Daily Excelsior... Editorial

EDITORIAL

By Maj Gen V.K. Mandhok (Retd)

Besides the ex Chief Minister of J&K Farooq Abdullah, who has on more than one occasion advocated the conversion of 740 kms long LoC in J&K into an International Border (IB), some think tanks too have come to the same conclusion. They also recommended, that after the elections, both India and .....more

The verdict has been delivered

By K.N. Pandita

People of the State have delivered the verdict. The traditional political party viz. National Conference, holding power for last five decades has been voted out of power. The verdict is fractured and that should not spring surprise. This election is very significant in more than one way. It has come off.......more

IT and communication network

By Lalitha Vaidyanathan

Unlike the past century, which witnessed a controlled technology regime and sharing information for a prohibitory price, the 21st century has virtually opened the floodgates of knowledge on the information highway and a new tool to narrow the rich-poor gap, only to give rise to the digital divide.........more

EDITORIAL

Respecting the mandate

Resolving hung houses always defies logic. In a state that was unduly skewed in favour of a single party, the situation gets more complicated. Thus National Conference, which has been decisively defeated in all the regions of the state, is still the largest party. The situation is not very unlike the parliamentary election of 1989, which ended in a defeat for the Congress but still threw up the party as the largest single party in the Lok Sabha. Rajiv Gandhi’s declaration then, that Congress was not in the race of Government formation, was an open acceptance of the popular verdict having gone against the Congress. A similar verdict has been delivered by the electorate of this state, rather emphatically in the defeat of the NC president and its chief ministerial candidate and half of the cabinet. To further ease the matters, although the two principal victors in the election were not in any pre-election alliance, the Congress and the PDP are not seen by the people in any region as being very different from each other.

Yet it is a fact that the two parties contested against one another in many constituencies. And had these two emerged as strong contending parties with say enough members to stake claims on their own, they might have not remembered many of their ‘natural affinities’. But as it is the parties are one, in having fought to oust the National Conference Government and there they did provide to the electorate a joint alternative of sorts. Probably, the people too have voted them in on that understanding. In any case, a joint grouping is a better understanding of the mandate of this election. And there they are naturally joined by other parties who have also fought with that broad plank in view. That seems as logical a resolution of this fractured mandate as is possible. That also appears to be the understanding of the sundry independent candidates, who are ready to support them. Yet it cannot be ignored that most of these independent candidates have won defeating the aspirants from these two parties. Many of them face an ideological contradiction, because they have declared all the parties to be ‘evils’. But again the imperative of forming a Government and keeping the NC out, as mandated by the people would link them together.

All in all there is a rational basis for the two parties and the independents to come together. As well as imperatives for the other smaller parties to support them. But that grouping cannot be limitless. Indeed, it must not be. The fractured mandate is clear evidence of the fact that there are misgivings among the electorate. Those misgivings do not vanish by the leaders coming together. In the interest of the parties themselves, it is better that they do not stretch the nets too wide to rope in everybody. For every addition means a little dilution of stands, a compromise on principles, promises and programmes. From the point of view of the people, they have tried to throw out the people they considered undesirable in some other way. It may be expedient for the parties to incorporate as many ‘outsiders’ into their folds as possible, but it certainly is not what the mandate intended. Between stability and the compromise there may be only a point or two. And if that point is compromised, not only the future of the parties but even that of the state may be marred.

Remember, the security!

As the DIG of BSF said the other day, about a hundred terrorists have been killed, during the elections, on or about the border in their bids to infiltrate into the state for immediate or future ‘actions’ here. That many others succeeded in infiltrating in is evident from the fact that one of the goriest tragedies in the elections that of targeting a tourist but at Hiranagar was wrecked by the terrorists who had been sent in on the double to wreck this carnage. Two of them were killed while they were on their way back after ‘completing’ the carnage while the third is believed to have ex-filtrated back. How many more escaped detection, laid low for the time being and are itching for other strikes would not be known. The elections showed that the terrorists are spread far and wide over the territories of the state. They certainly are in good numbers and position whence they could mount concerted attempts on ministers, candidates and political activists. It is to the credit of the security agencies including the state police, which largely neutered these terrorist elements and prevented them from causing more damage with heavy sacrifices and with restraint and valour. But it may not hold for long.

And that certainly should not lead to any complacency on the score. Farooq Abdullah may have thrown a challenge when he said that he would like to see how the new Government tackles terrorism, but he has also stated a fact of the life of this state. This is a deeply terrorist-ravaged state and the sponsors of terrorism are not likely to lie low for the simple reason that they have been rejected by the people. They, in fact, have known it all along. Hence the terrorism that aims at shutting up every voice, all sanity in this state. This terrorism is in the hands of the mercenaries, of course, but they are not normal mercenaries at all. Many of them think killing and getting killed the be all and end of all of life. Most of them do not understand tolerance and coexistence, freedom and democratic ethos. In any case, it is not a simple thing lurking out there in the hills and dales, among the bushes and mountains, sometimes deep inside the cities and towns. The marauders are also under heavy pressure to send out some ‘good news’ to their masters and controllers. It would not do to either belittle the threat or to ignore it. The first duty of the governance is being alive to that precipitate threat.

Kashmir after the polls

By Maj Gen V.K. Mandhok (Retd)

But the proposal is fraught with complex issues to which insufficient attention has been paid. Of the innumerable flaws in this proposal four issues merit special consideration.

Firstly, who will guarantee that the sanctity of the IB is maintained? Considering that the LoC has been violated regularly and chiefly in 1965, 71 and 99 such violations let to an Indo-Pak conflict who will ensure that it will not be trespassed again? Also, will the proxy war and jehad stop? Is Gen Musharraf in a position to reign in the militants? What happens, if he is assassinated? If stopped from entering Kashmir across the LoC, will the fundamentalists not turn towards Islamabad to throw out the Government which has been training, arming and indoctrinating them to create chaos in Kashmir? And above all, terming it as a freedom struggle.

Secondly, can the Pakistan Army whose chief motivation is to seek revenge and Kashmir in return for Bangladesh (erstwhile east Pakistan) even think of accepting such a plan? The Army has to wash off the disgrace it suffered at India’s hands in 1971. When 93,000 Pak prisoners were captured. And Kashmir offers the best and the only chance to settle scores. Therefore, Pak Army now awaits a mass uprising in the Valley as well increased violence within India’s north-east -- when New Delhi is fully tied up. Besides Kashmir, their other aim remains to teach a lesson to the Indian Army which humiliated them, whether they succeed or not is another matter. But they just cannot forget it.

Thirdly, should this scheme be forced on the people of PoK and Kashmir, who want Azadi and unification, without a referendum? They want 3rd party mediation. They seek elections supervised by UN observers. They too will not accept a division.

Finally, should India dump all parliamentary resolutions and speeches by all PMs from the ramparts of Red Fort that PoK belongs to India? Will this be a good example for the future generations? How can India call itself a sovereign state when it lacks the will to reunite its territories lying under occupation of Pakistan and China for half a century. Negation of past political resolutions on Kashmir with a compromise formula will be a big joke and further dent whatever credibility is left of India’s political class as well as its military.

Agreed: That the US is lobbying for this plan. And a majority of our specialists who form part of such think tanks have been lecturing in the US, seem to be seeking the same solutions as America. Thus giving rise to suspicions, that they are lobbying for Washington instead of standing up for the integrity of their own country. This proposal would help Washington to set up a Monitoring Mechanism at the IB, with an enlarged UN military observers group and a peace keeping force. While technical gadgets for surveillance (sensors, radars RPVs etc) will be supplied by the US. Thus fulfilling US vision to engage India and Pakistan as mediators. Thus the US will have all the intelligence it needs about India, Pakistan and the region. Surely, this not what the people of India want?

The J&K issue is a cancer. It spread due to indecision, procastination and timidity of our political leaders. India will have to learn to live with it. But the immediate requirements is to improve our governance in J&K so that Kashmir wants to live with India. And secondly, that our leaders and the nation start talking of PoK and not Kashmir.

Today, Kashmir stands at the cross roads of history. Alongwith absence of a policy on J&K, there is an environment of indifference. Neither the PM nor the President have made the requisite visits to this turbulent state or to the troops in remote and distant areas. This has set a very bad example. Because the sensitive issues in J&K and particularly in Kashmir just cannot be resolved from air-conditioned offices in New Delhi without interacting with the people and their representatives.

The verdict has been delivered

By K.N. Pandita

This election is very significant in more than one way. It has come off despite blatant and open threats from the sponsored militants of unleashing terror. Even on the days of polling, attempts were made to disrupt the process but that did not deter the electorate from exercising their right to vote. Perhaps they have understood what the might of the state means.

In terms of domestic politics, this election is a signal that like the rest of the country, aspirations of identities can no more be suppressed or bulldozed in the name of majoritarianism. That the National Conference has been dislodged is perhaps the major achievement of the electorate.

Incidentally, the election has also put an end to the dynastic rule, a cancer that had begun to eat into the vital of our polity. The Sheikhdom is gone for all times to come. But the Indian constitution treats all citizens equally and equitably.

Many reasons are assigned to the debacle of the NC. However, the incumbency syndrome is least applicable in this case. Convinced that blackmail, pro-militant nexus and rampant corruption had become the hallmark of the NC, the Prime Minister had declared that elections would be fair and free. Intoxicated with power and invincibility, the NC leadership missed the opportunity of saving its sinking ship when the Centre sounded imposition of Governor rule.

It has been blackmailing the people of the State and the Governments at the Centre. Its ambivalence on the issue of finality of accession has never been the fundamental principle of its policy and posture. NC’s Resettlement Bill and Autonomy Resolution are the strongest proof of its ambivalence.

If one wants to understand the psyche of the NC, one should read the booklet titled Kashmir main aksariyyat ko aqalliyat main badalne ki sazish (The conspiracy of converting Kashmir majority into minority) authored by Mr. Rahim Rather, the outgoing Finance Minister of Dr. Abdullah Government way back in 1984. The anti-India and anti-Hindu venom that has been poured out in the pamphlet is worse than what an archenemy of Indian nationalism would do.

Yes, militants shot dead many NC workers and that might have affected party campaigning. . But these killings mostly resulted from personal vendetta. The NC has been drawing on the support of the militants. There have been regular transactions between them. Recruitment to Government services was made at the instance of the militants. Contracts were given to people on the recommendation of the militants. The militants ruled the roost. And often, the NC activists, in true fashion of the party culture, would blackmail them also. The result could be anything different.

It would be in the interests of the people of the State if the new government sets up a formal inquiry into the out of proportion assets made by the NC ministers during last six years of its tenure. But it has not to be a witch-hunting exercise. The facts must come to light.

The Congress has returned to the political scene of the State after a long absence. There are lessons for this national level party. The long internal bickering and in fighting for leadership had spelt disaster for the party. A bold step taken by the Congress chief in deputing Mr. Azad as the PCC President has yielded the desired results. But at the same time, confining himself to anti-NC tantrum is not the right type of statesmanship that Azad should pursue. Instead he should begin addressing the formidable tasks that are before the party and the people. It has to be noted that the Congress as the largest political party has seldom sympathized three hundred thousand internally displaced persons from the valley despite the latter traditional preference for it.

That BJP should have been routed lock, stock and barrel is nothing surprising. It is a house divided against itself. It is rent with in fighting in the party and there is dismal lack of coordination among its various organs. That BJP has no Kashmir policy is evident from the result of the election.

PDP emergence is the most significant result of the present elections. This is perhaps to be called the third party that was needed to come to fore. Its rise is a sufficient signal that the people in the valley are fed up both with the NC and the Congress, leave aside BJP. It is very likely that many among the independent candidates might join the PDP and thus make it the largest political party in the state. Amusingly PDP has throughout meticulously avoided criticizing the Hurriyat Conference or issuing strong anti-militant statements. If it can iron out the angularities in the political perceptions of the Hurriyat and of the dissident groups, certainly it will receive the support of the people outside the party parameters.

Since NC has declared that it would not stake its claim for forming the government, it means that it would not seek the support of the independent candidates. It cannot because many among the independents are those who separated from the NC. In that case, the NC will, for the first time in its life, sit on the opposition benches. It will be very hard for the NC to swallow this bitter pill just as it has been hard with the Congress at the centre. But then there is the verdict of the people.

Dr. Abdullah has forced the NC to pay the price for his selfishness of installing the dynastic rule. The day he crowned his son as his direct successor, was the day when defeat and decline were writ large on the forehead of the NC. The crowning of his son had generated resentment among some sections of NC high echelons. The mechanism of internal subversion resulting in the rejection of Omar in Ganderbal constituency cannot be ruled out.

IT and communication network

By Lalitha Vaidyanathan

Economic divide has been the issue throughout the history of civilisation, however, there is a general belief now about a futuristic opportunity to narrow this divide to an acceptable degree with the information technology (IT) and communication network, experts feel.

There could be some room for debate as to whether economic divide is the cause of or an effect of digital divide even as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) is trying to push an ''action oriented'' development programme for the world narrowing the gap between ''haves'' and ''have nots'' by committing to the improving standards of living around the world (both mankind and environment).

Computer and communication experts feel that on one hand ''we can say that the divide has increased rather than narrowed as technology has improved but on the other technology has also increased the standards of living of a large section of population.

Today, 96 per cent of computers are in the wealthiest nations that have only 15 per cent of the population and similarly 60 per cent of the US population has access to computers and only 0.5 per cent of the Indian population that has some privilege, experts said.

Computer specialists, therefore, feel that digital divide and economic divide are interrelated and they are to explore whether digital phenomenon can be used to address and resolve the issues caused by economic divide.

This is possible not just by technology alone but by human contribution in the form of sharing information and knowledge not for a big price but on humane grounds, they point out.

''Technology as a factor of production has no limits and therefore, economics and technology are tightly interlinked'', they feel.

Furthermore, a technology based economy does not have to follow a zero-sum game. Therefore, there is optimism among the economists who have started accepting the notion that technology can be used to indefinitely enhance the economic well-being of the society.

History has shown that an unfettered combination of market forces and technology might not lead to optimal results and rightly, despite dramatic developments in the technology arena, digital divide continues unabated even in the technologically advanced countries, according to Prof Pramode K Verma, University of Oklahoma, USA.

''Technology has undoubtedly helped when it comes to equipping the backbone of a network with additional bandwidth,'' he said.

The divide that has defied solution to date, at least in USA, appears to be in the last mile that connects an individual user or a small business to the backbone, he said.

''Indeed, this is the group whose needs technology must effectively address if digital divide was to be narrowed. The situation has been likened to a system of distribution where goods in factories and warehouses are abundant, but a system to put them in the hands of the user is simply not in place,'' Verma said.

There were only 7.8 million high-speed access lines in the US in mid 2001 and the geographic distribution of these lines indicates the underlying inequalities. While there were 1.7 million lines in California, there were less than 15000 lines in four states. On a regional basis, 78 per cent of the zip codes had at least one subscriber and on the other, 96 per cent of the highest income zip codes had at least one high speed access subscriber, Verma, who is also one of the governors of the International Council of Computer Communication, said.

Experience showed that the impact of the exponential cost reduction has occurred almost entirely on the trunk routes. ''The last mile continues to remain the biggest barrier to access,'' experts said.

The technology limitations associated with the last mile stem from the fact that copper, which constitutes almost all the access media, simply cannot handle the speed needed to deliver the quality the customer would find acceptable.

''To reach last mile, the emerging technology based on lowpower infered laser transceivers holds great promise and these transceivers can support two-way data at a gigabit per second speed'', according to Computer scientists attending the recently concluded International Conference on Computer and Internet Communication in Mumbai.

While this speed is a tiny fraction of what an optical fibre can carry, it is sufficient for home or even a small office use that cannot afford a fibre optic link, they said.

Additionally, the cost of such a link is expected to be between 10 to 30 per cent of a fibre optic installation and therefore, several corporate entities are actively exploring opportunities in this area.

The digital divide has yet another dimension above and beyond that caused the inequities in access and this divide is caused by the predominant, if not the exclusive use of English language in most of the tools in cyberspace, thereby reducing its value to the users with low proficiency in English.

While the cyberspace is known to have no geographical, territorial or political boundaries, to give it one on a linguistic basis appears inconsistent with its fundamental character. Obviously, cyberspace can afford to be inclusive because it can contain an infinite number of objects.

''Softwares in Devnagri and other languages along with voice provision could change the face of the world and narrow the digital divide,'' according to Dr S Ramani, research director of Hewlett and Packard and also the President of International Council of Computer Communicators (ICCC).

The explosive growth of mobile communication reflects a natural need of the man to freedom a possibility to communicate at any place, at any time and under any conditions, especially in remote places and during motion, according to Leonid E Varakin, president of the International Telecommunication Academy.

Therefore, now there are no fundamental limits for growth of mobile communication even based on the technologies already created, Varakin said.

A congestion of existing frequency bands can be a natural limit, but there is a hope that the International Telecommunication Union (IT) will solve all these problems using both expansion of existing frequency bands and more high-frequency ranges, he said.

Varakin said, the cycle type of development with the positive trend is determined by dynamic laws of technologies, goods and services, which is determined by the mathematical theory of the struggle for existence.

Of course, the older and newer technologies act as competitors struggling for the same food client's money. But the winner is the technology which maintains higher rate of growth and is more adapted to new conditions (mutant technologies).

Still the question remains whether digital divide will widen the gap or narrow the gap of economic divide-- which might keep haunting generations to come !

Crime pandering

By Joginder Singh

The bandit called Veerappan has struck again in Karnataka State. In a meticulously planned operation, which is the ''hallmark'' of sandalwood smuggler Veerappan's exploits, he fooled the Special Task Force officials and the security provided to the abducted victim, a former Minister of Karnataka Government. In the last week of August, Veerappan took Nagappa away, from his house located on the busy Kollegal-Hanur Road, in Chamrajnagar district. The house of the abducted victim is not in the forest.

The nearest forest is 15 km away. The bandit and his associates obviously camped in or around the area, near the scene of abduction, for at least a week or a fortnight and studied the risk factors in detail, besides the movement of police and forest officials. Without proper planning it would not have been possible to kidnap the former Minister.

The latest kidnapping incident once again proves, Veerappan's intelligence network is far superior to that of the police. The handle bar moustachioed dacoit simply barged into the house of former minister K Nagappa near Kollegal, at about 9.45 pm and dragged him away even as his wife fell at brigand's feet.

Nagappa had returned home just at that time from a function and was talking over the telephone. As Nagappa's wife Parimala collapsed at the brigand's feet, begging him not to take her husband away, the dacoit simply pushed her aside. The gang reportedly stopped a bus, and forced the passengers out. They hijacked the vehicle into a sprawling forest, which has been Veerappan's familiar play field and the area of operation for over 15 years.

Veerappan's familiarity with his forest has enabled him to dodge the security forces of both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, with almost total impunity. The elusive Veerappan had kidnapped Kannada icon and movie star Raj Kumar in August 2000 and had held him hostage for 108 days. The latest victim of Veerappan is definitely less high-profile than Raj Kumar and has no fan following or an image of a pure hero in real life. But it no way takes away the culpability of the police or the civil administration, who forgot all about the brigand and paid only a lip-service to their resolve to bring him to book.

Amongst the demands of the brigands, conveyed in a tape are his grievances that he felt cheated, as both the Governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu reneged on their promises made before the release of film actor Raj Kumar in November, 2000.

More than Rs 100 crore has been spent by both the Governments in the last ten years in trying to apprehend the elusive dacoit, who has been involved in 135 cases which are pending against him both in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. These cases involve 120 murders of 32 policemen, 10 forest officials, and 78 civilians.

Veerappan has used the period from 1997 onwards to consolidate and regroup his gang. Incidentally, the states were lulled into a belief by the intelligence agencies that Veerappan had outlived his effectiveness and utility. It was also reported that Veerappan, who had crossed 60 years of age, was suffering from asthma.

Obviously, such reports led to the slackening of all efforts to nab him, in the belief that sooner or later he would die on his own. Veerappan has converted himself into a Robin Hood of the area, by occasionally helping the poor in the area, where his writ and not that of the state governments run.

Earlier for getting Raj Kumar, the Special Public Prosecutor in Mysore had moved the Court, an application to withdraw 129 TADA cases, against 129 associates of Veerappan, for paving the way for bailing out 51 of the accused. This was to comply with one of the numerous demands of Veerappan. Only after Supreme Court pulled up the two state governments to perform their constitutional duty or quit, they desisted from falling flat before the dacoit. The other past history of the criminal is also worth recalling.

Major Abductions: In 1987, he kidnapped and later killed forest official Chidambarram. Kidnapping and killing three forest officials followed, after two years. He shot them dead. In 1992, he kidnapped the son of a quarry owner, who was released after securing a huge ransom. In 1994, he abducted six persons including a deputy superintendent of police. They were released later on. In 1995, he kidnapped three forest officials for ransom. They were released later. In 1997, he abducted another 10 forest officials and kept nine of them hostage for 43 days.

Major Killings: Veerappan killed four Karnataka forest officials. In 1989, he killed five persons in his village Gopinatham. In 1990, he killed two Karnataka police Police sub inspectors and a constable. In 1991, he beheaded Deputy Conservator of Forests, Srinivas. Srinivas’s sin was that he wanted to reform him.

In 1992, he attacked and killed 5 policemen in the police station. Again he killed Karnataka Police SP Harikrishna and sub inspector Shakeel Ahmed in 1992. In 1993, he killed six policemen followed by the killing of a BSF officer, and a Tamil Nadu sub inspector and a police constable.

Veerappan had made the following demands before Raj Kumar was released or escaped in December, 2000. (Jayalalitha, however, has alleged that Re 30 crore was paid to get Raj Kumar released). Resolve the Cauvery issue permanently; Immediately implement the Cauvery Tribunal’s interim award; Adequate compensation for Tamil victims of the 1991 Cauvery riots; Declare Tamil as Karnataka's additional administrative language and Install Thiruvalluvar’s statue in Bangalore.

He also wanted to be made public the report of the Sadashiva commission, which was appointed to probe the alleged Task Force atrocities. Karnataka should pay Rs. 10 Lakh to rape victims; Rs. 5 Lakh to the kin of those killed and innocent Tamil detenues released from Karnataka jails.

Veerappan asked for fixing minimum wages for coffee and tea estate workers in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka at Rs. 150 a day and Rs. 15 as the minimum procurement price of green leaves in the Nilgiris.

The above demands were not the handiwork of Veerappan himself, an illiterate criminal. He is not interested in anything except the money he could make, from killing elephants or extortion. It is unfair to credit him with any intelligence to make any Pro Tamil demands he allegedly made at that time or even now. He is a simple plain poacher and a murder, who deserves to be dealt with for his crimes. The only thing Veerappan deserves is quick elimination from the scene, so that his reign of terror could be ended.

The uproar about the dacoit’s crimes had died down in the last two years. The reason for failure has been the mentality of reacting to any kidnapping or other crime of Veerappan instead of adopting a consistent proactive approach to nab him. Only another strike again, has jostled the administration to some visible activity. But one is not sure as how long interest in nabbing Veerappan will continue and whether it will come to a successful end.

As compared to kidnapping by Veerappan, let us examine how United States deals with similar cases. The South Philippine Muslim rebels had demanded a ransom of $ 10 million for the release of a kidnapped American in August 2000. This American, who was living in Philippines, had married a Filipino woman. The USA demanded his unconditional release and also declared that it would not pay any ransom or make deals with the Muslim rebels who seized him. The Americans never paid a cent for the release of an American citizen.

It is obvious that large sums as extortion payments, to any criminal or criminals encourage more kidnappings in any country, more so in poor and impoverished one's, like our own. While the USA supports efforts at negotiations, for quick resolution of the case, they rule out, any payment of any ranson.

Israel follows the same policy of No Surrender to kidnappers or extortionists. Our leaders talk about fighting firmly with Pakistan’s proxy war with grit and determination, irrespective of any cost. But they balk at bringing a known criminal to heels, with all the might of the State. It is only adding insult to the injury.

Regrettably, it is the game of opportunism being played to the hilt. Once principles were the guiding forces. Now the only principle left is how to garner the most out of the system for personal benefit and damn everything else. Unfortunately, in place of governance, the Governments are going for their survival on daily basis, irrespective of disastrous consequence.

It is time to show will and the only negotiation should be get the criminal to surrender, so that the right message goes all over the country, including to the Government of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu that law is mightier than the gun, even if a dacoit called Veerappan is handling it. (PTI Feature)

"Pre-emptive" or "retaliation" ?

By Tukoji R. Pandit

"Pre-emptive" strike is now a widely discussed topic in India when ''retaliation" would perhaps sound as the right prescription to deal with the endemic problem of Pak-sponsored terrorism in India. But swimming with the rest of the world, "pre-emptive" (strike) has become the most commonly used word in the vocabulary of politicians, diplomats, military men, bureaucrats, scholars, journalists et al.

Indians who now drop the word frequently in political and military dis- cussions have taken their cue from US President, George W. Bush, who has vowed to throw out the Iraqi head of State, Saddam Hussein, by a "pre- emptive" attack on Baghdad. There is stiff opposition to the "Bush doctrine" on Iraq, both within the US and amongst its staunch allies.

In the third world, however, the public opinion is clearly pronounced against the US stand against Iraq, which is seen as threatening the world peace. Of course, the American policy makers will not accept that their mindless action against President Saddam may convert that region into "the most dangerous place" on earth.

If the US action shifts focus from South Asia to Iraq then it is the favou- rite dictator of President Bush, Gen Parvez Musharraf, who may be unhap- py feeling circumscribed in his plans to turn South Asia into a theatre of nucle- ar war.

A large section of public opinion in India is strongly opposed to the US decision to strike at Iraq. Even the BJP- led NDA Government wants to sound cautious in expressing its views on the "Bush doctrine" on pre-emptive strike.

While in New York, attending the annual session of the UN General As- sembly, Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, tried to do a balancing trick in reply to a question on the proposed US action against Iraq.

But somewhat to the surprise of many in India, the Finance Minister Jaswant Singh was more open and vocal in supporting the "Bush doctrine" when he followed the Prime Minister in New York to attend the just-concluded jointmeeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Funds (IMF). Justifying the US decision, the former Major in the Indian army said: "Pre- emption or prevention is inherent in deterrence."

During his stint as the country’s External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh had hardly hidden his admiration for US policies, arousing suspicion that he was pushing the country blindly into the US fold. It is an uncomfortable thought because the US has still not given up some of its Cold War days misconceptions about India and takes such a "balanced" view of India and Pakistan that most of its policies end up in favour of Pakistan.

Witness all the double-standards the US has employed in dealing with Pakistan’s home industry of preparing "Jehadi" terrorists-shutting its eye as the Pakistani dictator becomes more brazen in pushing these terrorists into India, but still insisting that Pakistan is ''key" ally in the US-led"war"against terrorism.

However, Jaswant Singh’s defence of the Bush-sponsored "pre-emptive" strike theory could also be reflecting the NDA Government’s desire to cite the US example in getting at Pakistan to settle scores for its policy of "bleeding" India for almost 20-years without suffering one bit for it.

But the Finance Minister as also those who support his view are wrong in defending the US decision against Iraq. The US aim of "eliminating" Saddam Hussein smacks of imperial arrogance and an open contempt for all canons international law and justice. The "evidence" of Saddam Hussein preparing weapons of mass destruction is not only thin but does not suggest that Iraq is about to attack the US.

UK, the most loyal follower of the US, has even prepared a dossier on Iraq, which is as unconvincing as the US case. Tony Blair’s Government has chosen to malign India for supplying certain alleged contraband items for the Iraqi war machine, as though it was the only country "collaborating" with an errant dictator.

Anyway, as far as India is con- cerned, the debate on the need for India to follow the US action centres round ways to deal with Pakistan which far from eliminating its India-specific ter- ror network has once again strength- ened it. Given the congenital hatred for India in the Pak establishment, only the naive would have expected Gen Parvez Musharraf, to really wind up his terror machine.

If India has now lost its patience with Pakistan, the issue to be discussed and decided upon is not "pre-emptive" action against that country but RET- ALIATION. A pre-emptive action is taken to stop an attack from happen- ing. It is an advance, anticipatory action, not a follow-up action. Here we have a country, which has "attacked" India frequently with impunity, using its US-aided military machine trying to "bleed" India by exporting terrorism and then hope to destroy the''Kafir" nation, the ultimate goal of all "good" Pakistani Generals.

If, as the US says, there is every justification for taking "pre-emptive" action against an impending threat, then India should have thought of it long time ago. Well, before the Indian Airlines plane hijack, even before Pa- kistan was raising an army of anti- Indian Sikh terrorists or ordering its underworld friends in Mumbai to blast the city!

After 9/11, Gen Musharraf yielded to US pressure to join the"war"against terrorism and received a prompt re- ward from the US which termed Mush- arraf as the most important US ally- lackey, some said in Pakistan. He had also avowed before the world that he would wind up his entire terror ma- chine. India’s protests at the time that the wily General was only trying to fool the World Cup as he would never give up his love for terrorists were dismissed by the US and other western countries as being exaggerated fears.

But what did Pakistan do in India after 9/11 - after being alleviated to the front ranks of nations allegedly fight- ing terrorism? Terrorists from Paki- stan and their Indian agents and asso- ciates have been frequently killing a large number of Indians, attacking, after regular intervals, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, Parliament House, pilgrims on way to Amarnath, residen- tial quarters of’army, police and other security forces, unarmed villagers who would not shelter the Pakistani or Pa- kistani-trained terrorists, temples in Jammu (Raghunath Temple) and Gan- dhinagar (Akshardham) and so on. The Pakistanis did -all they could, to disrupt the just-concluded polls in Jammu and Kashmir, killings not a few but hun- dreds of innocent men, women and children. Pakistan, the torch-bearing nation in the "war" against terrorism, is best at killing soft targets.

This chain of cowardly and inhu- man attacks by Pakistan has by no means ended; it will certainly not end as long as the military dictator with phoney pretensions of being a demo- crat presides over the GHQ in Islama- had.

Pakistan’s dark record in implant- ing the poison of terrorism in South Asia has, ironically, begun to bother the country. A few attacks in which almost all the victims were Christians, either Pakistani or foreign and the country is shivering under the fear of "terrorism", pleading with the US for more help for its protection. India need not be taken in by that sham show in Pakistan because guided as the terror- ists in Pakistan are by its ISI and such agencies, the targets of their attacks within Pakistan are either foreigners or Christians. Of course, their more favou- rite targets are Indians of all commu- nities.

There is no shame or regret among the Pakistani rulers in sponsoring State terrorism. They are further embold- ened by President Bush and the West which is unwilling to see any "evil" in Pakistan after discovering that all the "evil" is concentrate in Iraq and its leader, Saddam Hussein.

It is for India to frustrate the evil designs of Messrs Musharraf & Co with some resolute action not mere rhetor- ical flourish which is the favourite pastime of the Prime Minister and his Deputy. Time for thinking about "pre- emptive" action against Pakistan has long gone. If action is indeed under consideration, it has to be called some thing else. If it is to he termed RETAL- IATION, so be it. (Syndicate Features)