Vol. 36 No.4 22nd September, 1986 Price : Rs. 1/·

Minorities Not Being Properly Protected Communalism And

All Fundamentalism

Communities Plague

The latest meeting of the reconstituted National Integration Conncil was nothing more than a talking . shop. Cliches and palliatives were tr.oUed about but no bard decisions were taken. May coMend tbat it was a publicity gimmick by tbe ruling party.

parliamentary elections witb an eye on tbe communal and caste composition of each consrituency. Nor Mr Gandhi has promised to "try to .. oid this communal

approach" at the next elections.

But wbo is going to wait for anotber three years wilen Lok Sa bba poll will be due ?

Mr Rajiv Gandhi pointedly said tbat communalism bad raised its head in Punjab in very virulent form. But he forgot to mention tile communal riots which have rocked Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh more ferociously. Against this, there bas not been even a single case of Hindu· Sikh flot io Punjab, despite all the

tension there. Terrorism in Punjab has some "secularu

phenomenon, as the extremists have killed as many Sikbs as Hindus. Strangely, genuine grievances of the minorities are dubbed as born of communalism while excesses nnd unsound demands of Hindus are bailed as nationalism.

Fundamentalism is not" .on­fined to anyone community.

(Continued on next page)

There was not a sin,le word about protection \0 tbe minori· ties. The IS'point programme, presenled at the previous NIC meeting witb so much fanfare, has been "notbing short of direc­tive"non·compliance syndrome", as Mr. Chitta Basu of Forward Block put it.

No doubt, there are a number of bodies for redressing grievan­ce. of the minorities, na~ely Central Minority Grievance Committee, Minorities Commis­sion, High-Power Panel, and minorily cell attached with the union home ministry . There is no coordination among tbese bodies, nor have tbeir duties, scopes and functions been iden­tified, cauling confusion and overlapping. The minorities commission has no constitutional backing, with tbe result that aU its recommendation find tbeir way into the wast paper basket. Itl cbairman bas always been a Muslim, and some of tbem bave looked after members of tbeir faitb only. ignoring tile other minorities.

Thakkar Report Withheld From President Some PorUoDs Blast Conspiracy Theory ' Bebind

Indira Gandbi's Murder The central government has not supplied to the

president, Giani Zail Singh, a copy of the Thakkar report on Mrs Indira Gandhi's assassination on October 31, 1984, though he has asked for it twice, once in writing:

'Fbi. is a clear violation of the constitution. Articl. 78 lays down that "it shall be the duty of tbe prime minister to furnish sucb information relating 10 tbe administration of the affairs of the union and proposals for legislation as the president may call'\

The latest NJC meet conccn- The Tbakkar report has, trated its attention of fighting apparently, some portions wbicb

· "commnnalism and fundamental- are unpalatable to tbe powers­iam." But Congress party has that-are. It w • to keep a firm been more guilty in several lid on its findings tbat the respects. It entered into an governmenl amended tbe cons­alliance with Muslim League in titntion recently, empowering Kerala long ago; this bond still it to withhold any report of

· continues. To ple:'se Muslims inquiry if it was thougbt proper · there, it~ ministry carved out a in "public interest". Before

.Muslim· majority district oC _ tbat, it was obligatory to place Malappuram. IUch • report before tbe parli.-

Tbe ·so-called secular Con- ment within six montbl of itl &fosa(l) bill been puttiDI up its lubmisaion. canelldates in 80embly u.d \Che \Chakkar report has not

come down feom the union home minister'. level. It has not been sent even to the law ministry which normally pro­cesses such reports to find out if any legal action could be taken against officials found guilty of any dereliction of duty and lapses.

Tt is generally held that tbe report avers that there was no conspiracy bebind Mrs. Gandhi', murder. It was just tbe work of ·two of her bodyguards wbo felt slighted at the desecration of the Golden Temple at her orders in June 1984 when the army invaded the holy complex and demolished tbe Akal Takbt •

It this report is made public, then it would reduce to utter ' non-sense, almost fabrication, . tbe prosecution story tbat ber mureler WII the relult of ia

cou.piracy. And Sardars Kebar Singb. and B.lbir Singb., senten­ced to death for having instiga­ted Beant Singb to kill Mrs. Gandb.i, .hall have to be freed. And tile Government's attemptl ­t.O implicate Sardar Simranjit Singh Mann, a former JPS officer, as the real brain behind,. the murder would be exposed, as a 'damn lie.

Relations between tbe Giani and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandi' have been sour from tbe ve': . inception. The Giani i. now said to be rueing the day w.hoi he ignored the time-t"skd tradition of makin, . tlie .enic)r­most member'of cabinet.u ·8!iti,ii. · prime minister, : tl;lbl: n~)r,~:. bent is c/losei!, by')ti,l;):· r!!tilil*< party. ' '.MaY' .. ;"'OJ) );. ~"'~. ;.'~ reward ' ·.the':n\I'-" • . N; for h vilt" -cittlilliitli . , ' .' , .. ;~ II; . g , ,. . , ..... the higbest: ,pb\li~'

THE "SPOKE~MAN"WEBKLY 2

Memorandum Of "Indira Loyalists" A Damp Squib

Opposition To Punjab, Assam And Mizoram . Accords Bizarr~

The seven-page memorandum submitted to Pres i- . dent Giani Zail Singh by a group of expel\~d or suspended Congress(I) ~en, led . by former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, on September 16, has not set the Yamuna on fire;

Gorkbaland movemeDt has gained strength because the IRdianl of Nepali origin have been given a raw deal. He would be better advlsed·to· set liis ' own bouse in order first before casting venomOIl! af1'ows at others.

It has not asked for the dis­missal of the Rajiv Gandbi government, nor does it contain any specific cbarges of cor~u.p­tion, malreasance or maladm~nls · tration against the ptlme mIDIS· ter or any union rni~:ster. Couched in general terms, It has requested the Giani .to . fulfil hIS constitutional obligatIon of "warning and advising the government" against its present policies wbicb. they aUeged, were a departure from tbose followed by Paudit lawabarlal Nellru and Mrs Indira Gandhi.

(Continued from front page)

Akali. are accused orusing gurd­waras for political haranges. But Imams also give political colouration to tbeir discourses at Friday prayers meetings. RSS cadres Sbiv Senas and a host

' o(otb~r militant Hindu organ i­sation are based in temples which have been used blatantly ror whipping up passions against otber communities. In Punla", often places of worsbip have been used by Hindu to fire at neigbbouring Sikh houses.

No religion peaches hatred. of others . It is only tbe pandots, mullabs and grantbies who are villain. of tbe piece.

RIP, self·appointed cbam· pion of Hindu causes, has taken exception to recruitment or more M'.lslims into tbe central police organisations. It argues that such a community· wise step would lead to factionalism and spell the doom of national unity and integration. But, at tho same time, tbis party insists on giving Punjab Hindus 48 percent repre­.entation, on the basis of tbeir ~opulation ratio, ia tbe state

."olice. BJP bas double standards.

Sikhs were 33 percent in tbe army in 1947. Now their sbare b •• been reduced to five percent. Plans are afoot to cut It down further to two percent in keeping wltb their population in the e.ouniry. Ak.alis · .. ·demand tbat we mu's! no:t;. ·temper witb tbe qc,fence forc~ and recruitment must be 'only"flasis of merit and 'not population -ratio. And yet

t :" this secula r , and . na1ionalistic : "demand is decrled 'as communal.

These "Jndira loyalists" argue tbat the goverllment has softened its anti-imperliast attitude. It was a,"o drifting toward tbe right in fi,cal and economic policiest at bome. Accorning to them, traditional emphasis on socialism has been diluted and Iiberalisation and privitisation have been ushered in without regard to the consequences.

But these wise men bave not bothered to realise that public sector undertakings, witb only a bandful of honourable excep· tions, have bten always in the red aDd bave become dens of corruption, inefficiency and letbargy. Against this, private sector has been doing very well. Some men are against tbe laissez faire doctrine simply because tbey cannot wield tbeir clout in it.

Most bizarre bas been tbe opposition of tbese "Indira men" to tbe Punjab. Assam and Mizoram accords. Their conten­tion is . tbat the.e have given stimuJu!J to "secessionist and divi1live forcos". How, they bave not botber.d to explain, All the.e three agreements have defused the turbulent situation in tbe three states and paved tbe way for communal harmony and peace. If Ibe unrest still con tin u.s in Punjab and Assam, it is merely due to tbe non·implemen­tation or tbe accords.

Mr Mukherjee would do well to cast a look within bis own state. West Sengal. Tbere tbe

Giani Zail Singb bas promiled to give tbe memerandum full consideration. More tban this, be could not do. But it was premature on part of some Congrell(I) members of parlia­ment to bave rushed into the fray prematurely and accused the Giani of impropriety in agreeing to receive tbe delegation. Tbe President belonls to the nation and not 10 the ruling party alone.

Punjab seeking share in power projects

The Punjab goverl\llJent is taking all possible steps to press upon tbe union government to give tbe state it's due share in the power generated from the Sangrauli and Reruur projects. Tn this respect leaders of various parties in the Lok Sabba are also being approached.

Tbis was stated by Pr. Harbhajan Singh Deol, aclminis· trative member of tbe Punjab St~te Electricity Board in Moga last week. Dr. Deol criticised the autborities of tbese power pro­jeeta for not grantillg Punjab it's duo share even in tbe hour of crisis.

He, however, eXPJe.sed satis­faction over the performance of tbe Guru Nanak Thermal Plant, BhatiDda. He said tbat all preli­minery steps have been taken ti) set up a new project of power generation from rice hu.k in Patiala district.

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; , . 22nd &ptembei, 1'86

24th September, 1955

'JAN SANGHA MENACE TO THE PEACE & TRANQIDLITY .

OF PPNJAB

Government l\1ast Crash Their 'Fascist rendencies wldi ..

Stronl Hand

(By Our Staff Correspondent)

Tbe activities of tbe Jan Sangb and Maba Punjabis in the Punjab have indeed become .. lIlatter of great concern and pose a problem which demands the strictest watch and control. Tbii · more tbis goond.ism is condem­ned, the lesser it is.

No SOO I or the Religional Formula was evolved tban these communal organisations ban been ·agitating and making a bue and cry over notbing. Theie communal outbursts sbould not ·­b. ignored and brushed aside Iigbtly but tbey should be tak~ note of s.riou.ly. They are'. challenge to tbe peaoo and tran­quality of the Punjab and the fascist tendencies of the Jan 5angh are ' injurious to the heallhy growtb of the Parlia­mentary Democracy. The whole atmosphere of the Punjab and Pepsu is charged with diatruSt and commnnal tension aDd Jan Sangh is obviously the autbor of tbis hooliganism and is totall, responsible for creating tbis state of a!fain. No doubt tbat many penons having vested interests are backing theSe bodies.

The Punjab Government has done good in banning the entry of Jan Sangb Chief into Amrit­aar. Tbe hooliBans wanted to repeat tbe Hosbiarpur story here too. Have tbe people forgotten tbe violent demonstrations of tbe Mah. Punjab booligan. on tlie morni_g of September 8, again,t Shirman Narayan, CongrCSl General Secretary? No, tba)­have not ! The looting of sbops, throwing of bottles and brickbats sbows tbe bankruptcy of tbe communal parties. Wbat does_it lead to-spread of communal tension in otber parts of India. Tlie Arya Samajists of Jullundup are already infamous for tbeir

. communalism and if tlley get little support, they do not de.iit from making a mou'atain oroa mole·hill. During tbe British R'J tbey were rank opportunilts and now no wonder, if th-.y ar • . arrayed against the National Ha& and ail that it stllnds tor: .

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

----------------t, A THOUGHT FROM GURBANI •

• Nam is the. .only thing "ortby of praise, $ • Withont Nam we are naogbt; $ • Wordly positioD and wealth are but fleeting thing; t • Tbey come and go. •

& - Gom Am.rda. $ ... ~~ .... ~~~~~.....,.,.~~ ,~~~~

Vol, 36 No.4)

Pri"" : , Re. 11-

Equitable Compensation Barnala ministry in Punjab has taken the most

welcome decision of giving to families of the victims of terrorist violence in the state the same facilities of rolief and rehabilitation which have been admissible to vic­tims of anti-Sikh riots of November 1984. In this way it has dispelled the impression among Hindus that th~ government was more responsive to the needs of the Sikhs alone, though the terrorists have been killing Hindus and Sikhs in almost equal numbers;

Now families affected by extremist violence and terrorism will be entitled to preferential loans and subsidies, free education for children, a monthly pen­sion of Rs. 250 per month for each widow, and priority in allotment of houses and residential plots. So far the compensation for lives lost in terrorist violence was an ex-gratia grant of RSI 20,000 each and a Class III or IV government job to one dependent relative . of each victim. There are about 1,000 families of this genre. The new concessions should be applauded as a new inititative for the state's peace and amity;

The initial reactions have been favourable. Several dozen Hindu families, who had migrated are now returning to Punjab. This influx can be increased if the Hindu militants stop their vicious propaganda and assure the members of their community that their life and property are safe. Punjab police, in cooperation with para-military forces, have now got the upper hand against the terrorists, and acts of violence have been considerably reduced.

There is another piece of good tidings. The cen­tral government has decided to give an enhanced com­pensation to residents of the area around the Golden Il'emple, who suffered losses during Operation Bluestar in June 1984. The area was traditionally a busy trading centre; Hundreds of shops were razed to the ground and traders left almost peniless. .

However, New Delhi has not agreed to the traders' plea that their insurance claims be fully sanctioned. Union Finance Minister V.P. Singh has cited "technical difficulties" as an alibi; But why cannot these be ironed out on compassionate grounds? After all, the problem is more human than mere technical. Or should we assume that the centre is impervious to the miseries or the people who were victims of its own military operations?

3 22nd September, 1986

A S A - D I - WAR By : A.C. Arora

Asa di var is a unique and thought-provoking ballad com­pesea by Guru Nanak in the then prevalent Punjobi language. It has a strikingly simple ond _pontoneous, sarcastic yet sooth­ing style. It consists of 24 paur!s and 60 Shlokas (including 14 Sllaloka. of Guru Angad). According to leja Singh, "tbe whole is very artistically arran­ged and in the method, sequence and coherence of thought it is as prefect as the Japji". The main theme of Asa di V.7r is obviously 'God, man and Guru' . In almost all the Pauri. the author pays glowing tributes to the infinite, imm~asurable and all-pervadipg Greatness and Glory of God. He also lays considerable emphasis upon the need of a spiritual guide Or Guru witbout whom a man, he bolds, will be like spurious sesame left desolate in the field. The way of religion advocated and preached by Guru Nanak is. however, not an amalgam of set-views or doctrines but a way of life. And as stich tbe autbor felt very much concerned about the .ocio.religious lives wbich tbe people of tbat age were leading. Hence in bis Asa di var, and mar< particularly in the Shlokas attached to every Paurl, be gives numerou, refe­rence., direct, regarding tbe conditions of that society.

Religion with all its false, formal and superstitious prac­tices, it appears, was the mOlt dominant force in thac medieval society as depicted in Asa di var. A man in tbal society was notbing if be was not a Hindu or a Muss.lman and botb Hinduism and Islam had assu­med most perverted · forms at the lime. The Brahmins and tbe Mullabs wbo wore regarded as sbepberds of their respective flocks-and actually they did nothing more than to remove the fieece of the sheep of tbeir flocks - bad imposed most laxing and vexatiou9 ceremonies upon the innocent and ignorant masses, so that individual liberty had virtually ceased to exist. Instead of liberating the soul of the people-.the solemn and sacred task tbey had been entrusted witb-they had really made them alaves, both mentally and spiritually. "Man", says Rousseau "is born free but every-whete he i. in chains". In the society under discussion man was not even born free and he was bound beart and soul by tbe chains of religion; family and state. Even the restriction. imposed upon tbe m.n by the Sultana and the aged beads of tloe family were more often than not, dictated by their religious fanaticism and fads.

And so it came to pass that religiou. tyranny reigned in that . society . . Right from his birth down to his death, an individual had been over-burdened with numeroul '0 called religious ceremonies. According to K.M_ Ashraf, "Religious emotion found its best expression in them. Society even judged of the responsibility of a person by tbe amount of care and attention he gave to the fulfil­ment of these social and reli­gious rites". Tbe birth ceremony of a child, especially a mll. child, was celebrated with great enthusia.m. Guru Nanak allUdes to the peculiar practices of impurity the so-caUed 'Sutak' associated with the birth of a child . All tho family members, even the calte·fellows were regarded as impure, so that their very touch was supposed- tC"~ _ defile all tbe · cooked food. Guru Nanak strongly condemns this futile superstitious practic._ He writes:

If we admit ~ the idea of impurity (Sutak), impurity wilt ~;'e fouild in everything.

There are worms in duog . and wood,

There is no grain of corn without life;

. Water is the primary element of life. by wbicb every­thing is made fresh and green.

How can we keep a way this impurity?

It will enter into our kitchen, Nanak. we cao remove

impurity only by . Irue knowleg •.

Tben be goes on to say that tbe real impuriti t s consist in greed , lying, lust and slander which defile the beart, tongue eyes and ears respectively aDd lead a m.n to bell.

After passing through various · ceremonies in early child.ood, wbereas a Muslim child was circumcised at the age of seven, a Hindu child belonging to tbe three upper castes proclaimed his boyhood by wearing a sacred tbread (usually at tbe comple­tion of nine years) in a tradi­tional ceremonial manner. Guru Nand: wbo attaches no religious sanctity anel importance to this ceremony, exposes its bollowness and at the same ' time dilate. upon tbe renl significance of moral virtues of eternal value, sucb as mercy, contentment, truth and self-control in these Ilaes: . , '-

Make the tbread of content­ment from the coUon of mercy by giving it twills of truth alld ties of self control.

THE "S,POKBSMAN" WEEKLY

rhe sacred tbread tbus form­ed will be for tbe soul.

If thou bas! it, '0 'pandi!' put it on me.

lt will not break, or become , soiled, or be burnt, or lost. Blessed is tbe tbe mao, 0

4Nanak', who goeth with such a laread .round his neck.

He also mentions how on tbe eve of this c"emony. goat is sllughtered, cooKed and eaten and tben everybody present sa'l~, 'put on the Janou'.

We do not find any reference regarding marriage ceremonies in Asa di var, But we learn from other sources tbat "all sort. of sober and humorous rites and numorous superstitious ceremonies filled the programme of the bride and the bride­groom". Likewise many super­stitious rite. were performed before and after the death of a person , For a few days follow­ing deatb, the house was consi­dered to he ceremonially impure. The Hindus burnt the dead bodies whereas th. Muss.!mans buried them. In one passage of Asa dt var Guru Nan.k talks about tbe futile but muc!:! pro­nounced difference between the Hindus and ,v u'sU:DS ~ ~garding the dispmal of their dead bodies. He says:

The clay of a Mussalm.n finds its way into the potters' hand,

Who fashions vessels and bricks out of it. It cries out of fire;

And as it burns, poor thing, it weeps and sheds and tear. of cinders.

Nanak. only the Creator who made the world knoweth whether cremation is better or burial.

That is to say that it is simply vain and wbimsical on the part of the Mussai mans to find fault with the Hindu prac­tice of burning the dead bodies, for lb. Muslim dead bodies which are burried Iilay be dug out by tho potter and put into the fire of his oven,

But the religious ceremonies did not end witb the end of a man. Year after yoar following tbe death of a person, his des­cendants in the Hindu family performed the Shradh ceremony dedicated to the deceased. While preaching honest earning, the Guru in oce interesting Shlolca refers to this ceremony .. ith characteristic humour and sarcasm :

If a rebber robs a house and offers

the proceeds of his theft to bis departed ancestors,

The properly will be ' recog­nized in the next-world and will bring the charge of tlieft on the anceston.

Justice will require tbat tbe , bands of tbe ' intermediary

Brabmin be cut off. Nanak we get bereafter only

w\tat we lIive out of our own hard· earned lub.tancc.

In tbis way tbe whole life of, individual-that of a Hindu in a greater degree-was over­burdened with innumerable rite. which, to Nanak, bad mOfe superstition tban sense in them, Yel tbe self·styled protectors of Hinduism and Islam, the Brah­mins and Mullahs, professedly attached religious sanctity to all these ceremonies.

It was the Kol-Jug in wbich there was: as it was bound to be, degeneration and detecioration all round in the moral level of the people. The Master refers !o tbe prevalent tradition 'four jugs' pointing out how the KaI·Jug differed from th~ preceding jugs.

In the Sat-Jug, contentment was the cbariot (of human life) and piety tbe driver in front.

In tbe Treta-Jug, temprrance was Ibe chariot and strength the driver in front .

In the Duapra·Jljg, penance was the chariot and Truth tile driver in front.

In the Ka/-Jug, flaming pas­sion is the chariot and falsehood Ih. driver in front .

In this Kal-Jug the people had forgotten the substance of religion. As Guru Nana" writes in Majh DI Var, "Religion bas taken wings and vanished. Falsity prevails like th. darkness of tbe darKest night. The moon of truth is visible no where". Tbe darkness of tbe ase had mo.de goblins of men. Tbe seed of religion had exhausted its merit with the departure of those who had sown it. False and formal practices were all that was left of religion, In the langu­age of Sew. Ram Singb, "Both tb. systems (Hinduism and Muhammadanism) bad degraded into sels of formalities and cere­monials, which Were performed by tbeir votaries like mere auto­matons. Their objects were no longer understood or songbt to be understood" ,while each pretended to be righteous, reli­gious and pious, neither nnder­stood the spirit of religion. Hindu had ceased to be Hindu, whom Krishna of the Bhagwat Gila would not care to own, and Muhammadan had ceased to be Muhammadan, wbom Mubam­mad himself, if he had some­how reappeared on earth, would have failed to recognize as his follower ," The Master himself had uttered tbese signi­ficant words, the very first words witb which he started delivering his message: "There is no Hindu and no Muslman." Leavins aside

4

the fundamental princ,iples of their relilion sucli as ' sincere devotion to God and self·suuen­der before his Supreme Will, tbe Hindus would go to and bathe at tbe sacred place., worship images, offer oblations and burn incense before tbem. Guru Nanak alludes to sixty-eight sacred places of the Hindus. Apart from tbis, the Hindus, be writes, would repeat tbe Gayatri tbree times a day, wear rosaries around tbeir necks, put sacrificial marks on their foreheads and carry a pair of' db otis' along with towels on tbeir beads. They would read their sacred book. for all the months and the yelln. Instead of worshipping one Fear­less and Formless God, tbey worshipped Krishr.a and Rama. There were numerous tales about Krisbna and Rama popular in , those days and Krlshll-Lilag and Ram-Lilas were commonly per­formed. It had become a proCe.­sion with many people to earn their livelihood by sucb stage performances. Guru Nanak gives a graphic description of these funny aod profane perfor­mance~ in these lines :-

The Guru. dance to tbe tune set by their disciples;

They move about their feet and sbake their beads;

The dust rises and falls on their ruflled bair;

The audience seeing al) this laugh and go home;

For the sake of tbe ' bread tbe performers move to the rytbmic throb or music;

or dash tbemselves On tbe ground,

And sing as tbe Krisbna. and the milkmaid.

or as Sitas and the ro,al Ramas.

Like tbe Hindus, tbe Muslims also had recoursc to formal and futile practices whicb had supplanted the real tenets of Islam. They extolled their sacred law (Shariat) and constantly read and speculated upon it. They read the Nimaz (five times a day) in the mo~ques and did all sorts of atrocions deeds. Tbey Wore blue dresses and performed pilgrimage to Mecca. They often ran to dead and living saints for the fulfilment of their desires and believed·in miracle. and magic. The Muslim Qazis counted beads of rosary and worshipped God, yel tbey accepted bribes and passed unjust orders. Guru N anak is said to have addressed the Mussalmans elsewbere in these words:

Ma.":e kindness thy mOsque, slncetlly thy prayer-carpet

What is just and lawful tbY Quran,

Modesty tby circumcision civility thy fasting, '

Make right conduct tby Kaaba, truth thy spiritual guide,

- - -. Good works t\ty creed an,4

thy prayer " The wijl of God thy rosuy,

and God ' will preserve tbine bon our,

o Nanak." , ' Thus both the Hindus and

Mussalmans bad gone astray from the genuine path of religion and had fallen in the ditcbe. of ignorance superstition and falsehood.

A special meniion may here be made of ' the caste syitem which was then, as ever before

. and ~fter, tbe .. distinguisbing cbaracteristic of Hindu society. According to tbis system tbe Hindu society was divided into four main castes-the Brahmin., K.hatriyas , Vaisbyas nnd Sudras -e8cb baving a large number of sub· castes. Of all tbese, the -Brahmins were regarded a. the most superior and privileged class. With the advent of Islam the position of Brahmins in the 10di~n society bad, of ,course, receIved a set back, yet they were still looked upon as the acknowledged leaders of Hindu­ism. They had, bowever, abando­ned those intrinsic virtues which their class originally stood for. and had tbem,elves fallen a prey to all the vices which they we~ expected to combat in tbe com­munity and bad had only exter­nal marks of boliness left in tbem. They would dispense sacred thread to the people perform their marriages by ,gett: ing commissions, show them Ihe path for the future on tbe basis of 'Patri.' or scroll and, though blind in soul, call themselves seers. They would go to the bouses of other people, sou,nd conchs and enjoy their food, Next to tbe Brabmins were tbe Kshatriyas and tbe Vai.hyas Who bad become covetous and cowardly, and earned tbeir Iiveli­bood by di.honest means, Guru Nanak strongly denounce. tbe bppocrisy prevalent among thes. cowardly and caste-conscioul high caste Hindus in one signi-, ficant passage wbich may be quoted as a Whole:

Tbey bave sacred marks (Tilak) on their forehead peculiar dhotis around tbeir waist;

They have daggers in their hands and act as world'. butchers ;

Tbey wear blue clothes in order to be acceptable to the ruling class;

Tbey earn their living from those wbom tbey call Malechhas, yet they allow no ooe-to enter tbeir cook­ing squares;

Having .meared a place for cooking purpose tbey draw lines around it;

And sitting within, false as tbey, are, tbey say .: (Continued on page 10)

L __ --~ -=--=-=--"'--::::--==-==,-'--"= =

THE' "SPOItESMAN" WI!En Y s

Punjab waits for the nation's Promised healing touch

At the last meeting or'th. ------------------­Standing Committee of the Oouncil. useful discussions were held on the problems of the minority communities in the Qountr,. Punjab holds a very unique position in the minorities issue as the local minority there happens to be the national majority. This often produces a complex psychological brew and an inter-mix of social. political and administrative proillems. Remarkably. however the state has by and large remained free from tho kind of communal eruptions that lIave been witnessed in other parts of the country.

But there is another aspect of the problem which. I believe. deserves notice. Often io the past . we have teoded to multiply the threat to oul' natiooal unity by a nervous over-reaction even to negligible voices of irrationa· Iity. We as a nation need to act with far more self assurance than we have done in tbe past. w. must accept tbat many of the problems that we face today are an inevitable part of the nation's process of growing up. Tbese could be described as 'teething troubl •• ' offre. India and I am lUre we will be able to sort them out. But we would need to re­activate OUl' traditional national virtues of tolerance. social aQcommodation and tbe ability to look beyond tomorrow.

Understandably Punjab has become tbe acid test for tbe nation's ability to sort out tbe minority-majority syndrome. At our meeting on J\.pril 7 a near national consensul was reacbed on wbat constitutes the Punjab problem Ind what sbould be done to solve it. A very kind nation had as.ured me of all help in combating tbe tbreat to our national un<ty. Wbile all peace loving people in Punjab would welcome sucb belp. tbere lire considerable differeuces of opinion on wbat really consli­tutea it. Tbe nature of tbis help would quite naturally depend on how we perceive tbe problem in t be lirat place.

lt would be generally conced­ed tbat tbe problem in Punjab i, only a powerful symptom of a disease tbat alBicts tbe whole nation. Fissiparous trends are visible almost all over the coun­try. In fact. tbe problem bas existed for well over two decades now. since tbe rise of the separatist stir, in Tamil Nadu. Tbe nation bandied the threat with admirable cool' and self­assurance at tbat time. Later,

Addressing tbe National Integration Council (NIC) in New Delbi last weelc, Punjab Cbief Minister Surjit Singb Barnala said. "tbe Cluses of social and po!itical tension in tbe state be removed".

"Tbe memorandum of settlement on Punjab still awaits tbe nation'. attention". be said. apparently referring to tbe delay in solvina tbe territorial and water issues.

He said. tbat tbe situation in the state marked a crucial tumina point and "the tables can be turned witb an act of political ",ill and daring". - ,

, ~xpressinl a.tisfaction over tbe way the law-enforcing agencies In Punjab bad , tackled tbe terrorist problem. tb. Chief ' ,Hnistor said lbat "the political nature of tbe Punjab problem sbould not be lost sigbt ofwbile extendin, belp to tbe state to stren.then law and order",

Sardar Barnal.' Slid tbere should be no panic at tbe fissiparous· t~ends wilnened in tbe .tate because it was only a symptom of tbe dllease alBicting the entire nation.

H. recalled bow tbe rise of a separatist .tir in Tamil Nadu two decade. ago was bandied with admirable cool and self-assurance. Bilt now it appeared tbere was a tendency to become panicky in tbe face ofsuch routine probl.ms. He regretted tbat a simple political problem in Punjab bad been allowed to become a major national and human crisis.

Sardar Barnala said tbat Punjab, understandably had become tbe acid test for tbe nation's ability to sort out tb. minority­majority syndrome. He was clad tbat migration from Punjab bad been not only contained but partly reversed witb tile improved situation.

However. the continuing migration into Punjab. if Dot cbeck­ed. would add to tbe existing social tenaion in tb. otat.. "Tbis pro­blem should be treated on tbe same War footing as the figbt against tbe terrorist .... Ia. said.

The following il the text of Sardar Barnala's .peech_

however. we ba ve tended to become more and more panicky even in tbe race of routine pro­blema. The Punjab problem is a case in point wbere a very simple political problem bas been allow­ed to become a major national and buman crisis.

We bave consistently main­tained tbat the probl.m in Punjab is basically a political one. wbicb bas gradually assum­ed a law and order dimension. Tbe State Government has addressed itself to taclcling the law and order side of tbe issue in all earnestnes.. In ract. we have subordinated everytbing else to our efforu to restore peace in tbe State. Our drive against tbo.e indulging in violence bas yielded results tba t even our detractors have had to acknowledge. Tbree of tbe five dreaded gang. of terrorists bave becn busted. The police is hot On tbe heels of the remaining two. In the past few weeks. a majority of the hard­core terrorist leaders bave either been arrested or killed and their hide' outs smasbed. Over tbe past two montbs. there bas been ooly on. major terrorist strike lin the

State. at Muktsa. on July 25. Even tbere. tbe police bas not only arreoted tbe main culprits of that carnage but bave also solved many other major terrorist crimes.

I can say witb lome coo­fidence tbat our law-enforcing machinery has tackled a very serious situation witb an 'admira­pie degree of foresigbt. alacrity and efficiency. Tbey bave success­Cully provided tbe nation witb a welcome reprieve in wbicb it should bc possible for us t.o move againlt the problem witb a sustained political initiative. This moment in my State repre­sents a crncial turning point and tbe tables can be turned on the disruptive and anti-national elements witb act of political will and daring. We must utilise this breatbing space provided by the police to operate politically so that tbe gains of our drive against the terrorists could be consolidated and an enduring solution found.

The preSlure agai"st the terrorists ",ill be !rept up relent­lel8ly and peace in tbe State

22nd Sept •• ber. 1986

Sardar Surjll Singh Barnala

ensured at all costs. No one call rule out the occurrence of stray incident. any wbere in tb. coun­try but tbe generallaw,and order situation in my Stat. is well un~er control now ~nd tbe pace of Improvement WIll be main­tained. With the situation impro­ving by tbe d,y. we bave also contained and even partly revers­ed. tbe process of migration frOID tbe State.

It is now tbat the nation caD truly belp in restoring peace and calm in the region. The caUie, of social and political tension iu the State mu,t be removed. The Memorandum of Settlement 00 Punjab still awaits tbe nation's attention. Tbe spirit in wbich it was signed must be revived and reactivated. for tbe Accord is a statement of our nation's will to solve political problems througb pOlitical means.

We are also facing another serious problem in tbe State. Tbe process of migration into tbe State i. continuing and will SOOD assume alarming proportions if step. are not taken to eDsuro a sense of safety and security to' members of tbe minority com­munity throughout tbe country_ Each migrant to Punjab adds to tbe existing social tension in the State. Tbis problem must b" treated on mucb the same war footing on wbich we are figbting terrorism in Punjab.

I wisb to assure you that we are about to turn a new leaf in our State. rbi, is a crucial moment tbat must be seized in order to end tbe problem once and for all. The nation is on tbe thre~bold of an opprotunity !D Punjab and the occasion is there, asking us to rise to it. Our political vision . sagacity and patriotism are at stake. I am sure the nation would not be found wanting in will and courage. Political complacency can have implications far more dan~rous than administrative complacen­cy. Punjab waits for the nation's promised healing touch.

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY 6

. , .

Wrong Place and Time for Army A controv~rsy bas arisln

regarding tbe desirability of deploying Ihe army to deal witb t"e present situation in Punjab .. Tbe St"te's Cbief Minister has opposed the idea while the BJP continues to press the demand. These necessarily reflect tbe two opposing points of vie .. beld by the public in Punjab. Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha quoted Sardar SUfjit Singh Barnala as saying, "Tho trouble with tbe army is tbat they only know how to kill, and tbat means trouble" . lyoti Jaf.'s article in Tbo Slatesman (August 19-20) voices similar concern when it says "The army bas no means except tbe use of over­wbelming force to ",eet .eparat­ism, ex.tremist and terrorist attach".

Deployment of tbe army in • particular siluation depends on various factors and no rule of tbumb can be appli ed to it. To say tbat if tbe army could be .called in to deal witb communal violence in Ahmedabad, it ~bould also be relied upon to deal with terrorist violence in Punjab is to apply Ibe rule of thumb Communal violence usually erupts suddenly and lasts for a sbort period. Terror-1sm or insurgency builds up ~Iowly, and is a long-lasting 'Pbenomenon. Tbe army, or even the police. can quell communal violence in a couple of days . Bu' .even the best efforls of Ihe army may fail to eliminate terrorism or in, urgency in a couple of decades.

It is, of course, agreed tbat in an insurgency situation there may be no alternative except to <:all in tbe army. The Govern­ment rightly used the army in .gucb situations in Nagaland , Mizoram, and Manipur. But these were i·nsurgency situations, Punjab's is not. Ooe must make .a clear ~istiDction between insur­gency and terrorist activities, so as to avoid committing a mistake while deciding upon counter­measures.

Punjab is not facing a revolu­tionaryor insurgency situation: tbere is no immediate danger of extremists overtaking the police and para-military forces. In fact, the tempo of terrorist activities is going down, although .Iowly, and the momentum of the action laken by the police and para­military forces is on tbe rise. or late, the terrorists are going in for "sensational" killings-an inevitable stage in the stagnanl or d':Clining phase of terrorism anywhere in the world. The best way to face this pbase of terror­ism is to tighten security mea­lures wberever needed, and by

By ; B.K. Tripatby, I .P .S. (Retd.)

relentless pursuit of tbo terrorist. as is being done now.

Secondly, if the army is caHed in now, can it eradicate terror­ilm completelY? Judging by army's performance in tbe past, the chaoces are tbat terrorism in Punjab may continue for years, just as low key insurgency goes on in Nagaland and Manipur in spite of tbe heavy deployment of the army for nearly 30 years. Is the Government prepared to allow Ibe army to get bogged down in Punjab for a loog period?

Tbe fear tbat induction of tbe army may not have any percepli­ble impact on Punjab is based on

.facts . After Operation Blue.tar there was a lull in terrorist activi­ti .. for a month or so. . But from

for lix month. (from May to October 1984). All the aSF units on the Punjab border were placed under army command, Moreover, out of the 10 sectors on the Punjab border one was lIuarded entirely by army personnel replacing tbe BSF. The results were as bad or as good as tbey alway. have been. The border was far from sealed. Ratber, terrorist movement acrosl the international boundary incleased even in the sector guarded by the army. _

The otber suggestion thaI more force should be deployed is valid to some extent. If the present strength is doubled, it may go a long way in preventing trans·bordet crimes but cannot seal the border. Land borders anywhere in tbe world by theil

Deployment of the army io a particular situation depends on various factors and no role of thumb cao be applied to it. To say that if the army coold be called in to deal with communal violence in Ahmedabad, it should also be relied upon to deal witb terrorist violence in Punjab is to apply the rule of thnmb. Communal violence nsually erupts suddenly and lasts for a short period, Terrorisll or Insurgency boilds up slowly, and is a long­lasting phenomenon. The army, or even the police' can quell communal violence in a couple of days. Bot even the best efforts of the army may fail to eliminate terro­rism or insurgency in a couple of decades,

mid-Jaly 1984 the remaining terrorists regrouped and their depredations continued unabated for the rest of 1984 even thougb army units were ,tationed!all over the State till October· November tbat year. In Gurdaspur alone as many as 33 ,uch incidents took place during tbis period. Amrit­sar district also continued to be disturbed . One must not gloss over these incidents. On the night of August 14-15, 1984 terrorists managed to set fire to seven school buildings in different areas proving that their set-up was still effective. Again on September 12, 1984 terrorists stopped a bus near Cbbina village in Ourdaspur division and killed eight Hindu passengers . All this happened despite an unusually large military presence.

General Sinha claim., that the border can be effectivelY sealed by the army. To achieve tbis objective he luggests three methods: BSF jawanl on tbe Punjab border be placed under tbe army; tbe army itself deploy additional force on the border; and certain border villages be evacuated. Tbe flrst of thele methods was, in fact tried out

very nature, do not lend them­selves to aealinll only by man­power deployment.

The tbird suag.ltion regard­ins evacuation of certain border

. villages is rather vague. Will it be a kilometre or five from the "zero" line 1 How many Yillages will be affected 1 What will be the total popUlation involved 1 What about tbeir rebabilitation and resettlement? In Punjab we are talking about a horder tbat is nearly 450 km long and heavily populated, especially in the Manjha area. All along the border, land is cultivated right up to the 6'zero" line.

Tbus. none of tbe hopes regarding the army's supposedly magical powers appear to be welt founded. We will be dOing a disservice to tho army by put­ting it at the wrong place :at tbe wrong time. The army's prestige may suffer if it gets bogged down in skirmisbes with elusive terror­ioto. Further, tbe danger of alien­ating the public whic" Pran Luthra speaks of in bis articles in The Statesman (July 15-16) il real as this happened in Punjab during 1984.

General Sinha. bas claimed !~at, if called in, the army wilI

cooperale" witb . the State Government but will not be under its "control". Tben under wbose control will it be 1 At another place h. l8y8 the army will "assist" the State Govern­me!,! and "cooperate'.' witb the poh~e and para -military force •• A.slStance means subordination and cooperation means equal sharing and not tbe "under com­mand" system to whicb army is accustomed. All tbis is ratber confusing;

. The clear legal position i. thIS: whenever tbearmy is called out for internal se.'lIrity dutios it comes in aid of 'civil" power; uDder appropriate sections of tho Criminal Procedure Code. Civil power in a State i. the State Government which function, tbrough the Cabinet in normal times and tbrough the Governor during President's rule. At tho district level, civil power is represented by the district magi.­trate 01' deputy commissioner. Tb~ army or any otbor force wblch goes to the aid of civil power remains always under its "control" and has to take orders from it.

Other System This country fortunately

knows of no otber system. Aa General Sinha himself admits tbe concept of Martial Law doc~ not exill in our legal system The J';Is!.ice Raghubar Dayai CommISSion of 1967 went into this matter in detail. It statod that it is a practice witll the arm,. t~ demand "control" of opera­tion and from areas to be "hand­ed over" 10 it. Justice Dayal stated s':lch practices bave no legal baSIS, and was higbly criti­cal. of such unconstitutional acllonf.

. In spite ,!f. this lo,al restric­tion tbe clVll authorities in Pu~jab went out of the way dunng 1984 to .ubmit to army demands to make it easier for the army to per form its role This was a case of "voluntarY self-negation" of civil power. Ooe cannot expect this to hllpp~n repea~edly. . ~he · army bas to funetton wIthIn tbe existing legal system and remain under tho control of the State Government.

POPULAR F(>fl

. - .

TlI!. "SPOKESMAN" WEIlKIlY 7

The mushroom arowth of private armies raised by religious fanalic. bal beaun to lell on the Capilal's peace. They operale 'brancbes from dingy rooms in rreseltlement coloni .. , .mall sbops ;in markets and offices close to .places of worship . In a recent 'repolt, tbe special branch of the 'Delhi police expressed serious ·concern over the growth of such Senas. Their membership varies

'from a handful of active people :to a few thousands.

"Our morale is very high and ;the response of Hindus very ·encouraging," says Mr Virendra . .shallDa, 43. national president of the Hindu Shakti Sena, one of !the largest.

Like tbe rest, this Sena owe. ' its birth to the events in Punjab. 1t was in the aftermath of the ·.riots in November, 1984 that its 2lJlcmbership began 10 swell.

Mr Sharma. who runs a ··Iottery busincss at tho Tis Hazari ""ourts, operales from a shop in ',Krishna Nagar. a Irans Jamuna · ~olony of lower middle class Bindus, mostly Punjabi cefugees. <A lifc-size paintiag of Indira "Gandhi is displayed 'prominently ·on a wall. Newly acquired furni­·:ture, including the swivel chair ·on which Mr Sharma sits, ' IUBlests a new·found prosperity. tA huge trident which loyal workers polish every day to keep

: it .hining has been affixed out­'side the main door of the office which opens on to the narrow

lpavement. An unending slream of

"Visitors, mainly young men from neably colonies and UP towns

'-across the border, keeps pouring ·in with reque.ts for tridents, 'membership forms and Mr :Sharma's presenu at forthcoming '",eremonies of Trlshul dharan (tbe 'formal ceremony for acceptance 'llf tridents by active workers).

Mr Sharma ia reverently called .Pradhanji. Four active membeu 'accompany him all tbe time on · bis outside visits.

uI do not travel alone now", · he say •. "Tbe number of threat­··ening letters ha. increased. My 'Volunteers take to provide me protection. 1 have applied for a

~revolver licence". Twirling his mustache, Mr

· Sharma says that his organisation '.is against any type of donation. .. An active member bas to pay Rs 51 at the time of initiation

· when he takes an oath to protect ·th. Hindu religion and Bbarat­varsha. He is given a trishul, an identity card, a saffron cap and

.'. belt". Mr Sharma has in the past

· lerved a 12-year term for murder. " That was committed in a fit of rage during a fight for

·control of a local club", he say&. · "'Anyone can get angry in onc's · youth. That does not make on. ~ a criminal".

Communal Private Armies a Threat to Peace

He also admits that there have been some police cues against him. "The local police registered some cases wben our organisation begin to gain strength".

Hindu Sbakti SeDa The Hindu Shakti Sena, its

president said, i. not backed by any politician or political party. Asked about rumours that the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr H.K. L. Bhag.I, was bebind his organisation, Mr Sbarma said:

"~I have not met Bbagatji for years. But our organisalion can conI est elections if Ihe situation so warrants. We will field only staunch Hindus as our candi­dates" .

The Hindu Shakti Sena claims a member, hip of 15,000 active workers in Delhi and thousands more in nearby lowns. "We have covered all tb. towns from Delhi to Saharan pur," Mr Sharma claimed.

Hindu Parisbad Outside the famous Devi

Mandir in Central Delhi'. Jhandewalan is the office of the Indrapr,stba Vishwa Hindu Parishad (IVHP). A former union leader of central govern­ment employees. Mr Baikunth Lal Sharma "Prem", i. the general secretary of tbe Indra­praslba VisllWa Hindu Parishad He sits in an inside room the location of which seems 10 bave

~!i.IJ~ SILl Ml.LI ac~iiAy·0) 012.

heen carefully selected. It is cloled from all sides and access to Mr Sharma is controlled into a thorough scrutiny or visitors .

The Indr.paitha Visb"a Hindu Parisbad has a youth wing-Bajrang Dal- which is run under 25·year·old Pradeep Kumar who deals in diaries and other novelties for a living.

Tile Bajrans Dal. Mr Sharma says, "'II raised to make YOllnl! Hindus realise the virtue I of tbeir relilion. "Our valunteen are given extensive training in wresllins and body-buildinl. Why sbould people get di.turbed if my boys sweat it out in an akhara. We are not indulging iD senseless killings. We are only strengthening our self· defence so that we can protect ou, religion, nation and country".

Presenlly tbe Indraprastb. Visbwa Hindu Parishad' is engag­ed in rehabilitation of Hindu migrant. from Punjab. It also tries to prevent Hindu girls from marrying men of other religions ..

There are otber grou"s, like tbe Hindu Sbiv Sbakti Dal whicb operatel from a tempI. in Tilak Nagar the Icene of violent clashes. The Hindu Sbiv SeD a bas been raised

by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and operales from the Karol Bagh area in Welt Delhi. And there is Balraj Madhok's HinduI­tan Hindu Manch also.

The literature and posten brougbt oul by these orsanila-

)

22nd September, IgS6

ti~ns have only one target.,. . HIndu youth.

To' counter the growth of Senas, raised with tho support and ideological blcking of Hindu leaders, the Naib Imam of Delbi'. Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukbari, bas taken tho lead by organising Adam Sena. He function I from an office in tbe Jama Masjid complex. Hand. some and articulate. Ahmed Bukbari i. the son of the SbaM Imam of Jaml . Masjid, Syed Abdullah Bukhart. -

"Tbe need for Adam Sena" the Naib Imam says, "was feli when Muslim youth began t. lose faith in the old MuslIm leadership. No one is bOlber'ed about the growing unemploy­ment and otber problems of the Muslim youtb".

He saYI tbe Sbahi Imam had blessed the Adam Sen a on the condition Ibat il would remain non· violent and work for tho opprened. "We will fight against all those who try to suppre .. the mi.norities. wbetber ' they be SJI,bs rn DeIhl or Hindus .in Punjab." Ahmad Bukhari says "B b ' ut t e Government muSI take immediate step. to cbeck the activities of the.e trishuldharis".

The Naib Im.m says that Ibe Adat;n S~na bad a membership ruunlng IOto thousands, includ­ing about 100 Harijans and Sikbs. He said he would soon undertake an all "India tour 10 organise the Adam Sena at a national level.

. !,olice reports, bowever, rndlcat. that despite all the rhetoric about communal har­

. many and peace, these SeDas bave resulted in tbe creation of an atmosphere of confrontation. There are also reports about an Ali Sena beinl organised by one'Javed of Meerut who haa declared that it. members will carry long swords.

(Courtely-Indian Express

General Aurora Feted

Organised by Amity Club of Delhi citizens and compered by Sardar Harbbajan Singh Rattan a reception was accorded to the Bangia Desb fame Geperal Jagjit Singh Aurora on his election as Member .Parliament (Rajya Sabha), at Constitution Club New Delhi. The function wa. presided over by Justice Ranjit Singb Narul. and addressed

. by persons Iik~ Shri . I.K. Gujral. Dr. Maheep Smgh, Sardar Gurdit Singh Jolly. Earlier Sarda. Mehtab Singh Cbairman of JJ>.e Re~eption Committee wellonIJd Ihe chief guest and th. audience,

THE "srOK.I!SMAN" WEBKLY " . "

Barnala urges Centra to impleinent Punjab Accord .

Tbe Punjab cbief minister. Sardar Surjit Singb Barnala wbo ia OD a good will minion to other ltates visited Jaipur for 2 days on September 13 and 14 and told newsmen that unless tbe Centre took "bold action and avoided "bair-splitting" over minor inues. hurdle. in the implementation of the accord would continue.

Sardar Barnala, however. refused to elaborat' what exactly he meant by "bold ution".

At a crowded press con­ference Sardar Barnala said one of the main reasonl for the slow pace of implementation was the setting up of too many commis­sions.

Sardar Barnall clarified that though the setting up of a com­mission was not outside the pur· view of the accord, since the Punjab accord was the first of its kind, it was spirit of it that had to be taken into account. He .aid the late Sant Longowal, when he weDt to Delhi to sign the accord, had been ,reatly impressed by the sincerity of the Prime Minister, Mr Rajiv Gandhi. Now that one of tbe si&natories­Sant Longowal-was no more, it would greatly boost the image of Mr Gandhi even ouloide India if tbe accord was fully imple­mented.

Sardar Barnal. wbo answered questions on various issues re'at .. , inl to Punjab and Rajasthan particularl) the rher water*' dispute and tbe release of water from tbe three bead works con­trolled by Punjab, denied alle,a­tion. tbat Rajastban was not beins given water from tb. Harike barrage_

He explained tbat officials of botb tho states were posted at tbe headworlu and as such, there was little Icope for any state failing to get its due quota_ To a question if Punjab '1'181 pressing Rajastban for giviag itl ,bare of RI. 30 crorel in tbe construction Gost of the Hatike barrage, Sardar Bamala said. "I bave read som.­thing about it in the local paper. but I am on a Soodwil1 minion here and not for getting money".

Howenr, be said the iuue of Rajastban's share bad not figured during tbe current visit tbougb it" had been di,cussed at tho north zone meeting. H. said the amount after adding interest would ban come to Rs. 30 crores.

Sardar Barnala clarified that Punjab did not want to forego control over tb. three beadwork,. Wben bis attention was drawa to the fact tbat many years ago, und~r tbe Punjab reorganintion Act 1956, tbese head works were to b. transferred to the Bbakra­~s Management Board, be said tlIe act in question was itself under dispute.

As for tbe controversy over the diatributiolt-of tbe Ravi· Beas waters, he said the case "al ~fore lb. tribunal s.t up under "

tbe inter-state river water disputes Act, 1956. Haryana bad given its version before the tr ibunal and Rajasthan bad yet to appear. H. said Punjab would abide by tbe decision of tbe tribunal.

The Punjab chief minister justified tbe setting up of a com­mittee of thr:e ministers sayina that the versions of the BSF, the umy and the local populac. differed vastly. He said tbe anti­Akali Dal forces bad got a good handle to criticite tbe Akali government as tbey stuck to tbeir stand tbat persons bad been picked up from tbeir villages and killed at the border. Wben a newsman told him tbat his action had annoyed the Centre, be said: "It is their outlook" .

Additional Forces Altbougb be seemed, by and

larlle, satisfied with the deploy­ment of additional central force. he said of the 60 coropanie. of tbe BSF and tbe CRPF demand­ed recently, so far only seven companies bad been received . In all, at present, 232 companies of tho BSF and the CRPF are deployed in Punjab.

Replyin& to a question as to what India's Itand vis-a-vis Pakistan which was giving train­ning to terrorists Ihould be, Sardar Barnala said: "India should not harm it. reilitions witb Pakistin bnt tell it like a friend to halt giving trainini to terroristt" .

About the proposal on the "security belt" be said in the fint place, the complete concept of this belt was not yet known. However, be stuck to tbe Punjab government's opposition to it saying that apart from creating problems for tbe border popula­tion, it would lead to "dual control". Ho said unlike lb. d •• ert in Rajasthan, border areSS of Punjab had enormous irriga­tion potential. He said identity cards had been introduced in border areas and all tbat was needed was strengtbening of tbe BSF network already in opera­tion tbere .

Sardar Barnal., wben asked how he looked to bis one-year rule, said: "I can look back bappily . We bave solvrd many problems and brought many people into tbe mainstream. But I won't say fully" .

Wben a newsman told him tbere was a feeling in some quar­ters tb. t tbe Punjab issue '1'1811 not being solved because of bim. Sardar Barnala said: "If the Punjab issue can be solved, I am ready to quit".

8 22nd Septem liei. 1"6

Centre asked to declare Amritsar "backward"

Sardar Amarjit Singb, Direc­tor of Industries. Punjab, told a meeting of tbe focal point indus­trialist allotees in Amritlar last week that tbe State Government had asked th. " Central Govern­ment to declare district an II A II category backward district in order to give indusrrialists the full benefit of the latest concel­sionl, like tbe 25 per cent subsidy, from April , 1985.

Tbe Punjab {loveroment had decided to e~tend the benefits given to backward districts from April, 1986, onwards. He pro­mised to look into the otber

problems of the focal point allottee~ regardin, electric power connecllons, .. ater supply anet allotment of larger plota, beside .. Ipe~dln~ up formalities lib regIStration.

As regards tbe exemption or the .industrial areas from the ambit of the Land " Ceiling Act the Government would have t';' approach the Centre as it was. Ceotral . law,. although he saW' no . pO.IDt In continuing il$­applicatIOn.

Earlier, several industrialilt .. bad listed tbe problema faced by" them.

Convention on Sikh migration Leaders of the Sikb commu­

nity in the eastern region will hold a convention on September 28 and 29 at (,alcutta to evolve mealur •• to cbeck tbe migration . of Sikhs from tbe region to Punjab.

The spokesman of a number of Sikb organizations laid today that Bibar, V.P. and Madhya Pradesb had been witnessing large-scale migration of memben of tbe community over tbe past few weeks.

According to tbem tbe migration was taking place even from West Bengal wbicbhad so far been considered a safe baven for different communities.

Bibar saw an increase in migration after the killing of bus passengers at Muktsar and tbe disturbance I tbat followed in Delhi.

The proposed convention to be sponsored by tbe Sikh Co-ordination Committee. would alao discuss tbe fall· out in otber States of tbe -delay in imple­menting tbe Punjab Accorcl.

The delegate, from different' Stat~s would suggest to the­Punjab Government some mea­sure~ need~d for th. security of Slkbs liVIng outside Punjab.

~eanwhi1e tbe Sikh Coordi­n.Rtlon Committee in a re,olu­tl{~n . a,ked the Punjab Chier MlDlster, Sardar Surjit Singt. Barnala and Sardar Prabst. Sin~b Badal to lettle their" dIfferences . and .restore unity In the A kah Dalln the intereatr of the plntb and Punjab.

GHPS ZONAL -n CHAMPIONS

Guru Harkrisban PubliCI' School, Vasanl Vibar won the: Senior Girls and Senior Boy~ Table Tennis Titles in the Inter­Scbool Tournament of Zone­Soulh 21. Tbe Senior Girls beat: Government Girls Senior Secon­dary Scbool, R.K. Puram Sector V by 2· 0, while tbeir Senior BOYI beat Modern School, Vasant" Vihar by 2·0.

THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

Respect each others religious sen~iments

Sir -Mr 'Rajendra Sareen's oarticle; published in The Tribune recently are not only in bad taste, but also full

,of factual inaccuracies. He has -claimed that wme Sikh leaders demanded a separate Sikh State at the time of Independence, but neither the British nor the Muslim League entertained the idea. He has not mentioned the name of any Sikh leader who :made such a demand.

The only two leaders who negotiated on behalf of the SIkh

«lommunity at the time of 'Independence were Master .Tara Singh and Sardar Baldev Smgh. ,The former is on record as hav­ing refused to have any negotia­

:tion with Jinnah. Wbile in London for negotiations. Sard.r Baldev

- Singh once c,tegorically declared that the Sikhs had no ,eparate

-demand and that they could get whatever they wanted from the Indian leaders after Indepen­dence. However, instead of

,appreciating the gesture, some of my countr¥men started .dubbing the Akahs a. separatISts, 1m­:med\~tely after Independence.

't h. slogans of the type men­tioned by Sareen were being raised hy irresponsible persons

'from both sides. For his informa­ti on, the slogans raised by the othar side were: Kangha, Kachh

_Kara, Kirpan -lnko Bhejo .Pakistan",. "Ora Aira Nahin Parhenge-Gandi Bhasha Nahin .Parhenge".. It laikara.e-Kalyan­Hindu Hindi, Hindustan". etc.

A~ybody who i. really j nterested m getting at the root

of turbulence, cannot ignore the facts that certain persons in religious garb created all-round bitterness by hurling personal abuses at the prophets of other religions, including Sikh 'Gurus; a section of the vernacular Press at Lahore and later at Jalandhar and Delhi, concentrated on spreading hatred among different communities to boost its circula­tion; a section of the PunJabis made a common cause before Independence with the Muslim League in disowning their mother tongue. After Independence, the Muslims in Pakistan gave up their tirade against tbe Punjabi language, but some of my coun­trymen persisted with it, with renewed vigour, often with official patronage, those who denounced the Punjabi language because of its Gurmukhi soript, conveniently forgot that their own script had been adopted for the country's national language. While cow slaughter had been banned almost over the country to respect the sentiments of one community, some peoplo could not tolerate a ban on tobacco in a part of only one city to respect the sentiments of another com­munity.

Instead of blaming only one side for the prevailing turbulence, an eminent journalist of the stature of Mr Rajendra Sareen should preach tolerance by call­ing upon the two sister communi­ties to respect each other's religi­ous sentiments.

- Trilok Singh Lnsaka (Zambia)

9 22nd September, 1986

Punjab Accord in coJdstorage Sir, - Punjab Accord was

signed by Sant Longowal at the cost of his own life. Today it lies in 'deep freeze' and may in time simply freeze to death.

There is however, no dearth of lip-sympathy for the Accord. At the function held in village Longowal to mark the first death anniversary of the Sant, Vice Pre.ident R. Venkataraman went on record to a ssure the nation that the Punjab Accord can, mast and will be honoured. Both Home Minister Buta Singh and Minister of State Ghulam Nabi Azad have spoken in terms of 7 out of the 1l clauses of the Accord having already been implemented. They, however. conveniently forget that by far the most important claule in the Accord related to the transfer of Cbandigarh, which has already been postponed thrice: and today nobody would like to predict wben and if the transfer will eventually take place. According to our Hon'ble Ministers the remaining 4 clauses (those relating to Chandigarh's , transfer, boundary adjustments between the two neighbouring states, distribution of river waters, and the Act to cover all the Sikh shrines throughout the country) concern other states, and therefore their implementation will necessarily take time.

This hypocritical commit­ment to the Punjab Accord in

,word but not in deed can give ,no comfori or consolation tq Punjab, and wilIcertainlY deceiJ.:e no one. The poor San! Longowal must be turning in' his grave at this rank betta)'al, ' and breac1i of faith. He might well have died invain. . "

" ~I

. Repeated ' postponements : qf Chandigarh's transfer to punJa~ have underst.ndably led to ,8 hardening of attitudes. Th,e Akalis (not all of them extetC!" mists) now iIisis! on getting Chandigarh without parting with even an inch ofland. Did not Tamil ' Nadu and Maharashtr •• they argue, retain their capitals without losing any portion qf their territory to the newly­

carved lingui.tic atates of Andhra and Guiarat ?

What the Vice-President and our Hon'ble Ministers are afraiil to say publicly is that the imple­mentation of Accord will have to wait until after the Assembly elections in Haryonn scheduled for May 1987, Till then .~ccord (or whatever has been left of it) must lie in cold storage.

How loug caD we continue to sacrifice the good of the whole nation at the alter of partisian consideration? And how long can we survive as a nation, if we continue to .ubordinate the national interest to the interest of the party in power?

-Prahhjot Singh Chopra Bombay

False propaganda against Punjab Sir,-Whereas V.P. is the

most iII-administered State in Bharal, it on the other hand, leads other States in crime. (Indian Express, 3 Sep 86 ) From

the crimc figures published t~e~e­in taken f,om the Home MIDIS­try. U.P. has "a record number" of murders; 2066 murders in the first four month, of the year. This come. to 516.50 murders a month. Similarly, V.P. leads in other various types of crinie too. Then come the states of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. all from the Hindi zone.

On the other hand, Punjab had 221 murders in the first three months of the same year, which comes to 73.66 murder' a month. Similarly. in other t}pes of crime it is far behind many other states.

Thus it will be seen that most of the crime is committed in the states of Hindi zone, and that in .pite of the activi!ies. of the "terrorists", ·the puo)ab IS com4

paratively • well behaved state. This should open the eyes of t~e Bharat Sarkar and the medIa. But unfortunately, the Con­gress(I) and the me?ia .. , mostly controlled by the majOrity ~.m-, munity are hent upon defaUtI~g the Pu~j.b unnecessarily. Punjab, because most of the Sikhs live here. .

- Lt.Col. ' Gulch. ran 'Singh J alandhar (Rail.)

~; -xat

'I'HB "SPOKESMAN" WEEKLY

Political offendve against separatism An impre .. iv. joint public meeting was held at Tarn Taran, by

the CPI and the CPM. A powerful political offensive was launched against separatism, extremilm, ud communalism of a1l types.

A lignificant feature of thi. meeting, perhaps fint to be held by any· political party after the eunent spurt of terrorist acti,i­ties in the area, was thn t tho.e attendinl it were almost all Sikh. hailinA from various villa lies of the Tarn Taran sub·division considered to be a stronghold of. terroriat •.

A veteran CPI leader, Sardar Darbara Singh Canadian, said that tho Khalistan slogan was not only anti-Indian but also anti-Sikh. He made a fervent plea for the Hindu-Sikh unity.

.Mr. Satyapal Dan II, a former MLA of the CPI, said that they would support the Barnala gov­ernment to the ox tent it fought terroriom. But at the same time they would oppose its communal policies which only increased the Hindu-Sikh gnlf and that helped extremism. He charged that some ministers and police

Asa-Di-Var (ContInued from page 4)

'Touch it not, 0 touch it uot', Or this food of ours will be

defiled ; . But their bodies are already

defiled with. thdr foul deed, And their hearts are falae

even while they .perform ablutiOn! after their meals;

Saith Nanak, meditate on the True One,

lf thou art pnre, thou shalt obtain Him.

Apart from indicating the hypo­crisy, cowardice and false sense of purity possessed by the Hindus, the above-quoted lines throw lignificant light on the cultural commingling of the Hindus and the Mussalmans. Despite the fact that the Hindus contemptuously looked upon the the Muslims as Malechhas and tbe Muslims in turn looked upon the Hindus as infidelo or Kafirs, tbere wa~, it is evident, a certain degree of social intercours. existing between the memben of the two communities. As a matter of fact, the Hindus had learot to accept Muslim rule witb all its merits and faults . It was, therefore, not surprising that the Hindus had started taking food and meat prepared in the Muslim fasion and would sometimes wear the typical blue dress of the Mussalmans. All this, thanks to tbe impact of the Muslim rule, had greatly affected the rigidity ef caste system. So tbe contradictions pointed out by Guru Nanak in the mauners of th9r high caste Hindus may plitiaily he explained by their natural solicitude to preserve the purity of tbeir caste on the one hand and realisation of the ,eality ·of Muslim rule onthe

e other. Nor Ihould it he forgotten that the Indian Muslims, too,

officers of the Baroata govern­. ment continued to help the

terrorists.

Mr. Dang blamed the Union Government as well as the HaryanR and Punjab govern­ments for the non-implementa­tion of the Rajiv-Longowal a<:cord .

Sardar Mohan Singh, a pro­minent CPM leader, said that d.ath of lome innocents, and killings of some extremist. in the police custody was not ruled out, and he always opposed such actions but the Badal g roup was only helping the extromists and the imperialist masters when it bestowed martyrdom on tbose extremists who actually got killed in encounters. On the other hand, many among the Badal group called even &enuine 'tDcounters as 'rake" he said.

had adopted some aspects of tho Hindu culture. Infiuenc~d by the Hindu caste system, for example, they succumbed to tbe spirit of clats division. They also took active part in the celebration of Hindu festival. such as Holi, Dussehra ana Diwali. In the ecoRomic field also the Muslims a nd Hindus worked in co-opera­tion with each other. But the point should not be carried too far. It must be admitted that the social intercourse of the Hindus and Muslims was remarkably limited, for if was Dot instinctive but forced by the circumstance. The Muslims, rilht from Sultan Sikand,r Lodhi down to a commoner thought in terms of Islam and treated the Hindus as inferior. The Hindu., as a rule, were compelled to pay Jazia "ith all humiliatien and were deprived of high governmental jobs. Even their freedom of worship and performance of religious ceremonies were also sometimes interfered with. 00 tbe other hand, the Hindus, conscious as ever of tbe superiority of their religion and culture and apprehensive of losing the purity of heir .a.te, did not like at beart to mix witb tho Muual­mans. Under such conditions it was left for a Kabir and a Nanak to launch a four-square attack on the caste pride of the Hindus and to preach social brotherhood of Hindus and Muslims.

Finally. we gather and guess from the study of AJa!,di Var something regarding the position of women in that society. If we !>elievo in Radb,krishnan's dictum, "The position of WOmen in any society is a truo index of its cultural aod spiritual level," we have then to admil that the society under discussion did not have a high .cultural and spiritoal

10

A Sikh buys Little White House A Sikh bas bought tbe "Little

Wblte HOllse" in Florida (U.S.A.) once nsed by US President Harry Truman; for $17.25 million.

Sardar Pritam Singb (33), an American .. ho embraced Slkbism in tb. 70s, is tbe ne" o .. ner of the 100·acre historic site .. here. Mr. Truman spent maDY ·'workiDg vacations."

According to a newspaper account, Pritam Singb. born in Mass.cbussetts, as Paul Labombard, once supported himself by diviog for shells to sell to tonrists. He bad made his fOltuoe in real estate in the last six years. lie spent flve years 10 a Sikh community but eot disencbanted witb ils Icader and moved out 10 years ago.

Tbe prime water front proper­ty, wbich includes the "Little White House", had attracted more than 300 groups of

level in this respect also. Both in theory and practice tho women had rather an inferior place in the society. The existence of the practices of female infanticide, child marriage, Pardha, Jauhar aud Sali, bespeak s of the fact that the lot of women was DOt a happy one. More significant thing in this connection is that all these practices had been given a reliaious colouring and, a. in every other alpect of society so here also, it was the prevalent superstition rather than the actnal religion that caused degradation in the status of women. As K.M. Ashraf remarks, "the 59cial laws and customs stamped her with a lort of mental deficiency." Guru Nanak's spirit revolted against prevalent custom, and notions regarding wom:iO. Dilating upon her importance as a mother, a wife and a companion, be pleads for her a respectable status in theae lines:

It is by woman that man ' is conceived and from her that he is born ;

It is witb her that he is betrothed and married ;

It is with her that h. cultiva­tes friend.hip, and through her keeps his raoe going;

When one woman dies, anotber is sought for ;

It is woman again who exer­cises restraint upon man -;

Why call her bad from whom are born kings?

Asa dt Var thug enables us to form a fairly substantial idea about the contemporary society. In that society the strool! in general ; tyrannised Over the weak-the ruler over the ruled, the upper classel over the lower clalSes, the Mu.lims over the Hiudus and man over the woman. And every sort of

develope :s tbe world over_ Bidding began at $5 milllOD and it toek leSS than an bour for Pritam Singb to make bis. purcbase.

According to tbe New York Times, residents of the are. are afraid of tbe possibility of hiebrlse developmeut. But. Sardar Pritam Siegh, who specialises in reDontin&. bistoric stmctures, has said be plans to "restore everythiD&".

The Truman annexe, as it Is known, was a major US naTal base until tbe Navy vacated it in 1974, since water in the area was not deep enoueh for­maneouTting huge nucleat ships.

Always write your chit number while remitting your SUbscription or asking for a change la address;

tyranny and crime was committod in tbe name of religion which had been reduced to a solemn farce. People of thll society did not, as a matter of fact coulc! not, think or act freely. Customs · rites, superstitious beliefs and formal practices which were neeeasaryevils here, there and' everywhere, had over-burdened the life of an individual and curbed his liberty in toto. Undelt such circUlDstances Guru Nanak appeared as a Mossiah bringinJr with him the panacea for all the socio-relilious ills. Unlike lome other great spiritualists, he did not emphasise the nothingness of life; on the other hand, he bad had a positive cure for ameliora­ting present as well as the futur" life of the people. H. strongly' decried the prevalent supersti­tious practices as false and meaningless, and by exhorting tbe individual to abandon these he DOt only sho"ed him the true path of relision but also consi­derably lightened his burdeD_ HeDce he may be regarded al a great deliverer'or liberator whit tried to liberate the individuat from mental and spiritual shivery he was afflicted witb. At the same time the Guru, by calling

. upon the people to throwaway all the religious and locid trammels, made earnest efforts to purge and purify the society •. Perhaps he wanted to build an altogether new society where there would be no place for casteism, communalism, dogmat­ism, idol· worship, bliDd supersti­tion and exploitation of any kind, where all would worship­ODe Formless God with the crace' of Guru, and where moral virtue. such as truth, love, contentment,. forgiveness, mercy, modesty,. compassion, love fearleslnell. etc. would reign supreme.

_ -11 __ _ .. . e "_. _

.. .. ' • - < . ".; 22nd September;(~,. .

The International Scene

Tbe Gorbacbev Report

When you have heart burn·

It was good to hear Mikhail Gorbachov report on Cbernobyl. He made clear SOllie of the human dimensions of tbe tragedy and ciled tbe valor of those -including American doctors­who sought to limit itl barmful effects. His televised address no doubt reassured many Soviet citizens: "The worst is behind us/" he declared.

Gorbachev put first allii pro­nounced "i1idispiitable~;'" and bave seize~ on tbe cOoperation theme, .. hlch he gave seC'oJ;id and put in the "further'we-deem-it necessary" category. He :"'~nt 011 .. to ' endorse an intetllaliona) "system of prompt warning and supply of information ' iii the event of accidents", an .eady conference of specialist. slld • . -' strengthening of the hiter­national Atomic Energy f. geDcy.

The 'burning sensation in the ..,heal behind the sternum (chest bone) i. quite a c )mm,n experience specially when you have indigestion follo ~~ng a .good evening with plenty of -drinks . Those who suffer from :hyperacidity or peptic ulcer are ·quite familiar with this name.

The term 'heart bum' is a ·misnomer. The stomach contains .hydrochloric acid which is essential for the digestion of the 'food. The linin& mucous mem­brane of tbe stomach is so

·designed that it can staud the onslaught of this strong acid, but elsewhere this acid causes ·dama,e and a burning sensation. With eructations. as in indiges­tiol!, peptIc ulcer or hiatus hernia, this acid is regurgitated up in the food pipe or oeso' phag!>s . As the lining of the

·oesophagus is not ~uitable for tbe acid. one experiences a burning sensation along the

-oesophagus in tbe chest. This .is called heart burn. Bec3use of its location it is termed heart ·but it has nothing to do with .the heart.

In hyperacidity, when the eastric contents regurgitate up in the mouth, one gets a sour taste and a sudden watering in

·the mouth; thi. is called 'water­brash'. Those who have highly irregular diet habits- both in tbe .types and the time 01' food­suffer more from byperacidity. Eating out at various place., -at any odd-hour of the day or night, and eating very spicy, fried and oily food invites tbis .trouble. Gall bladder diseases, liver problems, pancreatic dise­ases and, above all, peptic ulcers, lead to hyperacidity. In facl, peptic ulcers are caused and maintained by a higb level ,of acid in the stomach.

There is an effective valve ·.between the oesophagus and the 'stomach and the food usually ~annot go back in the oesopha· gus wben we tilt or bend. In tbe oondition called hiatus bernia, a part of tbe upper end

-of tbe stomach goes into the cbest and tbe valvular mecha­lIism is 1081. In tbese patients, the free to-and· fro mov,mnts of the acid contents of the stomach burn the oesophageal lining, tbus causing heart burn.

Too much of running around . a fast·paced life with mentai tensions and emotionai upsets , etc., are known to be

cl,?s~ly associated with hyper­aCIdity. We are perbaps paYing a price for progress and moder­nisation in tbe form of hyper­acidity and ulcers.

Witb tbe passage of time, heart burn may be associated with pain in tbe upper part of the abdomen. This pain typi· cally occurs late in tbe nigbt and wake. the patient in biatus hernia. Tbese patients feel com· fortable if tbey prop themselves up on pi llows. Gravity prevents tbe contents of tbe stomach from going up into the oesopba­gus. In cases of peptic ulcer, delay may cause complications associated with tbis disease e.g, bleeding. perforation, etc.

Patients with hyperacidity are advised to take milk or a tablet of antacid when they have beart burn. Cold milk is preferable. Tbis kind of treatment is alright once in a wbile, but if the symptom persis ts. it should be investigated for any underlying cause, wbicb should be tben suitably treated '

If a patient of hyperacidity can regulate his eating habits by eating at regular hours and no! cbanging food too often; he can pacify his stomach. Suoh a patient should avoid too mucb of' fried, spicy and oily foods. This regulRtion, witb bland diet and plenty of milk, may help him break tbe cycle and he may find relief.

. Unless the symptoms persist III spIte of all tbe precautions. a patient of hiatus bernia can live with his defective valve and can avoid a major operation. Sucb a patient should not bend down immediately after eating food, e. g., bending down to pick up sometbing or tying shoe laces. Tbey should rest propped up for .ome time after meals. If a patient of proved peptic ul cer does not fi nd relief even after reasonable time of medical treatment, be should be operAted to prevent complicft!.ons.

Hyperacidity or beart burn is a very common symptom and can easily be avoided. Since it is an outward expression of a disease, it will not go ul'.til the cause is removed.

Certainly ever)'one must bope he is right. Mr Gorbacbov's report becomes acceptable, bowever, only by application of a double standard that demands full disclosure in tbe West and gratefully welcomes even belated and partial disclosure in the East. It is nOI simply that be let 18 days pass. Tbere was but tbe stingiest indirect acknowledgment tbat the Kremlin had denied not

. only to foreigners - but also to Soviet oitizens timely nOlice, and tbat it had assured tbe world the situation was "stabIlized" even while workers were still struggl­iog to prevent a meltdown. What be said, moreover f leaves un" known exactly wbat cau,ed tbe accident and leaves veiled its radiation effects. Instead, be made the tiresome Soviot com­plaint that some in the West had sought to exploit the event-as thougb straiBbt talk in Moscow would not have preempted the wild reports of which he com­plained.

Mr. Oorbachov offered two broad lessons of Cbernobyl: tbat the Soviet Union mUlt work on reactor safety on its own and that international cooperatioll must be deepened. Many ill tbe West, inclined to f.vor inter­natiGnal agreement in nuclear malters, have overlooked the do­it-yonrself lesson, which Mr.

International cooperation il vital. But it would involve a.. very groat wrench for Soviet policy. The Gorbachov appeal · for "p~ompt warning and supply ofmformation"_ moreover, must be measured against the delay and censorsbip at Chernobyl; the , call to strengthen tb. IAEA against the thin information Moscow has given the agency and its insistence tbat the agency treat tbat information in an approved way. Tbe West must pursue tbe international appre>­ach, but with eyes open.

Mr. Gorbachov mad e an lUI­forgettable reference to the "sinister force" of nucJea, energy escaping control. His seriousness here, however, may be u,efully measured again.t Soviet treatment of tbe person wbo, more perbaps than any other, represenls the effort to contain this tlsiniater force". Andrei Sakbarov is about to observe .his 65th birthday, usual­ly a time of reffection and cele­bration for a great mall of science. He is io painful lonely exile in Gorky. It was precisely' bis alVareness of the full spect­rum of nuclear perils tbat made him a dissident. Nothing could better sho" tbe Kremlin's true und",.tanding of Chernobyl than to bait bis cruel preseeution,'

PSB Finance issue opens OD Sept 29 PSB Pinance and Leasing

Ltd. is entering the capital market on ~cptember 29 wilb a public issue of 6,11.348 shares of Rs. 10 each for cash at par.

The company whicb became operational only from December 22, 1934 and has kasing and bire purchas~ especially of agri· cultural eqUlpment and indus­tiial machinery, paid a maiden dividend of 15 per cent ill the very first year. It is because of prospective grolVth of b~siness and enhanced capital that the bo.rd of directors arc confident of paying 20 per cent dividend for the year ending February i987 .

Director of the Punjab and Sind Bank for a number of years, envisioned va,t expansion in tbo business activity of the company, Against Rs. 18.71 lakh income (actual) from November 22 1984

. to February 20, 1986, its i~come for the end of 1986-87 is pro­jected at Rs. 60.20Ialr.h.

The company's current depo­sits are Rs. 106· lakh and tbe Ihare capital of R •. 20.38 lakh tbe deposits are due to touch Rs, 200 lakh mark next year.

The company's board of directors includes former Union Deputy Defence Minister Mr. ­S.S. Majithia, who was p~esent at tbe news conference, f~er

At a news conference in Punjab National Bank Ex~­Cbandigarh, last lVeek, Dr. tive Director, Mr. D.C. Gupta, . Ioderjit Singh, Chairman and former Comptroller and Auditor­Managing Director of the Geaera1 of India Mr. Gyan •• 0.. company who held tbe p"sition Prakash all6l leallin. legallumi' -of ChalCman-cum-ManaglDg nary, Mr. Veda Vya,a.

a.Jd. NOI Q-:-(C}-85 THE "SPOKESMAN" WEEK.LY R.N.I. Regd. No. 543/57 22l1d September, .1986.

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