Dr Abdullah Haiwad, President Afghan Governors Assembly and former Governor of Afghanistan’s Ghor province has forcefully raised the issue of mass killings and gross human rights violations of Baloch and Pashtuns at the hands of Pakistani regime.
This is the first time that human rights violations in Balochistan have been raised by an Afghan politician at the UN’s international forum.
Speaking at the 43rd session of UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Dr Abdullah Haiwad vehemently urged the Human Rights Council to send their delegates to Balochistan to “see for themselves” and get a first-hand information about what is happening in Balochistan. He also raised the issue of how Pakistani regime is abducting and killing the Pashtuns who are a large majority in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.
“I did not come with a piece of paper today. I came with the plight of tens of millions of Pashtuns and Baloch living under the oppression in Pakistan. Since 1948, when Balochistan was occupied by Pakistan hundreds and thousands of Baloch have been abducted, mutilated and killed by the Pakistani government and their plight have never been addressed by the United Nations. Pashtuns are similarly under the oppression of the Pakistani government. Thousands and thousands of Pashtuns have been abducted and they have been killed, they have been discarded and nobody has listened to the plight of the Pashtuns,” said Dr Abdullah Haiwad during his address to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.
He explained that in recent times the Pakistani regime has
increased its spate of abductions and killings of Baloch and Pashtuns. “Recently
there’s been a surge of attacks on Pashtuns and Baloch in Waziristan and other parts
of Pashtunistan as well as in occupied Balochistan in Quetta and other parts of
Balochistan. Unfortunately this voice has never been heard and this plight has
never been raised. I urge the Human Rights Council who address this issue more seriously
to send the delegates to Balochistan and Pashtunistan to see for themselves what
the problem is and what is happening.” Dr Haiwad added.
Pashtunistan is the geographical region in Pakistan and Afghanistan inhabited by the Pashtuns. Balochistan was illegally and forcibly occupied by Pakistan in 1948, and continues to be under forceful Pakistani occupation till today. Pakistani regime’s infamous “kill and dump” policy where the Pakistani Army kills and dumps Baloch people was rarely discussed in international forums. Global champions of human rights also have never discussed about brutal human rights violations in Balochistan. Dr Abdullah Haiwad has taken a bold initiative to apprise the world about killings of Baloch and Pashtuns by Pakistani regime by urging the UN Human Rights Council to send delegates to these regions to get a first hand information about the ground realities.
Government of India undertook
evacuation operations from several countries in the wake of the COVID-19
outbreak. So far, Government of India has evacuated 950 passengers from
COVID-19 affected countries. Out of these, 902 were Indian citizens and 48
belonging to different nationalities including Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh,
China, US, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru.
The Wuhan city in Hubei province
of China had become the epicenter of the COVID-19 and there were hundreds of
Indians stuck in the city. India engaged with China to safely evacuate its
citizens and citizens of other friendly nations on a priority basis. Air India
operated two special flights for the evacuation efforts which brought back 654
passengers that included 647 Indian citizens
The first batch consisting of 324
Indians were evacuated from Wuhan, China on 1st February. 104 of these were
quarantined for monitoring at ITBP Chhawla camp and the rest 220 were housed in
the army facility at Manesar. The second batch of 330 passengers (including 7
Maldivian citizens and two Indian Embassy officials who were on the ground to
coordinate the evacuation efforts) arrived in India on 3rd February. 300 of
these (including 7 Maldivians) were housed at ITBP Chhawla Camp and 30 were
shifted to Manesar facility for monitoring. All of these evacuees were placed
in the isolation facilities for14 days. They were tested twice and were found
negative for COVID-19. They were discharged on 18th February, 2020.
On 26th February, Indian Air
Force evacuated 112 passengers from Hubei province in China. Among these 76
were Indian citizens. The other nationals evacuated by Indian Air Force
included citizens of Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, China, USA, Madagascar and
South Africa. The passengers reached India on 27th February and subsequently
are housed at ITBP camp for a period of 14 days as per protocol. They have
tested negative for COVID-19 in the first test. The IAF flight had also carried
medical supplies which were given as good-will gesture to China.
Japan (Diamond Princess Cruise Ship): The Japanese Cruise Ship, Diamond Princess, carrying 3700 passengers faced a COVID-19 outbreak when 705 passengers were tested positive. Among the 705 affected passengers, 16 were Indian nationals. On 27th February, Air India flight carried an evacuation operation bringing back 124 passengers including 5 foreign nationals from Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa and Peru, from Port of Yokohama in Japan. 16 Indian nationals who were tested positive for COVID-19 are undergoing treatment. The evacuees are housed at army facility in Manesar. They have tested negative in the first test.
Monitoring and surveillance of
Indian nationals in Iran: As it became clear that Iran was also facing a COVID-19
outbreak, Government of India started to undertake measures to ensure safety
and security of its citizens in the country. Indian nationals in Iran include
pilgrims, students and fishermen. On 7th March, 108 samples were received from
Iran. These samples are being tested at the laboratory of AIIMS. Also, six
scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have been
stationed in Iran. Equipment and reagents have also been dispatched to enable
them to setup a lab. India is expected to undertake operations to evacuate its
citizens soon. First batch of 58 Indian pilgrims were brought back from Iran in
IAF C-17 plane on March 10, 2020.
With a lot of emphasis on developing ‘smart cities’; the current government has been providing a major push to urban growth in the country. The National Smart Cities Mission, which is an urban renewal and retrofitting program by the Government of India, aims to develop 100 smart cities across the country making them citizen friendly and sustainable. But is it possible to make cities and urban settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, without focussing on urban sanitation and people’s participation? The National Conference on “Future of Urban Sanitation in India”, organised recently in New Delhi, emphasised on localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the need to accelerate behaviour change and citizen participation for inclusive and sustainable urban sanitation services.
As
per the Census 2011, 31% of India’s total population is urban. 2613 towns in
the country have reported 22.4% slum population out of 4041 statutory towns, 17%
of total urban population lives in Informal settlements, 31% HHs in informal
settlements lack access to toilets and defecate in open, 71% informal
settlements lack access to underground sewerage system, 31% informal
settlements lack draining system, and 27% of informal settlements have no
arrangement for garbage disposal. For any sustainable growth of cities,
participation of urban poor is, thus, extremely critical. The focus should be
on localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the context of the
provision of urban services such as transportation, sanitation, sewerage, and
waste management. It is extremely important to create commensurate spaces for
acknowledging and encouraging people’s engagement with urban policy frameworks,
and to invest in local development planning.
Dr.
Rajesh Tandon, civil society leader and President, Participatory Research in
Asia (PRIA), is of the view that, “Sanitation must be a priority, if economic
growth matters. Investment in sanitation should also be seen as an economic
priority as 8-10% of cities GDP is coming through economic contribution of
informal settlements.” He believes that there is a need for catalysing and supporting
local action, because investment in small and medium towns remained unutilized
over the past 5 years, as the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) did not have the
capacity to utilize those funds, and invest in local planning.
Prof.
Om Prakash Mathur, Senior Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences believes that localisation
of SDGs is not restricted to just the Municipality. “There are public private enterprises,
private sector, civil society organisation, etc which undertake activities at
their own level. How exactly do we work to bring them all together? This is
something that needs to be thought about,” he says.
Taking
into account the lack of progress in urban sanitation and the concern of
informal settlements Prof. Amitabh Kundu, Distinguished Fellow, Research and
Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), says, “In India, only
one-third of urban households are connected to a sewerage system, while others
use pit latrines and septic tanks. The smartest solutions here are not
necessarily going to be found in the frontiers of technology, and can also be
found in the institutions of governance, community mobilization, and support
systems. Global standards are not sufficient in the developing world, and need
to include local knowledge and reporting.”. He further adds that upscaling of
solutions is difficult, because it requires an in-depth knowledge of the local
contexts, socio-economic condition of the prospective beneficiaries and
flexibility in crafting solutions.”
A notable project aimed towards making urban sanitation inclusive and sustainable in India, being implemented by Participatory Research
in Asia (PRIA), is the “Engaged Citizens
Responsive City (ECRC)” project
in Ajmer (Rajasthan), Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) and Muzaffarpur (Bihar). The project is being
implemented with support from the European Union. Over the
last four years, ECRC project has fostered
numerous innovative practices
to engage citizens
with a particular focus on the urban poor
in bottom-up participatory planning based on authentic data generated by
the communities. Strengthening Civil Society
of the Urban Poor to Participate in Planning and Monitoring of Sanitation
Services in Indian Cities. The project focussed on 169 municipal wards, reached
to 250 Informal Settlements directly (305 indirectly), touching 0.25 million urban
poor in three cities. The ECRC initiative of PRIA and many other initiatives by
civil society organisations, municipalities, state and national governments are
valuable sources of knowledge about how to accelerate effective behaviour
change and strengthen citizen participation.
There
is a need to strengthen decentralized local decision-making capacity as well
providing mechanisms in urban spaces for people’s comprehensive participation
and engagement with political matters. Sustainability of the enhanced urban
sanitation services will be contingent upon sustained citizen participation and
behaviour changes along with enhanced capacities of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)
and the city-level institutional ecosystem. The adoption of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) and New Urban Agenda (NUA) usher a new opportunity for
making cities sustainable, resilient, and inclusive through appropriate
planning and governance. Nearly all the SDGs have targets that will depend on
local government action, including SDG 11. Localisation is the process by which
local authorities and local stakeholders will adapt and implement these targets
within cities and human settlements. Experts feel that emerging lessons around
inclusion and participation of all stake-holders for effective sanitation need
to be shared so that new India can emerge in its many urban centres soon.
Baloch National Movement (BNM) has called upon to observe 27th March as a Black Day. The spokesperson of Baloch National Movement, in a statement, said, “Like in the past years, this year also we will observe 27th March as Black day. All zones of the Baloch National Movement will organize reference programs in Balochistan as well as at the international level in Germany, Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, England, and Canada. BNM’s different zones will demonstrate and protest.”
The BNM spokesman said that 27th March, 1948 will always remain etched in the Baloch history. On this day, Pakistan had occupied the newly formed state of Balochistan, which had its own history of thousand years, through brute military power and after that Pakistan turned the Baloch nation into its colony. From this day Baloch national identity, its culture, traditions and high moral values fell prey at the hands of a state that completely lacks history and culture. The sole purpose of the formation of a state like Pakistan was to safeguard the vested interests of the West.
The spokesman of Baloch National Movement (BNM) also said that from 27th March 1948 Pakistan has caused destructive impact on Baloch history, culture, and tradition. “On this day we lost our freedom and were forced to live a wretched life of slavery. The living and active nations never forget the days of national significance, rather observe it with the fullest intensity and draw policies according to the requirements and importance of such occasions. Therefore it is our national responsibility to educate our youth and the world about the historical significance of 27th March. On 27th March 1948, Pakistan occupied Balochistan and turned us into colonized people. Hence, the Baloch nation rejected the occupation of Balochistan and has been struggling against Pakistani occupation from the very first day. This national movement of the Baloch nation has gone through several ups and downs, and it is still going on with fullest vigor towards its cherished destination. The Baloch nation has offered infinite sacrifices in this journey; the series of sacrifices will continue until the final destination of national liberation.”
He added that Pakistan had been targeting political activists, social workers, students, professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, literary persons and people from all fields of life in order to crush the national struggle and enslave Baloch nation for eternity. Thousands of Baloch have been martyred and thousands more had been enduring the atrocities and inhuman torture in the custody of the Pakistani Army.
“Today Baloch nation is facing an all out genocide which has continued in different ways from the first day of the occupation of Balochistan.”
The BNM spokesman further explained: “The ruler of Balochistan Mir Ahmedyar Khan on 11th August 1947 announced the freedom of Balochistan from the British empire that was broadcast by All India Radio Delhi and on 12th August 1947, New York Times also published this news of the freedom of the State of Kalat (Balochistan). After the fourth day of the freedom of Balochistan, on 15th August 1947, Britain declared the independence of subcontinent while creating two different states India and Pakistan,”
“The ruler of Balochistan, Khan of Kalat revived the old traditional system of ruling through establishing a bicameral parliament, Dewan-e- Aam (House of Representatives) and Dewan-e-Khas (House of Lords) by following the cabinet system of Great Britain. Meanwhile, Mohammad Ali Jinnah having the backing of Britain started exerting pressure on the state of Kalat to join Pakistan. In this regard, the first parliamentarian session of the lower chamber of Balochistan was convened in Dadar in order to discuss the question of accession to Pakistan between 12th to 15th December 1947. Balochistan’s House of Representatives (Dewan-e-Aam) unanimously rejected the idea of accession to Pakistan. Similarly, Dewan-e-Khas (House of Lords) rejected the motion of joining Pakistan on 4th January 1948. The Parliament of Kalat in its second session on 27th February 1948 once again rejected the idea of joining Pakistan.”
He further added, “After this Pakistan sent its regular army into Balochistan and occupied Balochistan by brute military force on 27th March 1948. Baloch nation opted to resist this military aggression of Pakistan which has continued as one of the extremely successful resistance movements till today.”
Free Balochistan: The Writing is on the Wall !
He said, the Baloch nation is known for its hospitality, bravery, resilience, secularism, religious tolerance and abiding by agreed accords. The Baloch nation has always resisted the foreign invaders and struggled against the expansionists. The historical event of resistance against Alexander, Iranian empires, Arabs, Mongols, and Central Asian invaders are a golden part of our history of resistance. This is the reason Balochistan has always been a hard nut for the foreign invaders to chew.
He explained further: “On 13th November 1839 under the leadership of Major Wilshire, the British Army attacked Kalat. But the ruler of Balochistan instead of surrendering to the British Army opted to resist the advancing army and preferred martyrdom. Even amidst the intrigues of British, Balochistan maintained its existence and sovereignty till 27th March 1948. But the British remain successful in dividing India into two parts. They needed a client state in this region to protect their interests in the future. They remained successful in galloping Muslim League and Mohammad Ali Jinnah as their pawns that successfully worked in their favour.”
History witnesses Pakistani occupation of Balochistan through the conspiracy of Britain. It is also the hard part of history that during the conference of 4th August between the ruler of Balochistan and Viceroy of India, the leaders of Muslim League, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan were also present where the freedom of Balochistan (State of Kalat) and the return of British Balochistan were discussed. As well as the position of Balochistan was kept separated from the other states of India and Balochistan was declared a separate sovereign state.
The spokesperson of BNM said that Baloch nation observes 27th March as Black Day every year, because this day Pakistani Army stormed into Balochistan and forcefully occupied Balochistan on 27th March 1948 against the wishes of the people of Balochistan. “We have lost our national identity after becoming a colony of Pakistan. Not only we have been deprived of our motherland, but also soon after the occupation of Balochistan Pakistan Army set on atrocities and genocide of a Baloch nation.”
Previously Baloch nation has gone through four waves of national genocide, the fifth waves of Baloch national genocide has started with the beginning of the 21st century. In comparison, to the previous episodes, this phase of the Baloch national genocide is much more intense and extended. Thousands of Baloch are killed and thousands more lie in the custody of the Pakistani state and millions of people have been forced to migrate. But unlike past, this time the Baloch nation is more committed and determined in its struggle to attain national freedom. This is the obvious symbol of the love and sacrifice of the Baloch nation for the freedom of their motherland.
“Baloch National Movement (BNM) will run an online campaign on social media while using the hashtag of #27MarchBlackDay. It is an appeal to all social media users and human rights activists to take part in this online campaign,” the BNM spokesperson said.
A month ago the Indian government introduced a bill seeking ban on promotion of fairness creams and other products. The punishment, in case of a violation, could be a jail term of five years and a fine of Rs 50 lakh. Yes, this is an extremely commendable move and this social issue should have been discussed at length—that unfortunately did not happen. For years, we have seen fairness creams being promoted brazenly on television channels, radio and the print media. And of course, Bollywood has played its part. Mega stars including Shahrukh Khan and Yami Gautam have shamelessly featured in advertisements showcasing fairness creams.
The ads had one message—life was in shambles due to the colour of the skin and the moment the skin tone changed and became lighter or fairer, things brightened up. How terrible and absurd can that be!
India, like the world over, has been obsessed with fair skin and this is not just a development of recent times, the trait can be traced back to the country’s ancient history. We have been taught how the Aryans were conscious of their skin colour and therefore considered themselves superior to the Dravidians who had darker skin complexion.
This trait, unfortunately has stubbornly remained etched in the country’s social order. It is no secret how matrimonial columns read in India. It was considered absolutely normal to “want” beautiful, slim and fair girls as brides. Again if the groom was well educated with a good job, it was almost as a matter of right that he and his family would seek a beautiful and fair girl.
During my growing up years, I have seen how the society celebrated girls and women with fair skin tone. I spent most of my growing up years in Kolkata, a city known for its culture and intellect. But unfortunately things were not very different even there. In the 1990s and 2000s, being fair skinned was an advantage and clearly mostly those who qualified being “fair” often displayed a sense of superiority.
Barring Kajol, we hadn’t seen a Bollywood star, especially around that time who looked “normal” – like a girl next door. They had to be fair and being fair meant being beautiful.
Several comedians on television programmes or movies have ridiculed people especially girls for being dark. And worse, this was never considered rude or offensive. Small wonder that Hindustan Unilever Limited’s signature brand Fair & Lovely has been one of the most demanded products for many years. Words like “kallu” (slang for Black) and descriptions such as “kali bhains” (Black Buffalo) among many others were just as normal as they could be.
What is even more baffling is the fact that Indians often complain of racial discrimination when they go outside the country. Yes, they may have been subject to discrimination due to their skin colour but is it okay to complain when we ourselves are utterly racial in our innate behaviour?
Even today, many wouldn’t admit or agree but the society does discriminate against people of other nationalities who are dark skinned. Often they have to face up to excessive aggression by many of us and that is shameful. Simply put, many Indians complaining of racial discrimination are racists themselves and have biases against those with dark skin colour.
Earlier this year Norway banned Fair & Lovely creams as they found toxic ingredients in it posing health hazards. While it does make many feel elated that the ads for these products have been banned but it would have been better if they had been taken off the shelves for social and ethical reasons.
The silver lining: Things are starting to change. We have seen several activists including Nandita Das coming forth. It is also heartening to see things gradually change in Bollywood, which is nothing less than religion in India. Remember in the Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt blockbuster Gully Boy, the message was clear—shun Fair & Lovely or any fairness products.
As we gear up to celebrate yet another Woman’s Day on March 8, let us ensure that no girl or woman is discriminated because of her colour. It is not only important to ban promotion of fairness creams but it is time we ban the usage of those products.
This time of the year, in 2019, there were great tensions between India and Pakistan. The immoral terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy at Pulwama, Kashmir, on 14th February elicited a strong riposte from India. Indian Air Force carried out a very successful air strike on a terrorist camp at Balakot, deep inside the Pakistani territory on 26th February. More than 300 terrorists trained and ready for infiltration into India were killed in the strike.
The very next day, a weak aerial
response from Pakistan was met with strong opposition from the Indian Air Force
and the Pakistani jets were forced to withdraw. In the heat of the air battle a
daring Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan, shot down a Pakistani F-16
aircraft. The aircraft of Wing Commander Abhinandan also got hit and he ejected
successfully, but inside the Pakistani territory and was taken as a prisoner.
After hair raising negotiations, where India maintained a strong and righteous
stand, the pilot was returned back to India on 1st March, 2019.
The release was appreciated as a good
gesture by Pakistan, but, it did not have any impact on the situation along the
Line of Control (LOC) and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir. Ceasefire violations
and terrorist initiated violence continued unabated.
Post the General Elections in India,
BJP came back to power. One of the first actions that it took was to bring
about the long awaited and much desired change of political status of Jammu and
Kashmir. In an act hailed as both righteous and justified, the new government
passed legislation to dilute the draconian Article 370 and Article 35A and also
bifurcated the state into two manageable Union Territories.
Anti-India separatist forces led by
Pakistan predicted massive riots and disruption of normal life in the wake of
the new dispensation. Their predictions, however, proved terribly wrong with
the people accepting wholeheartedly the new set up as one that would be of benefit
to them.
Considerable credit for this peaceful
transition lies on the broad shoulders of the Indian Army. The force remained
sensitive to the emerging challenges. Pakistani attempts to increase the
threshold of violence both along the LOC and in the hinterland were thwarted
effectively. The army worked in close coordination with other security forces
and gave them the confidence to function in the very difficult conditions.
The end result was that the government
was able to bring about the legislated change on schedule despite all threats
of dire consequences. The two Union Territories under their respective Lieutenant
Governors became effective on the night of October 31st, 2019 as
planned.
Even as the political process continues
smoothly, the Indian Army and other security forces have enough cause to remain
ever vigilant against machinations of a very determined enemy – Pakistan. The
year 2019 witnessed a record 1,586 incidents of ceasefire violations. This year
has been no better with 646 ceasefire violations already recorded in the first
two months up to 23rd February. The singular objective of ceasefire
violations is to infiltrate terrorists into Kashmir since the existing strength
is dwindling at an alarming pace, much to the discomfiture of the Pakistan Army
and its ISI.
The period from declaration of the new
status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5th, last year to the present
has witnessed 27
encounters of security forces with terrorists in Kashmir; a sizeable number
considering the depleted condition of the terrorist cadre. The terrorists
operating in Kashmir had been given a “fight to the finish” diktat by their
masters sitting across the border.
In
the interim, there has been a change in command of the Indian Army with General
MM Naravane taking over as Army Chief. As expected, he is giving full attention
to the region. General Naravane has extended full support to the new political
dispensation put in place in the region, and has made no bones about the
proactive policy that the Indian Army would follow in eliminating the scourge
of terrorism. “The scrapping of Article 370 — a historic step — has
adversely affected the plans of the western neighbour and its proxies. It will
help integrate Jammu and Kashmir with the mainstream,” he said, further
adding that the armed forces would have “zero tolerance against terrorism.”
“The army has many options to counter those who promote terrorism. We will not
hesitate to use them…We will respond in equal measure,” he said in a
strong message to terrorists.
“We
have evolved a strategy of resolute punitive response against sponsored
terrorism. If Pakistan does not stop state-sponsored terrorism, we reserve
right to pre-emptively strike at sources of terror,” was the direct
message that General Naravane gave to Pakistan.
Recently,
Lt. General KJS Dhillon has completed an eventful and successful tenure as
General Officer Commanding of the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, whose
operational area falls in the Kashmir Valley. The army has chosen as his
replacement, Lt General BS Raju, who has great experience in the region having
commanded a Brigade and a Rashtriya Rifles Force Headquarter there. On taking
over command, Lt General Raju, spoke of the marginalisation of the separatist and
militant movement. “I believe that those nurturing separatist feelings have
been shown the door,” he said. He, however, also held forth a word of caution
with respect to the security scenario by stating that there are indications
that Pakistan may try to push terrorists into India. “We are prepared to give
them a befitting reply and defeat their nefarious designs,” he added.
Many
positive changes have taken place in the last one year and things are moving
smoothly, but the danger is far from over. The new political dispensation is
firmly embedded but Pakistan has no intention of shelving its malevolent
designs for the region. The security forces, led by the Indian Army, need to
remain ever vigilant and proactive so as to provide the platform of normality
on which the political process can take roots.
Every nation works in the best interests of its people and so there’s nothing wrong with Washington making an agreement with the Taliban to end the nearly two-decade old conflict in Afghanistan in order to get its soldiers back home. But who would have ever thought that a country that talks so big about its unconditional commitment to fight the scourge of terrorism worldwide, would abandon this stated principle so shamefully for exiting Afghanistan? Yet, what has happened is right there in front of us to see and current developments don’t inspire much confidence that this so-called ‘peace deal’ will work out as is evident from the renewed attacks by Taliban within just two days of the accord being signed.
But then,
what’s happening is on the expected lines because in its tearing hurry to get
out of Afghanistan, Washington has made two cardinal mistakes. The first one is
that even though US President Donald Trump correctly identified Pakistan as being
the patron of Taliban (remember his 2018 tweet “They (Pakistan
Government and Army) give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan?”
and yet Washington’s efforts to discipline Islamabad weren’t either sustained
or determined. Whereas the US did impose certain restrictions on financial aid
to Islamabad for “not doing enough” in its war against terror, it seems that the
US State Department was over awed by Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Khawaja Asif’s
open threat that Washington couldn’t win its war on terrorism “by excluding or
confronting Pakistan.”
Trump’s
second blunder was making his sheer desperation to exit Afghanistan so evident that
it emboldened the Pakistan Army not only to continue patronising Taliban but
also discreetly pushing it to dictate ridiculous terms and preconditions. Taliban’s
proclivity for violence is well known and its car bombing in Kabul that killed
a US serviceman in September last year forcing Trump to call-off the peace deal
that was in its final stages is ample proof of this. Yet, rather insisting upon that the
Taliban should display its seriousness by ensuring a reasonable period of peace
as a prelude to signing the accord for American troops withdrawal from
Afghanistan, Washington surprisingly settled for merely a “reduction in
violence” clause, and that too for just one week. But the most astonishing
thing is that this weird one-week long “reduction in violence” condition wasn’t
been set by Washington but thrust upon it by the Taliban.
This leaves
one in no doubt as to who’s calling the shots during the US-Taliban
negotiations and it’s because of this that the proposed peace deal appears to
be a non-starter. Already, the Taliban has put an unreasonable precondition
that 5,000 of its captured fighters should be freed before negotiations can
proceed any further and Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has already
warned that, “If our 5,000 prisoners – 100 or 200 more or less does not
matter – do not get released there will be no intra-Afghan talks.” It’s quite likely that in its
desperation to exit Afghanistan, Washington may oblige to release these
prisoners; but doing so will be a humungous blunder because once its captured
fighters are released, the Taliban will have no reason to honour an agreement
that questions its supremacy.
Even if the
accord works out and gives an honourable closure to the US-led military
operation in Afghanistan (officially christened “Operation Enduring Freedom”), the
one thing certain is that peace will continue to elude Afghanistan! The Taliban
doesn’t recognise the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan (and
since Rawalpindi too isn’t quite happy with it), a bloody power struggle
between Afghan forces and the Taliban after US troop withdrawal is inevitable. The
Taliban has already made this clear by launching 43 attacks on Afghan security
check-posts on Tuesday and though these attacks are obviously meant to
pressurise the Ashraf Ghani government into releasing Taliban fighters from Kabul’s
custody, it also serves as a message that the Taliban will use guns to resolve
its differences with the Afghanistan government, which it refers to as “the
Kabul puppet administration.”
Whereas the US has retaliated to the Helmand attacks with an
airstrike against the Taliban, but by taking pains to clarify that this was a
“defensive” strike, the Americans have exhibited an apologetic stance. But
what’s most disturbing is that instead of issuing a strong and unambiguous warning
of appropriate retribution in case such attacks don’t cease, the US military
spokesperson Col. Sonny Leggett came up with a politically sounding tweet saying,
“We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments.”
Whereas the US military may not be wanting to jeopardise the ongoing talks by
adopting a belligerent approach, but by saying things that convey an impression
of being willing to accept any compromise for saving the accord will only
embolden the Taliban to violate the reached agreement.
Lastly, by demanding that the Taliban should take necessary measures to “prevent any group
or individual, including Al Qaeda, from using the soil of Afghanistan to
threaten the security of the United States and its allies,” the Americans
may give an impression of being very concerned about the wellbeing of their
allies. But by conveniently missing out the seeking of a similar safeguard in
terms of Taliban not threatening the security of the Afghan government,
Washington is literally ushering in an all-out civil war that would obviously
culminate in the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan and replay of the dark
1996-2001 period that saw unspeakable atrocities being committed on innocent
men and women.
Postscript- It was America’s Faustian deal with
Pakistan in the 1980s that not only saw the rise of Taliban but also created a fertile
breeding ground for the spawning of religious fundamentalism and radical Islam.
Four decades down the line, we are once again witnessing Washington making
another Faustian compromise that will accord official recognition to the
Taliban terrorist group. Strange as it may sound, but the reality is that while
America wants the world to shun Tehran for allegedly patronising terrorist
activities, but by turning a blind eye to Pakistan which (by Prime Minister
Imran Khan’s own admission) has been providing sanctuary to many internationally
proscribed terrorist groups, Washington has fared no better!
Bringing child-centric issues and
relevant policies in focus, for the first time in India, Karnataka government
presented a ‘Child Budget’ on Thursday. Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said
this budget, as a special feature, consolidates all the policies and programmes
for the development of children aged below 18. It has 279 programmes with an
allocation of ₹36,340 crore, which constitutes 15.28% of the total volume of
the State Budget.
The Child Budget lists a range of
issues — survival, protection, and development — from different departments.
The maximum funds in this Budget are from the Department of Primary and
Secondary Education and the Department of Women and Child Development. Experts
feel that this kind of budgetary focus will facilitate better programme monitoring and
expenditure on child-centric issues.
The Chief Minister also announced
modernising Mahila Supplementary Nutrition Production and Training Centres,
aimed at better nutrition at anganwadi centres. “To enhance the production
capacity by modernising these centres, it is proposed to provide interest-free
loan from ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh under the Marginal Loan Scheme of the Karnataka
State Women Development Corporation,” he said.
It was also announced that youngsters who are discharged from Bala Mandiras after 21 years will be given a financial assistance of ₹5,000 a month for a maximum of three years under the ‘Upakara’ scheme. Skill Development Training will also be provided to these young men and women.
The government will repair 842 anganwadis damaged in floods last year at a cost of Rs 138 crore.
Another interesting announcement
that was made was about bag free classes. Two Saturdays a month, school
students in Karnataka will attend classes free from a load of school bags. “By
making two Saturdays a month as bag-free days, ‘Sambhrama Shanivara’ will be
observed with the objective of creating a joyful learning experience by
reducing the burden of textbooks,” stated the Karnataka CM. There will be an
effort to create awareness, through a range of activities, on topics that are
necessary for students to be ideal citizens.
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on Friday said the government has asked the Reserve Bank to look
into what went wrong at Yes Bank and fix individual responsibilities.
Addressing a press conference
after the RBI superseded the board of Yes Bank and placed withdrawal
restrictions, she said the bank was being monitored since 2017 and developments
relating to it were being monitored on a day-to-day basis.
Since 2017, the central bank
noticed governance issues and weak regulatory compliance at Yes Bank, besides
wrong asset classification and risky credit decisions, she said.
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman said that Reserve Bank of India is working towards for early
resolution of Yes Bank issue. RBI governor has assured that there will be no
loss to any Yes Bank depositor, the finance minister said, adding that the
steps taken to take control of Yes Bank is in interest of depositors, bank and
the economy.
“I want to assure every
depositor’s money is safe, and I’m in constant touch with RBI. Both RBI and
government are looking at Yes Bank issue in detail and the course of action
will be in everyone’s interest. The immediate priority is to ensure Yes Bank
customers are able to withdraw money within ₹50,000,” Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman said.
State Bank of India said on Thursday that “an in-principal approval has been given by the board to explore investment opportunity” in Yes Bank.
Pakistan Army continues its atrocities across Balochistan. In its latest act of cruelty a Baloch woman was detained, tortured and killed in cold blood while she was in illegal custody of the Pakistan Army. The woman was arrested along with others and shifted to an unknown location.
A few days ago, Pakistani forces had arrested and moved Zar Gul who is the daughter of Rahim Bakhsh Baloch to an unknown location from Mashkay Mangoli Zemro area of Balochistan. According to local sources, the detained woman has been killed after several violent attacks and her body has been handed over to her relatives, but Pakistani forces have threatened that the entire family will be punished, if news about the woman’s murder comes out.
Pakistani government officials have not yet commented on the incident. Human Rights Council of Balochistan’s Deputy Coordinator, Lateef Johar Baloch, expressed his views on Twitter, “Very Disturbing! According to locals, a Baloch woman, Zar Gul, died from the tortures of Pakistan army. She was abducted… from Mashkay, Balochistan 2 days ago. The abduction & killings of civilians must be stopped. Pakistan must be accountable for the killing.”
Very Disturbing! According to locals, a Baloch woman, Zar Gul, died from the tortures of Pakistan army. She was abducted along w/ her husband from Mashkay, #Balochistan 2 days ago. The abduction &killings of civilians must be stopped. Pakistan must be accountable for the killing. https://t.co/A3jZe3F9lV
He further added in another tweet: “Eight other family members of Zar Gul were also murdered by Pakistani army in an air attack on her uncle’s house in Mashkay, Balochistan in 2012. I am a witness to that incident; we went there just after the attack. There was no help for the wounded. It was extremely painful.”
Eight other family members of Zar Gul were also murdered by #Pakistan army in an air attack on her uncle’s house in Mashkay, #Balochistan in 2012. I am a witness to that incident; we went there just after the attack. There was no help for the wounded. It was extremely painful. https://t.co/Z9VQxZkYhO
In a separate incident, two sisters Sameena Baloch and Zubaida Baloch daughters of Murad Baloch were detained by the Pakistani forces when they were traveling from their hometown of Tijaban to Turbat area of district Kech. They were released later on.
The matter of enforced disappearances in Balochistan has become a serious problem. The relatives of the missing persons are continuously protesting.
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