ASHRAF GHANI VISIT TO PAKISTAN

Newly elected President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani opted to visit Pakistan as his maiden visit after being elected. The Americans are withdrawing from Afghanistan this year and the Taliban eagle is spreading its wing to swoop and snatch power from the elected democratic Government.
Looking to this dangerous scenario , Ghani perhaps thought that instead of talking to the dog why not talk to its masters who are holding the leash. That is the Pakistan Army. The question which remains to be answered is will the Pakistan Army help Afghanistan in demolishing the Taliban and support the duly elected Government in Kabul to rule democratically according to the wishes of its people.
The history of Pakistan supporting various terrorist organisations as proxies to achieve its dangerous foreign policy objectives is well known.Adm. Mullen the then Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff succinctly testified in the Senate Armed Services Committee as under
"In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan … jeopardizes not only the prospect of our strategic partnership, but also Pakistan's opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence,"In its report dated October of this year The US Department of Defense's biannual report titled "Progress Towards Security and Stability in Afghanistan. "  states as under
" Pakistan continues to serve as a safe haven for the Taliban and other jihadist groups and that the Pakistani government often uses some terrorist organizations as proxies."
 The world today acknowledges Pakistan as a nursery of terrorists.
Keeping the above facts in view it becomes very difficult for any person to believe that Mr Ghani present overtures to Pakistan will result in any substantial change in its deep rooted relationship  with terrorism. It should not be forgotten that Taliban and Haqqani network are the children of Pakistan Army. Right from raising these groups,supplying cadres from madrassas located in Pakistan, training them and supplying arms Pakistan has its hand full. These terrorist groups were raised to wage Pakistan war in Afghanistan. To keep Afghanistan out of India's influence and to see that the Govt of Afghanistan remains under its thumb. Today Mr. Ghani main concern is to defeat the Taliban and exterminate it from the soil of Afghanistan. Does he really think that his utterly butterly visit will make Pakistan a ally to jointly defeat the Taliban? Will the Pakistan Army launch a joint operation with Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and Haqqani group? A big NO. Pakistan is not going to do any such thing. This is because Pakistan's strategic depth policy does not allow this. The army in Pakistan strongly holds the view that Afghanistan should be a extension of Pakistan. It should be friendly towards Pakistan, which to them means anti Indian and its economy and trade heavily tilted towards Pakistan. In a nutshell Afghanistan should be its slave. This means Afghanistan should not have a  independent foreign and defence policy. Afghans are a proud race and its people are aware that Pakistan has a major role in inflicting years of death and destruction upon them. Therefore Mr Ghani should carefully tread the path with Pakistan and should be cautious in not getting trapped. There is all the possibility that Pakistan is playing the role of a double crosser. Softening the resistance of Afghanistan towards Taliban and  secretly preparing the Taliban for the final strike.
Just after Mr.Ghani left Pakistan  Mr Sartaz Aziz advisor to Nawaz Sharif on security affairs gave this interesting statement to BBC urdu
"When the United States attacked Afghanistan, all those that were trained and armed were pushed towards us.Some of them were dangerous for us and some are not. Why must we make enemies out of them all?,” he said when speaking about the Haqqani Network.He further said that the Afghan Taliban are Afghanistan’s problem and Haqqani Network is a part of it. " So the cat is out of the bag. Pakistan will protect good Taliban and fight bad Taliban till they turn good. So Mr Ashraf Ghani be prepared for a proxy war to destabilise  your country. Your appeal to Pakistan for better relations have obviously not made any effect on them.There was a interesting event in the itinerary of Mr.Ghani. He was to meet the COAS of Pakistan first and then the Prime Minister of Pakistan. This never happens in any other country. The visiting Head of State  always meets his opposite first. In this case he should have met Mr. Nawaz Sharif first. Mr Ghani called on Gen. Raheel Sharif at GHQ Rawalpindi. See the photo above. Ghani sitting in a supplication posture before a puffed up General with a stick in his hand. The message is clear. I decide the foreign and defence policy of Pakistan and not the elected PM of Pakistan. Mr Ghani should contemplate whether any trustworthy negotiations are possible with a nation where its army has usurped the power of the PM. The Pakistan Army priority will be to destabilise Afghanistan to extend its power rather than do anything better for the people of Afghanistan.
 Pakistan time and again has impressed upon Afghanistan that it should not allow Indian influence to grow there. Infact it wants that Indian consulates should be closed, massive development projects by India should be terminated and training of  their defence personnel's by India be stopped. It seems that Pakistan has forgotten that Afghanistan is  a independent country free to take its decisions and develop ties with any country in the world. How can Pakistan decide who should be friend or not of Afghanistan ? This is a insult to the dignity of a proud and independent nation. Mr Ghani should carefully ponder whether in his pursuit for a resurgent Afghanistan he should allow such interference in its internal affair by Pakistan.
 Mr Ghani would also be aware that large amount of Afghan territory is under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. The Durand line has never been recognized by any Afghan Govt.These Pashtun territories legitimately belongs to Afghanistan and demand for its return should be pressed upon Pakistan in any negotiations.
 Whether this visit of Mr Ashraf Ghani would bear any fruit and bring peace and stability in the region is doubtful because Pakistan game plan is to keep Afghanistan as a slave. No self respecting nation will allow this to happen. It is for Afghanistan to decide its future course independently. India is a well trusted and well tested friend. We dont want the Taliban there. We dont want Islamisation and militancy in Afghanistan. Our goals are similar and therefore Mr Ghani should strengthen its relation with India further instead of being bullied by Pakistan.
 AK BUNDI

AFGHANISTAN,INDIA,PAKISTAN

AFGHANISTAN,INDIA,PAKISTAN

                                                                                                                        10th,September 2014

 

Today on 10th September,2014 the External Affairs Minister of India Smt Sushma Swaraj met the President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai in Kabul. On this occasion let us explore the relationship between India and Afghanistan :

The relation between India and Afghanistan is not of today but goes back centuries into ancient times. The Ashoka Pillar in Kandhar bears testimony to this fact. This pillar with its engravings was stored in the Kabul museum from where it has mysteriously disappeared. Then lots of Pashtuns like Ibrahim Lodi,Sher Shah Suri and so on ruled various territories in India. The movie Kabuliwala is still remembered by Indians with so much fondness. Nobody can forget the large hearted Pathan Kabuliwala selling his wares in Indian cities. This friendship and love between Indian and Afghanistan is the foundation of strong relation between our two countries. This is a foundation of deep mutual trust which has endured time and is sustained by shared cultural values ,trade and commerce.

Pashtuns were politically unified and Pashtun Kings ruled over 40,000 square miles of territory of what is now Pakistan. The British defeated them in 1867 and pushed them upto Khyber Pass. They imposed a arbitrary boundary called the Durand line. When Pakistan was formed in 1947 the Pashtun territories was given to this Punjabi dominated Government. This was a gross injustice to the Pashtuns which they have not forgotten. Afghanistan protested over this injustice in 1947 and laid claims to Peshawar and also opposed UN membership to Pakistan. Successive Governments in Afghanistan questioned the right of Pakistan to rule over Pashtun territories. They demanded the formation of Pashtunistan to be carved out of Pakistan. Even the Taliban which ruled Afghanistan from 1991 to 1996 never recognized the Durand line.

Pakistan was afraid that this demand for Pashtunistan would further break their fragile country already embroiled in ethnic and sectarian strife and therefore encouraged terrorism in Afghanistan to thwart the legitimate rights of the people of Afghanistan. Pakistan army and ISI raised the Taliban and provided them with arms and support. Thousands of Pashtuns were indoctrinated in Islamic extremism in Madrassas acrossWazirstan. Jihadi organisations in Pakistan were roped in by ISI to provide support in this mission. A entire terror machinery was built by Pakistan. The aim is to wage a proxy war so that Afghanistan would have a puppet Government controlled by Pakistan. The Haqqani group is a particularly virulent group which the Pakistan Govt fully backs. It has staged many terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan killing thousands of innocent civilians. It is pertinent to note that the recent Zarb-e-azb military action against terrorists launched by the Pakistan Army conveniently excludes any harm to the Haqqani Group.

The people of Afghanistan therefore hate Pakistan for annexing the Pashtun territories ,waging proxy war through terrorist organisations and for trying to dominate over them.

 Right from the beginning India has recognised and condemned these nefarious acts of Pakistan. The spread of terrorism by Pakistan into Afghanistan was ultimately going to harm India also. This common concern brought India and Afghanistan closer to each other. India pledged its support to Afghanistan and is taking steps to make the Afghan army strong enough to combat the Pakistan forces. Apart from this India took massive steps to build infrastructure like roads, bridges ,hospitals and medical facilities in Afghanistan. It also aided to strengthen the democratic foundation in the country.

In a recent deal with Moscow, India has agreed to pay for military equipment sourced from Russia to Afghanistan. The equipment will include artillery, helicopters, tanks, and armored vehicles. India will also pay to repair old Soviet hardware left behind after the Russian withdrawal in 1989. The scale and exact composition of the deal have yet to be announced, but it is known that the first order has already been placed. Negotiations are also underway with the US to purchase the military hardware of NATO forces which will be left behind once they withdraw from the region. India had so far hesitated to provide lethal weapons directly to Afghanistan. India and Afghanistan also signed the strategic partnership deal in 2011 which provided for “training, equipping, and capacity building programmes”. This agreement is a milestone in India and Afghanistan relations. Though India has not provided lethal military hardware till date under capacity building clause of the agreement there is no doubt that as the ISAF withdraws and the democratic process stabilises , it will do so in the near future.

 India has also provided $2 billion aid till date to improve the various infrastructures in the country. It also initiated various rural development projects to help fight poverty among the various communities. Building roads and dams, laying power lines, training ministry officials and army officers, and providing free scholarships to Afghan university students. The entire spectrum of India's assistance is a model for nations of the world to learn how sincerity and selfless service is the only way to win heart of any nation.

 Iran on the other side is also quietly working with India in these efforts. Iran has backed the government in Kabul and helped keep it afloat through regular cash payments and over 500 million dollars in aid over the last decade. Iran has funded schools, libraries, clinics, roads, and railway lines. Since at least 2005, India and Iran have been working together on developing a new trade corridor connecting Afghanistan’s major highways to the southeastern Iranian port of Chabahar, greatly reducing Afghanistan’s dependence on Pakistan for access to the sea. Chabahar port is strategically crucial as it gives access route to Afghanistan. The port, which is surrounded by a free trade zone, is vital for transit facility from India to Afghanistan.

 The question which remains to be answered is that why Pakistan is not contributing to the development and prosperity of Afghanistan? It is clear that Pakistan motive is to make Afghanistan its client state. It hides its ugly motives by talking of strategic depth invoking threat from India. Pakistan has already encashed this bogey threat from India many times over. Sucking millions of dollars from the United States over decades. It has pumped this US assistance to raise a army of terrorists which now threatens the entire world. Its nuclear weapons and army hardware has been purchased and  financed by cunningly hoodwinking the naive(it seems) US. However this cannot go for ever. It is time that for the sake of its own survival if not for anything else that the rulers in Pakistan change the course of this destructive trial. It should abandon terrorism,enemity,islamic extremism and embark on a enlightened path consistent with a modern and progressive state. However till they do this Afghanistan ,India and Iran have to remain vigilant.

As Afghanistan prepares for a democratic transition of power, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghan President Hamid Karzai today held wide-ranging talks on political and security situation in the war-torn country and agreed to intensify cooperation in areas like security and defence. The highlight of this meeting was that for the first time India has declared that Afghanistan will always be its first strategic partner. As the withdrawal of ISAF progresses it is hoped that India will not hesitate to send troops to Afghanistan to help the Afghanistan forces to fight against any aggression from Pakistan. India should also send manpower to establish schools, hospitals,NGOs and to run various civilian institutions. There is also need to establish a strong intelligence network in co-operation with Afghan intelligence. Joint covert operations are also necessary to dismantle the terrorist cells and network laid down by Pakistan.

 The future of India and Afghanistan is bright and together we would ensure that the region becomes free of turmoil and terror and a place where the citizens of both of our countries live in peace and prosperity.

 

AK BUNDI

 

 

 

 

 

BJP ATTEMPTS TO VIOLATE INDEPENDENCE OF JUDICIARY

                                                                                                                         02.07.14

 

 

The Gopal Subramanium episode is a clear indication that the present Goverment is interested in having a committed judiciary to facilitate its agenda during its ruling period. The Chief Justice of India has  rightly reprimanded the Goverment for isolating Gopal Subramanium thereby casting a doubt on its functioning and credibility. Ravi Shankar Prasad who is usually so vociferous has clamped his mouth. A usually good strategy when there is no explanation to offer.

 

It has been reported that there is no adverse IB report on the honorable lawyer which would justify his being barred to be considered for the post of Supreme Court Judge. At least no IB report has been produced. Any other reasons are so sketchy and utterly frivolous. Like he demanded a membership of a swimming pool or he had a meeting with Raja defense team. The more important thing is that the Government has not attached a report of its findings while forwarding its adverse recommendations to the Collegiums of Judges. So nobody knows not even the Collegiums why the Government has found Gopal Subramanium unfit for the post. The CJ has objected to this and has also emphasised that the final authority for selection of Judges of Supreme Court lies with the collegium. The Government should have forwarded all the names back with its opinion and necessary documents if it disagreed with any of the names. The final  decision should have been left to the collegium. But the Government did just the opposite. It  omitted Gopal Subramanium name from the list. The law Minister when asked to comment on this retorted that there are precedents  for this. This is not a satisfactory answer. If there is a bad precedent then is the Government justified in repeating it. Especially when the present Government claims to be morally superior. It  is also alleged that the Government also spread rumours which casted doubt over the character of the learned candidate for SC judge. Gopal Subramanium has alleged that the Government systematically scrounged  dirt to malign him. There was a concerted attempt at character assassination. These are serious charges The Government should disclose in clear terms the reasons for rejecting his candidature .

 

The action  of the Government if viewed in a objective manner is quite strange and cast a suspicion on its intentions. Everyone in the judicial circle have a high respect for the competency of Gopal Subramanium. He has served the judiciary for more than 17 years and has a distinguished unblemished record. Today we need such competent persons to take over important positions who will strengthen the independence of judiciary. But it seems that the Government does not want this. What did the Government see in Gopal Subramanium which made him unfit for post of SC judge? The reason which is doing the rounds is that  because as amicus curie in Soharabbdin fake encounter case he did not the toe the BJP line. He criticised the role of Modi and Amit Shah and sided with the view that it was a premeditated murder in connivance with the Gujrat Government. These allegations cannot be brushed away. It has a ring of truth about it. Infact it seems to be the only logical explanation for the bizarre action of the Government. The Government acted out of vengeance. The Government did not want a judge whose views were contrary to it. So taking advantage of its power it set aside every prudent norm and decided to hit below the belt. The sad thing is it damaged the independence of the judiciary by its action.

 

Gopal Subramanium in the best traditions of judiciary has since withdrew his candidature. He did not want to hold a post where abinitio he has lost trust of the current Government. He did the right thing. However at this juncture the CJ of India and other judges should become more assertive. This is the time for the judiciary to fiercely protect the independence of the judiciary. This is the time to convey the message that judges could not be selected on the basis of their suitability to the Government. The CJ requested Gopal Subramanium to withdraw the letter asking for cancelling his candidature. But he has refused. The CJ should think of some other way out to set things right. This is the time for the judges to come together. It would be appropriate if the other 3 judged whose names have been cleared by the Government also withdraw their candidature. Then reconstitute the collegium and start the process anew. Let Gopal Subramanium apply again and the process completed under directions of the CJ of India.

 

 

 

 

AK BUNDI

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEVYANI KHOBRAGADE

Link to Karan Thapar article is here

 

 

 

 

The Editor                                                                             Date 20.1.14

Hindustan Times

New Delhi

 

Please refer to the article "We'hv rushed in where angels fear to tread" by Karan Thapar published in Sunday  Hindustan Times dated 19.1.14.

 The Khobragade episode has largely cooled down when Karan has decided to take a quick snipe again at the Indian establishment by raising the issue and that too in a partisan manner. It would have been better if restraint was practiced. But journalist are known to go to any length to establish their version of the truth as if fighting a war. Karan Thapar line of arguments to prove that the story of the maid deserves more attention than the insult heaped on the diplomat of sovereign nation is not tenable. He has missed the forest for the trees. The issue here was largely that the conduct of the US gravely impinged on the dignity and respect of a  foreign diplomat of a strategic partner posted on its soil. It was a question of mutual respect between friends. It was a question of  not condoning the misdemeanour of a diplomat( here breaking US laws which itself is disputable) by finding a way out. We must keep in mind that the so called crime was not of such a huge dimension which threatened the existence of US. It was a matter of wage dispute and not a matter of murder and terrorism. Remember Raymond Davis who got away with murder. What the Indian Goverment was doing primarily was to make the US realise that this sort of treatment to Indian diplomats would not be tolerated. All its energy was focused to first extract Devyani Khorbagade from this mess. And here Karan Thapar like a parrot keeps on repeating that the sob story of the maid is more important. He came on CNNIBN several times and has never realised that how much he is hurting the fight of the Indian Goverment by his campaign for the maid. He talks about neutrality but he himself failed to maintain it by siding with the maid only.

 I find the article rather shallow and the points he raised rather flimsy. Let us analyse it.

 1. He says the response was not in favour of the maid since she was not a dalit. It does not occur to him that the response rose out of indignation on the treatment of our diplomat by a foreign Govt. Indians have always stood together against any nation which dares to insult us or harm us. Be it Pakistan or the strongest nation in the world. I do not understand how caste has to do anything with it. It was pure patriotism. The results are here to see. Devyani is back in India.

Regarding the maid the entire allegation is mired in controversy. How is Karan Thapar so sure that the maid was cheated? According to the facts which have emerged it seems that it was a well planned conspiracy to immigrate to the US. First the maid disappears in the US then the family leaves India with the help of US embassy. Both have now obtained permanent residence status in the US. So who has suffered? Only Devyani Khobragade who was made a scape goat in this matter. Therefore the response was due to two factors. Calculated and preplanned act of insulting India and second due to the charges being controversial due to circumstantial evidence pointing towards a trap. Cast has nothing to do with it.

 2. The main charge was that the maid was being paid below the minimum US wage. The visa application contained wrong facts. Both these allegations are not correct. The passport issued to Richards was a official passport. It means that she was part of the diplomatic staff and therefore US laws could not have applied to her. The fact should also be taken into consideration that the dispute was pending before a Indian court which has restrained Richards from proceeding against Khobragade in the US. The US had therefore had no right to intervene in the dispute till this issue was pending in a Indian court. The other thing to note is that Richards went to the US embassy to be interviewed for visa issue. Why did she accept before the visa officer that 4500$ would be paid to her when she very well knew that this was not the case? And why did the visa officer accept this if he knew that for the past several years nobody is paying US minimum wages to domestic workers of diplomatic staff? Also facts have emerged that the salary mentioned 4500$ in  the visa application was relating to the diplomat and not of the maid. The US Justice deptt committed a grave error. But the most important fact is that the maid was being paid  US minimum wages which is 9.75$ per hour. The working hours stated in the contract signed and attached with the visa application was 40 hours per month and the salary comes to 1560$ per month. The maid wanted 30,000Rs( separate contract signed between the maid and Khobragade) to be paid in India which amounts to 560$. She was being paid 560$ in India and 1000$ was being paid to her in New York. So there was no infringement of US laws.Moreover her entire expenses of board and lodging and travelling expenses were beared by the diplomat. So the entire sob story was part of a larger immigration racket which is for all to see. I wish Karan Thapar would have researched the issue before unnecessarily embarrassing the Indian Goverment.

 3.Mr Karan Thapar has quoted a letter dated 4th September,2013 written by the US State department to the Indian Embassy, New York which according to him states that " action under US law us imminent". This is entirely false. Nowhere it states that "action is imminent". The letter states that the allegation should be probed. This is a one sided letter. It is interesting to note that the Indian embassy lodged a written complaint in June,13 informing the US State deptt that the maid Richard has gone missing. It also informed that her passport has been revoked. It requested the State department to help trace the maid since she was illegally living in the US. There was no response from US deptt on this subject(inspite of reminders ) and even the NYPD refused to register a missing person complaint. Suddenly our embassy receives the above letter which is not a reply about tracing of the missing maid but about allegations by the maid! This means that the US State deptt was hiding the maid all along with the intention of building a case against India. Therefore the action of the US State Department in helping a fugitive instead of handing her over to the Indian Embassy amounts to a criminal act.

Mr Thapar suggests that on receiving the 4th Sept letter the diplomat should have been sent back to India is erroneous. Firstly because the letter did not contain a warning of imminent arrest. Secondly because US was silent on the status of the missing maid. Thirdly because withdrawal of the diplomat meant accepting that some crime has been committed.

 4. Now the question of equalising the privileges of  US and Indian diplomats. Mr Karan Thapar states that dont make a current problem to be the reason for correcting past problems. But this what precisely happens in real life. You know a friend for many years and has given him many privileges out of respect to him. One day your friend slaps you in his own house since you opened his fridge and peeped inside. According to him this was against the law prevalent in his house. Now even if you were wrong this was no way to treat a long standing friend. So you withdraw the privileges extended to him in the past. There is nothing wrong if India has withdrawn the privileges. This was the right time when it had to happen.

 In the end the entire episode smacks of  US arrogance,a deliberate plot to defame India, blatant thrusting of US laws and absolute disregard for extending basic courtesy to diplomats.

I am sure had Mr Karan Thapar been neutral and objective and also researched the subject he would have written a more balanced article.

 

AK BUNDI

 

 

 

INDIAN ENVOY DEVYANI KHOBRAGADE HUMILATED BY THE US

 

The statement issued by Preet Bahara US attorney defending the action against Devyani Khobragade is available here. It is a well contrived bundle of lies and proves the Indian assertion that the entire chain of events was to humilate Indians. Arrogance and US superiority stinks through out the statement issued by Preet Bahara . Let us examine the statement :

 1. The statement mentions that a complaint was received. It is not clarified from whom the complaint was received. From reports emerging till date , no complaint was  ever lodged with the US Govt  by the maid servant of the diplomat .Moreover the maid servant Sangeeta Richard was reported missing by Indian Govt and her passports were cancelled. This was informed to the US authorities.  Incase the maid approached the US authorities for lodging a complaint it was their duty to hand over her to the Indian authorities. It is therefore obvious that the US Govt suo-motto took the decision to prosecute the lady diplomat and to humilate her.

He further states that a US law which has been made to prevent exploitation of servants of diplomats/consular employees has been broken. First of all I am really aghast at the arrogance of the US to decide how much a national of a foreign nation should pay to his employee. I can understand a advisory/guidelines in this regard but here surely the US is acting as if it has the right to dictate others. Should a nation pay their employees according to the per capita income of its people or should pay it according to US standards? Should the servant be paid $4200 dollars when the diplomat is getting a salary of $4500? It is ridiculous to think even that this is possible.
So let us be clear on one thing that there was no exploitation of the servant. Her entire boarding charges,travelling expences,medical expenses plus her salary comes to a handsome amount. There was even no complaint from the servant during her tenure that she was being exploited.

It is unfortunate that a US attorney is drumming these charges of exploitation on technical grounds to hide its real intention of targeting the Indian Govt.This person Preet Bahara is of Indian origin and it seems that to enhance his acceptability among the white people he is particularly enthusiastic in targeting the Indians.

There is one other point which I want to bring out especially when the US in this case is projecting itself as a superman coming to the rescue of  the poor and exploited. Does the US pay the domestic helps employed by their diplomats US minimum wages? Surely the US embassies are US territories by definition and the local domestic helps working there should get salaries according to US standards. But the US empathy for the poor ends here. According to reports the salaries of these employees in their south asia centers are a meager $1 per day!

So this US law about enforcing US minimum wages on foreign diplomats is not only defective but obnoxious and unfair. The other fact is that the unpractibility of this law was in the notice of the US Govt and they knew that almost all the third world embassies were not adhering to it. The anomaly between the salary paid and that declared on the visa application form was known to the US authorities. And this practice was in vogue for the past several years. Then how is that suddenly they woke up to this great injustice being done and arrested  the Indian diplomat. To be precise not only arrested but handcuffed and body searched. If they suddenly woke up to the issue then in all fairness they should have given prior notice to all the embassies and consular offices warning them of strict implementation of the law. The diplomats would have either terminated the services of the domestic helps or would have taken some other appropriate action to protect themselves. But here I would again like to point out that this was preplanned operation to target the Indian Govt.

Therefore as claimed by Mr Preet Bahara there was no evading of the US law but a mere continuation of  the custom prevailing till now with the silent approval of the US. It is another matter that the US suddenly decided to implement it without issuing any warnings.

It is also incorrect as alleged that the diplomat created false documents knowingly. The visa application was signed by the maid servant fully aware that the salary mentioned would not be paid and was a mere formality to complete the paper work. It is already stated above that this practice was in vogue since past several years  because of the simple reason that the salary of a servant cannot be more than a employer and US was well aware of it.

The statement further expresses its dismay that a petty matter like the treatment to the diplomat is being given more importance instead of  focusing on the treatment meted out to the servant. This statement proves in a nutshell that demeaning and humiliating behavior towards Indian diplomats is a insignificant matter for the US. How was that Mr Preet was so sure that the the maid servant was not indulging in a well thought out plan to blackmail  her employer to extract financial gains and to seek permanent residence in the US? Obviously this attorney was acting with a ulterior motive  and therefore completely avoids this angle.

I would like  to present several facts which points towards a conspiracy by either Sangeeta Richard alone or in connivance with the US authorities.

 First the maid servant accepted the employment fully aware that the salary mentioned in the visa application would not be paid to her. Second  she worked with the employer for 8 months and never complained about her salary. One fine day she tells the employer that she wants to work outside during holiday.Note that she was given holidays also. No exploitation. The permission is refused rightly by the employer since it would violate the terms of employment in the US. The diplomat goes out of station and when she returns the maid is not there.  The date was 23.6.13 .She has just disappeared. The Indian Govt informs the US authorities and revokes her passport. There is no help from the US side to trace the missing maid. On 1.7.13 the diplomat Khobragade receives a anonymous call asking for certain favors in return for not filing a court case against her. Is this not blackmail and clearly shows the intention of the maid servant.? On 2.7.13 the diplomat reports the matter to NYPD and tells them that she is being blackmailed and to trace the call received by her. There is absolutely no action. It seemed that a plot designed by top US authorities was at work to ensnare the lady diplomat. In despair the diplomat files a case in India for restraining Sangeeta Richard from filing any case against her in the US and also praying for anticipatory bail. Then one fine day on 4.9.13 the Indian Embassy receives a letter from US authorities informing that the charges made by the maid is serious. So it was admitted that the maid was in contact with the US authorities and deliberately not handed over inspite of missing complaint lodged by the Indian embassy . This clearly proves the conspiracy angle.

On 21.9.13 Delhi High Court passes the order restraining Sangeeta Richard from filing any court case against the diplomat outside India and on 19.11.13 issued a arrest warrant for her arrest. Inspite of these orders being immediately forwarded to the US authorities no action was taken. The orders of the Indian court was rather treated as a piece of garbage.A completely opposite action was taken, that is to file a case against the diplomat and then to arrest her.

And now the best part. The husband and the daughter was secretly granted visa by the US embassy in Delhi and flown away to USA on the same day. It is now reported that they are being granted green cards. The question  is whether the objective of the  Richards( quite a impressive name) was to gain permanent status? Or they were part of a conspiracy to malign India? Or may be  Sangeeta supplied some information to the US intelligence and her family received a reward in the form of permanent immigration.

Therefore it is surprising that Mr Preet Bharara did not look into the possibility of conspiracy and blackmail by the maid.

The entire timeline of the episode can be found here

 2. Here Mr Preet only repeats the justification of his action. He completely refuses to acknowledge the chain of events ending with the escape of the husband. The hand of the US in keeping the maid hidden. Inaction of NYPD. Ignoring of Indian court orders for the arrest of the maid servant and for not initiating any legal action against Devyani. This is amazing Mr Preet !

The truth is that she was betrayed by the US and ensnared and used for ulterior reasons. The entire truth will come out some day.

 3. The third paragraph by the most loyal servant of the United States is entirely devoted to the allegations made by the maid. The allegations among others that she was made to work 40 hours a week  and was forced to change the contract are merely in the realm of speculations. Arrest,handcuffing and other atrocities are not required just because somebody has made certain allegations. That too without even hearing the other side which happens to be a diplomat of a friendly country. Obviously the learned attorney was more interested to serve  the orders of his superior masters rather than administering justice.

 4. This part in which Mr Preet sketches a rosy picture of all the courtesy accorded to the victim is most interesting. Earlier the State Deptt officials completely washed their hands off the entire matter of subjecting the diplomat to humiliating treatment. Saying that once the case is transferred to the arresting authorities they have no role to play in it. But now Mr Preet remembers every detail vividly. Everything was hunky dory ! they even offered her food. But he also cleverly does not deny handcuffing and cavity search. Of course it was all standard procedure.

It does not occur to this learned attorney that under the Vienna convention for consular's all due respect is to be extended. The diplomat could have been called to the office of the arresting official and then questioned and offered bail. Of course it is another thing that by doing such a thing they would be defeating the very purpose for which this intricate web was woven. That is demeaning and humiliating India before the international community. This is a classic example of rubbing salt to the injuries.
In the Raymond Davis case the US demanded diplomatic immunity from Pakistan even though he was not a diplomat attached to the US embassy there. He was a US citizen as a consular. So how is that our diplomat is not covered under immunity? But then Mr Preet conveniently becomes blind to the fact .

 5. Here Mr Preet acknowledges that the US arranged for extracting the family of the maid from India and clandestinely flew him to the United States. All in the name of dispensing justice! What other proof one needs that the entire operation was meticulously planned. Just after 2 days after the arrival of the family in the US, Devyani was arrested. It all looks like a spy thriller. Till now spies were being secretly extracted from enemy territory. Now even in cases of wage disputes the US is ready to transcend all international laws and undermine the sovereignty of nations. This is a dangerous trend. Does the jurisdiction of the  justice deptt of the US envelopes all nations in the world? But the learned attorney justifies it in the name of justice. If this concept is followed by other countries,complete chaos would reign. Each country has its own laws and the concept of justice varies. Should a country in which death penalty is not allowed should start extracting people under sentence of death in the US. What type of attorney is Mr Preet ,giving such a ridiculous argument? If his argument is followed then we would be completely justified to give asylum to Snowden.

 Mr Preet please note that the world is not the private domain of the United States. People like you with inflated ideas of greatness do utmost harm to friendly relations and sow the seeds of hatred and contempt for the US. You have done nothing in this case for the sake of justice but for the sake of feeding the inflated ego of the US. The entire case is fabricated,preplanned ,unconstitutional and contrived deliberately to bully India. Iam  sure that the details of the conspiracy would surface one day.

In the end I would state that the Indian people are united to condemn this nefarious action of the United States. Rest assured Ms Devyani Khobragade would emerge out of this episode clean and shining. The humiliation would be of the United States

 

 

AK BUNDI

19.12.13

 

AAM ADMI PARTY OR KAAMSE BHAGO PARTY  13.12.13

 

The much awaited election results of the Delhi assembly were out on 8.12.13. The AAP won 28 seats, the Congress 8 and the BJP 32 seats. What astonished everyone was that the newly formed AAP was able to win such a large number of seats and even the  Chief Minister Sheila Dixit was defeated by a margin of 25000 votes by Kejriwal the chief of AAP. It was clear that the Delhi voters wanted the AAP to govern Delhi and bring in the changes promised by them. Namely a corruption free governance,reduction in electricity bills,reduction in inflation,security and  decentralisation of power. In short implementation of the lofty ideals preached by them. The public in their enthusiasm no doubt overlooked the fine work done by the previous Sheila Dixit Govt in the past 15 years. Entire Delhi from east to north and south to west witnessed a tremendous development in all fields be it electricity,water,metro, parks,airport,road connectivity,overbridges and pollution free atmosphere. But this is the public verdict and should be respected. The people considered these development work as insufficient and expected that AAP would deliver much better than this. So be it. The question is that why has the AAP refused to govern Delhi and take on the responsibilities.

1. AAP declared that they would form Govt only if they secure majority in the assembly that is if they get 36 seats or more. Are they dictating terms to the  voters? What is the guarantee that they would secure majority in the next elections? They have thus betrayed the voters and have not reciprocated the faith which the voters reposed in them by not forming the Govt.

2. AAP could have formed a minority govt which would only restrict them from passing bills. Otherwise all other works like streamlining education,water,electricity,poverty alleviation programs etc could have initiated. After all this is not the first time a minority govt would have been formed. This is part of democracy and completely legitimate. This step taken by the AAP only betrays their reluctance to take on responsibility. Shirking from  their duties.

3. Congress has already declared that they are ready to give unconditional support to AAP. With their 8 seats AAP could have easily form the Govt. If there is a unconditional support why is not AAP going for it? Even the argument that they dont want to tie up with corrupt political parties do not matter here. The support is unconditional and AAP can pursue their agenda as they wish. However by not availing of this offer AAP has only shown that it not ready to govern and is only fit for opposing things and for shouting slogans of unpractical lofty ideals.

4. AAP has just refused to even consider a dialogue with other parties for formation of the Govt.Even the BJP could have been persuaded to abstain from the house during the confidence motion thereby reducing the number of present and voting. This way also the AAP could have won the confidence motion and then continue to govern.

The fact is that AAP has betrayed the people who voted them. The only reason seems to be that they were not confident enough to fulfill the promises they had assured to the public. The question is that whether such a party is dependable to rule such a sensitive city like Delhi which is the capital of India. If such is the attitude of AAP it would be better that the Congress comes to power so that they continue the good work they were doing.

 

 

AK BUNDI

SHERRY REHMAN LECTURE AT THE JAMA MILLIA,DELHI ON 31.7.13

                                                                       
                                                                                                                                   8.8.13

Sherry Rehman was born on 21.12.60 in Karachi as Shehrbano ‘Sherry’ Rehman. She is the founding chairperson of Jinnah Institute a think tank in Pakistan, former Information Minister and Pakistan ambassador to the United States.She is married to Nadeem Hussain founder of Tameer Bank. Don't  be misled by the name Sherry which  reminds one of merry days full of fun and frolic spiced with occasional sinful pleasures behind the curtains. Not with Sherry Rehman. She is a intellectual,diplomat,parliamentarian and a social activist. She introduced 5  five PPP bills tabled in the National Assembly: the Women Empowerment Bill, Anti-Honor Killings Bill, Domestic Violence Prevention Bill, Affirmative Action Bill and Hudood Repeal Bill. She also moved two bills concerning the media: the Freedom of Information Bill and the Press Act, which prevents working journalists from being arrested under the 1999 Press Ordinance. A case was registered against her under the notorious Anti Blasphemy Law of Pakistan. Occasionally she has dragged herself into scandals also. The most famous being her merrily puffing a cigarette. You can see the video here.
After the change in Govt in Pakistan the Jinnah Institute is her pet project.Certain quarters in Pakistan have raised concerns that Jinnah Institute is being funded by the ISI through Tameer Bank.Dr Siddiqa who is a prominent Pakistani scholar has already exposed the ISI plan to infiltrate the US think tanks to echo the nefarious agenda of the military establishment of Pakistan. In 2011The Jinnah Institute  together with  the United States Institute of Peace(ULIP) produced a report entitled "Pakistan, the United States and the End Game in Afghanistan: Perceptions of Pakistan". The report stressed the importance of a dialogue between  Pakistan and US governments with  the Taliban with the intention of paving way for Mullah Omar’s rule in Kabul and Kandahar, consistent with ISI’s agendas. This is the goal of the  Pakistan military and ISI and the Jinnah Institute  faithfully incorporated it in its report .

However coming to her lecture at the Jama Millia on 31.7.13 it may be said it was literary a lecture to India. She kept her face straight and gave a lecture on how India is not reciprocating the love and effection Pakistan is pouring on it. Incidentally if you see the picture above, you would observe that her face has started resembling the gentleman whose photograph is hanging behind her. Mohd Ali Jinnah divided India in the name of religion . After getting Pakistan he changed track and started harping that religion and state would be kept separate in Pakistan. This new found ideology he announced in a speech on 11.8.47. The records of this speech has mysteriously disappeared from the archives of the Pakistan radio. Similarly Ms Sherry Rehman is also saying something which is not the truth. The art of subterfuge has been perfected by the Pakistani establishment. They seldom say something which they believe and they seldom believe in what they say. So Sherry Rehman is not a exception.

 I have not been able to lay my hands on the full text of her speech. Let us analyse some of the issues she has raised as reported in the media :

 1. "Kashmir will remain a core concern but we need to move beyond that," she said.

 How is that Kashmir is a core issue for Pakistan? Was it earlier part of Pakistan and India snatched it? The truth is that a part of Kashmir has been snatched away by Pakistan which has still not been returned to us. The entire Kashmir has been acceded to India legally by then Maharaja Hari Singh. So the core issue is returning of POK to us. It is another matter that India is not pressing for it. Ms Sherry Rehman is aware that Kashmir is legally and constitutionally integral part of this country now. Issues like UNO resolution or plebiscite have become redundant and time barred. India will never enter into any negotiations with anybody for deciding the status of  of Kashmir. As far as POK is concerned, Pakistan may return it back to us since it is illegally occupied since 1947. Therefore core issue drama of Pakistan just does not hold water. It is only a cleverly devised tool to needle India and a medium for its political elite to remain in power. The reality is that Pakistan is not interested in the welfare of Kashmiri's. Its only wants its territory and rich natural resources.Pakistan love for the Kashmiri's and its support for the Kashmir cause is also exposed.There has been a number of killings of persons in Pakistan who advocated a independent Kashmir. The most prominent was the killing of Arif Shahid  (based in POK) who advocated Independence for Kashmir. On one side Pakistan continuously shouts that Kashmir's should decide the status of Kashmir and on the other side it is itself eliminating those who are supporting its independence. It only goes to prove its real intention of swallowing Kashmir. This is the core issue for Pakistan. Report.

Since the core issue is a fake issue the condescending words of Madam Sherry that"We need to move forward" as if Pakistan is doing a great favour is unnecessary.

 2.   She also said the rise of Hindutva in India was a cause of concern for Pakistan

 Now this statement is the funniest one I have heard in the last two decades of Indo-Pak relations.

Which Hindutva is she talking about? After Independence India adopted a secular democratic constitution whereas Pakistan became a Islamic country. Religion and state are separate here. In Madam Sherry country the state itself is Islamic and is actively engaged in promoting Islamism and Islamic extremism. If she is pointing her fingers towards the RSS,VHP then these organisations are here since independence and they are not armed lashkars like the TTP ,Taliban. In the past 65 years  there may been a occasional spurt in their activity but it has seldom disturbed the calm waters of secularism.These occasional spurt in their activism cannot in any sense be termed as rise of Hindutva. It is said that attack is the best form of defense. Therefore  Ms Sherry Rehman is taking resort to this gimmick to defend the indefensible spread of cancer of terrorism in Pakistan which is affecting the entire world.First Ms Sherry Rehman builds a imaginary evil doll of rising Hindutva in India and then further gives it a life by expressing  her concerns from it. Pakistan which has the most dreaded demons of terrorism  fearing from Hindutva peanuts in India! Ridiculous . It would be better to leave this to the readers to judge themselves.
While on the subject it would be proper for me  to point out that mass international killings like 9/11,26/11  and other numerous terrorist attacks have been planned and executed by elements in Pakistan. In most of the cases ISI has provided logistic support as well as supply of weapons to the terrorist. Intelligence reports gathered during a long span of time by the US and other nations have clearly established the nexus between the Pakistani state and terrorist. Everybody knows the ties between the PMLN and TTP,LeT,LeJ. The previous Govt of PPP was obediently at the pleasure of the Army which in turn was using terrorist as a legitimate force. It has became very difficult for Pakistan therefore to hide the nest of snakes which it is feeding .Moreover the fire it ignited for others have started burning in its own backyard. Since Pakistan cannot hide the devil and neither it can destroy it the best next thing it did was to justify it. Mumbai 26/11was because of Kashmir problem, Train blast, Akshardam killings because of Babri masjid, New York was attacked because of Palestine problem, Bodh Gaya attacked because of Rohingya problem, Innocents massacred because of drone attacks,London metro attacked because of Muslim discrimination, London soldier attack because of Afghanistan problem,Indian Embassy attacked because of strategic depth problem. The list is long. Now Pakistan is cherry picking some episode and justifying jihadis. Wait ! Imran Khan is now going one step further to hug the Talibs.
That is why people in India just smiled politely when Sherry Rehman spoke at the Jama Millia.

 3. She said both countries need to move beyond "cold war politics" and "tired posturing of hyper nationalism".

 India is a vast country and it can adjust 4 Pakistans in it if we go area wise. What will it do with more territory? Pakistan has constantly crying wolf over India as if we are going to annexe it territories.There is nothing worthwhile in Pakistan which India would like to possess. Infact some people in India thank God that Pakistan was formed and all the Jihadis, Fasadis and Wahibis shifted there. Pakistan propaganda about India intimidating has however paid rich dividends to it. Possession of Nuclear weapons and billions of dollars in US aid and advance weapon systems . So the cold war which Ms Sherry Rehman is referring to does not exist as far as India is concerned but for Pakistan it is important to continue this bogey.India has yet to be granted MFN status,Kashmir is not recognised as part of India,Parts of Leh/Ladakh given to China,ISI sponsored attacks, beheading of soldiers and so on. Are these not cold war attacks on India. The cause of the cold war is Pakistan and it is expected that Ms Rehman would impress on the leaders of her country to drop these tactics and embrace the hand of India to promote peace and prosperity in the region.

Now what is this "tired posturing of hyper nationalism" ? Has Ms Rehman   ever gone through school text books prescribed in Pakistan? Millions of Pakistani children are taught that Hindus are cunning kafirs and India is Pakistan enemy one. Thousands of Madrassa's believed to be approximately 40,000 are jihadi producing factories which churn out thousands of jihadis every month. After years  of such indoctrination the majority of youngsters in Pakistan now consider themselves as Arab as if their ancestors never belonged to the great Ganga-Jamuna tehzeb. So this is the kind of nationalism which Pakistan is injecting into its population which is inimical and hostile towards India. There is no such indoctrination in India. Yes there is the pain of partition but there is no malice born out of religious differences. And please remember Ms Sherry that India has more Muslims than Pakistan and they are increasing but your country has reduced the Hindus from 22% to 2%. So Ms Sherry don't make us a partner in the sort of nationalism which you are nurturing. It can be termed as 'viper' nationalism and  not' hyper' nationalism.

 4. she said, “we are here building bridges”.

 Would Ms Sherry Rehman tell us what sort of bridges she intends to build.Horrible attacks from Pakistan based terrorists and from the Army has now become a common occurrence. Thousands of Indians have been killed in these attacks. Our soldiers have been beheaded and those captured have been mutilated. The perpetuators of these crimes are roaming free and boasting about their vile acts in Pakistan. The Let/JuD chief  Hafeez Sayeed who has blood on his hands openly threatens India from Lahore in his daily speeches. In one of his speeches he said that " Hindus are mean enemy" and "they have to be crushed as our forefathers have done". Instead of putting this rascal behind bars guess what the  Pakistan Government does .It releases a grant of 61.35 million to his  organisation JuD based in Muridke. A award for his blood thirsty intention against India.Report. Capt Saurabh Kalia was captured, tortured and mutilated and then his body was thrown in a pit by the Pakistani Army. All along Pakistan denied this but now see how a Pakistani soldier is boasting about it in a function organised by the Pakistan Army. Video.

It is clear that Pakistan never wanted bridges to be built. Its entire military and civil complex is working overtime to devise new ways to target the people of India. Even a small thing like granting MFN status to India cannot be carried out by Pakistan and and Ms Sherry Rehman is talking about building bridges.Ms Sherry show yourself a mirror and you would see the utter falsehood of the statement you are making. First apologise for your misdeeds,punish those responsible for it,apprehend the terrorists, control your army and then come for building bridges.

 5. she also mentioned that “India still looks at Pakistan through an outdated lens” and while they try to move forward with any discussion, the Mumbai attacks “burns a hole in every conversation” and “negotiations in this view are not possible.”

 India still looks at Pakistan through a outdated lens? What does it mean? The entire world and not only India knows that the entire ground in Pakistan has become a quick sand in which it is slowly being swallowed. Killing have become norm there,Muslims are killing Muslims. The administration has become ineffective and Army has been infiltrated by Jihadis. Elections are won by getting support from extremist organisations.Mediveal laws like the blasphemy law , anti Ahmedi laws , non Muslims voter rights law are prevailing there. People like Salman Taseer are publicly executed and his killing is celebrated by educated citizens of Pakistan. The killer is showered with rose petals.The judiciary has become redundant. The judges do not pronounce judgments because of threats to their life.Witnesses fear to depose. Hindu girls are kidnapped ,converted and forced into marriage with Muslim landlords. Nobody even blinks.Even TV shows are aired showing some poor Hindu  being converted to Islam with much fanfare and the entire Pakistan audience applauds. Presidents and Prime Ministers run away from Pakistan and take shelter in Dubai or London. Even your former ambassador to US Hussain Haqqani has to run away to prevent his throat being slit by some  celebrity extremist or the ISI.

I am quite sure Ms Sherry is aware of all these facts. India is looking at Pakistan with the latest modern lens and not with a outdated one. The more you remain in a self denial mode the sooner you will hasten the disintegration of your country. India is wisely taking precautionary steps while dealing with such a messy country.
The next part of Ms Sherry statement is the cherry on the cake. Rubbing some extra salt on the wounds.The Mumbai attacks was one of the most murderous event after 9/11 perpetuated by LeT and the ISI. It was organised and planned by the ISI of Pakistan together with Pakistani terrorist organistion the LeT. There is a well planned conspiracy to protect the perpetuators of this crime in Pakistan. 5 years have passed and there is no progress in the case. To escape criticism from the international community a drama is being enacted where some of the accused are kept behind bars where they are enjoying all the luxuries. There is absolutely no progress in the case otherwise. Sometimes the lawyers make themselves absent, sometimes witnesses don't appear, sometime the judge is not well and sometimes they are on leave.Sometimes even some remote sections of the law are digged into and quoted to delay the proceedings. Incidentally the lawyer in the case ChaudharyZulfiqar has also been killed .Hafeez sayeed the brains behind this crime is a hero in Pakistan and promising a second episode. Even a fool can see the real intentions behind these mask of appearances. It looks that so many killings in Pakistan has made you people immune to killings. For us every life is precious and every killer is accountable for his actions.
 Pakistan should not further degrade itself by treating the Mumbai attacks as something which is of little importance and can be set aside in favour of a dialogue. Dialogue is not possible with people who hide murderers ,terrorists and assassins. What you are trying to suggest Ms Rehman is preposterous. You want a dialogue with a country after killing 200 of its people and then having the temerity to protect the killers. This type of twisted logic only Pakistan can practice.

 6. She said one key difference in the Pakistani mood today is that India is no longer seen as Pakistan's principal enemy.

 The military and civil complex of Pakistan sings a different song. There is no ground evidence to suggest that Pakistan has changed its policy of enmity with India. Merely stating something does not make it a fact. Leaders of terrorist organisations vowing to decimate India are still being patronised. There are as much as 42 terrorist training  camps running at various places in Pakistan specifically for targeting India. The Pakistani army regularly gives fire cover to militants crossing the LOC into Kashmir. The ISI is providing funds and support to local groups in India to carry out extremist activities. Groups like the Indian Mujahidin have become extension of the ISI. Almost all the Indian terrorist are trained and sheltered in Pakistan. There are almost 50 dreaded  Indian terrorists who have been given shelter in Pakistan. There has been no response from Pakistan to various appeal made by India to hand them over. Killing of Indian soldiers on the LOC is merrily going on. As recently as at the time of writing this article 5 Indian soldiers have been killed in Poonch by a joint team of Pakistan army and the jihadis. Pakistan has a special regiment called mujahedeen 801 or BAT comprising of regular Pakistan soldiers and LeT cadre terrorists to carry cross border attacks. There is already evidence that after the withdrawal of US from Afghanistan, Pakistan has planned to divert the bulk of mujahedeen's toward India.

So how is the mood changed? There is no evidence of it. The  declared goal of Pakistan to bleed India through a thousand cuts is still being pursued vigorously. So if Ms Sherry Rehman thinks that by voicing such homilies she can hide the ground realities then she is sadly mistaken. She should cite some hard facts to substantiate her claim that the mood in Pakistan has changed. Action speaks louder than words.

 In the end I would state that we all want a lasting friendship with Pakistan but not on the terms which Pakistan is insisting. Dialogue for dialogue sake is meaningless. Friendship with a demon is suicide. Cosmetic changes are useless. Pakistan has to make fundamental changes to its polity by taking  pro active steps. Reverse its present engagement to deploy and support terrorism against India by taking positive steps. Then only a lasting and true friendship between our two nations can be a dream come true.

 

 

AK BUNDI