Indian Politics: A Sena In Search Of Its Manoos

Confused over the identity of the Marathi Manoos, the Shiv Sena is taking away a part of its past and risking a new future, says VIJAY SIMHA

On guard The Sena took on SRK but the Bollywood star won the bout

WITH PRACTICED nonchalance, Jitendra Jhanvale took his 30th call in about an hour. "All right. How many? Where did he go?" He cut the call in a hurry to attend to a group of men who bowed to touch his feet. They brought bad news. There were about 30 men around Jhanvale, a sort of a melee. Many wore gold chains around their necks and several rings on their fingers. It was the sort of gathering from where Jhanvale, a Shiv Sena functionary who operates between Bandra and Andheri in Mumbai, tends to radiate menace. Now, he simply sat.

Jhanvale and his friends were in the Bandra police station, surrounded by policemen whose only job that day was to keep his group immobile. On the loose, Jhanvale might have found ways to embarrass Rahul Gandhi, a general secretary of the Congress and prime target of the Shiv Sena, who was in Mumbai that day. Jhanvale was apparently good at his job, so good that the Bandra police took him off the streets soon. They wanted to keep him as far away from Gandhi as possible.

The Shiv Sena, for whom Jhanvale works, is a rightwing political party based in Mumbai that was formed in June 1966 by Bal Thackeray. For a long while, the Sena was known by its violent attacks on anyone who it thought was anti-Sena. It is now being forced to rework its politics. The issue of Marathi identity is not delivering as it may have done, and the Sena is in the midst of a major debate on the way forward.

Part of the discussion is on how to curb its aggressive tendencies and move into fresh areas. This is reflected in the Sena's approach to the Shah Rukh Khan controversy and its recent use of IT. Though the Sena seemed to be belligerent on the outside with Khan, it worked furiously for peace with the actor on the inside. People in the know in the Sena, the Maharashtra Congress and the state administration say a meeting was almost fixed between Bal Thackeray and Shah Rukh Khan for a Sunday. Apparently, more than 20 telephone calls were exchanged between Matoshree, the Thackeray residence, and Mannat, Khan's residence, for the meeting where a truce was to be worked out.

WE LOOK FOR WAYS TO MAKE SENSE TO THE YOUNGER GENERATION,' SAYS CORPORATOR RAVINDRA WAIKAR

Just when things seemed to be falling in place, say Sena seniors, Khan pulled out. Sources in the Congress say the party high command in New Delhi was upset that a Khan-Thackeray meet would undo the damage done to the Sena by Rahul Gandhi's Mumbai train ride in the face of Sena opposition. It is understood that the Congress did not want credit to go to the Thackerays, however subtly. The message was delivered to Khan to stay off the Thackerays and he flew out of India. It was later made out that Khan was attending to the premiere of his new movie My Name Is Khan outside India.

That the Sena went almost all the way on peace with Khan is indicative of a possible pathway to the future for the party. Even when it didn't work out with Khan, after the Congress stepped in, the Sena barely made a fuss in Mumbai. There was an incident in Andheri where a couple of Sena activists picked a few stones from an adjacent construction site and hurled them at a cinema house. That was it.

A SECOND STRAND is the Sena's look at information technology (IT). In the past, the Sena has preferred the streets to make their point: that the natives don't get the jobs they should. Now, the Sena is forming an IT wing that will work on getting more Marathis into the IT sector, train Sena cadre on how to use IT, and use the Net to expand. Sena seniors are being encouraged to have their own websites and become a little savvy for future battles. Though some of the MLAs and corporators tend to have loud websites at the moment, at least they are getting there. The Sena is also hoping that it might attract the younger Marathis with its IT push and stop them from heading to Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).

Some of the change is also in how the Sena looks. In the past, the party headquarters, the Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar, Mumbai was not a place for those who preferred the gentler option of debate. Now, though, the Sena Bhavan has been redone. It is nothing like the political party headquarters in New Delhi with crowds milling in the vast open spaces. The Sena Bhavan is abrupt and only those with specific tasks and appointments are allowed entry. Inside, the office is spanking clean. They have a call centre. The women are dressed in a uniform of black T-shirts with the bow and arrow, the Shiv Sena symbol, in orange on the top left.

THE RECEPTIONIST takes two minutes to take a visitor's card, enter the details on a database, and send a welcome text message in Marathi. The Shiv Sena tune is playing: "Shiv Senaaa, Shiv Senaaa, Shiv Senaaaa..." There are flat screen television sets on each floor with the cadre allowed to watch with discretion. Mostly, they say they watch live broadcast of cricket matches. About 30 people are on the fourth floor lobby on a weekday. Some of them watch the Test match between India and South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar, who Bal Thackeray derided for his stance that all Indians are welcome in Mumbai, gets out soon. The Shiv Sainiks switch the television off.

Miles away, in Jogeshwari, a packed suburb of Mumbai, first-time Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar is at work in the new culture. Jogeshwari is where some huts of Hindu families were set ablaze in January 1993, a month after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Five women and a man died, and the murders set off an orgy of violence in what was then Bombay. For two weeks, the Sainiks targeted Muslims across Mumbai in the infamous Bombay riots. Jogeshwari was a hub of the unemployed and a catchment area for angry Sena cadre. It used to be a dirty, miserable part of Mumbai.

Popular mood Congress workers rally in support of SRK and Rahul Gandhi

Now, a new Jogeshwari is coming up. Waikar has been a municipal corporator four times and won the last election to the Assembly from Jogeshwari East. "Look at this. Can you believe it is the same Jogeshwari," he says. There are three huge and neatly trimmed parks named after the then Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Hemant Karkare, the then Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte, and top cop Vijay Salaskar - all of whom were killed in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai.

Just at the entrance of Jogeshwari, by road, is a shining Ganpati temple, Waikar's hub. It is a Tuesday night and the place is packed. There are about 500 people for the evening prayers, and astonishingly most of them are girls and boys. "We look for ways to make sense to the younger generation. Things get focussed for us when we are in power because we know we have to deliver on projects. When we are out of power, we don't know what we will do. This causes restlessness among the cadre. We can still raise 10,000 people if we want to, but we are now focusing on immediate issues that make a difference to people," he says.

Waikar seems to do the Manoos thing smartly. An open air class is being conducted on the terrace of the Ganpati temple. There are about 150 students. A teacher is giving them tips on how to get better marks in Marathi during the board exams. The teacher speaks into a handheld microphone. A speaker carries his voice to each student. "No one has ever scored 100 per cent marks in Marathi. You must be the first," the teacher says. There is a bust of Shivaji on one side, a garlanded portrait of Meenatai, Bal Thackeray's wife who died years ago, and a large poster of Waikar.

This is the new Sena. Waikar's men trawl the chawls of Jogeshwari and have near-perfect knowledge of every human need there. His office knows how many widows live in Jogeshwari, how many children are orphans, and how many couples have no children. Old women are offered free food at the temple everyday. Adjacent to the temple is a jogging trail and a small manmade lake. People swarm there at night, making it a social hub. Inside, Jogeshwari is still too packed. Too many people live here. The chawls may never go. The issue of the Manoos may always lead to fights. But, from the outside, it is changing.

But the rest of Mumbai and Maharashtra may still be a world away for the Sena. There are too many Mumbais in Mumbai. The term Mumbaikar only has geographical meaning. There are too many languages and too many cultures in the metropolis. The only thing that works for all is a desire to move on. People would be more than glad if the trains and the drains work. There is no way one man can exert control over the greater part of Mumbai now.

OLDER MAHARASHTRIANS AND THE YOUTH APPEAR TO BE ATTRACTED TO RAJ THACKERAY,' SAYS A MARATHI MANOOS

All this causes confusion about the identity of the Marathi Manoos, the Sena's central theme. Dinkar Gangal, 70, a Marathi litterateur, is wondering just who the Marathi Manoos is. Gangal lives near Chembur and has spent much time trying to get Maharashtrians to read more. In 1982, he held a yatra to promote reading. Two weeks ago, he launched a new website www.thinkmaharashtra. com. "Right now, I am not able to define a Marathi Manoos. I only have the popular notion that such a person is born and raised in Maharashtra and speaks fluent Marathi," says Gangal.

To get a better hang of it, Gangal has proposed a survey of 2,000 people during the March Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in Pune. "There will be 10,000 people gathered there. It is the biggest Marathi literary gathering. We will ask 2,000 people to describe their idea of the Marathi Manoos."

Gangal says Raj Thackeray, Uddhav's estranged cousin and head of the rival political outfit, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, is more of a "darling boy" than the Shiv Sena with some Marathis. "Older Maharashtrians and the youth appear to be attracted to Raj. They find a bit of the old Indira Gandhi in Raj. Like with Indira, Raj's eyes are full of pride. They say more with their eyes than their tongues. They have similar body language as well."

The MNS and the Shiv Sena are feeding off the same base at the moment. Most of Raj Thackeray's plans ands activities have been in former Sena bases like the Konkan area. When he does something, it is mostly to undercut the Sena, or get aggressive just as the Sena cadre used to in the past. For instance, currently Raj is in the Konkan on a tour to galvanise support for the MNS while his party is weak in vast areas in Vidarbha, for instance.

SO THEN, the Shiv Sena has a situation on its hands. The Marathi Manoos appears to have a mind of his own and may not be carried away. One indication is the response to Mahesh Manjrekar's 2009 movie Mee Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoy. The film has been described as the seminal movie on Marathi identity and is the biggest Marathi hit, grossing Rs 25 crore so far.

The story deals with an ordinary Marathi family whose head is frustrated at work and by the career setbacks to his children. He curses his Marathi identity and blames his forefathers for his birth as a Marathi. This riles Shivaji, the legendary Maratha king, played by Manjrekar, who wakes up when blamed. Shivaji then has a conversation with the central character of the movie and asks him to look at his flaws before blaming the world for the way the Marathi Manoos suffers. In the movie, the central character changes his attitude. Maharashtra hopes the Sena will too.

WRITER'S EMAIL


vijsimha@gmail.com

Role of Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan and Afghan Taliban

Brig. Asif Haroon Raja (Retd)

After 9/11, when Gen Musharraf was telephonically coerced by Washington, he quickly gave in to American seven demands. He agreed to side with untrustworthy USA which had a track record of leaving Pakistan high and dry in testing times, and to ditch Taliban regime which was anti-India and pro-Pakistan and had assured Pakistan of safe western border. He took a u turn at a critical time when both were badly in need of Pakistan support.




Musharraf took hasty decisions to change Afghan policy and to fight US war on terror in accordance with the wishes of Washington without taking into account its long term implications. His unwise decision to push the Army into South Waziristan antagonized the tribesmen compelling the defenders of our western border to turn their guns towards Pak Army, seen by them as a mercenary army of USA. It paved the way for our strategic assets in FATA becoming assets for our adversaries. Pakistan continues to suffer the blowback to this day.




Logically and morally, the US should have been highly obliged and indebted to Pakistan's crucial support and should have gone out of the way to reward Pakistan handsomely for taking such a difficult decision which had grave ramifications for its security. Pakistan suffered grievous losses on social, political, economic and military planes while fighting futile war on terror. In terms of casualties, its losses far outnumber all other countries involved in war on terror. Pakistan having staked its security for protecting US interests was distrusted, maligned, coerced and destabilized. It was accused of double game and not doing enough.




India which did not shed a drop of blood was not only materially rewarded by awarding nuclear and defence deals but also made a strategic partner and given all out help to expand its influence in Afghanistan to emerge as a key player in Afghan affairs. Worst of all, CIA and FBI actively collaborated with RAW to cultivate Tehrik-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP) in FATA, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-Shariat-Muhammadi (TNSM) in Swat and dissident elements within Bugti, Marri and Mengal tribes in Balochistan to create lawlessness. Activities of rebellious forces were supplemented by foreign agents infiltrated from Afghanistan. The US strove to deprive Pakistan of its nukes and its media indulged in defamation campaign.

India is aiding TTP in FATA and BLA-BRA-BLUF in Balochistan. These outfits are being used for multiple purposes. Apart from the main objective of destabilizing Pakistan, these outfits are used for spoiling Pakistan's relations with its neighbors. Kidnapping and killing of several Chinese officials working on development projects in Balochistan and in FATA were undertaken at the behest of India. Establishment of ETIM, a separatist organization vying for independence of Xingjiang province of China was reportedly based in FATA under the protection of TTP. Likewise, attacks on Imambargahs and targeting of Shia clerics and notables as well as acts of terror in Zahidan province of Iran using Jindollah group from Balochistan were RAW-CIA-MI-6 sponsored to fan Shia-Sunni conflict and to mar Pak-Iran relations. Jindollah's leader Abdol Malik Regi who has recently been arrested was operating from Afghanistan and Dubai.




The Afghan Taliban should have carried a deep grudge since Pakistan not only betrayed them but also provided air bases, intelligence and logistic support to make US invasion successful. Pakistan is still continuing to make available its soil for transportation of war supplies to ISAF in Afghanistan. Several Taliban leaders including Abdul Salam Zaeef were handed over to USA to earn US goodwill and dollars. Conversely, Afghan Taliban should have joined hands with Pakistani Taliban, both driven by common ideological motivations, to avenge Pakistan's betrayal. On the contrary they never fired a shot at Pakistan's security forces. They refused to come to the rescue of beleaguered Hakimullah led militants in October-November 2009, even when the NATO-Afghan forces deliberately left the border facing SW open.




Finding that the US in connivance with India and Israel was playing dirty by indulging in covert operations in FATA, Swat and Balochistan, Pakistan wisely decided not to hound whatever few elements of Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group were present in Waziristan and to concentrate on quislings. In the wake of anti-Pakistan and pro-India Northern Alliance ruling the roost in Kabul and India striving to carve out a principle role for itself in Afghanistan after the departure of USA from the region, Pakistan is justified in keeping discreet contacts with friendly Pashtun Afghan factions.




It is ironic that Pakistan deceived Taliban and supported Karzai regime laden with Northern Alliance elements to earn the goodwill of USA but lost the goodwill of all three. It was greatness of Taliban that they ignored the great betrayal due to which they suffered a great deal and did not take it to their heart. It was black ingratitude of both Karzai led regime and US to deceive Pakistan and befriend India. Had the duo in league with India not played a double game to encircle and harm Pakistan, the latter would not have opened a window for the Taliban.




The coalition forces are fighting a protracted war in Afghanistan for the last eight years with least number of fatalities but they have got tired and weary and their morale has sunk low. The Afghan fighters on the other hand are fighting for the last three decades without any respite and have suffered colossal human and material losses. Still their resolve to continue fighting has not diminished. They show no sign of fatigue or loss of heart nor do they get over awed by the overwhelming numerical, technical, technological and firepower superiority of occupation forces. It is USA that has come down from the high pedestal and is eager to negotiate a deal with Taliban.




While the US has been constantly pressing Pakistan to do more, in actuality it is former that needs to do more. Pakistan Army with bare minimum resources, pitched against foreign trained and well equipped militants and having suffered heavy casualties has performed exceptionally well; high tide of militancy has been decisively enfeebled; morale of all ranks is high and each member is determined to root out the scourge of terrorism. Conversely, US led coalition forces enjoy vast superiority over their rag tag foes in men, material and intelligence resources. Despite being laced with all the advantages and with very low casualty rate, their performance has been dismal.

Near 80% of Afghan territory has been lost to the Taliban despite US leadership self professed claim that entire leadership of Al-Qaeda and Taliban is in Pakistan. US leaders claim that 80% of Taliban are moderate and are prepared to ditch 20% hardcore Taliban led by Mullah Omar. They also say that not more than 100 Al-Qaeda operatives are in Afghanistan. If all these claims are true, why the heavy troop surge and why so much fuss over biggest offensive in Helmand province when the expected opposition is so insignificant? Isn't it ideal situation for beefed up coalition forces to effectively seal the border through mining, fencing and establishing posts along the border to prevent Pakistan based leaders from influencing the battles in Afghanistan and then deal with the leaderless Taliban and win the war hands down? The woven story to cover up failures needs lot of fine tuning.




Of late there is a noticeable change in the overall demeanor of USA towards Pakistan. It has belatedly dawned upon the US military that victory is not possible and safe withdrawal is the only realistic course of action left. They have realized that Pakistan in connivance with Afghan Taliban and not India or Northern Alliance would be able to arrange an honorable exit. But for this changed security situation, the US would not have changed its offensive posture towards Pakistan.




Subtle shift in US policy is not because of change of heart but because of self serving expediency. Pakistan should therefore remain wary of American moves rather than feeling euphoric that it has regained trust and confidence of USA. Under no circumstances should Pakistan hand over recently nabbed Afghan Taliban leaders like Mullah Ghani Baradar, Maulvi Kabir, Mulla Abdul Salam and Mulla Mir Muhammad either to USA or to Afghanistan since it will bring back the memories of black deeds of Musharraf. Ajmal Kasab being Pakistani national is in Indian captivity since November 2008 and has not been handed over to Pakistan. Why should Pakistan be in a hurry to hand over Afghan captives to Afghanistan ruled by US installed puppet regime whose days are numbered? After the withdrawal of foreign forces, if God forbid another bout of internecine war takes place in Afghanistan, it will not be among the Pashtuns but possibly between Pashtuns and non-Pashtuns in which the former would emerge victorious. It is therefore a strategic compulsion of Pakistan to keep the Afghan Pashtuns friendly. They must not be betrayed again.




Unlike Afghan Taliban, the TTP does not have a strong cause. While the former are fighting against occupation forces and US installed Afghan regime and US trained so-called Afghan National Army which is national in name only (over 70% are non-Pashtun) to free their country, the TTP are up against Pakistan security forces. They succeeded as long as the people believed that they were better Muslims who wanted to replace un-Islamic parliamentary and judicial systems with Sharia and were genuinely keen to provide cheap and instant justice to the poor. Their barbaric acts of suicide attacks, kidnappings for ransom, slaughtering of captives, targeting mosques, destroying schools and denying women rights created serious doubts in the minds of the people since these practices went against the teachings of Islam. They still remained in two minds since they had got utterly disgusted with the role of parasitic rulers and rich class totally callous and insensitive towards the poor. Absence of justice and extreme poverty had driven them to a state of hopelessness and despair. They prayed for a healthy change and thought that the Taliban might redress their grievances and make their lives better.




The people felt ebullient when a treaty was inked in Swat in February 2009 for the establishment of Islamic courts in Swat and Malakand Division in return for Fazlullah militants giving up militancy. Amidst rejoicing by the people of Swat, the detractors of Pakistan unhappy with the changed security situation nudged Maulana Sufi to declare that he didn't believe in Pakistan's constitution, democracy and legal system. As if this bomb shell was not enough, Swat militants joined by Uzbek and Tajik fighters gave a new twist to the situation when they entered Lower Dir and Buner and started harassing the public. Western media upped the ante by raising alarm bells that the militants were too close to Islamabad and might takeover the capital city as well as nukes. These unprovoked offensive acts brought a sudden change in the perceptions of the people and for the first time they saw the other side of face of TTP and TNSM. Sufi-Fazlullah threw away the battle they had won through imprudent acts. From that time onwards, public support veered towards the Army.




Once the people saw with their own eyes the connection of RAW, CIA and Mossad with Swat militants and also learnt that several Imams of mosques as well as sizeable numbers of Taliban fighters were Hindus posing as Muslims, their revulsion for fake Taliban espousing the cause of Islam got intense. They vacated their houses to let the troops deal with foreign paid militants without any let and hindrance and to restore the pristine tranquility of Swat once again. Nearly 2.5 million people got displaced but the people of NWFP bore the brunt of 80% IDPs by sharing their homes and resources smilingly. They bore the economic burden at a time when prices of daily commodities had sky rocketed, there were no jobs and load shedding was at its peak.

Encouraged by the response of the people, the Army went about performing its tasks in its usual professional manner and succeeded in toppling well entrenched strongholds of the militants in Swat within -weeks as against the estimated timeframe of -weeks. Roaring success of operation Rah-e-Rast helped the Army to seize initiative and brought a happy change in the overall security environment. Going by the military principle of maintenance of momentum, the Army kept the militants on the run giving them no respite to rest and refit. Riding on the crest of success, the Army leadership took the critical decision of locking horns with the main base of TTP in South Waziristan (SW) where it was the strongest.

With active foreign support spread over several years, late Baitullah had filled up hundreds of unapproachable caves and tunnels with all sorts of sophisticated arms, explosives and ammunition. Some tunnels were converted into field hospitals while house compounds were utilized for training. Factories producing IEDs, suicide jackets and other gadgets were in operation. Militants were equipped with high-tech telephone and wireless sets and jamming devices. Hiace and toyata hilux vehicles were in plenty to move from one place to another. The two flanks of Mehsud belt were well protected by Ahmedzai Wazirs under Maulvi Nazir within SW and Othmanzai Wazirs under Gul Bahadur along with Haqqani network in North Waziristan. Baitullah's successor Hakimullah Mehsud had 10,000 fighters and 2000 foreigners. Terrain and weather together with home ground also suited the militants. Despite enjoying all these advantages, Pak Army took just -weeks as against stipulated time of -weeks to uproot TTP defences and is holding the captured ground with absolute firmness.




The writer is a retired Brig and a freelance defence analyst who contributes regularly for local and foreign newspapers.

Mossad's Rogue Assassins

The Dubai Hit

By URI AVNERY

FROM TIME to time I ask myself: what would happen if the world's governments decided to abolish all their spy agencies simultaneously?

True, it would be a great blow to the authors and movie producers who make their living from secret service stories. Their products would lose their appeal.

It would be a disaster for the huge army of fans which gobbles up spy adventures, the enthusiastic consumers of books and movies about superhuman heroes like James Bond and super-devious geniuses like John La Carre's Smiley.

But what would be the real damage if Washington stopped spying on Moscow and Moscow stopped spying on Washington, and both on Beijing? The result would be a draw. Immense sums of money would be saved, since a large part of the efforts of every spy agency is devoted to obstructing the intrigues of the competition. How many diseases could be overcome? How many hungry people fed, how many illiterates taught to read and write?

The popular books and movies celebrate the imaginary successes of the intelligence agencies. Reality is much more prosaic, and it is replete with real failures.

* * *

THE TWO classic intelligence disasters occurred during World War II. In both, the intelligence agencies either provided their political bosses with faulty assessments, or the leaders ignored their accurate assessments. As far as the results are concerned, both amount to the same.

Comrade Stalin was totally surprised by the German invasion of the Soviet Union, even though the Germans needed months to assemble their huge invasion force. President Roosevelt was totally surprised by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, even though the bulk of the Japanese Navy took part in it. The failures were so fantastic, that spy aficionados had to resort to conspiracy theories to explain them. One such theory says that Stalin deliberately ignored the warnings because he intended to surprise Hitler with an attack of his own. Another theory asserts that Roosevelt practically "invited" the Japanese to attack because he was in need of a pretext to push the US into an unpopular war.

But since then, failures continued to follow each other. All Western spy agencies were totally surprised by the Khomeini revolution in Iran, the results of which are still hitting the headlines today. All of them were totally surprised by the collapse of the Soviet Union, one of the defining events of the 20th century. They were totally surprised by the fall of the Berlin wall. And all of them provided wrong information about Saddam Hussein's imaginary nuclear bomb, which served as a pretext for the American invasion of Iraq.

* * *

AH, OUR people say, that's what's happening among the Goyim. Not here. Our intelligence community is like no other. The Jewish brain has invented the Mossad, which knows everything and is capable of everything. (Mossad - "institute" - is short for the "Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations".)

Really? At the outbreak of the 1948 war, all the chiefs of our intelligence community unanimously advised David Ben-Gurion that the armies of the Arab states would not intervene. (Fortunately, Ben-Gurion rejected their assessment.) In May 1967, our entire intelligence community was totally surprised by the concentration of the Egyptian army in Sinai, the step that led to the Six-Day war. (Our intelligence chiefs were convinced that the bulk of the Egyptian army was busy in Yemen, where a civil war was raging.) The Egyptian-Syrian attack on Yom Kippur, 1973, completely surprised our intelligence services, even though heaps of advance warnings were available.

The intelligence agencies were totally surprised by the first intifada, and then again by the second. They were totally surprised by the Khomeini revolution, even though (or because) they were deeply imbedded in the Shah's regime. They were totally surprised by the Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections.

The list is long and inglorious. But in one field, so they say, our Mossad performs like no other: assassinations. (Sorry, "eliminations".)

* * *

STEVEN SPIELBERG'S movie "Munich" describes the assassination ("elimination") of PLO officials after the massacre of the athletes at the Olympic Games. As a masterpiece of kitsch it can be compared only to the movie "Exodus", based on Leon Uris' kitschy book.

After the massacre (the main responsibility for which falls on the incompetent and irresponsible Bavarian police), the Mossad, on the orders of Golda Meir, killed seven PLO officials, much to the joy of the revenge-thirsty Israeli public. Almost all the victims were PLO diplomats, the civilian representatives of the organization in European capitals, who had no direct connection with violent operations. Their activities were public, they worked in regular offices and lived with their families in residential buildings. They were static targets - like the ducks in a shooting gallery.

In one of the actions - which resembled the latest affair - a Moroccan waiter was assassinated by mistake in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer. The Mossad mistook him for Ali Hassan Salameh, a senior Fatah officer who served as contact with the CIA. The Mossad agents, including a glamorous blonde (there is always a glamorous blonde) were identified, arrested and sentenced to long prison terms (but released very soon). The real Salameh was "eliminated" later on.

In 1988, five years before the Oslo agreement, Abu Jihad (Khalil al-Wazir), the No. 2 in Fatah, was assassinated in Tunis before the eyes of his wife and children. Had he not been killed, he would probably be serving today as the President of the Palestinian Authority instead of Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas). He would have enjoyed the same kind of standing among his people as did Yasser Arafat - who was, most likely, killed by a poison that leaves no traces.

The fiasco that most resembles the latest action was the Mossad's attempt on the life of Khalid Mishal, a senior Hamas leader, on orders of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The Mossad agents ambushed him on a main street of Amman and sprayed a nerve toxin in his ear - that was about to kill him without leaving traces. They were caught on the spot. King Hussein, the Israeli government's main ally in the Arab world, was livid and delivered a furious ultimatum: either Israel would immediately provide the antidote to the poison and save Mishal's life, or the Mossad agents would be hanged. Netanyahu, as usual, caved in, Mishal was saved and the Israeli government, as a bonus, released Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the main Hamas leader, from prison. He was "eliminated" by a hellfire missile later on.

* * *

DURING THE last weeks, a deluge of words has been poured on the assassination in Dubai of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, another senior Hamas officer.

Israelis agreed from the first moment that this was a job of the Mossad. What capabilities! What talent! How did they know, long in advance, when the man would go to Dubai, what flight he would take, in what hotel he would stay! What precise planning!

The "military correspondents" and "Arab affairs correspondents" on screen were radiant. Their faces said: oh, oh, oh, if the material were not embargoed…If I could only tell you what I know…I can tell you only that the Mossad has proved again that its long arm can reach anywhere! Live in fear, oh enemies of Israel!

When the problems started to become apparent, and the photos of the assassins appeared on TV all over the world, the enthusiasm cooled, but only slightly. An old and proven Israeli method was brought into play: to take some marginal detail and discuss it passionately, ignoring the main issue. Concentrate on one particular tree and divert attention from the forest.

Really, why did the agents use the names of actual people who live in Israel and have dual nationality? Why, of all possible passports, did they use those of friendly countries? How could they be sure that the owners of these passports would not travel abroad at the critical time?

Moreover, were they not aware that Dubai was full of cameras that record every movement? Did they not foresee that the local police would produce films of the assassination in almost all its details?

But this did not arouse too much excitement in Israel. Everybody understood that the British and the Irish were obliged, pro forma, to protest, but that this was nothing but going through the motions. Behind the scenes, there are intimate connections between the Mossad and the other intelligence agencies. After some weeks, everything will be forgotten. That's how it worked in Norway after Lillehammer, that's how it worked in Jordan after the Mishal affair. They will protest, rebuke, and that's that. So what is the problem?

* * *

THE PROBLEM is that the Mossad in Israel acts like an independent fiefdom that ignores the vital long-term political and strategic interests of Israel, enjoying the automatic backing of an irresponsible prime minister. It is, as the English expression goes, a "loose cannon" - the cannon of a ship of yore which has broken free of its mountings and is rolling around the deck, crushing to death any unfortunate sailor who happens to get in its way.

From the strategic point of view, the Dubai operation causes heavy damage to the government's policy, which defines Iran's putative nuclear bomb as an existential threat to Israel. The campaign against Iran helps it to divert the world's attention from the ongoing occupation and settlement, and induces the US, Europe and other countries to dance to its tune.

Barack Obama is in the process of trying to set up a world-wide coalition for imposing "debilitating sanctions" on Iran. The Israeli government serves him - willingly - as a growling dog. He tells the Iranians: The Israelis are crazy. They may attack you at any moment. I am restraining them with great difficulty. But if you don't do what I tell you, I shall let go of the leash and may Allah have mercy on your soul!

Dubai, a Gulf country facing Iran, is an important component of this coalition. It is an ally of Israel, much like Egypt and Jordan. And here comes the same Israeli government and embarrasses it, humiliates it, arousing among the Arab masses the suspicion that Dubai is collaborating with the Mossad.

In the past we have embarrassed Norway, then we infuriated Jordan, now we humiliate Dubai. Is that wise? Ask Meir Dagan, who Netanyahu has just granted an almost unprecedented eighth year in office as chief of the Mossad.

* * *

PERHAPS THE impact of the operation on Israel standing in the world is even more significant.

Once upon a time it was possible to belittle this aspect. Let the Goyim say what they want. But since the Molten Lead operation, Israel has become more conscious of its far-reaching implications. The verdict of Judge Goldstone, the echoes of the antics of Avigdor Lieberman, the growing world-wide campaign for boycotting Israel - all these tend to suggest that Thomas Jefferson was not talking through his hat when he said that no nation can afford to ignore the opinion of mankind.

The Dubai affair is reinforcing the image of Israel as a bully state, a rogue nation that treats world public opinion with contempt, a country that conducts gang warfare, that sends mafia-like death squads abroad, a pariah nation to be avoided by right-minded people.

Was this worthwhile?

Uri Avnery is an Israeli writer and peace activist with Gush Shalom. He is a contributor to CounterPunch's book The Politics of Anti-Semitism.

What a way to grab all for the family, Mr Ambassador!

By Usman Manzoor




ISLAMABAD: The new Pakistani ambassador to Syria, appointed by President Zardari, has summarily sacked the entire staff and faculty of the Pakistan International School in Damascus and appointed almost all his immediate family members for a collective monthly salary of $38,000 (Rs3.2 million).




The sacked teachers and staff members of the school run by the embassy, who were removed for no reasons and without any prior notice, have been compelled to go into litigation against the Pakistan Embassy, The News has learnt.




The Pakistan International School in Damascus is run by the embassy of Pakistan but within five months after the arrival of new ambassador, Aminullah Raisani, in September 2009, the management and faculty of the school was changed altogether without giving any reason and the school was stuffed with the relatives of the ambassador.




According to the list of newly inducted teachers Saeeda Yasmeen Raeesani has been appointed as Principal. She is sister of the ambassador and is drawing $6,500 per month as salary while the previous principal Syed Tauseef Bokhari was getting $2,500. Another sister, Ms Abbas, has been appointed as Urdu teacher for $3,500 per month.




Two daughters, Amna Aminullah Raeesani and Quratulein Aminullah Raeesani, have been appointed as teachers. These two are getting $3,000 per month as salary while the school was paying only $1,700 for the same job to previous teachers.




Mohammad Ishaque, brother-in-law of the ambassador, has been appointed as accountant for $3,500 per month while the same job was previously with one Imran for just $900 a month.




Attique-ur-Rehman and Syed Muhammad Ali, ambassador's nephews, have been appointed as business teachers for $3,000 a month while the same job was done for $1,500 only before September 2009.




Nayla Atiq, granddaughter of ambassador's sister, is working as Maths teacher for $3,000 a month while her predecessor was drawing $1,700 a month as salary. Ali Abdullah, the son-in-law of ambassador's sister, and Muhammad Ahsan Shafique, ambassador's cousin, have been appointed as teachers for $3,000 a month while their predecessors were drawing $1,500 a month.Another cousin of the ambassador, Rasheed Chattha, has been appointed as biology teacher for $3,500 a month while previously Ms Manal Sileman was doing the same job for $1,500 a month.




Ms Manal Sileman, one of the Syrian teachers of the Pakistani school who has been sent home without giving any notice and without any reason, while talking to The News from Damascus on phone said that it was strange that an ambassador instead of running the affairs of the embassy was keen in the business of the school.




She lamented that the ambassador has imported Chinese shoes and made it mandatory for every student to purchase those shoes at much higher rates. She said that the school was being ruined as the new incompetent teachers have been hired for more than double the salaries the previous faculty was getting.




Another teacher Saad al Hassan said that he has gone to the court with a heavy heart because he has served the school and Pakistan and now the court will issue an order against the Republic of Pakistan.




He said that he has respect for the Pakistani nation but because of a few people he has been compelled to go into litigation against the embassy and according to the Syrian laws the Pakistan Embassy in Damascus could be heavily penalised.




Saad said that the school was rated among the best in Damascus and the elite, including the foreign minister of Syria and deputy foreign minister, had started sending their kids to the Pakistan International School of Damascus but with the advent of new administration many have opted for other schools in the city.




He said that last year the school won eight gold medals in the Cambridge examination and the income of the school in 2006 was US$2,042,400 per annum and it rose to $4,774,000 per annum in 2009 with the number of students almost doubled i.e. from 600 to 1,100.




Ambassador Aminullah Raisani was too busy to talk to this correspondent. However his spokesman Zahid Ali who works as Counsellor in the embassy denied all these allegations. He said that the previous management was incompetent that was why it was sent packing while competent people have now been inducted in the school.




Zahid said that it was not true that the newly appointed teachers were drawing more salaries than the previous management. "We write to the Foreign Office of Pakistan about our tasks here," Zahid replied when asked about some teachers going into litigation against the embassy.

Pakistan's Wrong Type Of Democracy

Our democratically-elected -- and backed by the United States and Britain, the world's finest democracies -- President Zardari has just appointed an acquaintance as the country's ambassador to Syria.




As his first order of business, the gentleman, Mr. Aminullah Raisani, destroyed one of the finest English-language schools running in Damascus, owned by the Government of Pakistan. He fired the entire staff of the school, and 'imported' his family members from Pakistan, including brothers, sisters, sisters-in-law, etc., and appointed them for a collective MONTHLY salary of US $ 38,000, which translates into PKR 3.2 million.




Today's The News International published a report on this heist, with stunning details about how sisters and brothers-in-law of the Ambassador have been appointed against salaries reaching up to US $ 3,500 per month.




The school attracts children of the elite in the Syrian capital. Foreign diplomats also prefer the school because of its English and Arabic corriculum.




This kind of grand theft is not unual in Pakistan but it says a lot about why the governing structure in this country is collapsing and why the country is headed for a disaster in the coming years, leading to internal chaos along social fault lines.




Pakistan's ruling system is a British import. It is not suited to the country. Pakistan needs a tailored demcoratic system that would preserve media and social freedoms but also minimize instability and make use of the creativity of the Pakistani people.




Above all, Pakistan needs a system that would replace feudal and career politicians with creative decision makers.




What we have is a system monopolized by a feudal elite, which has grown stronger because the Pakistani military, the country's strongest institution, has been inadvertently strenghtening that elite and using it for decades. In today's Pakistan, Pakistanis from the middle and the lower middle classes have no opportunities to progress and achieve. Opportunities are reserved for the likes of Ambassador Raisani.




Read Ambassador Raisani's School of Thought:Plunder It All and Clueless, Careless Politicians Declare Their Peantuts . The two reports provide an insight into why Pakistan's governing system is leading the country to a national failure.

By Ahmed Quraishi

INDIAN GOVERNMENT MUST STOP REFINERY EXPANSION UNTIL HUMAN RIGHTS ARE ADDRESSED

Amnesty International

Indian authorities have given local communities scant or misleading information about the potential impact of a proposed alumina refinery expansion and mining project to be operated by subsidiaries of UK-based company Vedanta Resources in Orissa, Amnesty International said in a new report published on Tuesday.

There has been no process to seek the community's informed consent.

The Amnesty International report, Don't Mine Us out of Existence: Bauxite Mine and Refinery Devastate Lives in India documents how an alumina refinery operated by a subsidiary of UK-based FTSE 100 company Vedanta Resources in Orissa, is causing air and water pollution that threatens the health of local people and their access to water.




"People are living in the shadow of a massive refinery, breathing polluted air and afraid to drink from and bathe in a river that is one of the main sources of water in the region," said Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, Amnesty International's researcher on South Asia. "It is shocking how those who are most affected by the project have been provided with the least information."

Villagers wash in the river Vamsadhara at Chattarpur.

Adivasi (Indigenous), Dalit, women and other marginalised communities in the remote part of Orissa where the refinery is located have described to Amnesty International how authorities told them that the refinery would transform the area into a Mumbai or Dubai.




The Orissa State Pollution Control Board has documented air and water pollution from Vedanta Aluminium's refinery in Lanjigarh, Orissa. Amnesty International found that the pollution threatens the health of local people and their access to clean water yet there has been no health monitoring.




"We used to bathe in the river but now I am scared of taking my children there. Both my sons have had rashes and blisters," a local woman told Amnesty International. The organization recorded many similar accounts from people living around the refinery.




Despite these concerns and the environmentally sensitive location of the refinery near a river and villages, the government is considering a proposal for a six-fold expansion of the refinery. Neither the Indian authorities nor Vedanta have shared information on the extent of pollution and its possible effects with local communities.




The Orissa Mining Corporation and another Vedanta Resources subsidiary also plan to mine bauxite in the nearby Niyamgiri Hills. The proposed mine threatens the very existence of the Dongria Kondh, an 8,000 strong protected indigenous community that has lived on the Niyamgiri hills for centuries. The hills are considered sacred by the Dongria Kondh and are essential for their economic, physical and cultural survival, yet no process to seek the community's informed consent has been established.




A Dongria Kondh man told Amnesty International, "We have seen what happens to other Adivasis when they are forced to leave their traditional lands, they lose everything."




"The people of Orissa are among the poorest in India and their health is being threatened by pollution from the refinery. Their voices are being ignored by Vedanta Resources and its partner companies as well as by Orissa's government. There has been inadequate consultation with local people about the changes on the ground and yet it's their lives and futures which hang in the balance," said Ramesh Gopalakrishnan.

Amnesty International is calling on the Government of India and Vedanta Resources to ensure that there is no expansion of the refinery and mining does not go ahead until existing problems are resolved. Amnesty International is also calling for full consultation with local people and for the Indian authorities to set up a process to seek the free, prior and informed consent of the Dongria Kondh.

Report of human rights abuse in IOK presented to British Parliament

Associated Press of Pakistan

LONDON (APP): All Parties International Kashmir Coordination Committee has presented the report of human rights abuse in the Indian Occupied Kashmir to the members of the British Parliament and urged the United Kingdom to play a pro-active role in resolving the issue.The APIKCC President Dr Misfar Hassan in his communication to the British lawmakers said the report of inquiry has been prepared by an independent people of good public standing including lawyers, human rights activists and other members of the civil society.The report, according to Dr.Hassan, is a narrative of the victims who have and continue to suffer at the hands of the Indian occupational forces in Kashmir.

He pointed out the Kashmir issue was left unresolved by the last British government in India and it continues not only to consume massive amounts of human lives but there are other implications such as poverty, disease, maternal and infant mortality and particularly the damage to the ecological environment of the globe.

"Just to say that the conflict left unresolved in 1947 is now knocking at the doors in Britain in various shapes and one of the worst effect one can think of is the threat of terrorist activities.

"I personally feel that it is the time we all need to take the issue seriously owing to the dimensions just described and fulfil our responsibilities towards resolution of the conflict and help people of Jammu Kashmir to exercise their right of self determination to ensure safety of the British people and the regional and global peace."

Dr.Hassan reminded the British legislators of their moral obligations to the humanity in general and to the safety of the British people in particular.

"I am only writing to remind you as in your role as representatives you have greater responsibilities and in this particular case you need to give a wake up call to the International community to play a proactive role for global peace."

Australia warns Israel over Dubai killing link

by Talek Harris Talek Harris

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia summoned the Israeli ambassador on Thursday and delivered a stark warning on ties after three Australian passports were used by suspected Mossad assassins who murdered a top Hamas commander.







An image taken from hotel surveillance shows Hamas militant Mahmud al-Mabhuh (circled) checking into a Dubai hotel shortly before his murder in January 2010. Australia summoned the Israeli ambassador on Thursday and delivered a stark warning on ties after three Australian passports were used by suspected Mossad assassins who murdered the top Hamas commander.




Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Australia "will not be silent on the matter" after a woman and two men, holding apparently fake Australian passports, were named among 15 new suspects in the Cold War-style killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh.




"If Australian passports are being used or forged by any state, let alone for the purpose of assassination, this is of the deepest concern and we are getting to the bottom of this now," Rudd told public broadcaster ABC.




"We will not leave a single stone unturned."




Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told ambassador Yuval Rotem that Australia's friendly ties with Israel were at risk if investigations showed it was involved in tampering with the passports.




"We have made no conclusion about what to us -- from our preliminary investigation -- seems to be a serious abuse of three Australian passports either through forgery or identity fraud," Smith told reporters.




"But I made it crystal clear to the ambassador that if the results of that investigation cause us to come to the conclusion that the abuse of Australian passports was in any way sponsored or condoned by Israeli officials, then Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend."




The comments pile further pressure on Israel over the seemingly well-planned hit on al-Mabhuh, who was found dead in his luxury Dubai hotel room on January 20. He had been electrocuted and strangled, according to his brother.




Israeli ambassadors in four European countries have been summoned for talks and the European Union has also voiced outrage over the use of fake passports after an earlier list of 11 people was released.




Dubai police strongly suspect Mossad, Israel's secret service, of carrying out the hit and have called for the arrest of the spy agency's chief. Related article: Dubai hunts new Western suspects




The 15 new suspects range from people who provided logistical support to those who played a leading role.




Israel has sought to play down the row, saying there is no evidence of its involvement. It has rejected the calls for the arrest of Mossad's chief as "baseless" and "absurd".




One of the passport-holders, Australian-born Adam Korman, who works in a Tel Aviv shop, expressed shock at being named as a suspect and said he had been the victim of fraud.




"It's identity theft -- simply unbelievable," Korman told the Ynetnews.com website.




The mother of Joshua Daniel Bruce, another suspect listed along with Nicole Sandra McCabe, said the photograph, signature and date of birth on the passport released by Dubai police were not those of her son.




Sarah Bruce said Joshua was "unaware of everything" when she spoke with him briefly by phone in Jerusalem, his home for the past seven years.




"I am fearful (for his safety), but hopefully everyone will see that it is fraud. It's not his photo in the pictures they're flashing around everywhere," Sarah Bruce said.




Smith said Australian security officials were working round the clock on their probe and demanded cooperation from Israel, which he described as a "long-standing friend". Australia officially recognised Israel in 1949.




Al-Mabhuh masterminded a number of attacks on Israeli targets including the kidnapping of two soldiers.




Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, has reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised the Mossad mission and met members of the hit squad shortly before their departure.

Can Afghanistan Taliban absorb blow to Quetta Shura?

The Afghanistan Taliban is under pressure with 7 of 15 members of its top leadership council, the Quetta Shura, recently arrested. But still in place are senior leaders who might step up and other senior Taliban councils responsible for different parts of the country.

By Anand Gopal

Afghan army commandos stand on a sand bank as a US army Apache helicopter flies above them on February 24, 2010. While the recent capture of Quetta Shura leaders was in Pakistan, the organization runs operations have a wide reach, including within Afghanistan.

Kabul, Afghanistan: The Afghan Taliban now faces what may be its biggest test in recent years, with 7 of 15 members of its leadership council, the Quetta Shura, recently captured by Pakistani authorities.

From its perch in Pakistan, the Quetta Shura is said to act as a nerve center for all of the Afghan Taliban's operations, formulating military and political strategy, appointing field commanders, and managing a shadow government.

Yet still in tact are a roster of experienced leaders who can take their arrested comrades' place as well as several subcommittees that each oversee sections of the country.

This report on the Taliban's leadership structure is based on interviews with two Taliban figures who claim to belong to the council and with Afghan intelligence officials.

A wide-reaching organization

The Quetta Shura's is described as assigning and replacing field commanders in Afghanistan, overseeing the Taliban's parallel government in Afghanistan, and fielding complaints from Taliban members. In some cases the Taliban's control over some parts of Afghanistan is so strong that nongovernmental organizations working there - such as the United Nation's World Food Program - have first sought permission from the Quetta Shura to enter the region.

In addition to the top council, the Taliban relies on a number of other shuras to oversee the insurgency. All of these councils answer to the supreme body in Quetta, and membership in the different councils or shuras sometimes overlaps.

Mullah Abdul Qayoum Zakir, the movement's leading military commander and a member of the Quetta Shura, who was arrested in Pakistan's recent crackdown, headed two such bodies.

Like the top council, these two shuras are based in Quetta, Pakistan, and are responsible for military affairs in southern and western Afghanistan, including resistance to the ongoing United States-led offensive in the town of Marjah.

A third council is based in the North Waziristan town of Miram Shah, where insurgent leader Sirajuddin Haqqani directs the Taliban's operations in the southeast, according to former insurgents and Afghan intelligence officials. Mr. Haqqani is considered one of the most dangerous foes of the Western forces, and has been behind a number of high-profile attacks in recent years.

[A Pakistani Taliban commander in North Waziristan was killed in a suspected CIA missile strike in northwest Pakistan, officials told the Associated Press Thursday. Mohammed Qari Zafar, wanted for a deadly 2006 bombing of the US consulate in Karachi, was among at least 13 people killed Wednesday when three missiles slammed into a compound and a vehicle in the Dargah Mandi area of the North Waziristan on the border with Afghanistan, two Pakistani intelligence officials said. ]

A fourth shura, based in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, serves as the hub for Taliban operations in the eastern and northern parts of Afghanistan. Maulavi Abdul Kabir, the Taliban's governor of Nangarhar Province when the group was in power, headed this body, according to Afghan and US intelligence officials. Maulavi Kabir was also caught in the Pakistani sweep.

Can the leadership spring back?

Some Taliban figures who do not belong to the Quetta Shura still hold important roles. One example is Qudratullah Jamal, who deals with fundraising and outreach to other groups and potential donors and is believed to be based in Pakistan. Another is Hafez Majid, who has headed a number of military committees over the years.

While the recent crackdown may put pressure on the Taliban, the movement has survived the loss of senior leaders before.

In early 2009, Pakistani authorities announced that they had captured Ustad Yasir, at the time the Taliban's chief of military operations. His current whereabouts are unknown. In 2007, Pakistani officials captured Mullah Obaidullah, then considered the movement's No. 2. Other senior leaders have been killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

The current sweep, however, marks the first time so many members of the leadership have been apprehended at once.

India: The Anti-Black Mass Culture In Kerala

By Joe MS

Countercurrents.org

The recent 'jest 'of film star Jayaram against the Tamil as black skinned , buffalo like and therefore less human has been taken as just a joke by the cultural scene of Kerala. Not only that sympathy was expressed for the poor victim that he is, inadvertently cracking an innocent joke and thereby exposing himself to the ire of 'violent' Tamil,even solidarity was expressed with the right to crack such jokes by the 'ordinary folks'. The latent ideological and cultural premises hidden behind this whole controversy needs to be enquired into to understand the reality. The natural outburst of violence against Jayaram for the upholding dignity of the Tamil has been understood by the 'superior' Malayali culture as typical of them who are inferior, passionate, emotional, devoid of political education , filmy so on and so forth. The intellectual community of Kerala was not less.

The height of irony was the sigh of relief heaved by Sebastian Paul, the(retired? )left liberation theologist, in his newspaper article in Madhayamam (dated 12th February), for the subsumption of controversy as the fight against Jayaram has subsided in Tamilnadu. Here he presumes that Jayaram only made a joke and absolved him of all sins( because of the kinship called Malayali fraternity), and that the Tamils reacted violently and unnecessarily , which is nothing but parochialism. This is no wonder. At the level of mass culture, cracking of jokes and the wit mania , epitomised by mimics culture , and internalised by Malyalee to fill the philosophical void in his competitive life, is simply racist,. Popular culture as practiced in Kerala, is naked racism, which would have called forth acts of reprimand even from a capitalist state in the west.. And all such jokes insulting the physically challenged to the people of subaltern culture has escaped criticism of the left-oriented Kerala

.For the left any act of subversion which questions the status-quo of Sanskrit-Brahminical cultural dominance is smacking of parochialism and jingoism and therefore not progressive. This is due to parroting of historical materialism without understanding its real potential, for liberation and blind application without understanding the Indian context. Yes, it is true Marxism has the huge prowess to help in transforming and liberating a society. But only if applied with ingenuity.

The so-called post revolutionary mainstream culture of Kerala culture constituted by mainstream leftist too, has always been Brahmanical, pro-Sanskrit, pro-Hindi, patriotic and as a corollary posed against all discourse hostile to the dominanant discourse. The making of Sebastian Paul, despite being claimant to the revolutionary status of marginalised section with in the Christian communityre, shares the same outlook in aping the hierarchical configuration of the Siriyan hegemony, especially in its nurturing of caste system, And his stint with parliamentary leftism , would have instilled its theoretical approach in him, which abounds in 'bhadralokism'. The mainstream Malaya lee's canonical identity has been cultivated , and ideologically rooted in a kind of anti Dravidiansim , the pioneers of whom were naturally leftists. India is a country in which epidermically determined racism is still a reality, despite claims to the contrary from the left. The scientific rigour exhibited by their intelligentsia in disproving the historical accuracy of Aryan-Dravidian divide, only as a colonial construct and discourse ,and the scant disregard for the efficacy of such a dichotomy at least in the cultural domain, is inspired by ulterior motives .

The need for a secular Dravidian myth, subversive and libertarian, was exemplified by the practice of Periyar The emotionality of romanticism in the mythicization of Che proved positive and progressive for the world. So there is nothing wrong in the Dravidian myth cultivated by Periyar, celebrated and manifest in the counter cultural practice of Keemayana, extolling the virtues of Ravana, the villain of the brahmanical lore, Ramayana. But all these efforts were sidelined by the left in their nation building enthusiasm and theoretical gratitude , engraved in the unconscious, due to the organic link to Brahmansim,(maybe existing as a scholastically oriented secular atheistic practice, in effect working as detached denouement in a genetically ordained socially stratified scenario,) to the aestheticised obscuranticism of Gandhian ideology. It has informed their outlook and practice, the result was , the mainstream culture of Kerala, of which the left takes pride in, which is Brahmanical , skin-based; marginalises , dalit and adiviasis, and nakedly practice slavery to the people of dark-skin vagrants seeking job there. Jayaram is only the tip of the iceberg. (See the naked practice of Brhamanism in the nexus between Jayaram, kamala Hassan and N.Ram(the icon of such leftist culture exemplified in his secular atheistic, devoid of cultural rationality, despite their mutually absent save real acquaintance, facilitated through the working of social capital)The radical left, constituted by the self same class forces, despite some originality in introspection and nobility, stops short of owning up a Dravidian spirit. The endless masturbation of the post-modern brigade, with European born anti Euro-centric theory, results in only sharing the crumps of state benevolence..

Another incident which bears testimony to the Savarna hegemonic oeuvre of intelligentsia in India is the muted response/silence/participation of the urban intelligentsia in the recent perpetration of genocide on the 'Dravidian race , by the powers that be in the subcontinent. Kerala , despite being , the bordering state, and which can boast of its intellectuals as a community, and which parrots an Immanuel levinas to Badiou, did not even take notice of such happenings , and shared the mainstream view. This is because the cultural sphere of Kerala , ploughed as it is by Marxism, is organically linked to the right , as the intellectual praxis here is without the radical rupture with in consciousness,, and practically amounts to economism. The Malayali identity is largely built and defined as contradictory to , distinct from, and as a counter-point to the Tamil(read black skinned), ridiculed as linguistically chauvinistic .Thus it was genetically integrated in to the Sankritised terrain.The inherent tribalism , immediately inferred by Malayalee , to the angry nationalist outburst of Tamils to Jayaram's invectives , will be termed as jingoistic parochialism( see Nehru's invective on Tamil movement as 'Kattu Mirandi').The anti-Brahmanic cultural content in the struggles of periyar, his anti-casteist , anti-Hindi position etc. were never looked at with respect by the right and left intelligentsia . In fact Periyar's Dravidian rationality provides avenues for a counterculture , with its Dravidian lore, a libertarian site on which to wage the struggle of subaltern, oppressed culturally, thereby assimilating the multitudinal streams antagonistic to the dominant culture into its fold, and creating a space towards a radical rupture, extremely necessary to break from historic and ideological oppression, and to create a new proletariat , liberated from ideological subjugation of Brahmanism. Like Black bolshevism, propounded by Harry Haywood .in the US, what India need is a Marxism dialectically linked to a Dravidian cultural rationalism with its emancipatory potential.

Gen. Patraeus praises Pakistan’s efforts in war against terror

US Central Command Commander Gen. David Petraeus has praised Pakistan's efforts to confront violent extremists and honoured the sacrifices being made every day by the Pakistan military, the government and the people in their fight to restore peace and stability.

Gen. David Petraeus during his visit to Pakistan met President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Chief of Army Staff and several other officials.

He also visited Pakistan Military Academy Abbottabad and addressed students there, said a US Embassy press release issued here on Wednesday.

During his meetings, Gen. Petraeus briefed the Pakistani leadership on the progress being made by the Afghan, US and international forces in the battle against extremism in Afghanistan.

He promised continued support for the Pakistan military for combating extremists and anticipated that vigorous progress by Pakistani security forces in the coming months will lead to major improvements in conditions in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Gen. Petraeus was impressed by the progress Pakistan's security forces made throughout the country in places like South Waziristan and Swat to defeat anti-government militants.

He reinforced the United States' long-term commitment to Pakistan and expressed his appreciation for the leadership role Pakistan in achieving the mutual goals of a peaceful and secured region. It is pertinent to mention here that Gen. Petraeus has visited Pakistan five times during the last twelve months.

Can Washington please grow up?

By John Hughes

Provo, Utah: America is one of the most stirring examples of democracy in action anywhere on the globe. But the way our legislators behave, it is no wonder some non-Americans find it totally perplexing.

Take the current political situation in Washington: Barack Obama ran his winning presidential election campaign on a platform of "change." His Democratic supporters roared back: "Yes, we can."

His Republican opponents ran their campaign on a sort of "We-too-can-change" platform. Their supporters murmured back: "Yes, we hope you can, but not too fast."

Centrist independents, who now hold the balance of power between the two traditional parties, and who after a year into the new presidential term had hoped for bipartisanship and unity in the face of crisis, must be mighty disappointed.

The Democrats, after trying to rush an improbably comprehensive liberal agenda into being in Year 1 of President Obama's term, have found out that "No, they can't."

The Republicans, after losing the White House and both Houses of Congress, have determined that their attitude toward anything the spendthrift Democratic majority in Congress proposes will be "No, you won't." The strategy apparently is to block Democratic-initiated programs with the hope that disillusioned voters will return a Republican majority to Congress later this year, and even hobble Obama's bid for reelection. The danger for Republicans is that disaffected voters might blame the Republicans more for disruption than the Democrats for lack of accomplishment.

Much of the electorate is left fuming over (a) millions of jobs lost, (b) a mind-boggling national debt their children and grandchildren will be left paying off, (c) big bank presidents awarded annual salaries in the multimillions for questionable performance, and (d) a political logjam in Washington.

The national mood is not helped by cable TV commentators of the more lurid character suggesting that the administration is leading the country to Armageddon, or senior White House officials terming those who disagree with them "retarded."

As has been traditional over the years, US political parties, both in and out of power, have tended to be more supportive of incumbent presidents on foreign policy than domestic policy. It is generally considered bad form to display disunity on foreign policy to foreign audiences, but acceptable to be in disarray on domestic challenges at home.

In sending more troops to Afghanistan, Obama is largely following President Bush's war policy. His tough talk on Al Qaeda and terrorism meets with support from most Americans. He has escaped serious criticism on questionable handling of the closure of Guantánamo defense facility, on interrogation of the Christmas Day bomber, and the now-abandoned plan to try key Al Qaeda terrorists in courts a stone's throw from the scene of the 9/11 disaster. Perhaps it is because his attorney-general, Eric Holder, is seen to have been the initiator of such moves.

While Obama's Cairo and Istanbul "outreach" speeches to the Muslim world were well crafted and well received, his outstretched hand has yet to be gripped by the Arab world, or by difficult non-Arab clients like North Korea and Iran, to which he has also similarly offered engagement. North Korea already has developed nuclear-capable weaponry and Iran has proven rocket capability, with the ability to produce a nuclear warhead not far behind.

North Korea has proved adept at fending off US, European, and Chinese attempts to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Iran, a traditional wily negotiator, must surely have been impressed by North Korea's example and probably hopes to emulate it.

Though China is America's banker, its relationship with the Obama administration is prickly as it seeks recognition as a world power.

In these and other international challenges, Obama counts on bilateral support at home. It would be helpful if Republicans and Democrats could achieve similar bilateral concord on the serious domestic challenges facing the nation.

John Hughes, a former editor of the Monitor, writes a biweekly column.

UK fatalities in Afghanistan and Iraq

BBC News

The number of British military personnel killed on operations in Afghanistan since 2001 stands at 265 after a soldier from A Company, 4th Battalion The Rifles, was shot near Sangin, Helmand province, on 25 February.

Of all those killed, 33 have died from accidents, illness, or non-combat injuries. Others have yet to be assigned a cause of death. Details of fatalities are in the table below.

Read Complete Article here : http://simseat.newsvine.com/_news/2010/02/26/3952709-uk-fatalities-in-afghanistan-and-iraq

Procedural irregularities in by-polls witnessed

By Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD: A group of independent election monitors reported seeing heavy police presence and intelligence operatives occasionally "interfering" in the voting process at some polling stations during the by-election in NA-55 on Wednesday.

Police stand guard outside a polling station during a by-election in Rawalpindi.-AFP

In their preliminary report, the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) observers also reported "significant procedural irregularities" and failure of election officials to enforce regulations and laws.




In most of polling stations, security officials were present inside polling stations and booths. Many presiding officers said security officers were present inside the premises without their permission and on the orders of the local administration.




The observers also noticed "intelligence officials entering polling stations and asking questions about the number of votes cast."

Under electoral rules, even at sensitive polling stations, police are only authorised to maintain order outside. They can only enter polling stations or booths when requested by the presiding officer. At some polling stations, security officials accompanied Fafen observers and even supervised their interactions with the officials. At some stations, police officers were assisting election officials in counting and handling election materials.




Over 30 polling stations were set up in privately schools and buildings, which was not in line with the electoral rules.




The observers as well as some mediapersons reported that the election officials under "close supervision of security officers were hesitant particularly in opening the counting process for pubic scrutiny."




At 12 polling stations, ballot books had counterfoils filled before the ballots had been removed, indicating the possibility of "fraudulent votes."

Similarly, the observers reported from 12 polling stations that the number of CNICs of voters as written on the counterfoils of the ballot books did not match with the corresponding entries on the electoral rolls "again raising the possibility that fraudulent voting might have taken place."




At 19 polling stations, dubious thumb impressions marked on counterfoils of ballot books at the same angle with phasing out ink print were observed. In case of genuine voters, each thumb impression is marked in fresh, dark ink and may be at varying angles.




Armed civilians were observed inside eight polling stations. Public representatives and officials were present inside six polling stations.

At one polling station, an unidentified man was acting on behalf of a female presiding officer and was positioned at a place from where he could view voters stamping their ballots.




The workers of almost all the parties were campaigning in violation of election laws that barred the same within 400 yards of polling stations. At 13 stations, campaigning and canvassing was being done inside.




The installation of cameras in polling stations, apparently for security reasons, is a certain case of breach of voters' privacy.

In at least one polling station, a security camera was installed on top of the secrecy screen where voters stamp the ballot.

60 MINUTES OF TERROR

By Deepika Jaitley

On 15^th February 2010 India's Eastern Frontier Rifles Force came under attack at their Headquarters at Shilda 75 kms from Midnapore. Taken by complete surprise the force lost 24 enlisted men in the 60 minutes for which the attack continued. More than 50 weapons were looted besides other destruction. This daring armed attack was claimed by the Maoist rebels fighting Indian security forces in the troubled North Eastern region. According to the Maoist leader Kishanji this was in retaliation to Operation Green Hunt. Operation Green Hunt is an operation by Indian security forces against the jungle bases and sanctuaries of the Maoists. Maoists have launched many attacks but this one was the most daring and marks an escalation in the struggle.

Read Complete Article here : http://deepikascorner.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/60-minutes-of-terror/

Israel under pressure over Hamas killing in Dubai

MOHAMED HASNI

Israel came under fresh diplomatic pressure Thursday as Australia became the latest country seeking answers over the use of western passports in the Dubai killing of a top Hamas militant.

Australia summoned the Israeli ambassador to discuss the latest development in the investigation into the killing, which Dubai's police chief has said was most likely carried out by Mossad agents.

Australia "will not be silent on the matter," said Prime Minister Kevin Rudd after three Australian passport-holders were named among 15 new suspects linked to last month's Cold War-style killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh.

"If Australian passports are being used or forged by any state, let alone for the purpose of assassination, this is of the deepest concern and we are getting to the bottom of this now," Rudd told public broadcaster ABC.

"We will not leave a single stone unturned."

Al-Ittihad newspaper reported Thursday, citing a police source, that three Palestinians are being questioned over the killing.

"The number of Palestinians being questioned in connection with the killing of (Mahmud) al-Mabhuh has risen to three," the newspaper cited a high-level police source as saying.

Dubai police have previously announced that they have in custody two Palestinians, who were deported from Jordan.

The source did not provide details on the detention of the third Palestinian, the newspaper said.

"The source confirmed that one of those (previously-detained) Palestinians has been proven to have been involved in Mabhuh's killing," Al-Ittihad said.

A statement Monday from Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said there was no evidence to link Israel to the killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, who was found dead at a luxury Dubai hotel on January 20.

But the country's envoys have already been called in over the affair by four European countries -- Britain, France, Germany and Ireland -- because of the use of such passports seemingly issued by these countries.

In many cases, the documents appeared either to have been faked or obtained illegally.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who summoned Israeli ambassador Yuval Rotem for an explanation Thursday, said initial investigations showed the Australian passports were probably "duplicated or altered".

They had not yet reached any conclusions, Smith added.

"But I made it crystal clear to the ambassador that if the results of that investigation cause us to come to the conclusion that the abuse of Australian passports was in any way sponsored or condoned by Israeli officials, then Australia would not regard that as the act of a friend."

The other 15 new suspects being sought are six British, three French and three Irish passport-holders, Dubai investigators said in a statement.

Wednesday's announcement by Dubai police brought the total number of people being sought to 26. All had used Western passports.

Five of the 15 new suspects were women and 14 had used credit cards, issued by META Bank in the United States, to book hotel rooms and pay for air travel, Dubai police said.

The new suspects had travelled to Dubai from six different European cities and Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Britain and Ireland were contacting the holders of passports named by Dubai police.

Media reports in Israel said as many as 10 of the new suspects had used the identities of Israelis holding double nationality. Six Israelis with dual British citizenship had already been identified.

Dubai police initially released the names and photos of 11 suspects who had entered the UAE on European passports: six from Britain, three from Ireland, one from Germany and one from France.

The emirate's police chief, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan, has already said he is "99, if not 100 percent" sure that Israeli spy agency Mossad was behind Mabhuh's death.

On Saturday he said that Dubai had evidence, including wiretaps, of the agency's role.

He also said last week that some of Mabhuh's killers used diplomatic passports, that appeared to have been falsified or stolen, belonging to ordinary citizens shocked to learn of their being linked to the case

"Friendly nations who have been assisting in this investigation have indicated to the police in Dubai that the passports were issued in an illegal and fraudulent manner," said Wednesday's statement.

Mabhuh, who masterminded a number of attacks on Israeli targets, was electrocuted and strangled to death, according to his brother.

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, has reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authorised the mission and met members of the hit squad shortly before their departure.

Al-Qaida leader in Yemen threatens new US attacks

CAIRO - A senior operative of the al-Qaida network in Yemen - the group that claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day attack on an American passenger jet over Detroit - has threatened more attacks on the United States.

The U.S. has become increasingly worried about militants based in Yemen since al-Qaida groups there and in Saudi Arabia merged last year to become al-Qaida in the Arabian. The group has openly targeted U.S. and other Western interests in Yemen, and - as demonstrated by the Dec. 25 attack - abroad.

Qasim al-Raimi, a top military commander for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, warned Americans in an article published in an online militant magazine that the group "will blow up the earth from below your feet."

"You have attacked us in the midst of our household, so wait for what will attack you in the midst of yours," al-Raimi said, according to a translation of the message from the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant Web sites.

The United States is increasingly worried that Yemen is becoming a significant terrorist staging ground, amid signs that lower-level al-Qaida operatives have been moving into the country from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.

Washington has pressured Yemen's government to crack down on the network, and the Pentagon has earmarked some $150 million in military assistance to Yemen to help combat the threat.

Al-Raimi claimed in the article that U.S. efforts have backfired, and only succeded in pushing more Yemenis into the militant fold. "You united us with our people, made our catastrophe one," he said.

Al-Raimi is one of 23 militants who broke out of a prison in San'a in February 2006 and is at large. Yemeni authorities have said they believe he was involved in the July 2007 suicide bombing that killed eight Spanish tourists and two Yemenis visiting a temple in central Yemen.

He escaped a Yemeni military strike in December 2009 that killed a deputy commander and at least 30 other suspected militants.

Worries over al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula's growing presence are compounded by fears that Yemen could collapse into turmoil from its multiple conflicts and increasing poverty and become another Afghanistan, giving the militants even freer rein.

Hidden Hand Of The Law

Mumbai's 'patriotic don' could be behind the recent killings, with official backing, reports RANA AYYUB

Shootout The Bhendi Bazar area of Mumbai after the failed attack on Asif Dadhi on February 13

HE SAYS he has murdered at least seven of the accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts while they were out on bail. It's an open secret that in 1998 - allegedly at the behest of Indian intelligence agencies - he also had Nepalese MP Mirza Dilshad Baig killed. His name is Chhota Rajan. Baig, with reported links to the underworld, was becoming an eyesore for the IB. To eliminate its target, the IB is said to have used its favourite trump card, the Chhota Rajan gang. Rajan's association with the IB grew after he escaped death at the hands of assassins hired by former mentor Dawood Ibrahim in Bangkok in 2000. Subsequently, he started wiping out members of the 'D Company', establishing his image as a 'patriotic don'.

Fast forward to the present. On February 7 this year, Jamin Shah, Mirza Dilshad Baig's successor and owner of a Nepalese television network, was shot dead. On February 11, Shahid Azmi, prominent human rights and criminal lawyer, was gunned down. On February 13, Asif Khan alias Asif Dadhi was shot but escaped narrowly. A known associate of Chhota Rajan, Bharat Nepali has taken responsibility for both murders, while the attackers of Asif Dadhi have not yet been identified, sources in the Mumbai Police say that it bore the handiwork of a 'Dawood rival'. They also claim that criminal gangs are attempting to "prove their patriotism" by targeting people who could be dubbed anti-national, thus acting in the interests of intelligence agencies. In some cases, the relationship between the gangs and the agencies is said to be closer: Members of Chhota Rajan's gang claim that earlier attempts on Jamin Shah's life were made at the behest of Military Intelligence.

Business as usual A file photograph of Chhota Rajan

IN A chilling phone call to Jamin Shah's news channel the night he was murdered, Bharat Nepali warned, "anyone who goes against India will meet the same fate". Four days later, Shahid Azmi, the lawyer of Faheem Ansari, co-accused in the 26/11 and the 7/11 Mumbai terror attack cases, was murdered. Azmi had managed to disprove several police allegations against Ansari. Bharat Nepali claimed responsibility for this attack as well. Chhota Rajan's closest aides admitted in a conversation with TEHELKA that Nepali had been staying in Tilak Nagar, Mumbai, a few metres from Rajan's residence, in the run-up to Azmi's murder.

While Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria declined to comment, a senior police officer stated, on condition of anonymity, that, "It's no coincidence that those claiming responsibility for Shahid Azmi's killing - Ravi Pujari, Bharat Nepali or Santosh Shetty - are either ex-Rajan men or are working at his behest." For their part, on February 16, the police detained three associates of Nepali, two of whom have worked with Rajan.

Bharat Nepali, common link in the attacks on Shah and Azmi, was inducted into the mafia by Rajan after they met in Bangkok in 2000. He was present at Rajan's hospital bed after an attempt on the don's life. For some time now, Rajan is supposedly being coaxed by the agencies to make a return. He is hesitant as the MCOCA case against his wife Sujata Nikalje is still alive. Perhaps for this reason, though he is said to have arranged the murders, he is loath to claim credit.

rana@tehelka.com

Indian Terror Cell Targeting Muslims

THE SPECIAL CELL of the Delhi Police was formed in 1986 as a counter-terrorism force. It shot into prominence in the late 1990s, claiming to have killed many terrorists and to have solved several cases. In time, some of its officers began to figure in extortion cases and dubious encounters. Says noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan: "Unfortunately, whenever the courts have found that they [the Special Cell] have been framing people by fabricating evidence, they have not suggested any action to be taken. Unless they are punished very severely by law, police officers will keep on framing innocents as terrorists." Tellingly, over the last four months, lower courts in Delhi have acquitted nine "terrorists" arrested by the Special Cell. Four such "terrorists" were arrested after an encounter in southwest Delhi in March 2005. Police claimed they had averted a major terrorist attack on the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. Five years later, all four men were acquitted. BRIJESH PANDEY profiles the four terrorists who never were.

'It Took Time To Sink In That The Stigma Is Gone'

ILAWAR KHAN, Maulana at Imdad-ul-Uloom Madrassa


MASOOD AHMED, Imam at Baghwali Masjid

Living in fear Dilawar Khan was told he'd be taught a lesson he wouldn't forget

• Both men arrested by the Special Cell for plotting a suicide attack


• Branded as Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists planning a suicide attack on the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun


• Arrested solely on the basis of statement by alleged Lashkar terrorist Hamid Hussain


• Jailed for five years


• Court acquits them of all charges in January 2010


• Judge demolishes entire Special Cell case against both men

THE SIGHT of an approaching policeman is enough to send shivers down the spine of Maulana Dilawar Khan and Imam Masood Ahmed and for good reason too. Dilawar, a teacher at the Imdad-ul-Uloom Madrassa in northeast Delhi's Welcome area, and Masood, an Imam at the Baghwali Masjid barely 200 metres away, were called to the local police station in March 2005 and then told to visit the Delhi Police Special Cell's office at Lodhi Colony in south Delhi for routine questioning. It would be five years before either was seen in public again.

Branded as Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists plotting a suicide attack on the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, the duo languished in jail for five years before a Patiala House Court judgement set them free last month for want of evidence. The court also criticised the Special Cell for its lapses in investigation and for misusing its powers.

Dilawar and Masood were arrested solely on the basis of a statement by Hamid Hussain, an alleged Lashkar member, who claimed that a consignment of explosives meant for Pakistani terrorists had been kept in Dilawar's custody. Hamid identified Masood and Dilawar and police claimed to have recovered a grenade and a Chinese pistol with 24 bullets from them.

Dilawar recalls the questioning by the Special Cell. "I was too dazed to comprehend what was going on… all they asked me was if I knew Hamid. When I said no, I was tortured and asked the same question repeatedly. I kept on denying. I was told I would be taught a lesson I wouldn't forget. They also forced me to sign on a blank paper."

Masood has a similar story. "First I was asked to identify Hamid and then I was asked to explain the plot. I had no clue what to answer."

Matters swiftly got worse. "We were paraded like animals in front of cameras. The [Special] Cell officers were jostling with each other to stand next to 'the terrorist' so that they could also figure prominently in the picture. They also asked me to pose for the camera," says Dilawar. "My faith in God was tested at that moment. What did I do to deserve this?"

Deserted by friends and relatives immediately after their arrest, Dilawar and Masood patiently waited for their case to come up for trial. The judgement took a long time in coming, but when it was delivered on January 8 this year, it acquitted them of all charges and demolished the entire Special Cell case. Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma said, "The evidence given by the prosecution does not inspire confidence," adding that there was no evidence that Dilawar was living in the house police arrested him from. Picking further holes in the police case, Justice Sharma said Inspector [Special Cell] Ramesh Lamba, who was part of the team that allegedly raided the Welcome area and picked up Dilawar and Masood within half-an-hour of each other, "did not utter a single word about the recovery" of arms from Dilawar's house.

"What was most surprising was the statement of Inspector Ran Singh who stated that after the arrest [of Dilawar] the Special Cell team went back to their office… [before returning to arrest Masood from almost the same spot]," adds Justice Sharma "This is in contradiction with the statement given by the Special Cell officers. It is not believable that if the police party had gone to arrest both the persons in the same locality, it opted to include Ran Singh in one and not the other." Indicting the police further, the judge says: "It is also very doubtful that Hamid Hussain was at all involved in identifying" the accused since "his name was not mentioned anywhere in the daily [police] diary".

Life has come a full circle for the maulana and the imam. "When I came out of jail, I felt I am in a strange world. It took time to sink in that the stigma of being branded a terrorist has gone," says Dilawar. Masood only smiles and keeps thanking God. But their euphoria was shortlived. The very next day, some policemen visited Dilawar's house, asking him to visit the local police station. "I can't tell you how scared I felt. In a split second, the entire trauma of the last five years flashed before me," says Dilawar whose lawyer, anticipating unnecessary harassment, advised him to keep away. "Despite the fact that I have been given a clean chit, the fear of being picked up again remains. I think this fear will go only with my death," he says ruefully.

'Career Ruined By Case Full Of Holes'

HAROON RASHID, Mechanical engineer

• Arrested on May 16, 2005 from Indira Gandhi International Airport on his way back from Singapore


• Charged with being the main financier of a Lashkar-e-Taiba module


• Spends five years in jail


• Court acquits him of all charges in January 2010

HAROON RASHID had no idea that his plan to go to Singapore for a job would backfire so badly. A mechanical engineer from Bihar, Haroon had quit his job at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in December 2004 to join Singapore based company, initially for a 22-month preparatory course. When he returned to India on May 16th, 2005 for a visit home, he was picked up by the Special Cell from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. He was charged with financing a conspiracy to carry out a suicide attack on the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

According to the Special Cell, Delhi Police, Haroon had twice remitted a total of Rs 49,000 from Singapore through Western Union Money Transfer on January 10th and 15th, 2005, to his brother Mohammad Yunis, who had subsequently passed it on to Shams, one of the three killed in an encounter in an apartment in Uttam Nagar in March 2005. Apparently, Haroon had also confessed that he used to get money from his Pakistani mentor Abdul Aziz. They also claimed to have 76 pages of e-mail transcripts from Haroon, under the pseudonym 'Farooq', in which he had sent coded instructions to other terrorists for future action. The police termed Haroon's arrest as a major breakthrough.

But when Haroon Rashid's case came up for trial, a very different picture emerged - that of abuse of power at the hands of Special Cell officers entrusted with the task of preventing terrorist attacks.

According to MS Khan, Haroon's lawyer, "He was from a very poor family and hence had to take Rs 1 lakh as loan from his uncle to go to Singapore. On reaching there, when he found out that he would not need so much money, he sent Rs 49,000 back to his brother, so that part of the loan could be repaid. How was he to know that this remittance will mark him as a Lashkar financier?"

The case presented by the Special Cell fell apart in the court. Yunis denied giving any money to Shams, the slain terrorist. The police could not produce any independent evidence linking Haroon to any Lashkar operative. Even the muchtouted e-mails recovered from Haroon could not withstand the scrutiny of cross-examination.

"Inspector Kailash had deposed in the court that on 18th May, 2005, that he had cracked the password of the e-mail which Haroon had been using to contact his handler in Pakistan, and had taken the printouts on the same day," said MS Khan, "But Inspector Badrish Dutt of the same Special Cell admitted that on May 13th , 2005 (five days before the claimed breakthrough happened), Haroon had already given him the password of his email account. Badrish deposed that Inspector Kailash was also present during the interrogation. This clearly proves that the police fabricated the email records in those five days."

The court was scathing about Inspector Kailash's silence and lies in the court. Even the 76 pages of printouts supposedly taken on May 13 were neither produced in the court nor attached to the chargesheet. They weren't even mentioned in the police diary.

Haroon Rashid was acquitted by the court but if his advocate is to be believed, the fear of being picked up again remains high. And it will be quite a while, before his faith in the police is restored.

'Who Will Return My Youth, Sir?'

IFTEKHAR MALLICK, Biotechnology student in Dehradun

• Charged with planning to attack the IMA, Dehradun


• Picked up from his house; landlord not informed


• Special Cell claim Lashkar had funded his education


• Inspectors who'seized' evidence against Iftekhar never visited Dehradun

THINGS ARE finally looking up for Mohammad Iftekhar Ahsan Mallick, five years after he was jailed on charges of being a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist plotting to carry out a suicide attack on the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun.

Iftekhar, 26, was a secondyear biotechnology student at Dehradun's Dolphin Institute of Biomedical & Natural Sciences when he was picked up from his house by the Special Cell of Delhi Police on March 7, 2005. At a news conference, the Special Cell claimed to have recovered a diary containing inflammatory passages from the Quran, a note that spoke of avenging the 2002 Gujarat riots and a pass to an IMA parade. Police also said Iftekhar had been in touch with the slain Pakistani terrorist Shams who had motivated him to attend Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) meetings in his native Bihar. It was said Iftekhar had been referred to as "Shahid" in Shams' diary and that the Lashkar had sponsored his education.

Iftekhar kept pleading his innocence but to no avail. It was left to Additional Sessions Judge Dharmesh Sharma to point out the Special Cell's lapses in investigation while acquitting Iftekhar of all charges. Justice Sharma termed it "most surprising" that Ramesh Sharma, Inspector of the Special Cell had deposed that Inspector Kailash Singhal Bisht had visited Dehradun and seized the IMA pass from Iftekhar only for Bisht - who wrote the seizure memo - to admit during cross-examination that he had never gone there at all. On being asked how he recovered the pass and wrote out the seizure memo, Bisht could offer no explanation.

Damningly, Iftekhar told the court that he had been forced by the Special Cell to write out the note about avenging Gujarat. He admitted to having written out passages from the Quran but said they were not inflammatory in any way.

Justice Sharma also found it surprising that Iftekhar's landlord, Bhagat Ram Gulyani, was not contacted at the time of the arrest and seizure of evidence. Nor was there any other public witness.

On cross-examination, it came to light that inspectors Sanjay Dutt and Badrish Dutt, who allegedly seized Iftekhar's diary and the note seeking vengeance, had never visited Dehradun. What's more the Special Cell officers kept contradicting each other about the note allegedly written by Iftekhar. One inspector said it was written in Hindi while another said it was in English.

The court also said there was no independent evidence to substantiate that Iftekhar was a Lashkar member or knew any of the militants killed in the March 2005 Uttam Nagar encounter in southwest Delhi. Even the disclosure statements of the other accused did not mention Iftekhar even once. Mere possession of an IMA pass did not indicate any motive; moreover, the pass was five months old and the parade had already been held.

The ordeal has finally ended for Iftekhar. With his sister about to get married, 2010 promises to be a much better year for the former student.

But the fear of police remains ever present.

WRITER'S EMAIL


brijesh@tehelka.com