Not Ceasefire, Pakistan Surrenders Swat to Taliban

By Manuwant Choudhary

The headline "Ceasfire in Swat' in the western media is misleading. Rather, it should be `Pakistan Surrenders Swat to Taliban'.

And this coming only a day after Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari told American CBS Television that Pakistan was fighting for its `survival' as large parts of its territory had been taken over by the Taliban.

It was a belated admission and only after the Pakistani Geo TV had shown the world how citizens of Pakistan had fled Swat abandoning their businesses since the government could not protect them.

More than a 1000 people have been killed in Swat, caught between hardened Taliban fighters and a weak Pakistani army.

Now people even want the Pakistani army to leave Swat completely.

And the `ceasefire' agreement means the provincial government will have to implement `shariat' laws according to the Taliban.

So in fact while Pakistan would shout about its `soveriegnty' being violated everytime a US drone entered its airspace to bomb Taliban hideouts, the Taliban had in fact taken over Pakistani territory.

President Asif Ali Zardari and the Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani are answerable to their people as to why they have failed them.

Mr. Zardari now says the Pakistani army did not raise its numbers.

Its not just numbers. In order to fight Taliban militia the governments resolve must be single-minded and focussed and only then can a traditiona army take them on.

The Russians observing 20 years of leaving Afghanistan have already warned the Americans that they can never win against the `Taliban' . "Fighting is religion for them."

And death is religion too for them.

So the big question is what Pakistan is going to do at this crossroad and what India is going to do.

Taliban threatens India also despite India not being a partner in America's war on terror. Are we prepared?

In this final leg both India and Pakistan will have to jointly fight the Taliban.

Pakistan will have to dismantle its terror networks completely.

And yes even re-look at Kashmir afresh.

There can be a new way forward but only if we show some leadership.

Well, isn't it about survival?

WHO WILL TRY KASAB, INDIA OR PAKISTAN?

By Manuwant Choudhary

Already one can see a dispute building up as to who will try the lone surviving terror suspect Ajmal Kasab - India or Pakistan?

Pakistan claims it has finally done its job by accepting the terror attacks on Bombay were planned in Pakistan and has posed some 30 questions to India - some genuine others vague and still others which are really not questions.

But belatedly Pakistan says that they may not just seek more information but may also ask India to hand over Kasab to Pakistan for a trial.

Logically, the place of the occurrence of crime is where the case is registered and the trial happens. In this case its Bombay and India.

Everything else including the countries affected by the terror attacks and where the crime has been planned falls later.

Logically, Pakistan should hand over the 6 arrested in Pakistan to India for a trial in India, with or without an extradition treaty.

One cannot have 15 countries trying Kasab or Pakistan trying Kasab.

Yes, one can have both India and Pakistan trying Kasab jointly in cooperation but provided Pakistan understands that justice systems are sacred and not open to `mischief'.

Or one can have legal representatives of all 15 victim countries to try Kasab and all accused, if Pakistan has a problem with just India trying Kasab.

For many years there has been a campaign for an International Court for Criminal Justice and all along India has not been a signatory to it. I am not sure whether Pakistan is?

But it is in such cases where a crime spreads across countries and even continents that such an international system becomes imperative.

But India will never hand over Kasab to Pakistan, come what may.

And Indians rightly ask this question that why should they trust the Pakistani judicial system when the Pakistani government itself seeks a UN probe in the assassiantion of Benazir Bhutto.

But sane voices out of Pakistan are never highlighted in the Indian media like an independent political commentator Musharraf Zaidi writes in The News International.

"This government has set new benchmarks for incompetence, and brought new meaning to the Pakistani people's resilience. In the current environment it is quite plausible that the greatest damage done to Pakistan is the set of statements, misstatements, steps and missteps that Pakistan itself has made. No amount of Indian surgical airstrikes or diplomatic conferences could have done the kind of damage that Pakistan has managed to do to itself, all by itself."

Mr. Zaidi writes, "For the hawks who would rather that Pakistan continue to deny that there are Pakistanis in the business of hurting India through terrorism, this kind of talk is blasphemy. But they should take a deep breath. India doesn't need Asma Jahangir or Gen Peacemaker Durrani to point out the miserable state of justice in the land of the pure. In a country where Mukhtaran Mai's rapists can have their convictions overturned, where the chief justice can be summarily fired, and then denied his job against all legal and political odds, why would anyone trust the system to ensure that the alleged Mumbai planners will be given a free and fair trial."

Gandhiji In New York!

By Manuwant Choudhary

Yesterday was a big day since Pakistan admitted its soil being used by terrorists and a court in India convicted the Nithari man-eaters.

On such big days and whenever the world is in a crisis Gandhiji speaks to me.

But yesterday Gandhiji did not give me his toothless smile but told me he did not have much time.

He asked me for something unusual, "Can you arrange for a US visa?"

I replied, "Oh no, I've never been to the United States."

Gandhiji, "Cummon, you don't have to visit the US to know a nearby travel agent or visa agent or dalal who does all those things."

Me to G, "Yes, yes there are many there but they just cheat you. Every single person has to stand in a long queue outside the US Embassy at Warden Road in Bombay."

Gandhiji, "But now I hear there is a recession in the US and nobody wants to go there."

Me to G, "If I may ask you why do you want to go to the US."

G, "You don't read the newspapers. I don't know if they have a recession why should they auction the last of my few belongings?"

Me to G, "Exactly, thats why. I think they need the money to pay for the `stimulus'. But Gandhiji you're a ghost you don't need a visa."

Gandhiji, "Oh trust the Americans. After 9-11 they can detect anything. They have ghost detectors installed at every airport."

Me to G, "But you're a harmless ghost - a non-violent and truthful ghost. You won't harm them."

G: "Oh, the British were democratic. Cant say that of Americans. Look one Richard Holbrooke came to Pakistan and Pakistan threw its entire foriegn policy out of the window."

Me to G: "Yes, but he is Obama's man...you will be so happy to learn that a black man is in the white house and they say he keeps your photo in his office."

G: "All that is ok but I just dont trust the Americans..how anything and everything even such valueless things like my glasses land under a hammer."

Me: "But Gandhiji why should you be concerned after all these years. You gave your glasses away to one colonel as `inspiration' saying this helped you in your vision of India."

G: "Sure, but can you sell inspirations?"

Me: "You are being unkind to the colonel. He may really need the money for say some heart surgery. Everyone is not India's Prime Minister."

G: "Ok, ok."

Me, "Plus, I hear that watch on auction was passed on to your own family members. Even they..."

G: "But they have a right..they are my family. If they benefit in anyway why should you object. I gave more time to my country and negelcted my family so I can't complain. And look when Nehru's family members win election on my name then why not my blood relatives?"

Me: "But why then do you still want to visit NY? Only if you have Rs.20 lakhs with you can you bid at the auction."

G: "Even I have secrets."

Me: "Oh no, you don't. You told us everything there is to know in My Experiments With Truth."

G: "Well, just help me or not?

Me: "Ok, as long as I can always interview you."

G, "You journo, I've never turned down an interview request."

Me, "Ok, since you are a ghost you dont need a visa or an airticket. All you need to do is to walk into space and cling onto one of those fragments of the US-Russian sattelite that have collided, and you will land in New York!."

G, "Ah, I watched CNN and they say those fragments will never fall on the earth."

Me, "Gandhiji, just close you eyes and you will be in New York."

G: "Yes, yes I can see those nice glass buildings. They look the same, except the twin towers are missing. Who says there is a recession?"

G to a New Yorker, "Excuse me madame, which way to the auction house."

AT THE AUCTION HOUSE THE BID IS ON....


ONE FOR THE GLASSES.

TWO FOR THE GLASSES.....

THREE FOR THE GLASSES......


SOLD.

Gandhiji is not interested in the auction but in the man who buys it...or woman.

But auction houses are even more secretive.

They don't reveal the names of the bidder.

But Gandhiji being the clever old man he is ...knows the bidder...and all he does is whisper in his ears.

"Don't sell it again. Its my inspiration. And if you want to know what to do with the money you have. Well, I have just come from Bihar and despite me the lepers still need help."

Laws Can Kill!

By Manuwant Choudhary

Wildfires have killed some 300 people in Australia and there are investigations on whether terrorists could be behind such fires but one story on CNN that caught my attention was an Australian couple - the Sheans.

With tears in eyes they told how rural Australia gets a rough deal from governments.

Surrounded by smouldering fire around their home they told their own story how some years ago when they built their home here they cut some 300 trees around their house for which the local council took them to court and they had to pay 100s of dollars in penalty and their business was affected.

But as it turns out their home survives the fire while all those law-abiding citizens homes have been reduced to ashes.

Moral of the Story: Don't Obey Unjust Laws. Wonder where are the environmentalists as Australia burns.

Has any environmentalist planted a tree?

Ram Sena Abandons Valentines Day Protest

Latest news is that the Sri Ram Sene has abandoned its plans to protest February 14 Valentines Day as they fear the violence on that day will be blamed on them.

Its clearly a carefully thought out strategy by the Sena indicating that there could be violence on that day and the Sena simply wants to wash its hands off.

After having attacked women in a Mangalore pub and even justififying it one wonders why the Sena suddenly has become `an apostle of peace'.

They say their withdrawal has nothing to do with the `pink panty campaign' which they describe as `cheap' but the fact that they have succeeded as Valentines Day is being debated by all across India.

Debate? What debate? Just more pink panties bing sold.

All freedom loving Indians must celebrate Valentines Day without fear of being married off by some rogue Sena.

Breaking News: Pakistan Admits Its Soil Used for Bombay Terror Attacks

By Manuwant Choudhary

News just coming in is Pakistan admits that the terror attacks in Bombay were masterminded by terrorists based in Pakistan.

Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Mallik says the mastermind is among the 6 terrorists arrested in Pakistan, while Lashkar-eTaiyba chief Lakhvi trained the terrorists.

FIRs have been registered in Pakistan against 8 persons, two are yet to be arrested.

Pakistan's Interior minister also said that calls were made to Italy and Spain as well and one from the US as well.

He asked the Indian government for more help in order to conclusively nail the terrorists who committed such acts in Bombay.

The pinkchaddicampaign says they welcome Sri Ram Sene Chiefs announcement of gifting a pink saree for every pink chaddi.

"We Will Wear The Pink Sarees since at least now Sr Ram Sene sees the point that there are non-violent ways to get your point across."

Malls - Temples of Modern India

By Manuwant Choudhary

Not the dams or a Ram temple at Ayodhya but shopping malls are the temples of modern India but recently a TV channel IBN 7 ran a story suggesting 75 of the 76 malls in New Delhi are illegal.

Illegal? But why?

The TV channel announced grandly `Kanoon meri jeb mein'....the malls have not taken the clearance from the pollution control board.

And a builders association representative spoke about red tape and how there is just no time frame for such approvals and that is why builders are forced to go ahead with their projects without approvals and later to regularise them they pay a penalty.

Delhi chief minister Shiela Dixit on the program seemed coy and sheepishly replied that they should take permissions.

Its quite clear that governments have totally failed in India and even in a place like India's capital there is no electricity and in the summer months every ordinary citizen takes refuge at the malls which are air-conditioned to beat the heat.

Or even when they do not have water at home they visit the Malls.

Now that is a governmental failure the TV channels should be talking about.

Its precisely because of red tape that India's manufacturing sector is suffering and so malls now have more foriegn goods than Indian.

Malls are the real temples of modern India and not the dams that Jawaharlal Nehru spoke about. Malls provide jobs without taking away farmers lands.

If anyone, politicians and TV channels should take a pollution test for polluting our minds.

Gift A Pink Chaddi To The Sri Ram Sene On Valentine's Day!

Women, young and old, all over India are currently looking for their really old pink chaddi's to gift it to the Sri Ram Sene after a call by thepinkchaddicampaign, a consortium of loose pub-going forward women, after women were attacked by Sr Ram Sene activists for going to a pub in Bangalore. Sri Ram Sene is a right-wing hardline Hindu organisation that believes it is alright to attack women who go to pubs in order to `preserve' Indian culture. The BJP government in Karnataka does not stop them either so women plan to send them some love this Valentine's Day!

The Courts, Even God On The Side of Sadhu Yadav!

"Gautam Goswami Wanted To Tell The Full Truth About The Flood Scam, " says his wife Anuradha.

By Manuwant Choudhary

I visited the home of the late IAS officer Gautam Goswami, accused in the multi-crore flood relief scam, who died recently after suffering for a year from pancreatic cancer, something doctors in Patna were unable to detect.

My connection with Gautam is really through his wife Anuradha who happens to be the daughter of my family doctor and incidentally she was my classmate in kindergarden.

After I joined NDTV as a reporter I met Gautam a few times in course of my assignments and was well aware that he was a doctor by qualification and that even after he became an IAS he continued to take a fee for anything that he would do for the public. Rs.500 and the job was done, I was told.

But not just him most IAS officers are corrupt..but he was on a fast track.

Soon an article in The Outlook magazine describing him as a young upright IAS officer who has been transferred 23 times in 3 years for doing the right thing was hard to digest.

The journalist who wrote it was my colleage Faizan Ahmed and so when we confronted Faizan he told us that his editor had given him a 3 day deadline to find such an IAS and he called up all the IAS officers in Bihar and only Gautam picked up the telephone.

And there was no looking back.

From Outlook to Time it was easy.

He became a Time Hero..having a photograph on the cover pages alongwith Shah Rukh Khan.

My years in Bihar was mostly spent in highlighting the flood situation and how governments do not even distribute any relief.

I quit NDTV after I felt I had done my job and relief would happen.

I was right. It did happen.

And Gautam Goswami as Patna District Magistrate was made a nodal officer for the relief efforts.

And the media just loved him as helicopters air-dropped the materials to the affected.

The international media were also hunting for someone more serious than bimbos on their cover.

Its only later that the flood scam was discovered not by any journalist but from a group within the government.

The cheques issued by the DM to Bihar State Small Scale Industrial Corporation was going into an account held by Santosh Jha who set-up a private company with the same abbreviations.


Santosh Jha was Sadhu Yadav's man from Ghoghardiha in Madhubani district. He even owns a cinema hall there and would often accompany Sadhu Yadav, chief minister Rabri Devi's brother, to the districts, arranging all his funds.

But Gautam soon found himself in prison for 16 months.

Says his wife, "That really broke him. He should have been in prison for three months and he would have helped the investigations."

I asked her why he did not become and approver, she replied, "He was scared for us. They would harm us. But he wanted to tell the whole truth to the courts once trials began."

But that was not to be. The courts were aware of his poor health but the trial has not even started.

And now news is that the original FIR itself may be quashed as the central government, state government and the vigilance inquiry give differing figures as to the amount spent on relief!

Gautam Goswami did not deserve to be a Time Hero but nor did he deserve to die.

His wife tells that he joined Sahara as a stepping stone...he wanted to be a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament.

Once I had a story on how Rabri Devi the Bihar Chief Minister had not spent a single paisa on her constituency in 5 years and I needed confirmation and I asked Gautam Goswami as he was District Magistrate. Surprisingly, Gautam gave the quote on camera. "Arrre Manubhai aap to mera gala katwaa dega..."(Arre Manubhai you will get my neck axed!"), he told me as he ran out from his office as the deputy chief election commissioner was in town.

Gautam is survived by his wife Anuradha, son Vishal and daughter Bipasaa.

And Sadhu Yadav is your Honourable Member of Parliament.

A case of justice delayed, justice denied.

Stimulus Or Scam!

By Manuwant Choudhary

In 5 years the only word chacha Manmohan S. Gandhi learnt is `stimulus' and he uttered the word like the enlightenment received by Buddha, while returning on a plane from the United States...

And while President Obama threatens his Senate to approve the 900 billion dollar `stimulus' to save jobs..read corporate world, or else there will be a `catastrophe', in India too the government has formally accepted this stimulus solution without any debate.

But the reason I write now is that even the media has approached the UPA government for a stimulus and the Congress government just before elections are due is actively considering their request.

Just like the NDA government gave a 400 crore rupees advertisement campaign `India Shining' and lost the elections, it seems the UPA too is on a path of national disaster.

But what saddens me is that this may mark the end of journalism.

An American economist said that the stimulus is really a scam as governments will have to decide which company to help and whom to ignore - there being no rationale or equal ground.

Therefore, the right approach to save jobs and companies would be to axe the tax across the board so that economic activities are revived.

Latest news is that if President Obama gets his package he will spend it on building infrastructure in the US and the money lost would be to states and schools.

Robbing Paul to pay Peter.

Obama is a socialist and he does not realise that America can build not just their own roads but ours as well.

Welcome to Bihar President Obama.

And build those world class roads that our politicians simply don't know how to build.

Why? Because they are all socialists just like you are.

Before elections the corporate world gives a stimulus to the political parties and after the elections the government will return it with interest.

Wow, I love this democracy!

Royal Republic's Empty Throne

By Manuwant Choudhary

Welcome Home My Prime Minister after your heart bypass.

Yes, thanks to all my readers and those who took the trouble to post comments. Well, why did I post the last blog?

Simple. Hunch!

Can anyone explain that? How could a journalist not even working in mainstream media sense something was wrong with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh?

But now a former Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee is in AIMs put on a ventilator.

And in Bihar for two days villages in my home district will become the capital of Bihar as the chief minister Nitish Kumar shifts his `gorment' to the villages with an eye on elections, of course.

So I am in Patna. And there is no electricity here.

The electricity travels with the chief minister.

All government employees are on strike in Bihar for more than a fortnight after the government hiked their salaries. Yes, hiked!!

But a call from home said that the District Magistrate has ordered all petrol pumps to remain open 24 hours for the next two days.

My petrol pump is only a day pump but laws being such in this country that one has to obey the order.

Yet, I have written back to the District Magistrate saying that they must provide full security as my petrol pump has been robbed thrice in four years and three petrol pumps have faced five robberies in four years. The cases are still unsolved.

I am also writing a letter to the chief minister Nitish Kumar to remove the police station from my town as they do not even have a telephone.

And with the new criminal laws being ammended with the police not being allowed to arrest anyone who faces charges having maxmimum punishment of five years makes matters worse. The police will have to know the identity and addresses of all robbers and send them notice of appearance.

So why do we need the police? And why we do not need this `gorment' either.

But why is Nitish Kumar moving in the villages. Well, people stopped coming to his janata durbars in the capital Patna as most people's concerns were not resolved. So he has gone to the janata instead and he is collecting complaints in millions.

Nitish Kumar will make a public speach at a college built by my late grandfather but was nationalised by the government.

A new dias is being built for Nitish because it is below his dignity to use the old dias built for Indira Gandhi!

And hundreds of labour fill up roadside `gaddhas' to welcome `Bikaas'...development.

V for Bihar and V for Bikaas.

I fear for our democracy.

I fear for our region.

I fear for South Asia.

India's Supreme Court says the criminal justice system has collapsed but it also says `gorment' should not arm citizens to fight naxals.

Should citizens be left to be killed by highly armed naxals?

Thats what the judges want, I guess.

And Pakistan's High Court frees disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan from house arrest.

The US has still not been allowed to question the scientist.

Pakistan now blames Bangladesh for the Bombay terrorist attacks. And there is no word from Bangladesh.

Are we losing the war on terror?

Can we leave everthing for Obama?

While Osama walks free.

Just when I thought all is lost, my car fell in an open drain in Patna.

It was an isolated place. Just two rickshawwallahs took a midday nap.

I did not disturb them.

And I was just thinking how I could get help, when suddenly from a distance a scooter arrived.

Two well-dressed men stopped and got down and told me `Sir, we will lift the car out.'

A rickshaw-wallah also stopped and helped give a push and my car engine roared out of the man-hole.

I got down to thank the men.

"No, sir, its okay. Even we own cars so we understand," said the scooter-wallah, who works for a shipping company, as they sped off from the direction they came.

Then I turned and saw the rickshaw wallah. He did not own a car! So why did he help?

I offered him Rs.40 and he simply waived it down. "Nahin sir, aap se nahin lengen." (I will not take money from you).

But I was no mukhya mantri.

I got a glimpse of the India of my dreams.