The Tribune – CM tells cops to focus on public service, sincerity

Udhampur, June 14. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today told passing-out probationary Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) to make public service, sincerity and community policing a benchmark of their service. He said the Jammu and Kashmir Police was one of the best police forces in the country.

Addressing the DSPs during a passing out parade at the Sher-i-Kashmir Police Academy here today, the Chief Minister told them to be true to the commitment and oath they had taken on the culmination of their training and entering into the police service.

The Chief Minister presented the all-round best award to DSP Mohan Lal for his performance during the training period while the indoor best award went to Pranab Mahajan and outdoor best award to Mohammad Muzaffar Jan. Mir Murtaza Hussain received the best rider award.

Omar observed that the state police was passing through a period of transition from militancy to peace restoration. He said the police has to deal with a peculiar situation, needing more professional dealing and public-friendly approach.

He said transparency was the need of the hour and his government had enacted various legislations, including the Public Service Guarantee Act and the Right to Information Act to empower people.

The Chief Minister advised the probationary officers to be clear in their performance and delivery. “You are being closely watched by people, media and the social media. Whenever you have to take a decision, take it as per your conscience, commitment to your oath and in accordance with the Constitution,” he told them while assuring the full support of his government to the state police in making it a stronger and highly professional police force in the country.

DGP K Rajendra said the inculcation of professional policing, best aptitude and attitude was an important factor of the quality training received by the police officers at the academy. (TNS)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120615/j&k.htm#4

The Tribune – Jat samiti to review reservation plan

Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 14. The All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti has decided to review its strategy on the reservation issue in view of the meeting of Congress leaders from five states led by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda with the Union Home Minister on this issue.

In a statement issued here today, Hawa Singh Sangwan, president of the Haryana unit of the samiti, said its leaders would meet at Charkhi Dadri on June 17 for the purpose. Sangwan said it was the first time since the days of Sir Chhotu Ram that community leaders from five states had got together to demand OBC status for Jats.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120615/haryana.htm#7

The Asian Age – Congress: Can’t spare the Prime Minister

Venkatesh Kesari, Asian Age Correspondent

New Delhi, Jun 15, 2012. Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi on Thursday rejected the names of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, suggested by Ms Banerjee and Mr Mulayam Singh as candidates for President.

Making it clear that it cannot spare Dr Manmohan Singh and that he would continue to be PM till 2014, the Congress rejected the names of Dr Kalam and Mr Chatterjee outright. Mr Dwivedi disapproved of Ms Banerjee disclosing the names of Mr Mukherjee and Dr Ansari as the first and second choices of the Congress.

He said the process of consultation was still on and Mrs Gandhi had not finalised any name. Mrs Gandhi is in the process of consulting even single-member parties and in the course of it two names have come up. “If Congress had decided on the name, two names would not have come up,” he said. “There is a dignity to the process. When such talks are held, names are not discussed outside,” he added.

Senior Congress minister Ambika Soni targeted Ms Banerjee directly, stating that the CM’s behaviour “doesn’t make political or ethical sense”. “Never has there been an instance where the name of a sitting PM is bandied about like this,” she said. “It is a constitutional post, he heads the government and the country, and one desists from such lack of courtesy… People of our country would wonder why such tactics are being adopted by political parties,” Ms Soni told reporters.

CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury was critical of the way the names had led to speculation. “It is neither good for the nation nor for our polity to speculate on these names… It is not good for those also whose names have been floated in the speculation market,” he said.

SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav attacked the Congress, accusing it of not dealing with Mr Mulayam Singh’s party in an appropriate manner while holding consultations on the election. Mr Yadav said the Congress called “two-MP” parties for consultations on the issue but “did not treat the SP the way it should have”. “Responsibility for maintaining relations lies with the major partner. If there is something wrong, Congress should be held responsible,” he said.

The Congress appeared to be zeroing in on the candidature of Mr Mukherjee on Thursday night. The party core group, headed by Mrs Gandhi, met at Dr Singh’s residence and is believed to have decided to put forward Mr Mukherjee’s name at Friday’s UPA meeting. “No dark horse” is under consideration in the Congress-UPA camp, remarked a leader. The UPA meeting is expected to formally endorse the name of Mr Mukherjee as the alliance candidate.

The CPI said it favoured a dalit woman as the next President, a remark widely interpreted as the party batting for LS Speaker Meira Kumar. Former CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan parried questions on whether the Left parties would back Mr Mukherjee. “Mahatma Gandhi has said one good thing… among many other good things, that a dalit woman should be made President,” he said, adding, “Sorry, I am not taking any names.”

Asked whether the Left could afford not to support Mr Mukherjee, he said he should not be asked such questions. “We will wait and watch. The Left parties are meeting here on June 21 to firm up strategy,” he said. Mr Bardhan said only four leaders — NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa and TDP president Chandrababu Naidu — had spoken to him.

http://www.asianage.com/india/cong-can-t-spare-pm-302

6 May 2012 my 65th birthday visit to Brussel

On my birthday I went to see my Brussel friends Manpreet Kaur and Jean

Brussel – Bruxelles, Watermaal Park

Brussel – Bruxelles, Watermaal Park

Brussel – Bruxelles, Watermaal Park

Brussel – Bruxelles, Watermaal Park

To see more Belgium (mostly Limburg) pictures :

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

More Belgium pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

The Tribune – Focus on AFSPA as Army Chief visits Jammu & Kashmir today

Arun Joshi, Tribune News Service

Jammu, June 14. When Army Chief General Bikram Singh lands in Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow, he will bring with him a new message of ending clash of egos that had erupted between his predecessor General VK Singh and the state government over the revocation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

This happens to be his first visit to any state after assuming the office on May 31. It shows how much importance the Army gives to the Himalayan state that shares borders with Pakistan, PoK and China.

In Jammu and Kashmir, stakes of the Army run from the dizzying heights of the Siachen glacier in Ladakh to the undulating mountain ranges in north and south of the Pir Panjal and the Jammu region. It is guarding the frontiers, taking care of the infiltration bids from across the LoC, guarding the mostly un-demarcated LAC with China and fighting militancy in the hinterland of the state. There is no other state in the country that poses as many challenges to the Army.

General Bikram Singh is not new to the state, as he had served in various capacities here, including as the General-Officer-Commanding of all important and strategic Srinagar-based 15 corps.

He is expected to utilise his past familiarity with the state leadership to iron out the differences that cropped up between the two sides over the past two years.

It is an open secret that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s words against the Indian Army in the wake of Sopore killings in February 2009, the alleged fake Machail encounter of 2010 and statement on the removal of AFSPA from some parts of the state in 2011 did not go down well with the Army.

Omar was also not happy the way Army stalled his first big political initiative as regards special powers of the security forces.

The Army had opposed his proposal, summoning all sorts of worst-case scenarios.

“Things may not change overnight, but the clash of egos that created a wall between the two sides would melt, hopefully,” said a National Conference leader.

The relations were so estranged between the two sides that no meeting of the unified headquarters, of which the Chief Minister is the chairman, has been held since November 9 last year. The two sides drew their own red lines and no one dared to cross that.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120615/main2.htm

Dawn – Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar urges unity in terror fight

Kabul, 15 June 2012. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday accused governments of doing a “terrible job” at working together to tackle militancy in Afghanistan as she called for a more unified approach.

Khar made the remarks on the sidelines of a ministerial conference in Kabul aimed at building greater regional cooperation on Afghanistan and its future beyond the pullout of Nato forces in 2014.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says peace depends on regional cooperation to smash sanctuaries for militant networks waging violence in his country, and in his opening remarks to the conference urged Pakistan to support the peace process.

Pakistan was the Taliban’s chief diplomatic backer when the regime was in power in Afghanistan, and is accused by both Kabul and Washington of continuing to play a double game in supporting the insurgency despite its official US alliance.

Khar reiterated Pakistan’s stance that it has suffered enormously as a result of terrorism, and said a more united front was needed among international allies.

“We have been making the claim that we need to all work together to ensure that we win against them rather than they win against us,” she told reporters.

“At this point in time, if there is a policy of divide and rule they are doing a great job at it and we are doing a terrible job at combining our energy, our forces, and our resources to be able to face them as one.”

US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned Pakistan last week that the US was running out of patience over Islamabad’s refusal to do more to eliminate hiding places for insurgents, who attack US troops fighting the 10-year war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Khar responded on Thursday by saying she was “glad we are not losing patience with anyone, despite losing 24 soldiers”.

She was referring to Nato air strikes on a Pakistani border post in November which killed 24 troops and led to Islamabad closing the ground routes through its territory used to supply coalition forces in Afghanistan.

http://dawn.com/2012/06/15/fm-khar-urges-unity-in-terror-fight/