The security forces are shocked and appalled the human rights activists and the `jhola wallahs' who scream murder from roof tops when dreaded terrorists are eliminated are silent when the Red Taliban has murdered a police officer so brutally. The pictures are shocking to say the least. Induwar's body was left on the roadside between the Ranchi-Jamshedpur highway. His severd head lay a few feet away. There were hand painted posters which said that death penalty had been given to Induwar. Was he not a human being? Did he not have rights? Why are the rights activists silent tonight.

``Do rights activists only have an agenda? Are they paid by Pakistan or China or other hostile elements so that they come out on the streets and protest when the security forces carry out their operations. Does that mean their breast beating is a sham...A tamassha, Are they paid actors,'' a top ranking police officer asks ?

SECURITY OR DEVELOPMENT FIRST ?

One cannot happen without the other. But what should India focus on first? Some say it depends on what side of the fence you are on. There is no doubt successive governments failed the people in the affected areas. There is also no doubt that the fruits of development have not percolated down to all. There are lakhs and lakhs who barely get two square meals a day.

But will picking up the gun and killing innocent Indians fill their stomach? The Maoists, according to the government, are destroying infrastructure - railway lines, schools, medical care centres and roads. So do they want development or are they trying to ensure that development does not come their way so that they can continue with their state within a state.

My understanding is development and security go hand in hand. One cannot survive without the other. But first an environment has to be created which is condusive to development. and that will not happen if 20,000 people pick up the gun and call for a revolution.

DOES THE GOVERNMENT HAVE A STRATEGY

One of the key result areas for India's new Iron man P. Chidambaram (not a single major terror strike post 26/11) is to neutralise the Red Taliban. Using the army is not the solution. The army is neither trained nor geared to fight ``own people.'' This will have to be entirely a police and at a best para military operation. of course the help of Indian Air Force would be needed not only to scan the area from the skies - using unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters - but also to transport men and material for surgical strikes.

The militant military wing of the Red Taliban need to be neutralised. The poitical wing can be engaged if they give up violence. ``Once the Maharashtra elections are over, work will begin in the right earnest. We are putting men and material in place. This will have to be a concerted inter-state effort. We have to ensure that Maoists do not escape from one state to another when the operations begin,'' sources say.

IRON HAND IN A VELVET GLOVE

This is the strategy that the government hopes to adopt. But the success will depend on the cooperation of the states and the training of the police forces. This is the strategy that the army follows in Jammu and Kashmir and in the north east. It is trying to reach out to the people in the right earnest - help them rebuild their lives. But terrorists are killed - those supporting terrorists are sent to jail.

The army has carried out some very transparent operations in counter insurgency situations. Mistakes have been made but those found guilty - punished. The police will have to ensure that. There needs to be a zero tolerance policy on rape, molestation and murder. Rules have to be put in place and strictly complied with.

MAINTENANCE OF AIM

One of the principles of war is setting an aim and then maintenance of aim. You cannot keep shifting the goal post. Mid course correction is fine but once the aim has been set - maintenance of aim is very important. Only then can the security forces be expected to achieve the target.

This has to be a national effort. Kobad Gandhy, Chantradhar Mahato and Chandra Bhushan Yadav - if guilty of waging war against the country deserve the harshest possible sentence under the Indian Penal system. If there are other elements who are waging war against India - eliminate them - neutralise them.

Because if not now then when.....

PAK ARMY TORTURE EXPOSED

2009-10-02T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Pakistan army behaving like an occupation army in their own country....Shocking the way Pakistan army personnel are treating their own people.

``Spare me in the name of Allah!'' an old man's pleas falling on deaf ears. The all powerful Pakistan army - dominated by Punjabis - treats people from the north west frontier province, Balochistan and Sindh as second rate citizens. Amply proven by this video.

What is shocking is the fact that Pakistan's judiciary and civil society are not up in arms against this behaviour of the army. Why are they not protesting and loud enough for the Pakistan army to clean up its act.

Had the Pakistan army been accountable to its government and people, they would dare not do something like this. In this video - an officer actually supervises the brutal assault and torture of the civilians - some very old and rather frail.

The Pakistan army has a history of being brutal and believing its officers and men are above the law of the land. Rather feudal in their attitude. Remember the genocide in the then east Pakistan by General Tikka Khan. The Bengalis were always treated as second rate citizens. The same is happening in Balochistan, Sind and the NWFP. The Pakistan army resorts to extra judicial killings, rape and torture again as part of state policy.

My colleagues and I searched for other instances of Pakistan army's brutality on their own people. The results - were shocking to say the least. Scalding hot coal tar being thrown at people by the army, innocents shot dead, stabbed and tortured.

Consider this:

On August 21, 2009, A high-ranking police official in Balochistan issued an open threat - saying the police will begin killing people indiscriminately in Balochistan. Ghulam Shabbir Shiekh, the deputy inspector of police, Nasserabad range, announced in September that the police will kill 40 local persons in revenge for the militants’ alleged abduction and murder of 20 policemen in July and August.

DIG Shiekh also threatened that if any bullet was fired at the police, the police would fire 100 bullets indiscriminately back at the locality from where the bullet was fired.

If any rocket was fired at police stations, the police would fire 10 rockets back. The announcement by Shiekh was the most recent attempt by Pakistani state agencies to instil fear among Baloch nationalists.

On May 31, 2009, police officers from the Panjgore district chased a car of armed men into the village of Mohalla Gharibabad, UC Chitkan, Panjgore, and a shoot-out ensued. A wedding was taking place nearby, and at the first sign of shooting, the wedding guests took shelter in neighbouring houses. Eyewitnesses reported that the police continued to shoot even after the group of armed men had fled.

Noor Ahmad Baloch, 32, a cousin of the groom, urged the leading officer, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mohammad Ismail, to stop firing noting that there were children around. ASI Ismail responded by shooting him in the head from 25 meters away. Mr. Baloch was then taken to hospital in Panjgore city where he was pronounced dead.

ASI Ismail has since defended himself by claiming it is his prerogative to decide who he does and does not choose to shoot. Despite protests, no case against him has yet been lodged by the police.

On February 3, 2009, soldiers attached to the Pakistan Army Frontier Constabulary attacked a wedding party, killing 13 people including the bride and the groom, six members of their families and the wedding officiator (nikah khawn). 21 people were injured, the majority of them women. The attack was allegedly carried out in retaliation for an incident that took place on the previous day, in which unknown assailants killed three FC (Frontier Constabulary) soldiers.

In January, 2009, journalists received threats from the Director of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) for writing editorials demanding investigations into allegations that the Pakistan army was running torture cells and detaining female prisoners. The Pakistan army threatened to withhold official advertisements and payments from the newspapers if they continued their “malicious” campaign against the army. Some television channels in Pakistan disclosed the threats publicly.

on April 5, 2008, AHRC (Asian Human Rights Commission) received confirmation that Pakistani soldiers arrested four people in the Dera Bugti district of Balochistan, and subjected them to torture.

They were asked to identify local supporters of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). After failing to get any names from them, the victims were immersed in scalding hot coal tar. Three of the men were literally boiled and burned to death. A fourth died later from his injuries.

Pakistan army and intelligence officials arrive in unmarked jeeps, pick up suspected Baloch nationalists and take them to ``Abu Ghareb style'' prisons. Here the Baloch people are tortured till they ``confess'' they are ``Indian agents.''

The world may be shocked by this video of torture of Pakistani civilians in `Abu Ghareb style prison,'' but India knows Pakistan army's brutal and inhuman style of operations. Remember Lieutenant Saurav Kalia, a young officer of the 4th Battalion of the Jat Regiment. His patrol was ambushed in Kaksar. He was brutally tortured and killed by the Pakistan army.

Is there a solution ? Yes! Pakistan's civil society. They need to rise against the feudal-lawless elements in their own army. The Pakistani judiciary needs to rise to the occasion. The Pakistani media deserves credit for speaking out fearlessly. They need to be strengthened. Only when the people of Pakistan speak in one voice - as one country - will the message be loud and clear to their all powerful army. Only then will the Pakistan army top brass know

HOW SO EVER HIGH ONE MAY EVER BE

THE LAW IS ALWAYS ABOVE YOU

CRISIS IN COMMAND? TROUBLE IN NORTH KASHMIR

2009-09-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

If the Chief of the Army Staff, the Army Commander Northern Command, the Srinagar Corps Commander and the General Officer Commanding Kilo Force can sleep comfortably after the Baniyari encounter in north Kashmir – the nation has reason to be worried.

The encounter is a perfect example of how not to conduct an operation. And if this is the standard operating procedure now, the army needs to re-look its training and tactics. A refresher course is essential if we want our young officers and jawans safe and the morale of the army high. There needs to be accountability in the army – at all levels.

Who is responsible for the deaths of Major Suresh Suri and Naik Khushal Singh? The two terrorists holed up in the house in Baniyari village or poor planning and higher management of operations. The army owes Major Suri’s young widow and Singh’s family an explanation.

Let’s take a look at the facts of the case. The army had ``hard intelligence’’ about two hardcore terrorists hiding in a house in the Baniyari village. An operation was mounted. The 13th Battalion of Rashtriya Rifles sent out a team. Major Suresh Suri of 6 Kumaon, a veteran of Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School, Vairangte, his buddy Naik Khushal Singh and the team surrounded the house.

There is a track leading to the house in the village near the picturesque Wular lake. Another team of soldiers went by boat. The house was surrounded. To the best of their ability the army tried to ensure the terrorists do not escape. It was established there were no ``innocent civilians’’ in the house. This is one of the toughest areas in North Kashmir.

The standard operating procedure, according to veteran soldiers is, once the house is surrounded – the army draws fire to know a) the number of terrorists and b) the general area where the fire is coming from. An assessment is made about the next move. To avoid loss of trained manpower (crores are spent training officers and soldiers) – the army ``brings down’’ the house. Sources say – the officer sought permission to do the same. It was denied.

He was ordered to enter the house and eliminate the terrorists. The army needs to find out (and in the right earnest) who insisted that the major and his team enter the house. Major Suri and his buddy Naik Singh cleared the ground floor and climbed to the first floor of the house. They saw a depression on the wooden floor. As soon as Major Suri lobbed a grenade inside, the two terrorists opened fire. Both Major Suri and buddy were grievously injured.

Major Suri and his buddy, no doubt, were brave soldiers. They walked into the house – not knowing its topography. They cleared the entire ground floor. And then they moved up to the first floor. The terrorists were trapped and suddenly opened fire from their hide out inside the house. According to sources, the terrorists then came out of their hideout and opened fire at the army party waiting downstairs – two majors and four more jawans were injured. The injured soldiers made a tactical retreat.

The terrorists clearly had the edge. They not only had pushed the army out but also gained access to extra weapons and held on to the bodies of the martyred soldiers. They managed to hold on for 25 hours.

The army had to call in the special forces. Sources say, the para commandoes once again requested permission to ``bring down the house.’’ Again the army needs to inquire who turned down that request and why. The Para Commandoes went in and drew in heavy fire. Ultimately the two terrorists were killed. But at what cost.

Two good for nothing pieces of scum – Moosa and Pasha of Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar e Taiba – were eliminated. They were dreaded terrorists – operating in the area for eight years. But the world’s fourth largest army – best trained in counter insurgency operations paid an extremely heavy price in neutralizing the threat. It took them 25 hours to do so. Could this have been done in two hours and with `no own casualty’?

There is no doubt there are good days and bad days in counter-terrorist operations. But risking lives of soldiers is an unacceptably high price to pay. The commanders must never forget that. Soldiers are a national asset. The army must learn to respect them – before expecting the country to do the same.

Infantry soldiers and officers are not specialists in clearing houses. National Security Guard (NSG) commandoes receive specialized training for it. Lobbing stun grenades, using tear gas shells, mirrors to look and using specialized moves to enter as a team. This is a task best left to them – or raise special units to do it in J&K. Statistics show house, hut and dhok (kachcha structures in mountains) clearance is one of the biggest reasons of casualty of troops in J&K.

The Infantry jawan can surround the house, draw fire and use that opportunity to isolate the terrorist, prevent him from escaping and bringing down the house. The army and the state have enough funds to rebuild the house and better ones at that. Anyways rebuilding a house is much cheaper than losing a trained resource – a soldier.

So can Major Suri’s Commanding Officer and the Sector Commander look at his young widow in the eye and explain there was no way out of that situation. That there was no alternative to Major Suri and Naik Singh laying down their lives and 2 more officers and 4 more jawans getting injured (one in the lower back) to kill only two terrorists.

Where was the Commanding Officer? Where was the sector commander? Were they there to guide the youngsters? Or were the commanders safe in the sector headquarters protected by more than a company of soldiers – only willing to venture out when the General Officer Commanding of the Kilo Force and the media reached in large numbers?

I have spoken to several serving and retired officers who have been in the thick of things – they are equally shocked by the manner in which this operation was conducted. Nobody is saying that Major Suri was not brave. He was a daredevil! He is a hero to be cherished – his bravery is immense.

But he did not have to die to prove he was brave. He was a veteran of the CIJW, Vairangte. He was an instructor. He should have lived to guide future generations of soldiers. He perhaps should have been brave enough to stick to his guns and ensure he was not forced to enter the house.

His superior officers should have realized the terrorists could have been eliminated by other means. Bravery is not laying down your life for the nation. Bravery is making the enemy lay down his life for his nation. NEVER FORGET THAT!

Let every commanding officer, brigade commander, division commander and Corps commander take a pledge he will not let a soldier die for personal glory and promotion. It is not worth it. Never ever forget the oath taken at the `antim pag’ at Chetwode building.

The safety honour and welfare of your country

come first always and every time.

The honour welfare and comfort

of the men you command come next.

Your own ease comfort and safety

come last always and every time

ARCTIC SUNRISE: HEADLINES TODAY SPECIAL - PROMO

2009-09-10T05:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday (12. Sept.09) at 9.30 pm (IST)

Sunday (13. Sept. 09) at 10.30 pm (IST)

A half an hour special on cutting edge scientific experiments in the Arctic to study the impact of climate change. I was on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise. Do find time to watch the special and share your views.

cheers!

Gaurav C. Sawant

EVIDENCE AGAINST HAFIZ SAEED SPELT OUT. ACT NOW PAK

2009-09-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Union home minister P. Chidambaram has spelt out the evidence against Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the 26/11 mastermind. The evidence is now in public domain. Based on Ajmal Amir Kasab's confession (made to a judicial magistrate - admissible as evidence in any court of law), Chidambaram gave details of the time Saeed spent with the Mumbai attackers, motivating them, brainwashing them. Chidambaram also spoke of how it was Saeed who gave the terrorists their new name (Abu Mujahid for Kasab) before the attack and the fact that he visited the terrorist training camp on more than one occassion.

Is it not a fact that Saeed was the founder head of the Lashkar e Taiba ? Is it not a fact that LeT has owned up responsibility for several terror attacks not just in Jammu and Kashmir but across the country ? Is it not a fact that LeT became Jamat ut Dawa but Saeed continued to head it ? Join the dots and you get the picture of a terrorist.

Chidambaram says this evidence is sufficient for Pakistan to begin the probe against Saeed. And Chidambaram should know. He is a lawyer himself. So what should the legal course of action be... Step 1: arrest him.
Step 2:Get the Federal Investigative Agency to probe his role.
Step 3: File a chargesheet based on Indian evidence and FIA's own probe
Step 4: Start the trial in an independent court of law.
(PROFESSOR OF TERROR HAFIZ SAEED)
Legal experts say Saeed is a mastermind and will never be caught with a smoking gun. Arresting a terrorist with a gun and his confession is evidence enough in any civilized country. If even after this Pakistan refuses to act against Saeed, there is no point talking to Pakistan. Several Pakistani politicians have gone on record to say Hafiz Saeed is a respectable man. It is only in Pakistan that a terrorist can be called a respectable man. Then why do Pakistanis see red when they are called the terror epicentre of the world?

Pakistan's former natonal security advisor Mehmud Ali Durrani speaking to reporters after delivering the the first R.K. Mishra lecture on “India and Pakistan - Bridging the Gap”, organised by the Observer Research Foundation said there was zero evidence linking Saeed to the terror attacks.

This coming from a man who lost his job for speaking the truth in Pakistan and admitting Kasab was a Pakistani. It seems he has learnt his lesson and has given up speaking the truth.
Almost 10 months after the 26/11 terror attacks at least one thing is clear - Pakistan is unwilling to act against the terror masterminds.

SAY NO TO PAK ON KASHMIR

Let's for once call a spade a spade. Why should we talk to Pakistan on Kashmir. Who is Pakistan and what is Pakistan's locus standi ? It behaves like a rogue state. It is a bully. It is on the verge of being a failed state. It can't handle its own affairs whether it is in the north west frontier province, Balochistan, Sindh or even Punjab. It cannot set its own house in order and it wants to meddle in our affairs. On more than one occassion the Indian Parliament has made it clear that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. And then it tells lies. White lies.

Why should India be afraid if Pakistan raises Kashmir in the international fora. Let it. Let us raise Balochistan, Sindh and NWFP and atrocities by the Pakistan army and their Taliban battalions in these regions. The world now anyway knows the inside story of a collapsing state called Pakistan.

PAK LEADERSHIP'S FORKED TONGUE

Pakistan's prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani says Pakistan will continue to give moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir. But according to the Indian chief of army staff General Deepak Kapoor Pakistan is giving military support to terrorists - helping them cross into Indian territory and violating the Ceasefire of November 2003. Once again Pakistan appears to be speaking with a forked tongue. Its foreign minister Shah Mehmood Quereshi says Pakistan will take up the Kashmir cause more vigorously. Perhaps what he means is terrorists will be pushed in more vigorously before the passes on the higher reaches of Pir Panjal get snowed in coming winters.

Because one thing is clear Pakistan doesn't care a tuppence for the people of J&K. If it did, tourists would not be attacked and terrorist strikes would not take place in the heart of Srinagar scaring away the handful of tourists brave enough to venture north of Pir Panjal. Kashmir's economy is being sustained by the counter terror apparatus. But for the billions being pumped in by the centre, Kashmir perhaps would be worse than Bihar or Jharkhand.
Every time I go to Kashmir, I see bigger and better built homes, even in the back of beyond areas. Recently a senior army officer told me his division was spending more than two crore rupees a month just on porter and ponies. Taxi business is booming even across Zojila, in Drass and Kargil. Even the people of J&K know there future is far more secure in a stable India than a terror hub Pakistan. Perhaps this is one reason why the army seems to be getting slightly better inputs on terrorist movement than ever before. All this certainly is not music to Pakistan's ears.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says we need to think out of the box. Let's act for once in a decisive manner. Pakistan's namby pamby leadership (to rise in the eyes of its military leadership) try and raise the Kashmir bogey. Let's call their bluff one time. Tell Pakistan we will not talk to them about Kashmir at all. We will only talk about terror or not at all.

WORST CASE SCENARIO

What will happen if we refuse to talk to Pakistan ? Tell me the worst case scenario. Let me argue it in another way. What good came of it when we were talking to Pakistan - actually witnessing Pakistan going through the motions of talking to us.Terror attacks continued unabated. So whether we talk or not, Pakistan will continue to export terror to India. It is a part of its state policy. What is the worst that has happened so far ? 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. What can be worse ? Another terror strike ? Multiple terror strikes across multiple cities ? Let us pepare for it. Let us for once not be bulled into talking to Pakistan - come Hillary come Obama. Let us explain to the world with evidence, It is not in our national interest to go through the motions of talking to Pakistan. what do we lose if we do not talk to Pakistan. Nothing! In fact we gain in terms of our mental preparedness. We know there is a hostile neighbour out to mess up our happiness - we are prepared to deal with it. We begin talking to Pakistan and automatically our security forces let down their guard. This time at least they know what a slimy neighbour they are up against.

LEARN FROM WORLD POWERS

What have the US and UK done that there have been no terror attacks in their countries post 9/11 (US) 7/7 and 21/7 (UK) attacks. Let us study it very minutely and emulate it. They must have done something right that there has not been another terror attack in their countries for so many years. Of course it is easier for them since they are far-far away from Pakistan and we unfortunately share a border with the terror epicentre of the world. but look at the flip side - they are bearding the Lion in its own den. US forces are attacking Al Qaeda and Taliban inside Afghanistan and on the Pak Afghan border and the British forces are supporting them in combat.

We have rightly refused to be drawn into that conflict but the lesson is you have to kill the enemy in his house and not wait for him to attack you in your backyard. Gather intelligence and pass it on to people who are out there to eliminate the terrorists. India needs to build a cast iron case against the terrorists operating out of Pakistan and then put it in the public domain.

FAKE INDIAN CURRENCY NOTES

Pakistan's war on India by another means. Security press in Pakistan are printing high denomination Indian currency. Both Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, including most security features. It seems Pakistan buys the security paper and ink from the same source as India. Adolf Hitler did this to Britain in the second world war. Printed millions of pounds and air dropped them over London and other cities during the war in an effort to destabilize England's economy further during war. Pakistan is doing just the same. Trying to destabilize India's economy. Security paper and ink are never sold to non state actors.

Pakistan is buying far more than its own currency requirements. India should be firm here too. Either change the source of procurement of its currency paper and ink or insist if they do business with India they cannot do business with Pakistan. India has enough clout in the world to ensure we have it our way.

FIRE ON ALL FRONTS

Finally our foreign policy experts need to get off their high horses and start engaging all our other ``non hostile'' neighbours in the right earnest. Pakistan and China we need to beware of but Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka should be spoken to not as `subordinate states' but engaged as `equals' to help us solve our problems. there is no reason why every neighbour of ours should be hostile to us. Our foreign office mandarins need to do some soul searching Why are Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka hostile to us. We have close historic, cultural and social ties with them. what went wrong ? Let us start making ammends. It is never too late. They need us but at this point we need them more. We cannot afford to fight fire on all fronts. We need Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to crack down on anti-India elements on their soil. We benefited so much from Bhutan's initiative against the ULFA.

Imagine if the same happened in Bangladesh. I know it is easier said than done but not impossible. Let us try. We must in the right earnest start to counter Pakistan and China's growing influence in our strategic backyard. That is in our interest.

CONCLUSION

War on terror cannot be won by empty threats and words alone. India will have to take some hard decisions and follow up tough words with tough actions. But the first step is taking a firm position and then not budging from it - come rain, come shine. Let our leaders do it for once. For us...for India.

DELHI-FINLAND-ICELAND-GREENLAND-ARCTIC SUNRISE

2009-08-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

ARCTIC SUNRISE: THE INDIAN CONNECTION IN ARCTIC

2009-08-26T10:27:00.000-07:00

I am hungry. The pitch and the roll of the ship on the high seas take a toll on your energy. I climb down the narrow staircase towards the galley (kitchen). I smell spices in the air. Tandoori chicken, rajma, rice and daal. 9,000 kilometres from home. Indian food in the Arctic. Yes!
That's Babu Pillai from Kerala. He is, as most sailors say, the second most important man on board after the captain. Nobody messes with the chef, is the motto in the Galley. The lunch looks divine and diverse. Garlic bread, roasted chicken, fish, rajma, spinach and fruits in the end.
There are people from almost 15 countries on board - German, American, Italian, Russian, Irish, English, Swedish, Dutch, Australian, Mexican, Indian... cooking to everyone's taste is not easy. But our man from Kerala has been performing this remarkable feat even at 79 degrees North near the Petermann Glacier. He has to choose carefully - what to cook and when. Eyes eat first - so not only should the food be tasty, it also needs to look good.
''Food goes a long way in lifting spirits when people are down. At times when the ship pitches and rolls a lot and people feel sea sick, they do not feel like eating. But if the aroma is good and the food is tasty, they are drawn towards the food. And it lifts their spirits'', says the 51-year-old, father of two. The kitchen is nice and warm. No open flame on board. A number of hot plates to cook on. There is also another corner where you can deep fry food, a large oven. I have tasted the lovely cake Babu bakes.
But Babu is not the only Indian connection. There is also Faye Lewis. The 29-year-old Bandra girl working as a deckhand. Unique! I have never seen women sailors on board ships but there are three here. Sarah Watson is the Bosun (team leader of deck hands) from England, Faye Lewis from India and Yohena from Mexico. Penny, an engineer is from Canada.
Faye drove an inflatable boat to Tasiilaq village on the east coast of Greenland to pick us up. She handles the boat efficiently guiding her through icy waters. Her tasks on board the Arctic Sunrise include maintenance work on board — paint what ever is static, grease what moves — first rule of sailing. That is to prevent sea water from corroding metal. Lifting anchor, wear the fireman's outfit and be ready every time the helicopter comes in to land. And that's a lot of work.
Faye Lewis has a Bachelor's Degree in History and Sociology from the prestigious St. Xavier's College and has been working as a deckhand on board Greenpeace ships since 2003. "My work on board is to maintain record of the ship's hull, decks and superstructure. Plus mooring, cargo handling and driving the inflatable. I also have watched duties on the Bridge,'' she told me. Is she uncomfortable - working as a deckhand? ''Not at all. Not on board Greenpeace ships. They respect women and we know our work,'' says the 'hardy sailor'. She has moonlighted as a DJ in Mumbai and often has the sailors rocking to her beat.
Work for Faye begins early. Lifting anchor at the crack of dawn. Then it is her task to keep every thing ship shape and also assist in scientific work. Along with Sarah and Yohena, Faye lowers the inflatable boat in the icy waters and then drives the scientists negotiating menacing icebergs. The two Indians are a part of the core team of 28 on board and are fascinated by their Arctic journey. The two go out of their way to make my stay on board the Arctic Sunrise comfortable. Masaala Dosa and Tandoori Chicken are the two new national dishes on board the Sunrise. Bon Appetit.

SUB ZERO ARCTIC TEMPERATURES AND SCIENCE

2009-08-26T02:13:00.000-07:00

ON BOARD THE ARCTIC SUNRISE

I have never seen so many ice bergs in my life. Hundreds and thousands of them of all shapes and sizes. We are sailing through an iceberg field - as deadly if not more than a mine field. One wrong turn and the ship could be history. Remember Titanic! That is why perhaps there is pin drop silence as the Captain of Arctic Sunrise Pete Willcox and the Ice Pilot Arna Swerensen concentrate on negotiate the menacing icebergs. One eighth of the iceberg is outside water, looking serene and lovely. But it is the other seven parts under water that worries sailors and captains alike. Ice harder than iron can rip through the ship's underbelly. Even though the Arctic Sunrise is an ice breaker, the captain takes her forward gently.

The ship tears through a thin sheet of ice moving forward. There are no waves in the fjord and a thin layer of ice has formed overnight. It is transparent and deep blue. The actic wind is icy and dry. I am on the bow of the ship admiring different ice bergs. But this beauty is lost on scientists. Dr Ruth Curry, Senior research specialist and Dr Fiamma Straneo, associate scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanography Institute, Massachusetts are busy trying to find out if warmer waters from sub tropical seas is creeping up the fjords and reaching the Arctic Greenlandic glaciers. Their team had left some instruments in these waters last year. The instruments measure conductivity and temperature at different depths. At the crack of dawn the ship comes to a halt. A boat is lowered. Along with the scientists I too am on the boat.

But before we disembark we change into bright orange skin hugging rubber dry suits. God forbid if the boat capsizes the icy arctic waters will kill us within seconds. The rubber dry suits will help us live Godwilling till help arrives. You slip into the orange suits, zip up till the neck. no water no ice can seep in. This is mandatory as per shipping rules. Same applies to you when you fly in a helicopter over water.

The scientists use a GPS device to look for the place where they had dropped the instruments. We spend an hour in those icy waters. In the little motor boat, the water is close enough to touch. But I prefer not to take off my gloves. Despite wearing two pairs of woolen socks, thermal inner wear and arctic jacket I am cold. The ice bergs turn different hues of blue with the changing sun light. The acoustic signal from the under water device is not heard on the receiver in the boat. The area where the GPS device indicates the instruments should be is wrong. The device could have moved some distance due to the waves or ice bergs. The instruments could be buried under ice. With each passing minute the disappointment increases and suddenly behind one ice berg three large orange colored plastic balls are sighted. There is a wave of euphoria. We clap and speed up towards the under water instruments.

For the scientists it is a very happy moment. Something like child birth. New data that will help them understand climate change patterns better. Perhaps. It is too early to say. One year under water the instrument is caked in ice. It has been recording salinity and temperature at 50 metres under water every half hour for the past one year. The other device is not found despite another one hour spent in the icy waters. That was 200 metres under water.

We return to the Arctic Sunrise. There is a lot of clapping and back slapping. The scientists are excited. They will spend the next couple of weeks studying and analyzing the data. But their initial findings indicate below the surface there is warm water. Up to 6 degrees Celsius and it appears to have reached the Arctic glaciers..

I return to the deck. The ship has just scraped past an ice berg. Chunks of ice are on the deck. They are rock solid. We wash the snow. It glints in the sunlight. We leave it on the deck and several hours later, it is just the same. It has not melted a bit. The sun is shining far...far away. It is still early day. The scientists now get back to the second part of their task. Using a special winch they drop more instruments under water. They also collect samples of water at different depths.

Moments later I break off and head to the galley (kitchen). There is an Indian connection here. More on that another day.

SOS - THE MAJESTIC ARCTIC GLACIERS ARE CALVING

2009-08-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

ON BOARD THE ARCTIC SUNRISE

''Lucky bird to Arctic Sunrise...Permission to lift off.'' The Greenpeace helicopter lucky bird lifted off effortless and so did my spirits. For the first time I was to have a bird's eye view of Greenland's famous Hellheim glacier, one of the largest and also dangerous. The five seater Eurocopter 120 B flew low over the hundreds and thousands of ice bergs breaking off from the glacier and literally choking the mouth of Sermilik Fjord in the area.

I was flying but will we be lucky enough to land on the glacier that was the million dollar question. While the glacier a part of the Arctic Greenland ice sheet is supposed to be rock solid, glaciologists and scientists over the past couple of years have found to their dismay it isn't. This year the news is far more depressing. the Glacier is not only melting faster it is breaking into millions of pieces and ice bergs are increasing the volume of the sea. the impact ... from New York to Sydney and from Mumbai to the Sundarbans, scientists fear the sea will continue to eat up more land.

With me is Professor Gordon Hamilton, a glaciologist from the University of Maine, USA. He and his team have planted several global positioning systems and cameras along the glacier and on the glacier. The GPS devices are moving with the glacier. The speed is alarming...25 metres a day. Why are the glaciers that that too in the Arctic moving so fast and breaking up? There is cutting edge scientific activity underway off the Arctic coast of Greenland.

The helicopter door is open. My camera colleague Jari Stalh, a veteran of several polar missions is leaning out in sub zero temperatures and filming. The pilot Martin Duggam swoops low to enable Jari to get better pictures. I miss a heartbeat. It is almost as if we can lean out and touch the collapsing ice wall. Visually it is a treat. We are flying over the artic ice sheet. It should be one solid mass of ice. But it isn't. Knife edged jagged ice peaks jut out into the sky. All crumbling or ready to crumble. Hellheim is one of the biggest glaciers. Though there is no scientific evidence but the folklore is that the mighty Titanic sank due to one of the ice bergs that came off either Hellheim or the other Greenlandic glaciers.

The pilot takes us to the scary part of the glacier. it is not only very crevassed but there are rivers that are flowing along. The helicopter lands on a thick ice sheet. The pilot first gently lowers the bird, tests the strength of the ice, adds a little pressure but the rotors are still whirring ready to take off if the ice gives way and then lands. We wait for a few seconds wondering if the ice will give way. But Prof Hamilton and Martin are confident. I jump out along with the professor. We walk some distance and stop. There is a river flowing down the glacier. Fast and furious. It forms a whirlpool some distance away and water gushes down. God forbid if someone falls, he will just go straight down hundreds of metres in freezing waters. I step back.

It is waters like these that are a cause of concern for the glaciologists. This water acts like a lubricant under the glacier forcing it to tilt forward and ultimately fall in the icy waters of the arctic. ``It is like few cubes of ice added to your drink. The volume increases. Where does that sea water go when huge chunks of ice fall in it? well it moves into land,'' explains the professor.

For him rising sea level is not a climate issue. For him this is now a national security issue. And he gives me the example of India. Land in the Sundarban area is being eaten up by sea. What do farmers do...look for new land. It will lead to violence. But imagine when countries start losing land. what will populations do. For example in the years to come when Bangladesh loses land to the sea, the population will look to India. There will be large scale population movements in less than a decade, he predicts.

Several small island and some island countries in the south Pacific will be wiped off the globe, he warns. The melting Greenland ice sheet will be the catalyst but the reason is climate change. Our helicopter takes off again and we land on one side of the glacier. Prof Hamilton's team has been studying the Greenlandic glaciers for several years and each year the picture is more alarming than the previous years. This year he says it is most depressing. Several time lapse cameras along the glacier have captured the collapse - the calving of the glacier. The Greenpeace team is hopeful the new scientific data will influence global leaders when they meet in Copenhagen in December to sit back and realise the enormity of the situation.

On Board the Arctic Sunrise Melanie Duchin, the Greenpeace campaigner from USA says the new scientific data points to a far more alarming picture than earlier anticipated. The political leaders world over need to appreciate there is no half way house when it comes to arresting the damage. 40 per cent green house gasses cut by the developed world and at least 15 per cent by developing world is what the environment lobby is hoping for.

After all we want our children and their children to live in a clean world. We must clean up our act...At least for their sake.

On Board the Arctic Sunrise off the coast of Greenland

2009-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

The Arctic Sunrise! From the six seater Air Greenland helicopter I saw the ship at the Tasiilaq harbour on the east coast of Greenland. I had flown from New Delhi to Helsinki (Finland) then to Reyjkavik (Iceland) and then another two hours across the Atlantic Ocean to Greenland's Kulusuk airport.
From Kulusuk I took the Air Greenland helicopter to Tasiilaq....flew almost 9,000 kilometres for one and a half days across multiple time zones. Finally I saw the Greenpeace ship. I was tired and sleepy so far but not any more. The ship is to be my home for the next one week as we move along Greenland's east coast...with several scientists on board trying to gauge the extent of damage to the arctic ice sheet, to try and find out why the glaciers are melting so fast and to calculate the extent of rise in sea level.
There is hectic activity on board the ship. Marine biologists, oceanologists, glaciologist are all on board checking and re checking their instruments and equipment. The five seater Greenpeace helicopter stands majestically on the deck - the pilot going through the drill with the ship's crew. I find my bunk not far from the mess (dining hall) and rush back to the deck.
Tasillaq on Greenland's east coast is a sleepy little village. 1,800 residents, colourful houses and a small pizzaria. They flock to see the Greenpeace ship and the sudden flurry of activity. Some reports describe Tasillaq as the last village before North pole. Residents say there are a couple of other villagers up north but this is the last big one with a school, church and a sizable habitation.
The water is icy. There are many ice bergs in the ocean - some small and some very big. they are pretty but very scary. Scientists are alarmed by the sheer number and size of ice bergs floating in these waters. This is a sign that the glacier is not only melting and fast but also that it is calving - chunks of ice falling into the ocean. Why is it so alarming ? Well imagine Gin and tonic in a glass. Add a couple of ice cubes. What happens ? The volume increases. And that is exactly what is happening. Large chunks of ice are falling into the water....the water level in the oceans and seas is rising and eating into the land from New York to Sydney and from Mumbai to the Sundarbans on India's east coast.
So what is happening and will happen in the years to come is that the sea will eat more and more into the land. And scientists say land under cultivation and land we live on will be devoured by the sea resulting in large scale migration of people from these areas to safer areas - from Bangladesh to India - and this will led to violence and tension. Greenpeace warns climate change will become an international security issue from an environment issue if we do not wake up and now.
At the crack of dawn we set sail from the Tasiilaq harbour to the Sermalik Fjord. It is a five hour long journey across difficult waters. The captain and the crew navigate through hundreds - literally hundreds of ice bergs of all shapes and sizes. The Arctic Sunrise has no keel - so that it can navigate through ice better and faster. But this also mans that the ship pitches and rolls much more than other ships. Early in the morning I am a little sea sick but a little fresh air and a sea sick pill later I feel much better. thankfully I have not thrown up...at least not yet.
The clothes I brought from India with me are woefully inadequate for the Arctic weather conditions and despite of multi layered thermal clothing, sweaters, jackets and headgear I am cold. The crew immediately take care of that . Moments later I am 'kitted up' in Arctic clothing and work begins. ... (more to follow in the next blog)

FREEDOM FROM TERROR THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY

2009-08-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

India is a nuclear weapon state. We boast of having the fourth largest standing army in the world, a navy that takes pride in its blue water capabilities, an air force which boasts of gigantic Sukhoi 30 aircraft capable of carrying an amazing 10 tons of weapons, Phalcon - eye in the sky, mid air refuelers..BSF,CRPF, state police forces....Yet around religious festivals and national days there is fear in the air. Fear of a terror strike...fear of mindless blasts that not only leave a large number of people dead but scar lives forever.

FEAR OF A `SWARM ATTACK'

Mumbai was a swarm attack. Multiple targets hit by a large group of terrorists. RDX plus commando style engagement of the security forces over a sustained period of time. Pakistan based terror groups have changed their tactics and standard operating procedures based on the training and instructions of the Pakistan army.
According to intelligence sources, they are now trained to engage the security forces. The terror commanders undergo training along with the regular soldiers of the Pakistan army and then in turn train terror's foot soldiers. No longer is this training limited to just 15 days or one month before being launched. Terrorists are given multiple weapon training for upto a year for such missions. Despite international pressure post 26/11, intelligence sources say training continues; only now it is more discreet.

THINK LIKE THE DEVIL

What will Pakistan do post 26/11. It will be naive to assume Pakistan has had a change of heart...If Pakistan indeed was committed to cracking down on terror aimed at India - the terror masterminds would have been jailed and training camps shut down...but when terrorists are a strategic ally of a nation then prevention is the best cure.
Engage Pakistan but prepare for the worst. Think like the Devil...what will the ISI do next ? Something that is far more spectacular that 26/11 terror attacks. Think....think....
And then prepare for a multiple swarm attack. Prepare for simultaneous attacks on Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai....nuclear installations, schools, hospitals, embassies, technology hubs.
How do you prepare - carry out sand model exercises, then put in place standard operating procedures and decentralise decision making in such an eventuality.
Tell schools and colleges, hospitals and offices what they need to do in case of a terror strike.

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Learn from standard operating procedures world over. When I was covering the 7/7 and 21/7 London attacks in 2005, I noticed how the city came to a stand still in the wake of the terror attacks. All public transport...buses, metros, taxis came to a stand still. The government went on air asking people to stay where they were....clear the roads only for movement of emergency vehicles....hospitals were on stand by and so was the army.
Contrast that with what happened in Mumbai. The entire city was on the streets watching the `tamasha' the next morning...there were traffic jams and emergency vehicles stuck on the roads.
That should never happen again. This war on terror is a battle the nation needs to fight together. Everyone has a role and should be aware of his or her role. But for that to happen the government needs to put systems in place.

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

China has turned down India's request to declare Masood Azhar, the chief of Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad an international terrorist. This means the United Nations Security Council cannot impose sanctions.This means the National Security Advisor MK Narayan failed to convince China in their recent talks about the importance of imposing sanctions on Masood Azhar.
India thought after the trouble in Xinjiang, China would be more proactive in the war on terror but China appears to be cutting its nose to spite its face.
India made the mistake of believing the `Hindi-Chini bhai bhai' slogan in the 1950s. In 1962 China gave us a bloody nose. Why ? because we had lost of the battle in our minds even before we fought it on ground.
There is no doubt China is more than a generation ahead of India in infrastructure development (our politicians and bureaucrats need to wake up), militarily they may be much ahead in the bean count - an army, navy and air force numerically far superior than us - but this time they will get a bloody nose themselves...We need to remember that and then begin arming ourselves.

PREPARE FOR CHINA

In India we continue fighting our last war. Kargil is history...no point spending our entire military budget in Siachenization of Kargil - we need to build up to face China - and Pakistan will be taken care of automatically. China uses Pakistan to keep our army and policy makers engaged in low intensity conflict operations in J&K. We are therefore not arming ourselves to take on China. Let's prepare for that. Have a counter terror force for Pakistan but the armed forces should focus on China. When we have sufficient aircraft, ships, submarines and tanks to take on China - Pakistan automatically will not dare to strike us.

INDIA UNDER ATTACK

We as a nation need to come up with a response. 62 years after Independence we need to ponder why are we so unsafe and appear so unprepared to take on the threats.
Why are we always engaged in fire fighting...and do not learn the bigger lessons. The nation needs a policy - the executive, legislature and judiciary need to be one on this.
1. There have to be laws - foreign terrorists who wage war on India will not get a long trial - death by summary court martial.
2. Those found guilty of supporting them - irrespective of caste, creed, sex, religion or motive will be hanged.
3. The trial of those accused of acts of ommission and commission will not last beyond 6 months. They will either be let off or punished with life imprisonment.
4. There will be accountability at every stage. From Kargil to Mumbai we have seen officers who should have been sacked and jailed for dereliction of duty being rewarded or promoted. There has to be accountability at every level.

Our leaders need to enact laws and ensure its implementation. Parliament was attacked once. It could happen again. Politicians and bureaucrats (including those in uniform) need to wake up and prepare to safeguard India against all threats - external and internal.

Only then will India be truly Independent.

VERIFY FIRST, TRUST LATER

2009-07-29T13:22:00.000-07:00

All the water from the seven seas cannot wash away the shame of Sharm el Sheikh. Yashwant Sinha
There are cracks in the pillars of the foreign policy like the cracks in the pillars of Delhi Metro. Yashwant Sinha
Barely had the ink dried on the joint statement that Pakistan began accusing India of fomenting trouble in Balochistan. Yashwant Sinha
The country's prestige has been diminished. The Prime Minister broke the tradition of consensus and consultation. Yashwant Sinha
We win wars but lose on the diplomatic table. Mulayam Singh
The prime minister was weak in dealing with Pakistan. Mulayam Singh.
When the situation on ground did not change post 26/11 why did the prime minister change his stance. Sharad Yadav
Why mention Balochistan. Pak PM (Yusuf Raza) Gilani claims he has won. Sharad Yadav.

The prime minister, Dr Manmohan Singh was in the line of fire in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. His reply was quite like his performance at Sharm el Sheikh. Timid. Uninspiring. Weak.

WORD PLAY: TRUST BUT VERIFY

Sounds good - but trusting Pakistan is like trusting a rattle snake. Perhaps a rattle snake will be a tad more trustworthy. But Manmohan Singh and the blind men of South Block appear to be leading the country up a blind alley. Even now. Hafiz Saeed of the Lashkar e Taiba is a case in point. Pakistan has officially admitted the Lashkar e Taiba was behind the 26/11 terror attacks. Zaki ur Rehman Lakvi (Saeed's right hand man and chief of operations) and Zarar Shah are involved, even according to Pakistan. Pakistan's Punjab province attorney general has said in court that LeT or Jamat ud Dawa have Al Qaeda links. And yet Pakistan claims there is no evidence to nail Saeed. Where is trust and what do we verify sir? Dr Manmohan Singh wants us to trust Pakistan. And Dr Manmohan Singh is an honourable man. The terror dossier that Pakistan submitted to India moved Dr Singh so much that he agreed to de link terror with talks and included reference to Balochistan in the Joint Statement.

That dossier is action taken against the foot soldiers and local commanders. But what about the main terror ideologue Hafiz Saeed. Foot soldiers can easily be replaced. It is the head that needs to be chopped. But Pakistan has repeatedly refused to take action against the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar. And yet Dr Manmohan Singh wants India to trust Pakistan. What do we verify here sir? Whether the crew of Al Husseni the LeT boat were actually as guilty as Hafiz Saeed and the ISI officers who hatched the plan. How about insisting that step one to resume talks is concrete action against Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim.

Once that is verified either by our diplomatic mission in Islamabad or by an independent agency we can resume talks. What about Colonel Sadaatullah of Pakistan Army's Signals Corps posted at Rawalpindi. He has been chargesheeted by the Mumbai police. How can we trust Pakistan when the dossier is silent on him.

VERIFY THEN TRUST

National interest should and must always be above tu-tu main-main of politics. There are no political browny points to be scored. While the prime minister quoted former US president Reagan's oft quoted TRUST BUT VERIFY line, perhaps in the context of Pakistan he needs to modify the statement. We first need to verify first and then trust Pakistan.

There is another lesson India needs to learn from the US. National interest is above party politics. Nation comes first. Post 9/11 US speaks in one voice on anti-terror action. We need to learn that.

BUILD BRIDGES BUT NOT OVER DEAD BODIES

It is nobody's case that India and Pakistan should not be friends. Build bridges of friendship but not over dead bodies of innocent civilians and brave soldiers. 527 brave soldiers died in Kargil, 200 innocent civilians in Mumbai train terror attacks last time and 180 died in the 26/11 terror attacks, 60 died in the Ahmedabad serial blasts directly linked to LeT in Pakistan. These are just a few examples of Pakistan's direct involvement in terror attacks in India. Pakistan's ISI and state funded terror organisations carefully plan terror attacks in India.

The Indian government claims to have evidence of Sirajuddin Haqqani and ISI's involvement in the Kabul Indian embassy blast that killed our defence attache, a diplomat and ITBP presonnel among several civilians. Has Pakistan taken any action against the accused. If no, then why are we changing our stance.

LEARN FROM VAJPAYEE'S EXPERIENCE

When former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpyee was travelling to Lahore, Pakistan army troops were strengthening their positions on our side of the line of control in Kargil. Then IC-814 hijacking, invitation to General Musharraf to visit Agra, the Agra fiasco, Parliament attack and Pakistan's 2004 pledge not to allow its territory to be used to spread terror in India. In Parliament Dr Manmohan Singh recounted each initiative and its ultimate result. Strange, Dr Singh has not learnt from history. A wise man learns from other's mistakes.... Dr Manmohan Singh said in Parliament that there is no alternative to engaging Pakistan. Other Pak terror affected countries are also engaging Pakistan, he insisted.

But what Dr Singh and the blind men of South Block do not appreciate is the fact that other countries are twisting Pakistan's tail forcing it to crack down on terror aimed that those countries. We are too timid to do that. The US is engaging Pakistan but US predators and hellfire missiles are bombing the living daylights out of al Qaeda and Taliban within Pakistan. Can Dr Singh dare to bomb LeT camps in PoK. If yes then go ahead and shake hands with Gilani, Zardari and go a step ahead - shake hands with Hafiz Saeed too. The nation will have no objections.

The US and UK talk to Pakistan from a position of strength. And Pakistan listens to them. Let's please not kow tow to Pakistan.

PM: PAK CRACKING DOWN ON TERROR

Another half truth, I am afraid Dr Singh. Pakistan is cracking down on terror on its western borders for two reasons. Under American pressure and because Pakistan's own existence is under threat. But Pakistan is certainly not cracking down on terror camps on its eastern flank. Terror that is aimed at India. If Pakistan has the genuine will to crack down even on terror that is aimed at India then the likes of Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar would be in solitary confinement in jail...and not either roaming free with multi layer terrorist and state security or under house arrest - and yet free to meet journalists and hardline leaders. The people in Pakistan too are sick of terror. But when it comes to terror aimed at India there is a sudden recovery. Why is the security establishment in Pakistan not under pressure from the civil society to close down the ISI dirty tricks department aimed at India. Dr Singh claims he has asked Pakistan to take the same steps on its eastern borders as re being taken on Pakistan's western borders. Great! You have trusted them. But what about verification Dr Singh. You have agreed to the two foreign secretaries meeting even without verifying whether Pakistan has actually taken even a single step to dismantle the terror infrastructure aimed at India. Where is the verification here sir ?

LET INITIATIVE COME FROM PAKISTAN

In the past 62 years every initiative for peace has come from India. Let for once initiative come from Pakistan. Let Pakistan take the first step. Dr Singh you spoke of either talks or war. Even a first year student of international affairs knows there is are several steps between the two extremes - talks and war. This giddiness comes because you are oscilating too fast between war and talks. Take a deep breath. Pause. Consider with a cool head if Pakistan has actually begun cracking down on terror. Don't just take Gilani and Zardari's claims at face value. Please verify, take the nation into confidence and then move forward.

TAKE THE NATION INTO CONFIDENCE

Every time there is a terror attack, we the people, are the worst sufferers. Perhaps 62 years down the line, it will be in order that you take the people into confidence. Instead of forcing so called peace down our throat, discuss, verify and take one step at a time. Take Parliament into confidence. Transparency on either side is the best mirror to reflect public opinion. Terror from Pakistan is a national issue. Take the opposition in the loop. Talk to them. Let the people decide if Pakistan has done enough or needs to do more before we remove our finger from the pause button. In Parliament the prime minister said the government did not need to learn foreign policy from the BJP. This is not a high school debate. This is the biggest security challenge the nation is facing. Both the government and the opposition need to bat on the same side. Both have to answer the same question - has Pakistan done enough to crack down on terror aimed at India. If at any point the answer is no - stop immediately. After all if it is in our interest to talk to Pakistan, it must all be in their interest to talk to us. Let them for once take the first step. Let us wait and watch. Let us not trust but first verify. At least once - in national interest.

SELL OUT AT SHARM EL SHEIKH

2009-07-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

The smell of burnt flesh, the sight of severed limbs and blood, charred remains of buildings, cars, buses, trains, innocent people....dead. Injured and the relatives wailing in hospitals at their helplessness.... Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Varanasi, Jammu and Kashmir, Bangalore, Assam....for decades its the same story. In a decade and a half as a journalist I've covered so many terror attacks that I still have nightmares about terrorists striking and killing innocent pople indiscriminately. With no remorse.

Had our prime minister or the political elite seen any of this at close quarters....had they stepped out for a moment without security and exprienced how vulnerable we as common citizens of this country feel every day, this sell out at Sharm el Sheikh would never have happened.

DE-LINKING TERROR AND TALKS

Mr Prime Minister you owe the nation an explanation. How could you de-link terror and talks. For a moment let's forget about the past and focus only on 26/11. What has Pakistan done on ground to give you hope they are serious about cracking down on terror. What transpired between you and Pakistan's prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani. Because till just a day before this sell out at Sharm el Sheikh foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said talks can move forward only when Pakistan takes credible action against the 26/11 accused and dismantles the terror infrastructure in Pakistan. Till Just a few hours before your meeting with your Pakistani counterpart foreign minister S.M. Krishna reiterated India's stand.

And just a day before that defence minister A.K. Antony said in Parliament that the terror infrastructure still exists in Pakistan and there are still 48 terrorist training camps and launch pads aimed at India. The Pakistan government has still not ensured legal action is taken against Hafiz Saeed of the Lashkar e Taiba. Maulana Masood Azhar is still in Pakistan and so is Dawood Ibrahim. Anti-India elements are flourishing in Pakistan so what was your desperation to de-link terror with talks.

WHAT WILL INDIA AND PAKISTAN TALK ABOUT ANYWAYS

God forbid the next terror attack happens! and it will given that the terror infrastructure in Pakistan is still intact. Both the UN and the US officials along with our own IB have repeatedly spoken of the Lashkar e Taiba terror threat and our inability to wake up to the threat - what will you do....Will you still talk to Pakistan about Siachen, Sir Creek, Jammu and Kashmir, terror and go through the whole process with innocents dying. if so sir...Why blame Pakistan alone....we too will have blood on our hands....

What has changed since 26/11 Mumbai attacks ? Or even more recently since Yaketarinburg, Russia where you met Pakistan's president Asif Ali Zardari ? Pakistan's attitude remains as negative as ever...Zardari even refused to come to Egypt after you told him about your mandate. Has your mandate changed Mr Prime Minister ?

You had said the two foreign secretaries will meet and the Pakistani foreign secretary will tell our foreign secretary about the progress on the 26/11 terror attacks and then the talks will progress further. Well What did Salman Bashir tell Shiv Shankar Menon that gave India the confidence Pakistan is cracking down on terror.

CUT OFF FROM GROUND REALITY

Mr prime minister please speak to the next of kin of those killed in terror attacks. Please find time to speak to those who have lost a limb - how lives have changed completely. Please speak to the real India and not just a group of men in air conditioned rooms flanked by armed security personnel. We want peace with Pakistan but not at the cost of our lives.

Pakistan has not even given an inch and taken away a mile.

WHY ARE WE DESPERATE TO TALK

It is not necessary that two neighbours have to be in love. There are many who don't see eye to eye. Maintain contact so that you know what is on the other side of the hill but six months after every terror attack you cannot just wish away the past and pretend things are back to normal. Indo-Pak relations have become more about pretence than actual relationship.

Please learn from our past mistakes. Every time we have trusted them they have stabbed us in the back. Your predecessor went to Lahore and they did a Kargil on us. While Vajpyee and the entire diplomatic machinery was celebrating in Lahore Pakistani troops were making deeper inroads into Kargil, Drass, Kaksar and Batalik.

Perhaps even as you were shaking hands in Sharm al Sheikh the Dirty Tricks Department of the Pakistan army was planning or even may be executing another plan to cut us...hurt us...maim us..

MENTIONING BALOCHISTAN

The security and intelligence community is aghast Balochistan creeped into the Joint Statement. Was our diplomatic team dozing...What was the need....Did we mention terror attacks and sleepre cells in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi....why Balochistan ? Why are we so desperate to give credibility to a state that sponsors terror. What I fail to understand is why do we lose every time on the negotiating table. Whether it is ceasefire in 1948, losing Haji Pir in 1965, returning 93,000 Pakistani prisoners or war in 1971 without getting an iota in return, Kargil and now in Sharm el Sheikh...

Let our diplomats do a crash course in tough negotiations. Let them get it in their heads that each meeting does not require a positive result. Let there be hundreds of rounds before one positive development rather than one meeting with so called positive developments that have no real meaning on ground.

CONCLUSION

India is upset...hurt...and bleeding....please let our wounds heal first. Please wait till Pakistan takes concrete steps...From Nehru to Vajpyee we've have great international leaders but let us please please for once have a great national leader who thinks of India first and an international image and a Noble Peace Prize later.

Lasting peace comes when there is a genuine desire for peace on both sides. When One side uses terror as part of state policy then signing the dotted line on a million papers is not even worth the paper it is scribbled on... let's never forget that

LEFT WING TERROR: INDIA’S TALIBAN

2009-06-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

The Maoist corridor is increasingly being called India’s Swat. The Maoists – India’s Taliban. While the Maoists may not have the Taliban’s war like stores, training and expertise yet, they certainly have a similar style of functioning.

TERROR TWINS

From creating Kangaroo courts, public executions, levying taxes, issuing diktats to the concept of creating a state within a state, there are many similarities between the Taliban and the Maoists. Both the Taliban in the Af-Pak region and the Maoists in India-Nepal region made use of the apathy and weakness of the state to carve a place for them selves.

Both the Taliban and the Maoists were encouraged by elements within the state for vested interests. And now the Frankenstein’s monster appears too powerful and hydra headed. Both India and Pakistan have started separate operations to crush the monster – but in these initial phases the sincerity of these operations are being questioned.

INDIA’S OP END GAME?

Lalgarh in West Bengal was perhaps the biggest slap on the face of the state. Even after the chief minister was targeted, the state’s response was limp. After nearly seven months of abdicating power, the West Bengal government was forced to take action, with the centre and the world watching. For India this was a litmus test. Lalgarh was captured with little resistance but the war against the left wing extremism has just begun.

The big question – how prepared is the state – not just west Bengal but all the left wing terror affected states and the centre – to fight this war. In September 2004, Maoists closed ranks and formed one group – CPI (Maoists). They found they could coordinate their actions better – mount bigger offensives against the state. And in case pressure mounted in one state they could just hide their weapons and sneak into the neighbouring state.

MULTI PRONGED ATTACK NEEDED

The need of the hour is for the naxal affected states to launch a multi-pronged attack on the Maoists. Police and special anti-naxal forces in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra need to launch a simultaneous well coordinated operation to seek and destroy Maoist strongholds.

This would require a lot of help from the Indian Air Force – for movement of men and material and aerial reconnaissance. But this is a national problem and needs to be addressed at this level. Not only this, police forces in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and other adjoining states need to ensure Maoists do not slip into their areas. Already there is intelligence about increased Maoist movement into new territory.

An operation of this magnitude would require careful planning and perfect execution to avoid a) collateral damage and b) friendly fire casualties. The army has tremendous experience in mounting multi-theatre operations and their assistance should be sought. This should be above turf wars and in national interest.

Army’s counter insurgency and jungle warfare school (CIJW) at Vairangte (Mizorum) provides perhaps the best jungle warfare training in these parts of the world. I have seen it first hand and have heard rich words of praise coming from some US officers who did a course there. A core team of police officers and men from the naxal affected states should undergo intensive training at CIJW and then be deployed to eliminate the threat in their respective threats. Since these officers would have trained together they will be able to operate together easily and can overcome turf and jurisdiction issues.

MAOISTS: BIGGEST THREAT

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had on November 4, 2004 said and I quote
The spectre of Left wing extremism continues to haunt us, albeit in new forms. Charu Mazumdar had once talked of a ‘Spring thunder over India’. In the initial days of the movement, many of the best and the brightest had been attracted towards the movement. Almost 40 years later, the Naxalite movement has lost much of its intellectual élan, but it has gained in strength and has now spread to over 150 districts all over the country.
In 2004, left wing extremism was the biggest threat India faced – bigger than terror both in Jammu and Kashmir and in the north east. What is shocking is the fact that the Prime Minister of the country says naxals are the biggest threat and yet precious little is done over the next 5 years to eliminate the threat.

The Naxal threat has grown from 150 districts (in 2004) to more than 200 districts in 2009. Traditional logic is Maoists occupy the vacuum created by the absence of state administration. While that is true – it is equally true Maoists are now ensuring there is no development in the areas under their domination for the simple reason it will weaken their control and hold over the region.

TARGETTING INFRASTRUCTURE

According to statistics tabled in the Lok Sabha, on December 16, 2008, a total of 62 telecommunication towers have been damaged in Maoist blasts between 2005 and November 30, 2008, in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Orissa. According to union home minister P. Chidambaram, Maoists are anti-development.
Telecommunication towers, railway stations, rail tracks and infrastructure and power stations have been Maoist targets across the Naxal affected states. In 2007, there were a total of 26 attacks on the Railways. During the previous year, there were a total of nine attacks on the Railways. The largest loss from attacks on infrastructure was witnessed when the rebels blew-up three 132 KVA high tension (HT) towers in Narayanpur district of Bastar, on May 31, 2007.
As a result, six districts were thrown into darkness for a week; normal power distribution in the affected area was impaired for a whole fortnight; and functioning of hospitals, communication system and rail traffic, besides iron ore mines, were badly affected. The total estimated loss on account of this act of destruction was a whooping Rs 2,000 crore.
The Maoist game plan is clear – destroy all infrastructure development so that their word remains the law. The Maoists too lord over a multi-crore rupee industry.

MAOIST STRATEGY

There is a pattern to the Maoist attacks. They attack at night – in large numbers – 200 to 300 armed Maoists lay siege and then open fire from all sides. They loot armouries and banks, kill policemen and government representatives and then disappear into the jungles.
The Maoists have a better intelligence network – know about the deployment and movement of security forces and exploit their weaknesses – laying land mines on routes of convoys, attacking police posts by launching simultaneous multiple attacks in an area.
They destroy communication network to ensure reinforcements cannot be sent quickly and even lay ambushes on the route of the reinforcement movement.

CONCLUSION

The government should beat the Maoists at their own game – launch multiple simultaneous operations against them – cut off their escape route and supply chain. This would choke them. Once the top leadership is either killed or captured the development plan should begin in the right earnest. Steps like Backward District Initiative (BDI) where Rs 15 crore is to spent each year on the backward district should be enforced in the right earnest. Development should show on ground.
Security forces must remain on ground till locals have a vested interest in development. Once that happens – Maoists will have nowhere to hide – people will turn against them. They will be fish out of water.
Unless this is on top of the government’s agenda – present Lalgarh operations will be just an eye wash!

GEN KAYANI CALLS THE SHOTS IN PAKISTAN

2009-06-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

Frankly it makes no difference who Pakistan sends to Sharm el Shaikh, Egypt for the NAM summit - its prime minister Yusuf Raza Gillani or president Asif Ali Zardari. Neither their President nor their prime minister wield real power in Pakistan.

The power is actually in the hands of General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the chief of the army staff (COAS). Since he cannot be called to Sharm-el-Shiekh - at least not till he does a Musharraf – and makes it acceptable to the world - it makes little difference who mouths his words - Zardari or Gillani.

Either ways India should set its house in order and prevent the next terror attack. After the post 26/11 deep freeze – Yekaterinburg (Russia) was the venue for the thaw. As soon as Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh met Pakistan’s president Zardari this is what he said : ``I am extremely happy to meet you, but my mandate is limited to telling you that the territory of Pakistan must not be allowed to be used for terrorism against India.''

Barely had Prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh's aircraft touched down at the Delhi Airport when Pakistan's minister of state for foreign affairs Malik Amad Khan told the Pakistani senate prime minister Manmohan Singh’s remarks were ``unacceptable.''

I wonder what part of this statement, Pakistan finds unacceptable and offensive. And if this is Pakistan's attitude will they actually crack down on terror aimed at India. Having been ``snubbed’’ by Manmohan Singh, Zardari decided to skip the NAM summit. Pakistan’s foreign office in a late evening statement Thursday said prime minister Gilani would be attending the NAM summit and meet the Indian prime minister on the sidelines of the meet.

WHAT INDIA EXPECTS OF PAKISTAN

1. Pakistan will proceed against Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the head of Jamat-ud-Dawa and one of the 26/11 terror attack masterminds.
2. Pakistan will prepare a strong case against Hafiz Saeed and other accused in the 26/11 terror attacks.
3. Pakistan will dismantle the terror infrastructure i.e. take tangible action against Lashkar e Taiba activists, dismantle the training centres and arrest the leaders.
4. Pakistan army will not help terrorists trying to sneak across the line of control - not provide either cover or diversionary fire.
5. Pakistan will proceed against Masood Azhar, the head of Jaish e Mohammad hiding in Pakistan.

STEP 1: ACTION AGAINST HAFIZ SAEED

India has a long list, but sources say, Hafiz Saeed is step 1. Pakistan not only should appeal in the superior court against the Lahore High Court order but make a strong case against Saeed. The Indian intelligence and security forces have a thick dossier on Saeed. Information has been shared with not just Pakistan but several other countries – but no pressure has worked on Pakistan. He remains one of the ``Generals of their terror army.’’

PAK PLAYING WITH WORDS

Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is playing with words when he says the judiciary let off Saeed and judiciary in Pakistan is as independent as judiciary in India. Qureshi is fooling no one but himself. The issue is not judiciary in Pakistan releasing Saeed. The issue is the ``weak case'' presented by the Pakistan government. With the world watching the judiciary will not let off a terrorist like Saeed if the government produces hard evidence against him. Pakistan's attorney general submitted in court the government had evidence against Saeed and JuD's links with Al Qaeda. Yet he was released for want of evidence.

LITMUS TEST FOR PAK IN 4 WEEKS

Pakistan's foreign secretary has a fortnight to ``convince India'' Pakistan is serious about cracking down on terror aimed at India. He meets his Indian counterpart Shiv shankar Menon end June and once India is convinced Pakistan is actually serious and is not just buying time, the two heads of state will meet again on July 15 in Egypt on the sidelines of the NAM meet. The million dollar question here is will Pakistan actually crack down on terror aimed at India.

PAK SEEKS MORE TIME

Zardari sought more time to crack down on terror. This in itself lays bare Pakistan's delaying tactics. When a patient is serious he is rushed to the ICU. More time is not sought for the patient's condition to deteriorate further before taking the patient to hospital. Pakistan once again is only buying time - waiting for international gaze to shift from the ``terror epicentre of the world''.The civil society in Pakistan appears to be putting pressure on their government to crack down on terror. Repeated suicide attacks across the country have exposed the real face of terror. While the people in Pakistan may not differentiate between the so called good terrorists (those who target India) and bad terrorists (those who target Pakistan) the Pakistani security establishment it seems is still not cracking down on the so called good terrorists.The equally important issue here is how effective is Asif Ali Zardari in Pakistan. Will the Pakistan army listen to him and stop training, arming and sending terrorists across the LoC even if he orders them to? The real power in Pakistan is wielded by the army. what is their thinking on the issue of terror aimed at India?

THREE FACES OF TERROR

There are three faces of terror - one in Afghanistan that affects the US the most. The second in the Af-Pak region which is now hurting Pakistan and the third that comes from mainland Pakistan and PoK and is aimed at India. The US war on terror focuses more on the Afghanistan terror and the Af-Pak region. Pakistan under pressure from the US is fighting terror in the Af-Pak region also because it is now killing Pakistan from within. But neither the US nor Pakistan are focusing on the terror that targets India. The US has made the right noises but that is about it. Pakistan on the other hand has not shown sincerity from day one. Whether it is cracking down on the 26/11 perpetrators or admitting international terror financer Dawood Ibrahim lives in Karachi.

In case the leopard is actually changing its spots we will know in less than a fortnight when the two foreign secretaries meet. Keep watching this space.

WHY INDIA SHOULD NOT TALK TO PAKISTAN

2009-06-10T05:37:00.000-07:00

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP

Former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had weak knees. But if India is coerced by the US in talking to Pakistan at this stage, Dr Manmohan Singh’s government will be seen as having more than just weak knees. If we as Indians let this happen, not just Pakistan, the world will be convinced we have a weak resolve, a weak memory and a weak heart.

Before we decide to remove our finger from the ``pause button,’’ the good doctor needs to find a remedy to the chronic terror problem:-

PLEASE ANSWER MR PRIME MINISTER

Q. What has changed on ground since the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks?
Q. What has Pakistan done to show us it is sincere about cracking down on terror?
Q. Has Pakistan taken action against Lashkar e Taiba chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed?
Q. Has Pakistan proceeded against Masood Azhar for the 2001 Parliament attacks?
Q. Has Pakistan dismantled the terror camps training and sending terrorists to India?
Q. Can the PM assure the country if we engage Pakistan there will not be any more terror attacks?
Q. What do we achieve by talking to Pakistan? What is the aim?
Q. What do we lose if we continue this policy of not engaging Pakistan?

If nothing has changed on ground since 26/11, then why are we letting the US push us into talking to Pakistan? The US too hasn’t delivered on its promise to ensure Pakistan does not spread terror in India. US under secretary of state for political affairs William Burns is understood to be ``pushing India'' to talk to Pakistan.

The Udhampur based Northern Command in an assessment to the Army Headquarters in early May said there was no drop in infiltration attempts. Intelligence assessment speaks of ``heightened activity’’ in terror launch pads across the line of control, especially in north Kashmir.

ARMY ASSESSMENT: INFILTRATION ON THE RISE

The army is convinced infiltration in high altitude areas cannot happen without the help of the Pakistan army. On June 11, two Lashkar e Taiba terrorists were killed by the army and the police in Sopore. Three days earlier on June 9 a cache of arms and ammunition including 10 AK 47 rifles, one pika gun, over a thousand rounds of ammunition, 100s of grenades and 5 kg explosives were recovered by the J&K police and the army in north Kashmir. Imagine the destruction if these weapons had reached the terrorists.

LASHKAR STRATEGY: COMPUTER SAVVY TERRORISTS

Three days ago, the chief recruiter of Lashkar e Taiba in Nepal and India Mohammad Umar Madani was arrested by the Delhi Police. His aim was to recruit computer savvy graduates in metros and sailors in coastal areas for future Lashkar operations. He had already distributed US $ 22,000 and Rs 9.5 lakh to sleeper cells in Bihar and UP. The terrorists have a well laid out strategy and plan to destabilize India at a place and time of their choosing. Why is the government then losing sight of the big picture and sending feelers about removing its finger from the ``pause button.’’

HAS PAK DELIVERED ON TERROR ?

The Pakistani government hasn’t taken a single step to reassure India it means well. Pakistan may be carrying out operations in the NWFP under pressure from the US but it has not closed down a single training camp, staging camp or even a launch pad which is used to spread terror in India. Then why is India even thinking of talking to Pakistan. On the contrary its prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani raked up the Kashmir issue. Its provincial law minister called Hafiz Saeed a respectable man and its President Asif Ali Zardari is blackmailing the world into believing only they stand between the Taliban and the civilized world.

If nothing has changed on ground post 26/11, if Pakistan continues to be belligerent and if Pakistan is not cracking down on anti-India terror what do we achieve by talking to them? Or let me put it the other way – what do we lose if we continue not to talk to the terror epicentre of the world.

LEARN FROM HISTORY

We have trusted Pakistan time and again and have been repeatedly stabbed in the back. 1947, 1965, 1971, Lahore, Kargil, Agra. What have we achieved in the past 60 years of trusting Pakistani leadership civil or military? India trusted Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, returned the Haji Pir, 93,000 PoWs and got the threat of a thousand year war in return.

Vajpayee traveled to Lahore by bus in February 1999 and we got Kargil in return in May 1999. Over 530 soldiers were killed and almost 800 injured, many permanently. Do their lives not mean anything to India.

In December 1999 IC 814 was hijacked. A plot hatched and directed from Pakistan. Masood Azhar fled to Pakistan and continues to direct terror operations from there including the December 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament.

General Pervez Musharraf, the architect of Kargil took no tangible or lasting action against the terrorists. Yet he was rewarded with international recognition and invited to India by Vajpayee. What did we achieve - nothing!

Apart from 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India is convinced Pakistan has been spreading terror against India as part of state policy across India and even in Afghanistan where India’s defence attaché, a senior diplomat and ITBP personnel were killed in an ISI sponsored suicide bombing.

TERROR: NO COST TO PAK STRATEGY

Pakistan has a strategy – to bleed India. It is a no cost to their country or army strategy. We know this. Yet we don’t have an effective policy to counter it. Fools learn from the mistakes of others. What are we if we don’t learn from our past mistakes?

The thinking in the Pakistani security establishment is Indians are weak politically, diplomatically and as a nation. If we speak to Pakistan from this position of weakness Pakistan’s point will be proven once again.

CONCLUSION

You stab us in the back, maim us, bomb us, shoot us, kill us and we will still be there at the negotiating table wagging our tail – because our politicians are weak and our diplomats are desperate to be on the international high table.

If not, if we are a strong nation we claim to be, if we are a responsible self respecting nation that cares for the lives of its citizens we should insist we will talk to Pakistan only when it takes tangible steps to dismantle the terror infrastructure and proceeds legally against those who are working to destabilize India.

We are a nation of a billion strong Indians. We will stand by our government through thick and thin. We only hope the government will keep long term national interest in mind and not just short term international recognition.

The government should care for American lives and interests in Afghanistan but one hopes the government will care more for Indian lives and Indian interests in India first.

PROFESSOR OF TERROR: HAFIZ MOHAMMAD SAEED

2009-06-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, amir of Jamat ud Dawa (JuD) and the ex-amir of Lashkar e Tayeba (LET) let off despite Pakistan’s own admission that the JuD had links with the Al Qaeda and suspected JuD’s involvement in the recent spate of terror attacks in Lahore.

Pakistan has a history of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. First lets take a look at what all is the Professor of Terror wanted in India for.

26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is an absconder and Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor in the case has sought a non bailable warrant against him.
December 13, 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. He is the co-planner along with Maulana Masood Azhar and their ISI masters. Detained by the Pakistan government under international pressure but released after three month as soon as pressure eased.
July 11, 2006 attack on the Mumbai local trains. 200 people were killed. He was the mastermind. Detained by the Lahore police but released on the orders of the Lahore High Court within 17 days. Detained again the same day but then released on court orders in less than two months.
December 28, 2005 attack on Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Lashkar-e-Tayeba’s effort to strike at India’s centre for science, technology and economy. One professor was killed. According to police investigations, the plan to strike at India’s centre for scientific excellence was Saeed’s idea.
October 29, 2005 serial explosions in New Delhi that killed 62 people. Saeed’s game plan to strike terror in the heart of the capital on the biggest religious festival Diwali.
March 7, 2006 attack at Sankatmochan temple Varanasi – 21 people died in the Lashkar attack. The target was the Hanuman temple chosen to create communal tension in India.
LeT’s Fidayeen squad in J&K was Saeed’s brainchild. After the Kargil conflict of May-July 1999, the LeT reorganized itself into smaller attack squads and launched suicide attacks on army and security forces camps in J&K. LeT terrorists dressed as security personnel also attacked Hindu and Sikh villages in the remote areas of J&K. Minorities would be rounded up in villages and gunned down.

These are just a few examples of the evil designs of the Professor of Terror Hafiz Mohammad Saeed. A co founder of the LeT Saeed’s jihad is not limited to Jammu and Kashmir alone. Junagarh and Hyderabad are also on his terror radar.

There is a pattern to Saeed’s detention and release. That Pakistan is the terror epicenter of the world is now an acknowledged fact. That Pakistan does not have the will to fight terror (especially that targets India) is also as clear as day. After every major terror strike in India under intense international pressure Pakistan does detain Sayeed but releases him as soon as pressure eases.

PAKISTAN’S DOUBLESPEAK

In fact Pakistan’s doublespeak became apparent yet again when Rana Sanaullah, the law minister of Punjab Province went on record to say Hafiz Saeed is a respectable citizen but the government will appeal against the court orders to release him. If the Law Minister of the Province feels the Professor of Terror is a respectable man how will they make a strong case against him in a superior court. This is a perfect example of Pakistan’s hypocrisy on combating terror.

Neither the police nor the ISI will ever investigate Saeed’s role since he is a part of their game plan to bleed India with a thousand cuts. Since they will not investigate him there will be no evidence against him and courts in Pakistan will be forced to release him for lack of evidence. India and the international community will be taken for a ride again and again.

Not once has he been formally arrested and put behind bars to face trial under any sections of the Pakistan Penal Code. Pakistan has no intentions of proceeding against one of their Generals of Terror. He heads their terror army that has been waging a war against India in Jammu and Kashmir since 1993 when 12 LeT terrorists infiltrated into Poonch south of Pir Panjal.

Now a terror ideologue like Hafiz Saeed will never be arrested with a smoking gun. Is it not a fact he is one of the founders of the LeT and was the amir of the group till it was banned by the US and the UN. LeT then became the JuD. He then became the amir of the JuD.

EVIDENCE AGAINST THE JAMAT UD DAWA

Pakistan’s Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa told the Lahore High Court on the 30th of May that Hafiz Saeed and the JuD had links with the Al Qaeda. He said the government had classified information that ``prima facie’’ JuD had links with the Al Qaeda.

Now here is a man who headed an international terrorist organization LeT. Here is a man who heads a so-called charitable organization JuD. An organization that has links with the biggest terror network in the world Al Qaeda.

And yet, Punjab Province Law Minister says Saeed is a respectable man. His government is probing the role of LeT and JuD in the repeated terror attacks in Lahore – whether it was the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team or the Manawan police camp attack or the most recent terror attack at the Rescue 15 HQ in Lahore.

MORE BOOTS ON GROUND

Releasing Hafiz Mohammad Saeed is a myopic step. It will further embolden the terrorists. Under intense US pressure Pakistan army did start an operation against the Taliban in the north west frontier province. And immediately there was a backlash.

But this is just the beginning. The Battle in Swat is only half won. Pakistan will need more boots on the ground to uproot the Taliban from the NWFP and then the real battle will begin. After decades of training with the Pakistan army, the Taliban are now well versed with Pakistan’s military tactics. They have fought in trenches together and know the weaknesses of the Pakistan army. The Taliban are sure to exploit it in their `jihad’ against the Pakistani security forces.

And that’s the time Pakistan will realize it made a terrible mistake by letting its territory become the terror epicentre of the world. And by then it might just be too late.

TERROR IN THE NORTH, TERROR IN THE SOUTH AND TERROR WITHIN

2009-05-23T03:28:00.000-07:00

Prabhakaran is dead. Baitullah Mehsud is not. And Naxals are a threat we are not even waking up to. Sri Lanka's war on LTTE will perhaps be a lesson in what not to do in a counter insurgency situation. I cannot imagine the Indian armed forces go after terrorists in either J&K or the north east in a similar manner. It is just not done. Except perhaps in Sri Lanka where the media and independent aid agencies were shut out to achieve the end - even if the collateral damage was immense and completely unacceptable in any civilized country.
My friends in the Sri Lankan security forces tell me Prabhakaran was no civilised man. He deserved to be killed at all cost. They recount how his 34 year reign of terror resulted in over 1,00,000 deaths - right from the time he killed the mayor of Jaffna and the `four-four-bravo' patrol ambush.
But Prabhakaran was a terrorist. The state cannot resort to terror to kill a terrorist. the state under no circumstances can justify the killing of thousands of innocent Tamils. Prabhakaran was a terrorist. So was Charles Antony who studied aeronautical engineering and helped rig the aircraft that launched an attack on the Katyunaike air base. The LTTE had earlier launched a ground attack on the Bhandaranayake international airport and destroyed 3 Airbus, 1 MiG 27, 2 Mi 17s - in all 11 aircraft of Sri Lanka on July 24, 01.
My Sri Lankan friends says Indians should be happy. They killed the man who was responsible for the death of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and the killing of over 1,200 IPKF personnel. But how can we be happy when thousands of innocent Tamils have been killed, maimed or are now in a `Nazi' concentration camp like environment.
Of Course, Sri Lanka's determination and will to eliminate the Tiger at all cost needs to be appreciated. Here was a man who controlled almost one third of Sri Lankan territory. He struck at will. He perfected the concept of suicide attacks. He killed a president, a former prime minister (of India), a defence minister, a national security minister, tried to kill another president, an army chief. Prabhakaran was a man the country feared. Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajpakse, his brothers Gothbaya and Basil made it their personal agenda to ensure the LTTE was wiped out. they had the will and they did it.

DOES PAKISTAN HAVE THE WILL TO ELIMINATE TALIBAN

Even if Taliban are as bad if not worse than the LTTE collateral damage will be unacceptable in Pakistan's war on terror. If Pakistan has to win this war, the way Sri Lanka did (at least they have killed the entire top leadership and broken the back of LTTE militarily) it has to show the same determination. If Pakistan has the will they will succeed. It took the Sri Lankan army three long years of sustained operations.

Sri Lankan army fought four wars with LTTE. Three ended in a stalemate, the fouth in LTTE defeat. What did the Sri Lankan army do. They doubled their strength militarily, got better training and weapons and then courtesy Colonel Karuna (Prabhakaran's trusted lieutenant who defected) they got great intelligence on LTTE's strengths and weaknesses. Then the Sri Lankan army launched a sustained tri services offensive. They kept their reverses a secret, told the world to climb a tree and went after Prabhakaran.

Is Pakistan willing to show the same commitment. Come what may - kill the terrorists and their leadership. At least in Pakistan's war the world is with them. For Sri Lanka it was a war for their survival. For Pakistan it soon will be. An all out war between the terrorists and the security forces. Pakistani security forces cannot afford to pull wool over the eyes of the international community.

Like the Sri Lankan army they need to go after the terrorist leadership - Baitullah Mehsud, Mullah Omar, Jalaluddin Haqqani and the other Taliban commanders and Al qaeda leaders. Once that is done can they focus on removing the reasons for terror. But first the terror commanders need to be eliminated.

LESSONS FOR INDIA

Elections are over. the government has popular mandate and the focus as the prime minister has spelt out himself is internal security. the army appears in control of the situation both in J&K and the north east. The burning issue the nation is not waking up to is the Naxal threat - far more dangerous and lethal than the LTTE and the Taliban.

THE NAXAL THREAT

this is a cancer that is fast spreading. A corridor from Nepal down Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh down to Karnataka. The Red Corridor if exploited by the enemies of the country will explode. Neither our police nor our armed forces are geared for this war.

We all saw what happened when an ill-prepared and underequipped Indian army went to Sri Lanka to fight the LTTE. We lost over 1,200 soldiers and more than 3,000 were injured apart from Sri Lanka being called India's Vietnam. The naxal war should not be our Vietnam within. Look how naxals strike at will - the latest being the attack in Maharashtra where for the first time even women constables were not spared. My sources in the police tell me the naxal training, tactics and weapons are improving steadily. Apart from the weapons snatched and looted from police armoury, the naxals now have access to sophesticated automatic weapons from across the eastern borders in Bangladesh.

DOES INDIA HAVE THE WILL

And this brings me to the last point - does India have the will to deal with the naxal issue. It is not a problem of one state or one director general of police. It is not a political problem. It is a national problem. We may love to criticise Pakistan for being soft on Taliban but how firm are we in tackling the Naxal issue. This is a cancer that will spread so fast that Sri Lanka's war on LTTE will look like picnic in comparison. This is a wake up call.

HANG KASAB QUICKLY PLEASE!

2009-05-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

Ajmal Amir Kasab, the 21 year old butcher from Pakistan is killing us with a thousand cuts even today. Each time he laughs in court, cracks a joke or claps in glee looking at that Ak-47 automatic assault rifle that killed Assistant Sub Inspector Tukaram Omble and other innocent Mumbaikars my blood boils.

RS 2,500 PER DAY TO DEFEND KASAB

And then this news that you and I, the Indian tax payers will be paying Rs 2,500 per day to defend that terrorist makes me so angry. The trial may cost Rs 30 lakh or perhaps Rs one crore or more will depend on how long the trial lasts. And this is just the money paid to the counsel to defend him (why when the official allowance is Rs 900 per day). Think of the cost of security at Arthur Road jail, salary of the Judge, Special Public Prosecutor, the entire judicial apparatus involved and more important TIME loss.

It is not just the money. It is the sense of sheer frustration. The world saw this unrepentent terrorist spray bullets at the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus on 26/11. There is CCTV footage, eye witness accounts and his confession made before a judicial magistrate.

KASAB IS MAKING A MOCKERY OF OUR JUDICIAL SYSTEM

He and Abu Ismail then hijacked a police vehicle, killed police officers (again there is an eye witness), then hijacked a Skoda (more eyewitnesses there), killed a brave police officer ASI Ombale (still more eyewitnesses). He may be charged with killing 166 people in Mumbai. But you can hang him only once. Whether he has killed one or 166 - he will die only once. Let's please not let him make a mockery of our judicial system and remain an undertrial for years and years.

1.000 WITNESSES, 12,000 PAGE-LONG-CHARGESHEET

There are over 1,000 witnesses in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. The chargesheet runs in to 12,000 pages. We cannot go through the motion of giving him justice by examining all the witnesses, going over all the documents and then letting his lawyer cross examine every one and deny the motion of admission of all documents.

My lawyer friends tell me to examine a thousand witnesses even at the rate of two per day it will take several years to go through the motions. Then Saturday, sunday, national holidays. He will enjoy all of it. My colleagues who are covering the trial tell me he eats well (has put on weight) and in the court room he is very casual about the proceedings. He has to be reprimanded almost every day by learned judge ML Tahilyani. Despite a daily hearing the number of witnesses examined has barely reached two digits.

He is guilty. Hang him for God's sake. Don't let every terrorist think India is a great tourist destination for them. When we say Atithi Devo Bhav (treat guest like God) it does not apply to terrorists. Let's not forget that.

We are only going through motions of justice. Justice may be done to Kasab but this prolonged trial is injustice to all those who have suffered in Mumbai. There are those who say we have to show to the world we are a fair country. Do it in 30 days. Examine all the witnesses needed in one case and then punish him.

For God's sake try him for the murder of any one person. And hang him. He is rubbing salt on our wounds. Every day when we read he laughed in court, he demanded perfume, he wanted the money he came to India with, he cracked a joke with fellow undertrials, I think of the burning Taj, I hear the cries of the people that night and the days that followed and can smell death in the air all over again.

Why should I, and hundreds, thousands like me suffer because of a terrorist. Again and again.
Our judicial system is to defend the innocent. He is a terrorist. He should not be allowed to exploit the loopholes in our judicial system.

A senior police officer friend of mine in Mumbai said we are becoming like the eunuchs protecting the harem of the Mughals, with a sword in our arm, thinking we are brave. If we are actually brave, let us use our might to bring the terror masterminds to book. Zakiur Rehman Lakvi, Hafiz Mohammad Syed and the ISI bosses without whose help this operation would have been impossible. That would be a real trial. This is just a feeble effort to make ourselves feel better.

the world will not think much of us even if we prolong the trial for 10 years and then let him go through the motions in Supreme Court and then wait for the President to confirm it. He might just become another Afzal Guru. An election issue. The US has called India a weak country with archaic laws and poor investigation skills - unable to deal with terror. Let us not let them have the satisfaction of saying we told you so.

I hope the first task of the new Lok Sabha is to ensure no terrorist can misuse our judicial system. Ever!

TERROR CHAKRA VYUH IN NORTH KASHMIR

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

The helicopter shuddered as a sudden gust of wind threatened to slam it against the sheer rockface. The pilots, both young officers of the Indian Air Force were trying to land at a small helipad carved out of the jagged peaks at 13,000 feet in north Kashmir.

With the rotors still whirring one of the pilots leaned back and opened the door signalling for us - my camera man and I - to jump out and run straight towards the officers waiting for us. Do not run towards the rear - the tail rotor is almost invisible, he had cautioned earlier. We jumped out as a gust of icy wind almost took my breath away.

But this was an exclusive we were not going to miss. Access to the `conflict zone,' in north Kashmir. Intelligence agencies had warned about ``mass infiltration.'' Early warning posts were talking about increased movement or `hulchul' in military parlance across the line of control. Sources were talking about terrorists having assembled across the line of control north of Pir Panjal planning section and platoon level (groups betweeen 10 and 30) infiltration.

And the second fortnight of March had been terrible. Two major infiltrations in Gurez and Drangyari Kupwara areas. What was worse, one officer Major Mohit Sharma and seven other ranks of the elite one para special forces had been killed in the encounter with terrorists.

Not just any soldiers. These were special forces. And that too 1 Para. Army Commander's own. Our aim was to show to our viewers the area where the operations were taking place. Also to see how terrorists had infiltrated and that too in such large numbers - 120 in all, the army admitted but only 31 combatants. the rest the army claimed were porters and guides.

On the army's grid map Sadhna pass did not look all that menacing nor did the entire Shamsabari range. But on ground this was as bad if not worse than Kargil, where I had covered the conflict in 1999.

Now the army is well deployed here in north Kashmir. But like in Kargil it were the nullahs and passes where ambushes were laid, traditional infiltration routes guarded and patrolled. The terrorists used the treacherous high altitude avalanche prone mountains to infiltrate.

Caught off guard again ? Initially yes! 120 men cannot sneak across the line of control undetected. Somewhere the systems failed completely. Foot patrolling, anti infiltration obstacle system (the 12 feet high fence was completely buried in snow), sensors, helicopter reconaissance all failed. But sources say there was intelligence available and ambushes were laid. So what happened ?

Apparently, the Lashkar-e-Taiba guide sent by Abu Saad, the Rajwar lashkar commander to get the new group and reinforcements lost his way. This was a blessing in disguise for the terrorists. They evaded the army's elaborate trap. But the army tracked them. At Drang Yari `contact' happened just before dawn. The army `let them have it'. But under cover of darkness the group split and melted. This was on March 20. The same night special forces commandoes including the team led by Major Mohit Sharma of the 1 Para SF were helidropped `behind enemy lines.'

But unknown to the army, the terrorists were watching the entire helidrop operations. The brave major and his team were hunting the terrorists. The terrorists had the advantage of height. They were well hidden behind rocks. Suddenly the hunter was the hunted. The brave major and his team are learnt to have put up a fierce firefight. But the terrorists had the advantage of height, element of surprise and cover.

The next morning over a dozen army teams fanned out. They hunted the terrorists, killing 25 in all over a period of the next 10 days. Six terrorists were killed in an avalanche but so were eight soldiers.

The recoveries were huge - 13,000 rounds of AK ammunition, one RPG, 25 AK-47 rifles, hundreds of grenades, 32 kgs of explosives. The terrorists were extremely `well kitted' and trained to fight and survive in high altitudes. Multi layered high altitude clothing, snow boots, detailed six grid maps, GPS, satellite phones, radio sets...the works. All pointing towards the direct involvement of Pakistani security forces.

But there are very important lessons here for the army. While it is good, troops are now heli-dropped to deal with terrorists at high altitudes (imagine climbing for 9 hours at 12,000 feet and then fighting) it has to be back to the basics. High altitude jungle warfare training, tracking and evasive tactics - the basics need to be second nature. We cannot afford to lose even a single soldier in this war against terror. We cannot afford to be trapped in terror's Chakra Vyuh.

The army also needs to ensure better back up. Heliborne fire power is a must. It is nobody's point that the army is not looking after its soldiers. But the army needs to do much more. The Generals are Generals because they are now meant to fight battles in South Block and ensure the fighting force gets the best back up money can buy.

It is a war out there. It will only get worse as the snows melt. For the army it is hunting season. But the hunter must not become the hunted. EVER!

PAK TREATING CANCER WITH ASPIRIN ?

2009-05-11T03:34:00.000-07:00

Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari says Pakistan does not see India as a threat. Great!
But the 1.5 billion dollar a year question is what does General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, the all powerful chief of the army staff think.

Does he also think India is not a threat. Will there be a change in the training of future generations of Pakistan army officers at the Pakistan Military Academy, Kakul. Will the training now change to fighting the Taliban they trained, armed and guided all along. If not, these are mere words meant for a western audience.

Ultimately Asif Ali Zardari does not call the shots in Pakistan. Neither does prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. They may say so. But that is because General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani lets them. Ultimately General Kayani and the army he commands decide who is Pakistan's friend, enemy or `strategic ally' . India or the Taliban.

From being called the terror epicentre of the world to having all the ingredients of an `international migrane' Pakistan is under tremendous pressure to `crack down' on the cancer of terror. Pakistan army has started yet another operations. Actually the third operation against Taliban.

The first two ended as failures because of lack of will to fight a `strategic ally.' The third is under an international microscope. Asif Ali Zardari is in the US looking for that 1.5 billion dollars a year aid. But US president Barack Obama has made it clear there are no blank cheques anymore. So this Operation Black Thunder is Pakistan trying to earn the money. But is Pakistan seriously trying ?

US secretary defence Robert Gates says Pakistan does not have the capability to fight terror. But does Pakistan have the will ? That's the bigger question. Capabilities can be acquired. But the will has to come from within. Officers of the Pakistan army may have trained at the Military Academy in Kakul but they fought shoulder to shoulder with the Taliban militia against the Soviets. They killed and braved bullets together. That bond formed during war. Is the international pressure enough to break that bond ?

If Operation Black Thunder is a face saving operation it is bound to fail, like the earlier two operations. If it is a real operation for the ``survival of Pakistan'' as both the President and the prime minister claim, then more transparency is required. On May 8th Zardari said about 145 `nasties' had been killed. In less than 72 hours his internal security minister Rahman Malik claimed 700 militants had been killed. Where are the bodies ? Is this just propaganda ?

Pakistan can ill afford to let the Taliban get away this time. Cancer cannot be treated with asprin and half hearted military operations are just like asprin. Temporary relief but the disease strikes back with a vengence.

Rahman Malik also said operations should be over soon. That again should have alarm bells ringing in the international security establishment. Anti-terrorist operations are a long drawn affair - they last years and years. And the problem needs to be addressed not just militarily. A three-week-long or a month long operation will not cure the Taliban cancer. This is a wake up call not just for Pakistan but even for the United States.

To get the maximum bang for their buck, the US will have to keep a hawkeye on the Pakistan army and its operations against the Taliban.