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Lockdown: Can we have Soul Kitchens, or a Shyam Pagla?

Shantanu Guha Ray
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Lockdown: Can we have Soul Kitchens, or a Shyam Pagla?

Anxiety over the Coronavirus and the fear of death has united a billion plus India like never before, everyone and everything is off the streets, including those who live on footpaths and cannot work from home.

The Indian Capital — like other cities — has turned into a ghost town, everyone is extra careful to keep outsiders away from homes. Back off, back off, back off scream residents from their condominiums.

They are not allowing any outsider to enter their complexes. Newspaper hawkers, garbage collectors, grocery delivery boys and even nannies and maids are told to stay away. In some places, nurses have been asked to leave homes because residents fear they could carry the deadly virus. Doctors treating Coronavirus patients are mostly spending time in hospitals. When they return home, they face isolation and insults. Across the city, posters have come up identifying houses under quarantine, as if the house has leprosy patients. Panicky Indians have shared the 1977 Bee Gees chartbuster Stayin Alive through WhatsApp messages, many standing in their balconies with portable loudspeakers for a game of Tambola, also known as Housie. There is unity in beating the stress. Divide comes only when the poor come close.

The 21-day lockdown has left Delhi’s homeless without food and without shelter. (Representational picture)

Politicians, always squabbling over issues ranging from defence deals to court judgements to lack of funds for development projects, have suddenly united. Everyone is following diktats issued by the Central government, there is no opposition because of the fear of bearing the brunt of the pandemic’s unceasing spread. Every state government wants a low figure of Coronavirus patients. Why not? A higher figure would bring a stigma of a lifetime. Some states, sadly, have even started fudging numbers.

Experts feel India, under the BJP-led NDA government, has handled the crisis well in South Asia. India has nearly 500 cases, Pakistan — it has a large number of Chinese workers — has 1,000 plus cases, Sri Lanka has 95 cases, Bangladesh 27 cases and Nepal one case.

At the heart of the crisis is Delhi, once described by author Rana Dasgupta as a city living on its wheels (read powerful cars of powerful men). The fear has been a great leveller, the city is not witnessing anymore divided influence, no one is talking about newly acquired assets, no one is flaunting connections. Everyone is reminding the other that Italy’s total dead is more than 4,800, the most for a single country and a billion plus India — where a few have died — is still struggling to contain the virus. The virus has pushed India’s conspicuous consumers underground, they do not want to seek visibility. Rather than brag about their money or show it off, they are keeping quiet about their advantages, describing themselves as normal. No one wants to say they have returned from London or Spain, they are saying they have returned from next door Sonepat, even Vrindavan, home to India’s Love God Krishna.

India’s big, big distancing business has wreaked havoc on those who eat, sleep and live on the streets, among them the country’s half a million beggar population. For them, class never mattered. But now, their very existence has come under threat. So they want to be safe. On Monday night, right after Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation for a second time, violence erupted in a South Delhi neighbourhood where three girls from Manipur were taunted and pushed away from a grocery store because people in the market mistook them for Chinese. Among those triggering the chaos were doctors, engineers, bank employees, even rich real estate developers. Eventually, cops were called to escort the girls to their home. The girls were, obviously, shaken by the violent reaction. Elsewhere, residents had tried their best to kick out air hostesses and crew of airlines from the neighbourhoods, blaming them as carriers of Coronavirus. In some places, bank officials were ostracised. Across India, food delivery boys from Zomato and Swiggy were beaten up by security guards of residential complexes, not many realised that food is a part of the essential service which has been exempted from the lockdown. Keep them away, keep them away, keep them away, screamed panicky residents even as the security guards used fiberglass sticks to hit the delivery boys and smash their boxes.

The fear of death, claim social scientists, is driving Indians to a strange frenzy, everyone wants a gate with locks to keep outsiders away. They have found an excuse to enforce the government’s call for social distancing.

And then, there are other problems.

The Indian Capital does not have Soul Kitchens (like in Chennai or Mumbai) where the poor can come for meals throughout the day and night. Some volunteers are making efforts to supply cooked meals to the homeless who do not have the cash to go to departmental stores, do not have homes to work for offices. But such Samaritans are very low in numbers. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has offered the homeless space in government shelters that will also offer food. But it is not enough to accommodate all the homeless. Worse, no definitive mapping has ever been done for the homeless in India. Hence, no one knows how many poor and homeless have been affected in the Coronavirus crisis.

Beggars, who form a large chunk of the homeless, are the most vulnerable. In normal times, they earned off the streets and cooked frugal meals at their makeshift homes near the highways, under the Capital’s gigantic flyovers. But now, they have all been shunted along with their children, who would play I-spy under streetlights. Everyone wants Delhi clean, everyone wants Delhi safe, everyone wants Delhi silent. There is, of course, justification in what the government and the cops are doing. There is also no justification at the way the poor have been left alone at the height of this gigantic crisis.

I was reminded of Shyam Bandhopadhyay, a retired clerk whom I met way back in 1999 in Kolkata who worked tirelessly to collect data on the city’s beggars, now estimated at a little over 45,000. Bandhopadhyay told me why it was important for the nation (read the government) to give dignity to the beggars and not leave them on the streets as nobodies. “Dignity is more important than a handful of coins people throw at the beggars,” said Bandhopadhyay, whose work drew praise from the city’s greatest humanitarian, Mother Teresa.

Delhi’s Beggars will be the worst hit during this lockdown. (Representational picture)

Bandhopadhyay reminded me about Kolkata’s author, Subodh Ghosh, whose short story about a beggar’s death shook the city’s conscience. The story went like this: A beggar was run over by a speeding truck. When he fell, coins he had collected scattered all over the road, blood-soaked coins a reflection of the beggar’s deep discomfort with life despite having a decent amount of cash. Bandhopadhyay reminded me how the rich remained elite and snobby, wore wealth on their sleeves but rarely came together to put in place a foolproof plan for the homeless. I remember Bandhopadhyay — fondly called Shyam Pagla by many in Kolkata — telling me why the poor should be the responsibility of the super-wealthy and not the government. “Government babus will never help the poor.”

Bandhopadhyay, lived in Howrah’s Salkia neighbourhood (a suburb of Calcutta) that lies close to the Hooghly river. Life was not a rags to riches story, it was nothing beyond rags. Still, he walked through the streets of Kolkata and collected data on beggars and homeless, rehabilitating more than 24,000 beggars. Bandhopadhyay told me how his life changed after he once saw two-time Congress legislator Mahadev Mukherjee begging on the platforms of Sealdah station. He had set up the world’s only Beggar Bureau, compiling fascinating research material on the world’s largest beggar population. In a life dedicated to destitutes, Shyam’s last wish also had a tinge of benevolence. Folded inside his starched dhoti was a small note that read: “I hereby authorise the Indian government to sell my skeleton to a foreign hospital and spend the proceeds for the welfare of beggars.”

Suddenly, I felt the need for a few Shyam Paglas in India.

In his second address to the nation, PM Narendra Modi exhorted Indians to keep themselves safe, and also help those who were the most vulnerable, people who were homeless, people who begged for their lives, people who lived on footpaths. The PM knew once the Coronavirus enters into people under Below Poverty Line (BPL), it would be a huge challenge to control it and a large chunk of India’s revenue would be required to be invested to handle the situation. Modi should know. India is home to 138 billionaires and the country’s culture has long been marked by questions about the moral calibre of wealthy people. In India, Capitalist entrepreneurs are often celebrated, but they are also represented as greedy and ruthless. Inheritors of fortunes, especially women, are portrayed as glamorous, but also as self-indulgent.

The Coronavirus crisis has suddenly brought up the negative side of this high inequality where the poor are left to fend for themselves. Majority of India does not want a real neighborhood existence. People have their justification in place. The government has announced a nationwide lockdown, which includes travel restrictions and the closure of most stores apart from groceries and pharmacies. The government (read the PM) has asked Indians to take care of the poor and the homeless.

But the majority are not keen to follow the Prime Minister’s diktat. The poor is the responsibility of the government, no one else. After all, everyone wants to keep Coronavirus statistics in control, the homeless must stay out of the iron gates.

The government has displayed hope for all. There will be an unprecedented financial package to help recover from a sudden economic arrest, with businesses shuttered and consumers limiting their spending to groceries and household essentials. That’s meant for those in the WFH (work from home) category. Streets are homes to the homeless. WTF does not apply to them, WFH does not apply to them. They fill a new category that has emerged in India. It is WATH, or Why Are They Here?

Nothing political about Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s Rajya Sabha nomination

Amar Bhushan
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Nothing political about Justice Ranjan Gogoi’s Rajya Sabha nomination

Justice Gogoi has neither joined BJP nor is he entering the Rajya Sabha from its quota in states. He comes to Rajya Sabha as an eminent jurist and will not be obliged to support any party or its political programme. Explains Amar Bhushan, former Special Secretary of the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW).

Covid-19 has forced us to stay indoors and limited our socializing, it’s time we soberly analyze whether Ranjan Gogoi, the former Chief Justice of India, deserved jeering and walk out by a ruckus opposition when he was taking oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha on March 19, 2020. The scene was not very unusual, knowing how boorishly non-NDA (National Democratic Alliance) MPs (Member of Parliament) mostly behave. But what baffles is that the same set of people were ecstatic about his courage of conviction when he had addressed a press conference in January 2018 along with three other judges of the Supreme Court, calling for transparency and fairness in the distribution of judicial work. Not only that, he was also hailed as principled when he insisted that post-retirement jobs were a scar on judicial independence. That Justice Gogoi, his accusers now lament, has forsaken his ideals for Rajya Sabha membership.

But it is factually not true.

Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been nominated from the quota of eminent professionals and domain experts like Sachin Tendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar whom you do not offer jobs but provide an opportunity to serve the nation with their views in areas of their excellence. They have nothing to do with viciousness of politics. Justice Gogoi has neither joined BJP nor is he entering the Rajya Sabha from its quota in states. He comes to Rajya Sabha as an eminent jurist and will not be obliged to support any party or its political programme.

Still Congress has the gall to taunt him despite having an unsavoury record on this score. After retirement, Chief Justice Rangnath Mishra of the Supreme Court became Rajya Sabha member as a Congress nominee and later joined the Congress. The case of Justice Baharul Islam is even more telling. He was elected to Rajya Sabha for two terms from the Congress quota, then resigned to become a Judge in Guwahati High Court and the Supreme Court. Thereafter, he was again elected as Rajya Sabha Member form the Congress.

The post-retirement jobs that Gogoi referred to was the chairmanship of National Human Rights Commission that has been headed by several chief justices in the past and, of tribunals like NCLT (National Company Law Tribunal), NCLAT (National Company Law Appellate Tribunal), DRT (Debt Recovery Tribunal), DRAT (Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal) etc. The membership of Rajya Sabha from the quota of luminaries or the Vice-Presidentship of India that Chief Justice Hidayatullah had occupied under the Congress regime, were not his target.    

Justice Gogoi’s former colleagues have also not taken his entry in Rajya Sabha kindly. They fear, his nomination will henceforth encourage sitting judges to give favorable verdicts to please governments so that they wangle plum jobs that carry several perks. Retired Justices like M. Lokur, AP Shah, Kurian Joseph and the irrepressible Markandey Katju who were denied of any post-retirement positions are distressed that by accepting to become a Rajya Sabha member, Justice Gogoi has severely undermined the independence of judiciary. Apparently, they have no faith in the judicial integrity and moral strength of judges who are still sitting on the Bench and who, they think, will now be tempted to tailor their judgements for a price.

Professional baiters like Asaduddin Owaisi, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibbal and TMC (All India Trinamool Congress) greenhorns have gone a step further in running him down. Gifted with supernatural power to see the past, they claim that Justice Gogoi’s nomination is a quid pro quo, meaning that before judgments were delivered, Gogoi and PM held prior consultations on what the verdicts should be. Thereafter, it was left to Justice Gogoi how to cajole, bribe or force other judges of the Bench to write judgements that had already been agreed upon. And for this effort to organize a collective opinion, he was promised a Rajya Sabha seat. If this was the case, Justice Gogoi emerges as a poor bargainer and dumb witted to have been fooled by PM to sell his integrity for a pittance.

To justify their belief in a quid pro quo, hecklers argue that; Gogoi turned blind to the corruption and deviations from laid down procedure in the procurement of Rafael fighter jets, refused to share classified papers to examine the government’s bona fide on the spurious plea that papers were too sensitive to be made public, deliberately avoided quashing the Act, abrogating Art 370 and Art 35A and deferred hearing habeas corpus pleas regarding the assault on fundamental rights in J&K, laid out a firm roadmap for NRC (National Register of Citizens) in Assam with a view to disfranchise illegal Muslim immigrants, paved way for the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya at the site of Babri Mosque and reopened the Sabarimala judgement that had permitted the menstruating women to enter the temple, by referring it to a larger seven-Judge Bench. Their allegation is that all these commitments were part of the BJP’s election manifesto that Gogoi helped PM Modi to fulfil.

The quid pro quo gang would have loved Justice Ranjan Gogoi had he allowed perpetuation of a temporary constitutional provision in the case of J&K, remained a mute spectator to the tardy implementation of Assam Accord that sought to identify and deport illegal immigrants in the state, kept deferring the resolution of 135-year old Ram Janma Bhoomi land dispute, like all previous Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and he should have let centuries’ old religious practice at Sabarimala, which was decided by two judges remain, a permanent heart-burn. They had obviously misread Gogoi’s steely resolve to handle difficult cases, no matter what anyone said and accused him of.  

To put the record straight, Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not spare the government either. He had struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act that had sought to regulate appointment and service conditions of the members of various tribunals, declared right to privacy as a fundamental right, abolished homosexuality and ruled that case against Devendra Fadanvis, former chief minister of Maharashtra, regarding the suppression of fact in filing his nomination papers for assembly elections was prosecutable. For all you know, his critics will say that PM Modi and Justice Gogoi were clever enough to reach an understanding that Gogoi would give adverse judgements in inconsequential cases but favour those that were closer to PM’s heart. Now you know why the opposition booed and walked out. There was no other way they could have cowed down the Man—Justice Ranjan Gogoi who is bold, has a definite mind of his own and does not mince words in expressing his convictions. He knows, his legacy will be judged by posterity and not by the Owaisis and Sibbals.       

Indian Army’s quiet, efficient, disciplined response to Corona Virus sets an example for the nation

Jaibans Singh
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Indian Army’s quiet, efficient, disciplined response to Corona Virus sets an example for the nation

The COVID-19, more popularly known as Corona Virus has posed the biggest challenge in centuries upon human population of earth. Its rapid spread from China to the rest of the world is leading to a breakdown of health infrastructures of entire nations while others like India are grappling with the challenge of containing its spread.

The Indian Army has always stood as a sentinel of the nation in times of external threat and internal emergencies. In this instance too, the force is preparing itself to make a meaningful contribution to the overall strategy being evolved by the nation to fight the virus.

The Northern Command of the Indian Army that is operationally responsible for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh, has to meet a unique set of challenges under the existing circumstances. Being operationally deployed, the command cannot go into isolation mode since strict vigil along the LOC and in the hinterland has to go on. For many decades now the Army in Jammu and Kashmir has remained involved in caring for the health of the locals, especially so, in remote areas where government provided medical facilities are scarce. The Indian Army has a responsibility towards these people at the present stage when things are getting critical.

The first and foremost responsibility is to ensure that the virus does not spread within the ranks of the army despite the need to stay active. The silver lining is that the soldiers are very disciplined and can be depended upon to follow instructions in letter and spirit; secondly, soldiers are healthy and have the capacity to fight the virus better than others.

The army has many doctors who are experts in public health activities. They have immense experience in implementation of the national health programmes in the armed forces and containing diseases like Malaria, TB, HIV and Viral Hepatitis. Such doctors have been  entrusted with formulation, planning and implementation of preventive activities against the Corona Virus outbreak within the army and in the J&K and Ladakh sectors.

Northern Command is putting in a tremendous effort towards creating awareness in remote areas of the  Jammu, Kashmir and the Ladakh region where such information is not easily available; soldiers are sharing information on preventive measures with villages.

Ladakh is the first area covered by the army to check proliferation of the Corona Virus. It has sent medical teams, established screening facilities and quarantine/isolation centres for the civilians across the region. Personal protective items like gloves, sanitizers etc. are being provided. The model created in Ladakh has been put into practice in Kashmir too. Presently, the Jammu region is being covered. Work is being done in concert with civil  authorities. All health facilities of the Indian Army are open to everyone. Testing facilities for the virus in Jammu and Kashmir are now available in Jammu Medical College, SKIMS, Srinagar and Command Hospital Udhampur;  these are being put to optimum use for defence personnel and civilians alike.

It is, however, in the domain of personal protection from the Corona Virus that the Northern Command, along with the entire Indian Army is putting in maximum effort, knowing full well that they are an entity that simply cannot afford to be laid down.

Headquarters are running on skeleton strength with minimum required staff attending office. Entry into offices and Headquarters has been staggered, a large number of hand washing stands have been established at entry points so that all those who come in do so only after washing their hands.

The National War Memorial in Delhi has been closed to the public, wreath laying is being done by the Guard on duty. Canteen services and markets in all cantonments have been closed except for essential items and for these too door to door service is being done. 

All leave and postings has been deferred till 15th April 2020. Personnel returning from leave are being monitored for 14 days and being extensively debriefed; anyone who has a history of being in touch with a suspected case of COVID-19 is immediately quarantined. Individuals returning from high transmission areas are also being quarantined. Those found to be even slightly symptomatic are being immediately segregated and tested.

Indian Army also has in place a system of “isolating” those infected for the entire period of communicability of the infection. Isolation is being resorted to for such persons who, during the period of quarantine, develop symptoms of the infection and those who test positive. This is being done to prevent or limit direct and indirect transmission of the infectious agent from those infected to those who are susceptible.

One thing good about the Indian Army is the detailed briefing that is always carried out to ensure that orders are well understood and implemented. The precautions to be taken during this period of health crisis are being issued by all commanders up and down the chain. They are being repeated at regular intervals so that all are aware. This procedure is now paying handsome dividends. The second thing that’s helping is the capacity of the force to obey orders as also enforce the processes.

Indian Army is adhering to instructions in a quiet, calm and efficient manner while staying alert to meet all emergencies within the organisation and with respect to the entire nation. It is poised to respond to the call of the nation in the manner that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is extolling all citizens to adopt. It is setting an example for nation with regard to the method to be followed to meet the challenge. The best example is emanating from Northern Command where precautions are being taken while remaining on the job and also looking after such segments of the civilian population that need help. If the entire nation follows this example the Corona Virus challenge will definitely be met successfully.

J&K Budget: Development thrust along with security support

Jaibans Singh
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J&K Budget: Development thrust along with security support

Budget for the newly created Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir for the financial year 2020-21 was presented in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, 17 March, 2020. The Government had deliberately omitted presentation of the J&K and Ladakh Budgets along with the Union Budget so as to get adequate time to work out the packages, proposals and concessions for the newly two UTs.

The Union government also cleared the supplementary demands for grants necessitated due to the bifurcation happening in the middle of the financial year 2019-2020. The present budget will be effective from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021.

The Budget for Jammu and Kashmir has crossed the threshold of Rs 1 Lakh Crore for the first time. It is a considerable jump from the earlier highest figure of approximately Rs 89,000 crore. It is also notable that the previous figures included Budget for the Ladakh region which now has a separate and equally generous Budget.

The enhanced allocations are in line with the promise given by New Delhi to give a boost to the process of development in the state, “A system which denied due rights to our brothers and sisters of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh; a system which was a huge hurdle in their development has now been eradicated,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said during the parliamentary debate on the reorganisation bill.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also emphasised the development agenda of the government in her speech during the presentation of the budget. “The budget for 2020-21 for J&K shall cross Rs 1 lakh crore for the first time, an indicator of our commitment to make J&K a model of development. This is the highest ever budget envisaged for Jammu and Kashmir,” she said.

While the efforts of the government on the economic front are laudable, it should not be forgotten that Jammu and Kashmir is emerging, very slowly indeed, from the debilitating shadow of the gun and violence that remained dominant for decades on end. Many in the state have suffered tremendously due to the debilitating violence over a long period of time. Their family members were killed, houses destroyed, women raped and lives shattered during the terrible days when terrorism was at its peak. A large percentage of such victims of terrorism live in remote and almost inaccessible areas where they have nothing more than the support of the Indian Army.

While it is well established that the Kashmir Pandit community suffered tremendously, the fact that others also suffered an equal amount in the successive decades of violence cannot be sidelined. It is this segment of the citizenry in Jammu and Kashmir that needs special attention. The first step in this direction could have been a special mention in the budget.

Terrorism may be at an all time low but the danger is far from over. It is a known fact that the Pakistani side of the Line of Control (LOC) is lined up with launch pads full of terrorists ready to infiltrate at the slightest opportunity. All means are being used to enhance local recruitment and transfer weapons and money to sustain the terrorist infrastructure in the Kashmir Valley.

Further, the enemy remains determined as ever to resurrect the earlier times of divisiveness and disruption and is actively applying all possible means in the psychological and social domain to turn round the situation to their advantage. There will be attempts to bring back the times of Hartals (Strikes) and Bandhs (Lockouts) with attendant talk of Human Rights violations et al.

Economic activity holds the key for the well being of any region. At the same time, peace is a prerequisite for economic upsurge. Security on the borders and in the hinterland of Jammu and Kashmir, especially so in the remote areas, is necessary for the economic activity to blossom.

The government has been very generous and honest in its efforts to change the environment of the UT with a surge in economic activity and development. It has identified education, agriculture, tourism, rural development, employment and skill development as focus areas to meet its development goals. Agriculture and allied horticulture sectors have received an allocation of Rs 1,872 crore which is Rs 680 crore more than the previous year. Maximum thrust has been given to Rural Development, up from Rs 1,951 crore to Rs 5,284 crore and Education at Rs 2,392 crore, an increase of Rs 1,000 crore.

One matter that is not being discussed in the roadmap laid out for Jammu and Kashmir is police reforms. There is an urgent need for increasing the strength and capability of the police force with more boots on ground, infusion of latest technology for policing and intelligence gathering duties and latest training techniques. It is something that needs to be spoken of at par with development. The aspect probably is in the domain of the Ministry of Home, however, a reference to the government policy on the subject at the time of presentation of the budget would have been in order.

While New Delhi is doing all it can to assist in the revival of the violence prone region, a large onus of responsibility also rests upon the people. The common citizen will have a big role to play if the development and security thrust of the Centre is to bear fruit. Peace-loving Kashmirs’ outnumber the handful of Pakistan-sponsored trouble creators; their inaction has been encouraging terrorists and their handlers to wreck havoc. Now is the time to change the status quo. The people need to realise that only natural beauty and skill sets cannot attract tourists and investors, the environment needs to be equally conducive. It is up to them to join the government effort to create the same. They have to use their passion and strength to shape their own future. The government is but a facilitator.

‘Mortality rate is greater in pandemic caused by a Genetically Engineered Virus’

Vivek Sinha
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‘Mortality rate is greater in pandemic caused by a Genetically Engineered Virus’

Coronavirus continues to wreak havoc across the world. The vaccine for this virus is nowhere in sight and we are still not sure if the genetic make up of Novel Coronavirus was altered inside a Wuhan laboratory in China. Dr Rajesh Mehrotra, scientist at BITS Pilani and an expert in the field of Cis Regulatory Elements in DNA, said in this e-mail interview with Vivek Sinha that human cells cannot distinguish between a man made virus and a natural strain of virus. He explained that genetic alterations of a virus cannot be done in the backyard laboratory by a rogue scientist.

Vivek Sinha: Coronavirus epidemic has taken the world by storm. Several conspiracy theories are floating around the world about origins of this virus from China. What is the buzz within scientific community about the origins of Novel Coronavirus?
Dr. Rajesh Mehrotra: Coronavirus originates in animals like bats and pangolin and are not transmissible to humans until and unless a (virus) strain is mutated that can pass from animals to humans and then from human to humans. Also, an article published in Nature Medicine on 18th March 2020 rubbished the concern that it was man made because at a molecular level its genetic data does not came from any previously used virus backbones.

Vivek Sinha: What does it take to genetically engineer a naturally occurring virus and turn it into a lethal strain? How is the human immune system foxed by these genetically engineered virus strains and why is it unable to respond as quickly as in the case of a natural strain of the virus?
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: In any good laboratory with proper Biosafety levels (BSL-3 or above) one can engineer a naturally occurring virus. Genetic modification involves the direct insertion, deletion, artificial synthesis (using phosphoramidite chemistry), or change in nucleotide sequences in viral genomes using biotechnological methods which can turn a strain into lethal strain. Immune response to virus is via three modes (i) Cytotoxic Cell (ii) Interferons and (iii) Antibodies. Viruses are highly adaptable and have developed ways to avoid detection by cells. Some viruses stop Major Histocompatibility Complex molecules from getting to the cell surface to display viral peptides. If this happens, the cell doesn’t know that there’s a virus inside the infected cell.

Dr Rajesh  Mehrotra is Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at BITS Pilani, KK Birla Goa Campus

Vivek Sinha: Does it require a sophisticated laboratory to manipulate the genome of a virus or can this be done by a rogue scientist in the backyard laboratory of his home? 
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: It is recommended to use BSL-3 or above that is Biosafety Level–4 (BSL-4). This is the maximum containment level and is designed to be used for manipulating emerging viruses with the highest level of risk. And, it cannot be done in the backyard laboratory.

Vivek Sinha: Can a genetically engineered virus (man-made virus) be distinguished from a naturally occurring virus though any tests? If yes, what are these tests and if No, why is it difficult to differentiate between a man-made virus from a naturally occurring virus? 
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: To the best of my understanding we cannot differentiate between a man made virus and a naturally occurring virus. Viruses in general have a very simple structure. They have capsid or protein and DNA or RNA as a genetic material. Once the strain is genetically modified using phosphoramidite chemistry it cannot be distinguished whether a strain is man-made or natural.

Vivek Sinha: Is mortality rate greater in a pandemic caused due to genetically engineered virus, vis-a-vis a natural virus strain? Why is it so?  
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: Yes, mortality rate is greater in a pandemic caused due to genetically engineered virus because new viral proteins are sufficiently different from preexisting viral proteins, and due to this there may be a limited immune recognition by humans. As a result, the majority, if not all, of the human population may be susceptible to the new viral form. In addition, reassortment may also result in a very virulent new strain.

Dr Rajesh Mehrotra has been a visiting researcher to Kyoto University, Louisiana state University, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology and to University of Edinburgh (INSA Exchange Fellow).

Vivek Sinha: Do you think Coronavirus will be able to survive in Indian summer? And is there a possibility of its recurrence during the upcoming monsoon months or during the onset of next winter season?
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: Drawing corollary from Australia, which just experienced its peak summer season but still reported 400 confirmed cases, I think the virus will be able to survive Indian summer. However, a decline in the contagiousness of COVID-19 may be observed in the coming summer days, but the transmission of the virus will nevertheless remain very much possible.

Vivek Sinha: Coronavirus has spread and/or it’s spreading like wildfire across the Eastern and Western sides of India. How long can India stay safe before Covid-19 becomes an epidemic in India?
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: Indian government is making all efforts that we don’t reach to the stage of community transfer and restrict it in at Stage-2. Next seven days is going to be very crucial for us. If we can keep the count low, then perhaps we will reduce the chance to enter Stage-3 and India stays safe or else we will succumb.

Vivek Sinha: It’s still unknown if India has silently entered the Stage -3 of Coronavirus outbreak where the virus spreads across communities. How are things expected to pan out in India? What else can India and other SAARC nations do to control this pandemic?
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: Number of confirmed cases for COVID-19 are indicative of the fact that we may be slowly moving towards the Stage-3. Across the globe, social distancing is one option available with governments. Indian government has been proactive. In Indian context social distancing is the most important measure being advocated by the government and the Janta curfew has been asked by our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi to be imposed on Sunday, 22nd March to break the chain of transmission. The curfew time requested is 14 hours and the virus can only survive for 12 hours outside a living host.

However, there are many other parameters to be looked into, which includes age composition of the population, high risk population, latency period (the amount of time from initial infection to illness), infection period (the time infected individual remains contagious to other people), population density, personal behavior, climate and environment. SAARC nations will have many common factors but some unique factors (such as the age of those being infected) need to be identified by respective governments and they must take strong measures to curb the crisis.

Vivek Sinha: If Covid-19 is a biological weapons programme gone out of control, will the scientific community, doctors and healthcare professionals be able to control the spread of this Novel Coronavirus?
Dr Rajesh Mehrotra: One of the hypothesis in air is about it being a biological weapon and we cannot rule it out completely, though scientists from UK confirmed that at a molecular level COVID-19 genetic data does not come from any previously used virus backbones. Efforts to develop vaccines are already in place and I believe we will have some lead from USA by December-end.

Pakistan is using Coronavirus as a Biological Weapon against Balochistan: Dr Murad Baloch

News Intervention Bureau
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Pakistan is using Coronavirus as a Biological Weapon against Balochistan: Dr Murad Baloch

Pakistan is using the Coronavirus pandemic to inflict collective punishment upon Balochistan by deliberately facilitating the spread of this deadly virus among Baloch people, said Dr Murad Baloch, Secretary General, Balochistan National Movement (BNM). Coronavirus is the present day pandemic such that every country in the world is taking proactive measures to reduce the threat of COVID-19 —the disease caused due to Coronavirus, but the measures taken by Pakistan are based upon its animosity towards the Baloch nation.

“The Baloch nation was already confronting a destructive situation created across Balochistan by the Pakistani state. Now Pakistan, following its policy of collective punishment, is helping in the spread of Coronavirus on the people of Balochistan. This is clear animosity of Pakistan with the Baloch nation where Pakistan instead of shifting the travelers coming back from Iran into bigger hospitals in the cities or in quarantine centers, is holding them in tents in Taftan and Quetta Hazargangi area. In this modern era, no one can imagine that people infected with such deadly diseases are kept in the open sky. In the civilized world, even animals are cured in a far better way,” Dr Murad Baloch said in a statement.

Does this look like a quarantine facility to treat Coronavirus pandemic?

Dr. Murad Baloch added: “The people infected with Coronavirus are being kept in Balochistan; rather than, sending them to their own areas. This is a willful attempt to spread the Coronavirus across Balochistan which fits perfectly into Pakistan’s planned Baloch pogroms and genocide. This is being used as a biological weapon against the Baloch nation.”

He explained that Balochistan has become a big prison for Baloch people, devastated with war, who continue to be exploited and face genocide. Besides the rampant killings by the Pakistan Army, thousands of Baloch people are dying in road accidents, hunger and poverty. An outbreak of Coronavirus will add up to the miseries of people of Balochistan.

He added that the Baloch areas in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan are severely affected by the Coronavirus. In view of the abhorrence and animosity of Pakistan toward the Baloch nation, no conscious soul would expect that Pakistan will take steps to curtail the spread of this deadly Coronavirus pandemic in Balochistan. Earlier also, during the 2013 earthquake in Awaran and Kech, Pakistan had stopped international NGOs to help the affected people in Balochistan. The Baloch people affected due to the 2013 earthquake are homeless till date, face atrocities and are being targeted in the military operations by Pakistani regime.

“On this occasion, we appeal to the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) that they should take effective measures for the Baloch refugees in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Baloch refugees have been suffering for a long time and they hope to get full refugee status from UNHCR. If concrete steps are not taken in this regard then Pakistan may use Coronavirus outbreak against the Baloch nation to further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Balochistan.” Dr Marod Baloch appealed.

Let’s understand Coronavirus in the light of Sri Aurobindo

François Gautier
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Let’s understand Coronavirus in the light of Sri Aurobindo

For Sri Aurobindo, behind every event that is happening in the world, there are forces at play. Some of these forces are dharmic, that is they tend towards the good of humanity; and others are asuric, destructive, striving to disrupt, to bring disharmony, to hurt even, and in general push for regression in human evolution.

This is nothing new. All great Scriptures, whether the Vedas, the Bible, or Buddha’s precepts, have said the same thing – the world is Maya (illusion); look behind appearances, search for Truth. Now if you take a glance at the Coronavirus epidemic in that light, it acquires a new dimension. On the medical angle, it is nothing compared to other deadly diseases, such as cancer, heart attacks, or AIDS. In India, for now, there are less than 0.0001% of the country infected. But just observe what comes along with the Coronavirus– fear, suspicion, mistrust, and a worldwide panic that seems to have gripped all, the governments as well as individuals. This is the very psychosis, which comes with asuric forces. We perceive also that the Coronavirus is bringing with it tremendous economic damage to the world. Airlines, businesses, even the governments might go bankrupt, and individuals are right now undergoing tremendous financial and psychological stress. This also is the Asura.

Now what Sri Aurobindo also says is that these hostile forces need vehicles, instruments, to do their harm. In the case of the Coronavirus, this instrument has been the media, both printed and electronic, which has, with sensationalism, hyperbole, and photo-shopping, amplified a million time the fears and concerns of people, putting pressure on governments, which all fell prey to this bloodsucking blackmail.

During the Second World War, Sri Aurobindo and his spiritual companion, the Mother, clearly indicated that Hitler was an asura, an evil force, and they put their spiritual power in play to help the Allies defeat him. It is therefore clear that while taking all hygienic and medical precautions, the Coronavirus needs to be fought on a spiritual and occult level.

For having a clear occult indication on how to fight this Coronavirus epidemic, we need to look at its origin. Well, it does come from China. We are not anti-Chinese per se, but whether the Coronavirus is man-made, because the Chinese eat all kind of animals, from vampires to snakes, which are killed alive before being sold; or if it is a biological weapon, which accidentally escaped from a research laboratory. There is no doubt about its source. On a very material level, it is a timely reminder to the West of China’s indomitable thirst for hegemonic dominance of the world. For example, 95% of the antibiotics consumed on this planet are made in China; so are most of the automobiles parts, computer chips, mobile phones such as the Apple etc. The world is therefore totally dependent on China today and this is a signal that it is a dangerous thing and the West needs to de-localize from the Chinese and re-localize – in India, for instance – a much more friendly, spiritual and democratic nation.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama often spoke of a ‘black karma’ of the Chinese, not only because they massacred nearly a million Tibetans but also because Mao-Tse tung, in his megalomania, killed 20 million of his own people. Is the Coronavirus which has paralyzed the whole of China and which will damage its long-term ambitions, such as a new Silk Road that crosses the Himalayas to reach the Pakistani port of Gwadar, and hence flood the western world with Chinese goods, a consequence of that black karma? The future will say.

At any rate, while India needs to take all sanitary precautions, it is She (India) only who can fight the invisible forces behind the Coronavirus. All the great gurus of the moment, His Holiness the Dalai-lama, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Amrita Anandamayi, Jaggi Sadhguru, the Shankarya, Gurumai, etc, should assemble together and performs pujas and yagnas; individually we can also fight the virus by repeating in our hearts the Mother’s prayer:

“In the name of the Divine,

For the sake of the Divine,

By the power of the Divine,

With the strength of the Divine,

To all adverse beings or forces,

I order you to quit this place at once and for ever”….

Covid-19: Oh, to be rich and famous in Bengal

Shantanu Guha Ray
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Covid-19: Oh, to be rich and famous in Bengal

A young student’s open defiance of safety rules relating to the Covid-19, the highly contagious disease caused due to novel Corona Virus that has triggered a global panic has snowballed into a huge controversy in Kolkata where cosying up with the rich and powerful has often helped many violate laws.

On paper, it looked like a simple case of Gourab De, an 18 year-old student returning from London, and walking through the airport security net unaware of the crisis. What is important is the fact that he walked away from the airport in a flight that landed in Kolkata from Abu Dhabi despite being told repeatedly that he needs to do some mandatory tests because De was coming from the UK, a high Covid-19 zone. 

But Gourab did no tests and went home. And then, he walked around some of the most congested places in the city and even visited a plush shopping mall for the next 48 hours. There are unconfirmed reports that he even partied with some of his friends. For those two days, his mother, Arunima De, a special secretary in the Home Department, went ahead and took part in several government meetings. Doctors at MR Bangur Hospital said Gourab confessed that some of his friends in London had tested positive. 

And when the news exploded, many felt the boy defied rules only because he had an influential mother. Worse, when the tests happened eventually, the boy tested positive. The good news was that Gourab’s parents and the two drivers of the family on Wednesday tested negative for the disease. Their samples were sent to the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED), Kolkata on Tuesday night. However, state health department sources said they would be kept at the isolation centre in North East Kolkata’s Rajarhat for 14 days and tested again.

Doctors in Kolkata said they were aghast at the boy’s attitude and that of his parents who refused to admit there was a serious flaw in Gourab not getting himself checked and Arunima and her husband’s attending office. “We are keeping his parents in isolation because unless there is a minimum level of viraemia, it cannot be detected by tests. It means the virus may be there in your body, and this could spread to others. We call this window period. We will go for tests again,” Dr Arindam Kar, a critical care specialist, told reporters in Kolkata.

State health department officials are now tracking and putting in quarantine all the people the boy met in the two days he moved about in Kolkata, their job made difficult because not many are admitting they met the boy and his parents. Since the mother of the patient is a bureaucrat, senior state government officials have been isolated at home. And now, 17 co-passengers of Gourab have been put in isolation at home. The big question is: Would they have been quarantined if Gourab had not eventually given himself in for checkup and subsequent admission at the hospital?

So what gave him the power of defiance?

Gourab is presently admitted at Infectious Diseases (ID) hospital in Kolkata. A doctor and two health workers of MR Bangur Hospital, which the boy visited, and the family’s domestic help, have been put in home quarantine.

Authorities Wednesday sealed the area in Nabanna, headquarters of the state government, where Arunima De had a room. Though workers sanitised the state secretariat, an estimated 19 officials who worked with Arunima De, were apparently reluctant to work with her on the same floor.

Worse, fear has gripped the plush Upohar Housing Complex — a cluster of buildings with 15 to 16 floors — in South Kolkata where the family lives. A member of the complex’s housing association said all towers were being sanitised and it was grossly wrong on part of the parents not to intimate the association about their son. “It is because of their callousness, more than 500 families including many elderly people staying in the complex feel vulnerable,” said a member of the association. The member said the association was identifying all those who came in contact with Gourab through CCTV footage. Two domestic help, a yoga teacher, and security guards who were on duty for three days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday) have been asked to go on leave for 15 days, two thermal guns have been arranged for checking the temperature of everyone entering the complex. “Everyone is very, very scared.”

So the big question remains as to why the family delayed their son’s visit despite being told twice to go to the Infectious Diseases (ID) hospital in Beliaghata, a densely populated neighbourhood that lies close to India’s biggest soccer stadium. The neighbourhood is also popular for being the home where Mahatma Gandhi spent the midnight hour of August 15, 1947 when India gained independence from the British rule. 

This is just one side of the story.

Now reports are coming out that two top film stars of Bengal, including one Member of Parliament (MP), did not restrict their travel to London after the Corona virus scare spread panic across the world. Jeet and Mimi Chakraborty, a Trinamool Congress MP, returned on Tuesday from London, where there have been several cases of Covid-19. Chakraborty, however, said  she has done the mandatory tests and would remain in home isolation for the next seven days and won’t even meet her parents as a precautionary measure. Still, the recent incidents drew sharp criticism for the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government, especially in the light of Banerjee’s initial comment on the issue and how she trivialised the scare and accused the Centre of using the Corona Virus scare to deflect from real issues.

Now, no one is answering how the stars travelled to London to shoot a film in the middle of a global crisis. 

This is not all. Bengal has other serious issues to handle. Reports say a large number of construction workers have travelled back to their homes in Murshidabad and Malda from Kerala, where the total number of Covid-19 cases tested positive stood at 24, including two foreigners. One was from Italy and another from the UK.

“But there has been no screening at Howrah station where trains come from Kerala. This is a serious lapse,” said a top government official in Kolkata. The official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said all attention in Bengal — and also across India — was centred around airports. “The railway stations are not getting that kind of medical attention which is visible at the airports. So people coming from high Covid-19 zones are of high risk category.” As of now, no checks were conducted on those constructions workers who returned from Kerala, putting all of them — numbering a little over 1,000 — at risk with others in the region.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, at a programme at Nabanna Wednesday, said: “People coming from foreign countries are welcome. But the disease is not. Please go for tests voluntarily. Even if you give a declaration that you are well, go for isolation for 15 to 27 days. If one does not do this and goes to a shopping mall or to a party, more people will be infected. I do not support this. Be it a VIP or a commoner, everyone coming from outside should go for tests. No one should use someone’s influence and avoid testing. Yesterday’s incident is a glaring example. He did not go for tests despite doctors urging him, and went around the city. This is reckless behaviour.” She further said shifts at government offices will end at 1600 hours so that staffers can beat the rush in buses and trains and reach home early. Banerjee did not comment on how Gourab avoided the tests, nor did she comment on how the film stars went to shoot abroad in the middle of a global crisis. 

Strangely the West Bengal Education Board continues to conduct its examinations in Bengal

Banerjee also remained silent on why the West Bengal Education Board continued its annual examinations despite the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) suspending such tests. Many teachers in Kolkata who protested against the move were told by school principals not to create panic. As a result, a large number of students and teachers continue to attend classes and appear for examinations in total violation of norms set by the Central government. “We have no choice. If we protest, we could be suspended,” said a harassed teacher in a telephonic conversation with this reporter.

Critics say the recent spate of incidents ranging from Gourab avoiding the mandatory tests to construction workers coming from Kerala and going home without being checked raise serious questions about the quality of the state government’s quarantine moves. Many feel the state government may not come out with the right number of Covid-19 patients and brush some figures under the carpet. Last year, many hospitals and newspapers allegedly scaled down dengue figures after 23 died from the mosquito-borne infection. The unofficial figure was double the official estimate. An estimated 44,000 contracted the virus. This reporter was told by an editor how the state government delayed government advertisements to a particular daily in Kolkata which had used a banner headline for dengue deaths. “The bottomline was clear, treat dengue but do not name it,” said a source.

Expectedly, now many now asking very, very pertinent questions like whether Gourab informed the airport authorities about his travel history from the UK? And also why is it the state government — till date — has not named officials who — so considerately — allowed him to go home when he already had symptoms and not done the mandatory testing. It is not immediately known if Gourab’s mother influenced the officials. Even if she did not, how come she went to office and had a series of meetings with other officials? And finally, how could Gourab, a student at Oxford University, not restrain his outdoors movement?

There is a deathly silence at the TMC headquarters. Kolkata has once again proved that entitled people from the powerful class can easily flout the law. And yet, no one will ask any questions.

BLF Freedom Fighters attacked several Pakistan Army strongholds in Feb

News Intervention Bureau
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BLF Freedom Fighters attacked several Pakistan Army strongholds in Feb

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) is striving for a free Balochistan since its inception. The core reason for establishment of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has always been to reinstate the separate Baloch identity and regain independence for Balochistan from the occupier Pakistan.

Since its inception, the BLF, along with armed struggle, began to create political and ideological awareness and has endeavored to bring Baloch people from all walks of life together to join the armed struggle so that the masses consciously, politically and ideologically get involved in their freedom struggle. Because, the struggle for Balochistan’s independence is impossible without the participation of masses.

Among its several efforts to create awareness about Balochistan’s independence the BLF has been relentlessly educating each and every Baloch to be ideologically and politically aware. Ideologically motivated BLF fighters, along with armed resistance, are expanding the freedom struggle with political awareness across Balochistan. The impact of these efforts by BLF has been that Pakistan Army’s hold on Balochistan is now effectively being demolished. Balochistan is now responding in a befitting manner to Pakistan’s parliamentarian tools, death squads, religious extremists that includes countering the occupying Pakistani state’s propaganda machinery and its fake narrative.

BLF’s fundamental principle is to ensure vetting and educating Balochistan Liberation Front fighters so that the weapon in their hands remains a weapon in the hands of a revolutionary. The steps of these freedom fighters must never waver while defending Balochistan–their motherland.

Today, across the length and breadth of occupied Balochistan, BLF’s brave freedom fighters are present on the ground armed with weapons who are defending their Balochistan against atrocities of Pakistan’s Army and its other security forces.

It’s true that fighting simultaneously on several fronts against Pakistan Army, federalists, local agents, informers, death squads, drug dealers and religious extremists is difficult. But every given moment, BLF fighters are sacrificing their lives and vigorously leading the Baloch freedom struggle on the principles of the organization towards the ultimate goal of attaining freedom for Balochistan.

Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) is the embodiment of its martyrs and nation’s unaccounted for sacrifices and God willing, this struggle, along with the organization’s principles and values will attain freedom for Balochistan. The journey is definitely long and difficult, but the destination of this revolutionary war is independent Balochistan upon which Baloch survival and national identity depends.

BLF spokesperson Gwahram Baloch detailed the efforts undertaken by their freedom fighters during the month of February 2020.

During the month of February, nine (9) attacks were carried out on Pakistani forces. More than thirteen (13) Pakistani soldiers were killed and more than a dozen injured. BLF freedom fighters attacked the camp of Pakistani military backed death squads and blew up a mobile network tower.

7th February 2020 – BLF freedom fighters attacked Pakistan military check-post with hand grenades in Main Bazar Turbat area of district Kech, Balochistan. One Pakistani military personnel was killed and three were injured.

12th February 2020 – Attack on Pakistani military check-post by BLF freedom fighters with rocket launchers and automatic weapons in Labach Dansar area, district Awaran, Balochistan. Three Pakistani military personnel were killed and two were injured in this attack. Another attack on Pakistan military check-post with rocket launchers and automatic weapons in Kaur-e-Datt area, district Awaran, Balochistan. Two Pak military personnel were killed and two others were injured in this attack.

BLF launched yet another attack on this day on the Pakistan military backed death squad camp with rocket launchers and heavy weapons in Labach Dansar area, District Awaran, Balochistan and inflicted heavy causalities to Pakistan forces.

13th February 2020 – Attacked Pakistan military check-post with rocket launchers and automatic weapons in Kuch area of Pirandar, district Awaran, Balochistan and inflicted heavy losses to the Pakistani occupying forces.

Another attack took place on a mobile network tower in Gazzi area of Pirandar, district Awaran Balochistan, which was used by the Pakistan military for communication purposes.

16th February 2020 – On this day, BLF freedom fighters attacked Pakistan military check-post with automatic weapons in Madag-e-Kalat area of district Kech, Balochistan. Two military personnel were killed and two were injured in this attack.

Attacked Pakistan military’s Miani Kalat check-post with rocket launchers and automatic weapons in Wadi Mashkay area, district Awaran, Balochistan. Two Pakistan military personnel were killed and three were injured in this attack.

19th February 2020 – Battle between Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) freedom fighters and Pakistan military in Madag-e-Kaur area of district Kech, Balochistan. In this BLF fighters managed to escape and then surrounded the Pakistani military from the other side and attacked them. As a result three Pakistani military personnel were killed and two were injured in this attack.

Underlying conspiracies behind Peshawar’s Army Public School attack in 2014

Nilesh Kunwar
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Underlying conspiracies behind Peshawar’s Army Public School attack in 2014

With the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) accepting responsibility for the heinous 2014 Army School Peshawar attack and its justification that “we targeted the school because the (Pakistan) Army targets our families (and) we want them to feel our pain,” there should have been no reason for anyone to doubt that this was the handiwork of depraved terrorists. Yet, right from the beginning, there’s always been a lurking suspicion in the minds of many that the Pakistan Army has been concealing something about this incident from the public.

The very thought of someone smelling a conspiracy in such a humungous tragedy is incensing. Yet, considering the irresponsible way in which the Pakistan Army has tackled this issue as well as its inexplicable actions, it’s but natural for apprehensions regarding some sort of foul play or cover up to crop up.

It all started when the then Director General (DG) of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asim Bajwa addressed a press conference after the APS (Army School Peshawar) attack and said, “We know who they (the perpetrators) are and who they were in contact with, but details cannot be shared due to operation reasons.” In anti-terrorism operations, there are times when even though known, the identity of attackers has to be kept secret for what the DGISPR rightly referred to as “operational reasons.” But in such cases the establishment intentionally feigns ignorance of the attackers’ identity in order to retain surprise and make terrorists complacent as this facilitates their successful neutralisation or apprehension.

But for DGISPR to boast about having identified both the attackers as well as their handlers and then citing “operational reasons” for not making their identity public, makes no sense at all. After all, the moment they came to know that the Pakistan Army had identified them, wouldn’t the perpetrators and masterminds of this carnage have taken enhanced security measures to evade being targeted? So, while the DGISPR’s announcement may have just been an attempt to showcase Pakistan Army’s exceptional intelligence abilities, but by not immediately revealing the identities of those responsible for this attack only raises suspicion of a possible ‘cover-up.’

Two days after the APS Peshawar attack, the TTP posted a video on their website in which a man identified from the accompanying caption as Umar Mansoor disclosed that he had masterminded this attack. The Pakistan Army however claimed that the real kingpin was Maulana Fazullah and that Mansoor had merely conveyed his instructions to Sadam Jan who in turn had actually planned the attack. Subsequently, the security forces managed to gun down Jan along with six “unidentified high value targets” in a “secret hideout” in Khyber Agency and killing the mastermind of the APS attack precisely ten days after the carnage was indeed a very big success for the Pakistan Army. But while the nation was busy celebrating the killing of Jan, rumours that he wasn’t the one who had planned the APS attack were also doing rounds.

What was being said was that the TTP operative Jan had been apprehended by security forces during an ‘intelligence-based operation’ shortly after the APS attack and he wasn’t the one who had masterminded the APS attack. But since the security establishment was facing flak for its failure to track down those responsible for the APS attack, the Pakistan Army came up with an ingenious plan: It portrayed Jan as mastermind of the APS massacre and then ‘neutralised’ him in an encounter to assuage public anger. To make the incident appear more convincing, the army also alleged that six other terrorists (who too were already in army custody) were also gunned down. But once again, it’s Pakistan Army’s penchant for oxymoron that raised suspicions on its claim– who has ever heard of “unidentified” but yet “high value targets”?

Shortly after the APS attack, Gen Pervez Musharraf and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed accused India’s Intelligence agency R&AW of supporting the attackers. But no one took this allegation seriously since Islamabad didn’t endorse the same. After all, since Rawalpindi had already identified who the killers and their masterminds were, it must have surely shared this information with the government and that’s why Islamabad’s silence on Indian involvement in this attack negates the Musharraf-Saeed allegation. But while speaking at the UN four years later, Pak Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi alleged that the APS Peshawar attackers were “supported” by India. This unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegation once again gave the public an impression that Islamabad was trying to play down the TTP’s role in the APS massacre under pressure from the Pakistan Army!

Since terrorists are shorn of moral values, the news that former TTP and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan had undergone a change of heart and surrendered to the Pakistan Army came as a big surprise to many. He confirmed the TTP’s role in the APS attack and spoke about how anti-Pakistan terrorist groups in Afghanistan were enjoying Indian support. While what Ehsan said was music to Rawalpindi’s ears, but the public was baying for the blood of this man who had attempted to murder Malala Yousafzai and was member of TTP which had planned and executed the APS Peshawar attack. People expected that since almost all the students killed or injured were wards of service personnel, the army would bring Ehsan to justice with the speed and severity expected from a professional army.

But this was not to be and though it might sound unbelievable, but the fact is that even after nearly three years, the army didn’t even file a charge sheet against this self-confessed terrorist belonging to terrorist groups that were responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Pakistanis. When one compares this with the case of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadav who was arrested tried and sentenced to death in just 13 months, suspicion of something amiss in Ehsan’s case is but natural. Why was the Pakistan Army going so soft on Ehsan defies any logical answer!

In fact, the widespread distrust generated by partiality shown by Pakistan Army in Ehsan’s case was so intense that the kin of an APS attack victim even approached Peshawar High Court (PHC) with a request that the army should not be allowed to manipulate the system to enable his release. By admitting and taking cognisance of this plea and issuing a ruling debarring Ehsan’s release, PHC proved that it not only shared the complainant’s apprehension but also found merit in it.

However, since the army has the last word in Pakistan, Rawalpindi found a novel way of having the cake and eating it too by circumventing PHC’s ruling that prohibited Ehsan’s release from captivity– it simply allowed him to ‘escape’ from military custody! Since we haven’t heard of anyone being punished for dereliction of duty that resulted in Ehsan’s escape, there’s certainly much more than meets the eye and even though it may sound outrageous, the likelihood of a clandestine Pak Army-TTP nexus can’t be completely ruled out!

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