Sunday, December 21, 2008

Cricket Ties between India and Pakistan

India recently called off their tour to Pakistan in the wake of Mumbai Attacks. ICC also agreed that this is an acceptable non-compliance and hence would not call for any sanctions on BCCI. That's a comendable move from ICC.

But what next?

Should not Indian Cricketing organizations - IPL as Well as ICL , be banning the Pakistani Cricketers from featuring in both the versions of Twenty20?

I strongly opine that Indian Cricket fraternity should come forward and ask for such a ban / sanction so that till the Pakistani Government takes positive steps to curb terrorism and hands over the culprits to India, NO Pakistani cricket player should be allowed to feature in either IPL or ICL tournaments.

Who knows after some Javed one of the ex Pakistani Cricketer related to Dawood Inbrahim, how many more could be in the pipeline there to be supporting the extremist organizations and donating money to them. And mind it, the money earned from ICL and IPL is hell lot of mullah....


Friday, December 19, 2008

Belief - Destination Death

Last night I was having a chat with one person who had extreme views about life from where I see. The views started from Pain and agony where I opine that anything that happens, happens for good and if somebody dies, then certainly the analogy that I give there is they were destined to deliver until the time they were alive. The diseased as we call them had that much journey to cover in their life and they reached the ultimate destination that we call death.

I have the due regards for those who lost their life and I honor those who achieved martyrdom during Mumbai Attack. I have the highest regards and I pay my homage to them.

But then does the life stop their?? The wheel of life goes on. I myself have had a setback where I lost my friends on the front and out of the 14 Police / defense personnel who martyred, I knew at least few of personally. I too have pain , but should I use that pain and agony as my strength or weakness??? Certainly Strength.

Most of you there would think - "Why and How can Pain be used as Strength?". And to do that, one has to come to the terms of life. The terms of life can be identified as -

  1. Life is like a beautiful journey or a skit where you are an actor (enjoy your stint)
  2. Uncertainty is the basic nature of life and the journey of Life goes through uneven terrain. In case you take it as an skit, then understand that there is no script, each scene unfolds as you proceed
  3. Just like there are co-passenger in any journey or there are co-actors in a play, you have colleagues, friends, acquaintances, relatives etc in your life.
  4. Once the role / journey is completed by the co-actor/co-passenger, they make an Exit and we call that as DEATH. The destination towards which we march in our journey of life.
  5. Now just like at the Exit of a co-passenger we applaud the support and the way audience applauds the role of character played by the one who made exit, we need to salute and applaud the word done by the departed soul on death, and we need to ensure that it does not affect the marching ahead.
The point I am carrying here is one needs to understand that the journey of life has a definite destination, the ultimate destination that is named Death. Now one can't try and stall life because of some unfortunate event and because of some pain and agony.

Understand all of us are certain to be dead, just that we do not know when would we die, that is the uncertainty about life that it lets you know something would happen, but when would that happen would not be know

Friday, December 12, 2008

Advani backs govt's war on terror, assures NDA support - I say - Need of the Hour

Was reading article on time of India on Advani's Speech

Its good to see that at least at the point of National Security, the Political Foes are joining hands. At this juncture what is required is a joint effort by people from all walks of life. This can be possible only when the Political parties stand united and support each other....today if NDA supports UPA on this, then post elections (due in second quarter of 2009), I am sure that UPA would also extend the same behavior.

One thing that all the political parties need to take into account and that is whatever is started and organized at this juncture MUST NOT BE ridiculed when another party comes to power......it must not be thrown to Dust and Ashes......and efforts must be continued to strengthen the overall security cover

Govt should stop running to US for support: BJP...I say WHY????

Was just reading the article on Times of India quoting senior BJP leader Arun Shourie and was astonished as how can a party with that stature make a comment like this?? Or is it just to tantalize the thoughts of common man that UPA Government is too weak to tackle things on its own??

Either ways a really poor thinking.....as My take on this is -

When you know the pain area and when the medicine of the pain area is also known, then what is the harm in taking the medicine. Today Pakistan's economy is based mostly on the grants and aids from US and IMF and if that link can be severed with or can be tapped to achieve our objective, then i don't see any issue as such. As is Chanakya Neeti says that to tackle any situation there are four ways - साम (Cure), दाम (Money), दंड (Power) and भेद (Polity)....so Running to US is certainly part of the fourth way - Policty...what in Hindi would be referred as कूटनीति

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Mood of the hour

"Forgiving a terrorist is left to God,

But

fixing their appointment with God

is our responsibility"

------INDIAN ARMY

this was a forward received by me and I thought the best place to display it would be my blog :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Terror Attacks in Mumbai - Steps to Counter Terrorism

In last almost 9 or 10 days, I have been following the entire episode on Terror Attack on Mumbai, I have followed all the possible sources of news, mail forwards, chats and blogs that I could lay my hands on. Almost every blog or newspaper article or mail forward in last 3 or 4 odd days can be linked to the POST MORTEM of the attacks. Questions being raised, fingers being pointed and moreover forwarders urging to do something or other including not to vote during elections.

Well I was aghast that how ridiculous thoughts can be. The worst that I read / seen was from the Pakistan, a media clipping where it was stated that the Mumbai Terror attacks were insider (read Hindu Radical) job and that Governement machinery was involved. That went up to the limits of saying that US was successful in camouflaing 9/11, but India failed miserably. Whatever, but later another news read - Pakistan admimts to US that rogue elments based in Pakistan might have been behind the attack, that too when Indian Government put the facts across the table to Pakistan counterparts. mind it Indian Investigation agency is being supported by US, UK and Israeli counterparts and there is a join probe (investigation) being carried out.

Now with all that, I made a turn around to find out about what all leaders have to say about these attacks, and to the best of them came from -

1. RR Patil - "बड़े बड़े शहरों में ऐसी छोटी छोटी वारदातें होती रहती हैं|" This too in front og the Camera.
2. Kerala CM - "If it were not Martry's house, even dog wouldn't have gone to them"

Both the most attrocious remarks from many politician I ever heard that too when its been declared as the attack on India (War situation) and when case of a Martyr is being dealt with. The first one then resigns siting morale etc and the second one is not ready to apologize too...Shameless creatures

On the other hand, yet once again the SMS round plays with MNS Chief's wife sending across SMSes claiming that those who lost life during combing operations were "मराठी माणूस". I was thinking what about other scores of whom died, what about scores of NSG/MARCOS/Army personnel most of whom were Non Marathi....and BTW where was this MNS Chief hiding till the final bullet was shot and NSG declared end of Operation to comb the seiged buildings?

Then yet another promise that we have heard N number of times that there would be a National level Intellignece unit consituted with a specialist force developed to tackle such situations in future with its base in the metroes.

But my question is when will all these promises be fulfiled?? when will Indians see a coordinated intelligence information taken into considerastions and then thwarting such attacks much before they materialize?? This is inadvertently a BIG time lapse in the timely action on the information received from US and other Intelligence units within India that the perpetrators succeeded in creating such a mayhem.

Moreover we are at a juncture where the regime of current government is towrads its fag end and we are almost close to the elections early next year. I am not sure whether we would be able to see the dawn in this regime, or whatever steps that the current government takes toards creation of the National level Security Agency, the new government would support them and would not overturn them.

The fellow countrymen need to raise up and join hands so as to ensure that the following steps are taken at the minimum and also that once steps are taken forward on these sides, change in government does not overturn them as well they do not get stuck in the RED TAPE BEAUROCRACY as it prevails in the Government offices and the departments. Like Home Department, Foreign Department, Security etc etc etc....

Suggestive Steps -

1. Issue National Identity Cards / Social Security Number to all the LEGAL National Citizens of the country with work assigned to a central agency. Control of this agency could be in Supervision of NSG/CBI

2. Central Intelligence and Security Operations Team to beConstituted, with direct reporting to the Chief of Army or NSG with trained Commondo Force provided with the Latest Ammunition training and provided with the latest ammunitions (incidentally most of the Police Force personnel in Mumbai Police didn't have the practice of operating their guns for more than 10 years)

3. Central Security Agency to be given Autonomous Power to act immediately on receipt of any Intelligence input with input provided to National Security Advisor (to be appointed from the vast pool of ex Army/Navy/Airforce Command). The NSA then should coordinate between Government and Central Security Agency rather than Home Minister.

4. NSA to have power to approach President in case of Contention with the Primi Minister or anyother minister over various issuesin sight then and President to be empowered to take the final decision in consultation with NSA, Chief of Army, Navy and Airforce.

5. Dedicated Shooting Range for Police Officers to be created at district levels with mandatory practice hours defined for each Police Officer right from Constable to IG

6. Police Officers of Sub-Inspector and Inspector rank be trained for Commando Operations mandatorily and that all the trained officers be made to rotate between state Police services and Central Security Agency. (Incientally Patrol Commandos that were inducted in Mumbai Police post 2003 are not to be seen anywhere these days).

7. Waterfronts to be made more secure by deployment of additional forces specifically around the major cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata etc.

8. In Case of Emergency number to be assigned ot Central Security Agency and this number to be available irrespective of carrier be it Fixed line, WLL or GSM mobile.

9. Central repository of Citizens along with their National Security number to be created and attached with their banking transactions, telephone lines (fixed or mobile), travel pattern and any other vital information as may be perceived.

10. Though Anti-Terror Act like TADA/MCOCA to be enacted and enforced nation-wide. Separate trial courts for such cases be consituted and operated under joint supervision of Chief Justice of India and the National Security Advisor.

11. Elected Mayor to be enforced for all the Metros and minimum qualification and Experience criteria to be enforced for them.

12. All the Mayors be aligned to the Central Security Agency and National Security advisors for dotted line reporting to ensure their responsibility does include Security of the city they represent.

Now these are my thoughts based on whatever I have read through various articles and evaluation of the lapses. I would rquest all there to pour i your thoughts alongside mine to be able to put a strong message to the Government.

And well once the points as suggested above are addressed, a regular update be provided across to the lawful citizens about the progress made.

Please join hands with me and the other like minded citizens of India for a safer and peaceful future.

Mayank