Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
ARCTIC SUNRISE: THE INDIAN CONNECTION IN ARCTIC
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.
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
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.
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.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
SOS - THE MAJESTIC ARCTIC GLACIERS ARE CALVING
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.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
On Board the Arctic Sunrise off the coast of Greenland
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 o
cean. 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)
Friday, August 14, 2009
FREEDOM FROM TERROR THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
VERIFY FIRST, TRUST LATER
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.
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.
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