Bergdahl deal: Obama wins in the US, lets down the world

The Bergdahl's with President Obama

Over the weekend the United States struck a deal with the Taliban for the release of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was held a prisoner of war (POW) since 2009. While the return of a POW is always a joyous occasion, has Washington set a bad precedent? Also, has it paid a heavy price? The answer to both is yes. For Bergdahl’s release five senior Taliban militants have been released from the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. This includes Khirullah Said Wali Khairkhwa, a former Taliban interior minister and Abdul Haq Wasiq, who was the deputy chief of intelligence for the Taliban. The swap deal, without doubt, will embolden terrorist groups and will make it hard for Kabul to tackle the menace. On Monday, an Indian air worker was kidnapped from a school in Herat, Afghanistan. A few days ago the Indian consulate in Heart was attacked in which four terrorists were killed. The White House hopes that this deal will help it open a channel with the Taliban. It also hopes that the five men are unlikely to be as dangerous as they were. Only the naïve can buy this argument after about 30% of the total released Gitmo detainees have returned to terror activities.

Kandahar 1999

After the IC-814 hijacking in Kandahar in 1999, India released three terrorists — Maulana Masood Azhar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar — for the safe passage of more than 170 passengers. All three went on to commit deadly acts of terror — Azhar found the Jaish-e-Muhammed, which was behind the 2001 Parliament attack; Sheikh was involved in beheading Daniel Pearl; and Zargar has been training terrorists in camps in PoK. At the best of times deals with terrorists leave the negotiating government a Hobson’s choice. But this deal, especially when there are reports that Bergdahl was ‘delusional’ about the US mission in Afghanistan and that he ‘walked away from his unit’ raises disturbing questions.
It’s an irony that the US, while leaving Afghanistan, struck a deal with the Taliban — the same group it vouched to overthrow 13 years ago. President Barack Obama has managed to ‘leave no man behind’ and is thus a hero in the US. But as the leader of a global superpower he has let down countries in the region, India one among them.

Crimea: The West must watch as Russia flexes its muscles in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin

Moscow does not seem to be able to put behind its past as a great power. The decision by the Russian Federal Council or the upper house on Sunday to unanimously approve President Vladimir Putin’s request to send troops into the Crimean peninsula is a clear sign of Moscow’s inability to accept Ukraine as an independent and sovereign state. That Ukraine is divided in its response to Russia’s actions in the Crimea is evident in pro-Russia forces marching across cities in the south and east of Ukraine and navy chief Rear Admiral Denis Berezovsky swearing allegiance to the government of the Crimea region. Russia is unhappy with the pro-European government in Kiev after president Viktor F Yanukovych, who was close to the Kremlin, was ousted recently. Russia’s “uncontested arrival” — to quote Washington — in the Crimea reflects Putin’s unrealistic ambition in Eurasia, where he sees Moscow lording it over the former Soviet states. However, tension in Ukraine can be traced back to the trouble Russia is facing. Many see Putin’s actions as an effort to deflect attention from Russia’s ailing economy and breakdown of social systems. With rampant corruption, oil prices set to stay low and with its growth crawling along, Russia is crumbling from within. Russia, though still a superpower, is a shadow of the erstwhile USSR. Putin refuses to acknowledge this reality and that Russia’s days of supremacy are long gone.

US secretary of state John Kerry

The West has condemned Russia’s actions and the United States, Britain and France have threatened to boycott the G8 summit to be held later this year in Sochi. US secretary of state John Kerry warned that if Russia did not pull back its forces Putin may not “even remain in the G8”. Though hues of a Cold War US-Russia face-off is being projected, a war-weary West would do well to address this threat through diplomatic channels by imposing sanctions and bans, and not use force on the ground.
With more than 17 bilateral agreements and cooperation in the fields of defence, nuclear energy, science and technology, space research, etc, India cannot ignore the rising tension in Ukraine. Trade relations with Kiev have increased almost 50% from $1.93 billion in 2010-11 to $2.86 billion in 2012-13. The Indian community in Ukraine is relatively small but it has about 3,500 students studying in various medical and technical institutions. It might be too early for India to comment on the situation in the Black Sea, but it should use its good ties with both Ukraine and Russia to ensure the safety of Indians in Ukraine.

Nirbheek - 'the Gun': A harebrained way to protect women

Rowdies, bullies, and other men who think it’s ‘fun’ to taunt or molest a woman, beware! The Indian Ordnance Factories (IOF) has come out with what they think will help women protect themselves from anti-social elements. The IOF’s latest piece in its kitty is a 7.65 mm .32” revolver, ominously named ‘Nirbheek’. While it might not transform women in India into a Sharon Stone in The quick and the dead or a Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil,  the deadly weapon is a ‘valuable contribution to women’s security’ — to quote an advertisement by the Field Gun Factory in Kanpur. Going by its confidence that a guns ‘protect’ women, it can be only said that the folks back in the IOF are on an overdose of James Bond and Lara Croft movies where the leading ladies effortlessly use firearms to tackle evil forces and save the world — of course after saving themselves.
At just 500 gms this titanium alloy gun, priced at around Rs. 1.22 lakh, could be the Indian women’s best friend. So, where the mobile apps, pepper sprays, taser guns and even China’s ‘hairy leg stockings’ have failed, the .32 is expected to hit the eye. Only if addressing women’s safety was so easy. Such lightheaded ideas come across only as an advertisement gimmick — and a poor one at it — to boost the sales of the product.

The safety of women is often a neglected subject in India. And in a society where such issues are seldom discussed, it is refreshing to see the IOF to produce a firearm keeping the safety and security of women in mind. But where it is way off target is to think that arming women will make them safer. If guns were to make people safer, America, with its liberal gun laws, would have been the safest place on earth. Going by the alarming number of shooting in malls, gas stations and even schools, it is clear that more guns is not equal to more safety. Moreover, how does a gun help a woman in a crowded train or on the dark street?

Bitcoin: Is India ready for the virtual currency boom?

With the advent of debit/credit cards and online trading it was said that currency notes would soon vanish from the markets. While this did not happen it made financial transactions much easier and quicker. This also ushered in a virtual and dark world of financial fraud. Governments and regulators have since been hard pressed in checking fraud and adapting to changes around the world. One challenging development in the online trading space is the growing popularity of virtual currency, and among the many it is Bitcoin that is jingling the loudest. Bitcoin is a decentralised digital currency which is an open source peer-to-peer electronic mode of payment. The risk with virtual currency increases when there is no authorised regulator for what is essentially a private enterprise. With an almost zero physical presence the fear is that this could be misused by fraudsters to lure gullible investors. Its virtual and unregulated nature makes it suitable for online gambling, illegal drugs, etc. While Bitcoin is relatively marginal in everyday real-time transactions, it is mainly used for speculative investments — in which the potential risk is exponentially high.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is, and rightly so, concerned over the growing popularity of Bitcoin. As for now the RBI is adopting a wait-and-watch approach. But it is doubtful as to how long it can stay on the sidelines and observe the developments without intervening. This is mainly because of a sudden increase in the demand for the virtual currency. With many establishments in the United States, China and not to mention online sites accepting Bitcoin, pressure will increase for its transaction in India.
With the markets being volatile and gold — the preferred investment option in India — losing its sheen, Bitcoins are likely to draw the investors’ attention. Add to this the fact that its value has surged almost five times — from $207 a few months back to $1,000 (Rs 63,000). With millions of transactions daily the world over and a total circulation estimated around $1.5 billion, Bitcoin by its sheer volume demands that government financial regulators keenly watch it. This should be a top priority for the central bank and the finance ministry and proper checks and balances are essential to make sure that the Indian investor does not burn his fingers dabbling in this.

Riots in India: A longing for justice

A Delhi sessions court by setting aside the CBI closure report on the 1984 Sikh riot case has brought to the front an issue that has been festering in the minds of thousands of its victims for almost three decades now. Riots, irrespective of where they happen or who are affected, not only bring untold misery but also leave scars that refuse to heal with time. Independent India has seen numerous riots: the 1969 riots in Ahmedabad, the 1984 Bhiwandi riots, the 1980 Morabadad riots, the Mumbai riots, the 2002 Gujarat violence, etc to name a few. Every now and then these blood-stained episodes in our history are brought to public gaze when fresh details emerge and court hearings occur. While there might be different accounts regarding the causes for a particular riot, there’s no two views that its effects are protracted, at times stretching for decades together.

Owing to the large number of people involved in it and the multiple views and accounts, enquires into riots, much like mob violence, are time-consuming processes. This, however, is little excuse. A reason why riot cases prolong is the inadequate or haphazard investigation and evidence collection at the initial phase and this lacuna affects the course of the case. Even in instances where there have been comprehensive investigations and detailed reports, governments of the day for various political exigencies have chosen to sit on it — or worse rubbish it. The Justice B N Srikrishna Committee report on the Bombay riots in 1992 and the blast in 1993 were rubbished by the Shiv Sena government and till date has not been acted upon by any of the Maharashtra governments that followed. Ignoring a commission report defeats the purpose of instituting it and also gives the victims of the riot a sense of further being wronged — this time by the state.
Rather than festering such wounds the government should come up with mechanisms to ensure speedy justice. The pursuit of justice in the case of riots is important, but equally so is the need to compensate and rehabilitate victims. Often the rehabilitation of riot victims has been shoddy. The government, both at the Centre and State, has more often than not failed to provide a sense of closure to victims whom the state is duty-bound to protect.
(An edited version of this appeared in the Hindustan Times)

The discomfort of importance: India's love for the lal batti

It might be more than 60 years since the first Battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry left India signalling the end of British colonial rule. However, many people refuse to abandon colonial vestiges, like an extended retinue that goes against the basic tenets of a democratic republic. It was this colonial hangover and feudal mindset that the Supreme Court was chastising while observing that red beacons used by politicians and government officials on vehicles have become a “fashion and status symbol”. The apex court’s observation, on Thursday, that state governments should drastically cut down on the number of red beacons used on VIP vehicles concurs with the sentiments of many people who are victims of the traffic violations these vehicles create. The SC Bench has suggested that if necessary the Motor Vehicle Act should be amended to restrict the number of officials entitled to use red beacons.
While it is a positive sign that in the recent few months the court has taken note of this grotesque display of ‘importance’, experience suggest that it is too much to expect our politicians to see reason. In the past efforts have been taken to reduce the number of politicians enjoying a security cover but these have had a temporal effect. In many countries except for the president and a few others the rest are not provided with security cover. In India, unfortunately, in some states even panchayat heads are given a security detail.
While in 2009 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh apologised to the family of a person who could not access the emergency area of PGIMER, in Chandigarh, because the PM was attending a function at the hospital, on a daily basis there might be many patients who are caught in traffic snarls because of roads being blocked for VIP movement. Such attitudes and practises need to change. Imposing a greater fine, as suggested by the SC, might be one option. Politicians and government officials need to shed the skewed logic that red beacons and security cover reflect a high status and level of importance, and be more accessible to the people who they are duty-bound to serve.
(An edited version of this appeared in the Hindustan Times on Monday, April 8)

Obama’s New Team Set to Give India the Jitters

Statements by Charles Timothy ‘Chuck’ Hagel, the new United States Defence Secretary, that “India has over the years financed problems for Pakistan on that side of the border” and “used Afghanistan as a second front” are bizarre to say the least. Hagel’s speech, made at Oklahoma’s Cameron University in 2011, which was uploaded by Washington Free Beacon recently, also gave Pakistan a clean chit. It goes without saying that Hagel’s statements are the much-required fuel to run the anti-India mills in our neighbourhood.

Hagel’s comments are contrary to the US stand on India’s commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan. India’s role was appreciated in a statement released by the US embassy in New Delhi, which distanced itself from Hagel’s views. Whether Hagel is fit for the demanding job or not is a different question but what should be concerning the mandarins in New Delhi is that such a comment is coming from a top authority in the Obama administration at a time when the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance government is turning to the United States to protect Indian interests in Afghanistan. These comments by Hagel, when seen with Secretary of State John Kerry’s January statement that “I don’t think the Pakistanis have frankly gotten credit, sufficiently, for the fact that they were helpful” in catching Osama bin Laden, poses serious questions on what course Indo-US ties will take at this crucial juncture.
New Delhi will have to work overtime to ensure that the new ring of leaders in the Obama administration are on the same page as its immediate predecessors and that they talk in one voice about India’s support to US goals in Afghanistan. It should impress upon Washington to see through Islamabad’s double game of hunting with the hounds and running with the hares. It will, however, be prudent to not rely heavily on a United States that is waiting to board the last plane out of Afghanistan.
(This appeared as an edit in The New Indian Express on February 28)

Kumbh Mela: Solace in the Middle of Mayhem

The decision to go to the Kumbh Mela was, in retrospect, not that a great one. After 12 hours of driving and walking for more than 18 kilometres to the Sangam I was in a ‘temporary’ city that saw more than 3.5 crore people in a day. It was on the same day that 30-odd lives were lost in a stampede.
The photos below were taken during my February 10-12 trip to Allahabad to attend the Kumbh Mela. The Kumbh Mela, as one associates with the event, is about taking a dip at the sangam and the nagas/sadhus. Bereft of the spectacle the nagas put, the mela, in my opinion, is a tame affair.
One does not always feel so, and particularly me, but it is events like this that make our country unique. I don’t say this from the point of a believer, but as a cultural and sociological phenomenon. 

My visit to the Kumbh Mela, unlike majority of the people there, was not out of religious fervour — it was more of a journalistic itch that took me there.
(Right) Kanpur (on the way to the Kumbh Mela) at 6 am.

An abandoned warehouse behind a petrol pump in Kanpur

He was not the only one who had that expression

En route to Sangam. It was a different experience to be part of this ocean of
pilgrims chanting and walking to the Sangam. This photo was clicked
some 13 kms before Allahabad

(Left) Horse-carts at Malaka Harihar, about 17 kms before Allahabad. We had to leave our car here and walk all the way to the city.

By the sheer volume of people who reach the sangam, this is a modern day wonder. The organisation and running of the mela is by no stretch of imagination an easy task. Two very good things that one could notice at the mela was the cleanliness of the whole place and how well lit was the whole ‘city’ at night.
(Right): You can’t expect 3 crore people to use the road. People used the railway bridge to cross the Ganga. I am standing on the 1 km-long bridge over the Ganga.

(Left): ‘Ganga Raksha, Bharat Raksha’: If this is how it's going to be, I'm not putting my bet on India.

(Right): Sangam Lite: People who did not prefer to reach the Sangam could take a dip in the Ganga over here.

The tricolour gave the whole frame a feel of a shot from ‘maa tujhe salaam’ video

(Right): While clicking this, I thought it was going to be a great one. I was just over-estimating my photography skills.

(Left): A temple (I guess) in Allahabad city.

(Right): The mela grounds deserted in the night. The whole Sangam township was well lit.

(Right): FDI in Sangam: Two ‘firang’ sadhus (unless this is a case of rare albinism) with their followers at an ahkara at the Kumbh Mela.

(Left): Fear mongering is a way of getting people into the fold.

Waiting for followers….

(Left): While the sadhus had people queuing to have a ‘darshan’ this sadhvi was not very happy at being left out.

(Left): In the akharas at the Kumbh Mela, it almost seemed like the sadhus were competing with each other to attract followers. So the whackier or unique the sadhu the more followers he/she enjoyed. There is nothing 'unique' about this sadhu, except maybe his 'high' expression.

(Right): This sadhu was whacky. Sanjit Kumar has more stories…

This sadhu was more than willing to strike a pose.
Now who would say 'no' to free publicity!

(Left): This stone allegedly floats in water because of some chemical used by the sadhu.