Dawn – PTI pins great expectations on Lahore rally

By Ahmad Fraz Khan

30 October 2011

Lahore: The Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) is all set for a much-awaited show of power in Lahore, which will, in all probability, set the tone of provincial politics till the next general elections.

The PTI leaders hope the rally would set direction for “national rather than provincial politics” because the series of rallies being arranged by the party is part of ‘agenda for change’ for the whole country, not only Punjab – as being project by the PPP and some political analysts.

Most of the analysts, however, think that it will be hard for Khan to immediately dent the PPP vote bank because of his political leanings. So, the PML-N could be the immediate victim of Khan’s politics. In the longer run, PTI may rob the PPP of its voters, but certainly not at this stage.

Some of the political analysts and the PPP have been projecting and pitching Imran Khan as an “alternative right winger” who can challenge Sharifs in, what is generally perceived to be, their secured political fortress – Lahore and the Punjab.

The Sunday rally will largely decide, at least in people’s perception, whether Imran Khan becomes the much-trumpeted “alternative” or not. The rally will thus not only impact the PML-N politics, but also, some say decisively, politics of Imran Khan and the PTI itself.

The most nervous watcher of the rally will certainly be the PML-N, which faces first ‘credible’ political challenge on its own turf since its inception. If the rally turns out to be a “well attendant event,” it will provide fodder to those analysts who think that Imran Khan factor has grown enough to give sleepless nights to Sharif brothers.

Some analysts believe the PML-N made a mistake of taking out a rally just two days ahead of Imran Khan’s and erroneously pitched itself against him. The ‘mistake’ has only blown the PTI rally out of political proportion, and made it a straight contest between Imran and Sharif brothers.

The provincial and local leadership of the PTI was confident on Saturday that “the historic rally would change political and governance landscape of the country.” Imran Khan will present his “roadmap for change” at the rally which, the PTI and its sympathisers expect, will attract hundreds and thousands of people. The party on Saturday reviewed all arrangements for the rally, where it has put up separate enclosures for females and families.

“The party is expecting a huge attendance of its female supporters and families and made separate arrangements for them,” Umer Cheema of the PTI told Dawn.

He said the party had also been most sensitive about security arrangements for the event and engaged a large number of its workers for the purpose. “The party assures all participants a smooth and secure attendance,” he said.

According to plan, all 27 circles of the party in the city will lead different rallies to Iqbal Park and Imran Khan will directly reach the venue.

http://www.dawn.com/2011/10/30/pti-pins-great-expectations-on-lahore-rally.html

The Tribune – Discrimination: Indian-American gets job, $295,000 in compensation in US

Washington, October 28. Six years after he was denied prison guard’s job in California as he refused to shave off his beard required by his Sikh religion, an Indian-American has finally been appointed as a correctional officer in the prison and won $295,000 in damages.

Trilochan Singh Oberoi, 63, has reached a settlement in this regard with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) as a result of which he would start his duty as a correctional officer from November 1.

“Oberoi’s legal battle exemplifies the challenges many Sikhs face in the US in seeking private and government employment after 9/11, as widespread ignorance, prejudice and hate pose serious challenges to equal opportunity for South Asians, and particularly Sikh Americans, who are often mistaken for Middle Eastern terrorists,” said attorney Harmeet K Dhillon, who represented Oberoi.

In 2005, Oberoi applied for a position as a correctional officer with the CDCR, according to a statement issued today.

Oberoi advanced to the final stage of the application process, which involved being fit-tested with a particular model of tight-fitting respirator mask, and was told that he could not take the test unless he were to shave off his beard.

Oberoi requested that the CDCR accommodate his religiously mandated beard, but was not granted such an accommodation and was not hired by the CDCR in any capacity.

After making numerous attempts over the next year to ascertain the status of his accommodation request, in February 2007, he filed an appeal with the California State Personnel Board (SPB) concerning the CDCR’s denial of his opportunity to complete the correctional officer application because of his beard. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111029/main4.htm

The Hindu – In 16 years, farm suicides cross a quarter million

Past eight years show rising trend

P. Sainath

Mumbai, 29 October 2011. It’s official. The country has seen over a quarter of a million farmers’ suicides between 1995 and 2010. The National Crime Records Bureau’s latest report on ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ places the number for 2010 at 15,964.

That brings the cumulative 16-year total from 1995 — when the NCRB started recording farm suicide data — to 2,56,913, the worst-ever recorded wave of suicides of this kind in human history.

Maharashtra posts a dismal picture with over 50,000 farmers killing themselves in the country’s richest State in that period. It also remains the worst State for such deaths for a decade now. Close to two-thirds of all farm suicides have occurred in five States: Maharashtra, Karnataka, A.P., Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The data show clearly that the last eight years were much worse than the preceding eight. As many as 1,35,756 farmers killed themselves in the 2003-10 period. For 1995-2002, the total was 1,21,157. On average, this means the number of farmers killing themselves each year between 2003 and 2010 is 1,825 higher than the numbers that took their lives in the earlier period. Which is alarming since the total number of farmers is declining significantly.

Compared to the 1991 Census, the 2001 Census saw a drop of over seven million in the population of cultivators (main workers). The corresponding census data for 2011 are yet to come in, but their population has surely dipped further. In other words, farm suicides are rising through the period of India’s agrarian crisis, even as the number of farmers is shrinking.

While the 2010 numbers show a dip of 1,404 from the 2009 figure of 17,368, there is little to cheer about. “There was a similar dip in 2008, only to be followed by the worst numbers in six years in 2009,” points out Professor K. Nagaraj, an economist at the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, who did the largest ever study of the farm suicides covering a decade (The Hindu, November 12-15, 2007). “This one-year decline does not in any way indicate we have turned the corner. This dip happened mostly because of one-off falls in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. In fact, a look at the ‘Big 5′ who drive the numbers shows the fallout of the agrarian crisis to be as grim as ever. They have actually increased their share of the farm suicides.”

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/columns/sainath/article2577635.ece

Keywords: farmer suicides, NCRB report, National Crime Records Bureau, India agriculture, agrarian crisis

29 September seminar at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

29 September, KU Leuven Central Library

29 September, Leuven, historical Town Hall

29 September, Leuven NMBS station

To see more Belgian pictures go to :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622046344528/ 

To see more Belgium/Netherlands public transport pictures go to :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/ 

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
 Man in Blue

The Tribune – Amritsar to join Green Pilgrim Cities Network

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 28. Amritsar will formally join the Green Pilgrim Cities Network, the first global network aimed at greening pilgrimage to be launched in Assisi, Italy, from October 31 to November 2. The event is organised by the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (ARC) in association with WWF and it will be chaired by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth’s husband.

The network will help the faiths make their holy cities and sacred sites as environmentally sustainable as possible according to their own theologies and understanding.

Ten faith traditions have nominated pilgrim cities or sacred sites to become founding members of the Green Pilgrimage Network, ranging as far as Louguan in the People’s Republic of China for Daoists to St Albans in the UK for Anglicans and Amritsar for the Sikhs. The city authorities of Jerusalem, a major pilgrimage destination for three faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, will join the network to green the city for all pilgrims. In addition, Dwarka is also joining from India.

Washington-based EcoSikh has coordinated the Sikh participation in the upcoming summit and has worked with the SGPC and the Punjab government to make a commitment to make Amritsar an environment-friendly city.

The initiative was started when Bandana Kaur from EcoSikh and Victoria Finlay from ARC, the two organisations working with the Sikh community on environmental issues, met city officials in Amritsar to discuss the plans. With the strong relationship between Sikh teachings and the environment, SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar and Punjab Pollution Control Board chairman Kahn Singh Pannu readily agreed that Amritsar would be a great addition to the Green Pilgrim Cities Network.

At Assisi, Pannu along with Dalmegh Singh, secretary, SGPC, will announce the Sikh commitment. Pannu said, “This is major step to bring together faith and environment in a concrete manner. I am very excited to be part of this initiative”.

Dalmegh Singh said, “The SGPC has taken major steps to make environment as an important agenda in its operation and is committed to make the city of Guru Ram Dass a place of inspiration for nature preservation”.

Dr Rajwant Singh, president, EcoSikh, said, “This is a great opportunity for Sikhs to show to the world that we are committed to save earth and this will start with our concerted action in Amritsar. The idea is to improve environmental practices through eco-friendly planning, and at the heart is the hope that devotees will be encouraged to be respectful to the nature throughout their pilgrimage by minimising waste”.

The aim: The network will help people of various religions make their holy cities and sacred sites as environmentally sustainable as possible according to their own theologies and understanding.

The initiative: Washington-based EcoSikh has coordinated the Sikh participation in the upcoming summit and has worked with the SGPC and the Punjab Government to make a commitment to make Amritsar an environment-friendly city

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111029/punjab.htm#2

BBC News – Afghanistan militant attack on Kandahar compound ‘ends’

28 October 2011

A militant attack on a compound housing Western officials and military personnel in the Afghan city of Kandahar has been repelled, Nato said.

The attack began on Thursday and lasted more than 15 hours, a spokesman said.

The Taliban said they were behind the attack which included rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.

Four militants and an Afghan interpreter working for the Nato-led international force were killed, police and Nato said.

Five Nato soldiers, two Afghan security guards and three civilians were wounded in the attack, officials said.

Reports said the Taliban launched an assault from a compound across from the camp on Thursday afternoon local time.

Two car bombs went off as the Afghan police were clearing the compound, but there were no injuries, the Associated Press reported.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15488754

Evening Standard – Guinness record doesn’t matter says 100-year-old who ran a marathon

27 October 2011

The world’s oldest marathon runner today ridiculed Guinness World Records for refusing to believe he is 100 years old.

Fauja Singh, the “Turbaned Tornado” from Ilford, last week completed the Toronto Marathon in just over eight hours, but his achievement has been overshadowed by Guinness World Record’s refusal to accept his British or Indian passports, nor even a telegram from the Queen on his 100th birthday this year, as sufficient proof of his age.

Likewise, a sworn affidavit from an 84-year-old neighbour in Mr Singh’s fomer village in the Punjab, who recalls that his friend was 16 0r 17 years his senior, has been rejected.

Mr Singh completed his eighth marathon at the grand old age of 100 years, six months and 15 days. He was reported to have made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest runner to finish a marathon, replacing Dimitrion Yordanidis, 98, from Greece.

But editor-in-chief Craig Glenday has refused to ratify the record claiming there is “no evidence.” Mr Singh’s response was: “Guinness who? I had never heard of them. They were uninvited guests to a party and now they’re trying to decide what music is played. I’m angry that they seem to be jumping on the bandwagon. As long as people who witnessed me run are satisfied, that’s all that matters.”

Mr Singh, who started running 11 years ago after the death of his wife and son, has been enlisted as the “new face” of sportswear brand Adidas. His trainer, Harmander Singh, 52, a local magistrate, said: “In India prior to 1927, there was no proper record keeping. If you were born in a village, the town crier would announce the birth and that would be it. If a letter from Her Majesty isn’t enough, what is?”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24002843-guinness-record-doesnt-matter-says-100-year-old-who-ran-a-marathon.do

The Tribune – A cracker of an eco-friendly measure

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 27. In a measure aimed at protecting the Golden Temple, the SGPC on Wednesday reduced the duration of fireworks to celebrate Bandhi Chhor Diwas and Diwali to 15 minutes. This was half the time compared to previous years. This is for the first time that the SGPC slashed the time of fireworks to minimise the threat of pollution to the shrine.

SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said, “We had issued instructions to our staff that the fireworks should not exceed 15 minutes and we even warned they would be penalised if they voilated orders. We also ensured that there were no fireworks on the ground. It all took place well in the air and as a result there was minimum possible smoke.” He said they would try to look for some other solution to deal with the pollution in the coming years. “We are concerned about the safety of the Golden Temple and we should take all possible measures to ensure the same.”

“While we are taking measures to reduce the threat of pollution to the Golden Temple, residents continue to burn firecrackers around the shrine. There should be a check on this as it also adds to the pollution in the area,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, in his address to the Sikh community, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh stressed the need to uphold the utmost respect for the Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He said repeated instances of sacrilege of the holy book were a serious challenge for the community. He said such incidents were taking place due to the negligence by gurdwara committees, adding that it should be ensured that those heading these committees are baptised Sikhs.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111028/punjab.htm#3

The Asian Age – Crucial Team Anna meeting tomorrow

New Delhi, 28 October 2011. Key figures of Anna Hazare’s team will meet in Ghaziabad tomorrow sans the Gandhian, who is on a vow of silence, to discuss the crisis facing the team after they were enmeshed in a series of controversies.

Besides Hazare, prominent member Justice Santosh Hegde is also not attending the Core Committee meeting to be held at the office of Arvind Kejriwal-headed Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF) in Kaushambi in UP’s Ghaziabad.

The Core Committee meeting comes against the backdrop of a series of allegations against key members like Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi as well as resignation of two prominent activists Rajinder Singh and P V Rajagopal citing the political turn taken by Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.

The meeting also comes amidst a renewed attack on Hazare by Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who alleged that the Gandhian’s anti-corruption agitation as well as that of yoga guru Ramdev and Sri Sri Ravisankar were part of an over-all plan of RSS-BJP to divert attention from right-wing terror. Team Anna has been on the backfoot with Bedi battling charges of overcharging her hosts by inflating travel bills and Kejriwal being accused of depositing donations collected for Hazare agitation against corruption in PCRF as well as its anti-Congress campaign in Hisar bypolls.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, another member, also triggered a controversy by advocating plebiscite in Kashmir, evoking strong opposition from Hazare and other team members. Hazare’s decision yesterday to continue his ‘maun vrat’, which he started on October 16, will mean that he will not attend the Core Committee meeting when his team members were facing attacks and questions of probity.

In a veiled attack on key Team Anna members, Hegde said, “Anna’s strength does not lies in core committee or the people’s honesty in the core committee”. However, he cited a prior commitment in Mumbai for not attending the meet.

Hegde said he was also keeping a watch on the controversy surrounding Kejriwal and Bedi and remarked: “It’s a nice churning and ‘manthan’ is going on…” Former member Rajinder Singh, meanwhile, continued his attack on Team Anna saying Hazare has deviated from his objective and his team is full of “arrogant people in which there is no room for good human beings”.

Describing Bedi and Kejriwal as the “most arrogant members” of Team Anna, Singh said being former bureaucrats they are in the habit of throwing their weight about and imposing themselves on others.

Sources in Team Anna said they will discuss all issues involving the team, including the continuance of Bhushan in the team. Hazare had earlier said the Core Committee will decide on the continuance of Bhushan in the team following his advocacy of plebiscite in Kashmir. The issue came to fore after the lawyer was attacked by right-wing activists in his office.

Interestingly, the Core Committee meeting is being held in Kejriwal’s office while last time, the meeting which took place days after the attack on Bhushan, was held at his Noida residence and was chaired by his father and former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan. The issue also resulted in a flip flop by Hazare who changed his stand on Bhushan at least thrice. Initially, he said the committee will decide on Bhushan’s continuance, only to retract in few hours blaming media.

However, he removed the blog posting supporting Bhushan soon and later gave a TV interview only to reiterate his aversion to Bhushan’s views on Kashmir. He followed it up with a blog posting which discussed his views on Kashmir. (PTI)

http://www.asianage.com/india/crucial-team-anna-meeting-tomorrow-984

The Netherlands : Den Haag – Rotterdam – Amsterdam 2 till 12 September 2011

Mostly pictures of gurdwaras, trains and trams taken during my recent visit to the Netherlands

Pictures taken on 8 September in Den Haag and in the Schiphol Airport railway station

Sufi Masjid, Scheepersstraat, Den Haag

On the way to Amsterdam Lelylaan station I had to change at Schiphol Airport
Doubledecker Intercity to Amsterdam Centraal Station

Doubledecker Intercity train to Nijmegen in the east of the Netherlands

Too many Intercity trains to Amsterdam, but I was waiting for a semi-direct that stopped at Lelylaan station

Belgium and Netherlands public transport pictures at :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622685920411/  

More Netherlands pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue