Chandigarh, January 28. As Punjab braces for a cliffhanger, the winning issues remain unclear. Though Punjabis are concerned about macro issues, local ones are also important. If a large number of people agree that the development has occurred during the SAD-BJP rule, an equal number of people still want change. Still others are trying to figure out whom to support and what the trend is.

On the border with Pakistan, Subhash Chander of Khoji Chak village in Boha constituency of the Majha region says “development te hoi hai”. In fact, Subhash’s life has changed for the better after the construction of a bridge over the Ujh River. This was a demand of the villagers since independence.

However Subhash, a Punjabi, wants to be certain that he is on the winning side. “Trend hi ban gaya hai, loki ek vaar ek sarkar nu dekhda ne, duji vaar duji nu”, he says adding, “It is the same in Himachal also”. He is still undecided and does not know whom to support.

In Majitha, SAD youth wing president Bikram Majithia claims if the SAD is confident of holding its own it is because of the development. “This is why anti-incumbency is not a factor in these elections”. Majitha claims the party’s hold on the Majha region will continue despite Congress claims that it is set to witness a role reversal. The Congress had won only two of the 23 seats up for grabs from this region in the last polls.

Though the Congress seemed clearly ahead in Majha in the run-up to the polls, it is set to lose a few seats in Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency mainly because of rebel candidates who are busy canvassing in Pathankot and Sujanpur.

In Malwa, the SAD-BJP combine seems to be in a good position at a number of places and is clearly ahead in Bathinda and Mansa districts because of careful nurturing by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. At Talwandi Sabo, Gurmail Singh has no doubt that the power position will improve, adding that the prices of his land have also risen accordingly.

The Malwa region is crucial to the Congress. Pro-peasant policies of the former Congress government had led to a Congress landslide in the Malwa region with Akali ‘jathedars’ biting dust. The Congress is expected to protect part of its fort with the party expected to do well in Patiala parliamentary constituency due to the “Amarinder factor” and also in Sangrur due to wrong distribution of tickets at the instance of SAD MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

The Congress seems to be on the comeback trail in Doaba with the party going strong in Jalandhar though chinks in ticket distribution could prove costly at a few seats. The BJP is looking weak in the Doaba region, which is likely to help the Congress.

Pradesh Congress president Captain Amarinder is confident rebels won’t make a dent in the Congress fortunes. “What we will lose in Bathinda we will make up with Akali constituencies of Tarn Taran, Khekaran and Khadoor Sahib looking good for us”, he said indicating the party is looking at resurgence in Majha and Doaba and an even sharing of honours in Malwa to pull through.

However at the end of the day besides local issues everyone is careful of being in tune with the overall trend.

“Candidate selection is important”, says Giani Kartar Singh in Jalandhar Cantonment who points out that the former hockey star Pargat Singh is doing well in a traditional Congress seat. But Balkar of Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahab voices the thoughts of many when he quips “Hawa da ain mauke tak intazar karange” (we will wait for the wave till the last minute). This will ensure the election will remain a cliffhanger.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120129/main2.htm

Pudukottai, 29 January 2012. A. Kalaimani, a Dalit woman village panchayat president of Karu Vadatheru village panchayat near Vadakadu, was allegedly prevented from hoisting the tricolour on the Republic Day by a group of caste Hindus.

The group belonging to the Kallar community, led by Kumar, son of Rangammal, who is the vice-president of the village panchayat, allegedly pushed aside Ms. Kalaimani when she was about to hoist the national flag on the village panchayat office campus.

The village panchayat president told The Hindu on Saturday that she planned to hoist the tricolour at three places – the village panchayat office campus; Raja Kudiyiruppu, a residential colony; and the panchayat union primary school at Kanniyankollai.

But, in view of the problem at the village panchayat office, she allowed the group to hoist the flag at the school and cancelled her programme at the residential colony.

She has lodged a complaint with the Vadakadu police and submitted petitions to District Collector B. Maheswari and Superintendent of Police R. Tamil Chandran.

Ms. Kalaimani said that she had alerted the police a week ago, seeking protection for the smooth conduct of the celebrations. To her surprise, no police personnel were deployed in time.

Police sources said that the matter was under investigation.

The district wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemned the police for not registering a case against those who prevented the Dalit president from hoisting the tricolour.

Led by M. Balasundaramurthy, union secretary of the CPI (M), they staged a demonstration in front of the police station at Vadakadu demanding immediate action. M. Chinnadurai, district secretary of the party, was among those who participated.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article2840615.ece?homepage=true

 Brussel (Dutch), Bruxelles (French) Brussels (English) Central Station
Brussel is in ‘Vlaams Brabant’ and is originally a Nederlands (Dutch) speaking city

Street opposite Central Station (Grasmarkt ?)
I had some time between meetings and went for a wander through the small historical centre of Brussel

Galeries Royales St Hubert 

 Galeries Royales St Hubert

To see more Belgiun pictures go to:

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

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

Chandigarh, January 28. In a landmark judgment, a local court today awarded death sentence to a drug peddler and 15 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a Burundi national in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case dating back to November 2007. The two were convicted on January 19 and the quantum of sentence was pronounced today.

Paramjit Singh of Amritsar and Festus Nenson of Republic of Burundi, were nabbed with 8 kg heroin on November 30, 2007. Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) counsel Kailash Chander said Paramjit was earlier arrested for drug peddling in Delhi in 2003 and awarded 10 years’ imprisonment. However, after coming out on parole, Paramjit again started the drug peddling, following which the court awarded him death sentence. “This is for the first time that a court has awarded death sentence to a drug peddler in Chandigarh,” the NCB counsel said.

Festus, apart from 15 years of imprisonment, has been fined Rs 1.5 lakh.

Both the accused were present in the court when the quantum of sentence was pronounced.

The NCB officials had nabbed the duo after intercepting them at the grain market in Sector 39. Paramjit had arrived in his car to deliver the consignment to Festus.

Previous convictions in drug-peddling cases

July 30, 2011: Israeli national Lior Avi Ben Moyal, his Czech accomplice Andreevi Jiri and Kullu resident Narender Kumar were awarded 6 yr-RI for possessing 154.5 kg of charas valued at Rs 20 crore in the international market

March 31, 2011: Nigerian national John Kennedy was awarded 12 years’ imprisonment along with two Ludhiana residents, a father-son duo, for possessing 8 kg heroin

January 19, 2010: Three persons, including a Nigerian named Ozirazaq, were awarded 10 years in jail along with a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each for smuggling contraband

May 30, 2009: Two Nigerian nationals Many Isioma and Victory were awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with Rs 1 lakh fine for possessing 4.15 kg heroin

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120129/main4.htm

Karachi, 29 January 2012. A doctor and trustee of an Imambargah was shot dead in front of his house in Federal B Area on Saturday morning.

Investigators said that the murder could be part of ongoing sectarian killings.

Dr Syed Jafar Mohsin Rizvi was targeted when he was reading a newspaper before his residence in F. B Area’s block 12.

One of the two riders, the area police said, got off the two-wheeler and fired multiple shots at the 60-year-old general physician before riding away with his aide.

“He was hit by bullets in the head and died on the spot,” said Inspector Raja Tariq, the SHO of the Gulberg police station.

“According to the victim’s family, he read the newspaper almost daily on the bench fixed in front of his house. The family rushed out on hearing gunshots and found him lying in a pool of blood.”

The police found four casings of spent bullets fired from a TT pistol, he said, adding that investigators had come into contact with a few persons who witnessed the incident though from a distance.

“The block where the victim lived has big houses, and the wide lanes remain deserted around 12noon with scarce movement of pedestrians or vehicles,” said the SHO, adding that the investigators would first determine the route taken by the armed riders to connect the dots.

A trustee of Imambargah Aal-i-Aba in F. B Area block 13, Dr Rizvi also owned a tour operating company that arranges visits to holy places in Arab countries.

The police said the victim’s son was in Karbala accompanying a group of Pakistani pilgrims and would return home on Sunday to attend the funeral prayers in Zohrain.

The body was taken to Rizvia Imambargah after medico-legal formalities were carried out at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

The killing drew serious criticism from the Jafria Alliance Pakistan (JAP) and leaders of other organisations, who called the killing  ‘failure’ of the government and law-enforcement agencies.

“The government has failed to end violence and no credible action is seen against banned outfits which are involved in these killings and bent on destroying religious harmony and peace in the city,” said Abbas Kumaili of JAP.

He advised the government to become serious about ending sectarian killings, adding that they were fast spreading the sense of insecurity among the people of Karachi.The police authorities see the recent spate of targeted killings on sectarian grounds as ‘unfortunate’ and find it hard to persuade rival sides to maintain harmony.

“Apart from our efforts to convince the two sides, we have geared up our activities on operational side,” said Additional IG of Karachi Akhtar Hussain Gorchani. “An exercise to spot members of banned outfits has already been initiated that includes scanning of their criminal record maintained by the police and their identities for a decisive action.”

http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/29/doctor-killed-in-sectarian-attack.html

Chandigarh, January 27. Dubbed as a Russian spy after being arrested by the Punjab Police, it’s justice at last for Olga Timoshik. In India to collect data for an exhibition “India-Siberia 2010″, the photojournalist today heaved a sigh of relief after Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the FIR against her.

She was arrested by the Punjab Police and allegedly subjected to third degree interrogation for 10 days during her police remand. The cops also allegedly launched a “character assassination campaign” in newspapers and “widely publicised” the “confidential details of her private life”.

This was not the end of troubles for her. She was charged with the offence of instigating a German to overstay in India.

The startling claims were made by the Russian journalist in her petition filed through counsel SS Behl for quashing of the FIR registered under the provisions of the Foreigners Act on May 25, 2010, at Nangal police station in Ropar.

The High Court was told the police focused on Olga after a German, Thomas Kuhn, was arrested, as he could not produce his passport. Kuhn told the police that his journey with Olga started after they met on a train; and Olga took his passport to get the visa extended. The prosecution claimed she never returned it to Kuhn.

She was described as a co-accused on June 12, 2010, and was arrested soon after despite full cooperation.

Behl told the court that Olga was intensely harassed “in police custody and through the Press later”. “It seems that it was an attempt to extort a confession from her. She was dragged in as an accused on flimsy grounds, and her legal rights were not read to her.”

She was “paraded through the neighbourhood”, was forced to appear before the media and the story of a Russian spy with her snapshots was widely publicised in channels and newspapers, Behl added.

On December 8 last, Kuhn pleaded guilty “probably to get out of jail and country”. But, the petitioner, Behl contended, has been “falsely charged with offence of abetment /instigation, which never took place”.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120128/punjab.htm#16

“It is very complex. It is also a transgender problem and it is not confined to girls alone. It is very complicated problem,” said a bench of Justice Altamas Kabir and Justice Gyan Sudha Misra.

While Justice Misra wanted to block the entry of new sex workers, Justice Kabir pointed to girls from relatively well-off families and studying in colleges and universities too taking to the sex trade with a desire to change their lifestyles and go to malls.

“We find girls from very good families even at the university level education entering the profession driven with desire of high lifestyle and going to the malls every second day. If they join it (trade) voluntarily, what do you have for them?” he said.

“Can you do something that the inclusion of new sex workers does not take place,” Justice Misra asked senior counsel Pradeep Ghosh and Jayant Bhushan who are amicus curiae and members of the court-appointed committee for putting in place a framework for identification and rehabilitation of sex workers.

The court said this in the course of the hearing of a PIL seeking the rescue and rehabilitation of the sex workers willing to give up the sex trade.   Justice Kabir described suggestions by Jayant Bhushan “extremely relevant” and said that unless an infrastructure was put in place, the entire effort would go waste.   “Unless you have rehabilitation schemes, even if you rescue them (sex worker), it will be of no consequence,” the court observed.

The court asked the counsel assisting it to involve National Commission for Women chairperson Mamta Sharma, National Commission for Women and Child Welfare head Shanta Sinha, and Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s Bhushan Bhrigu and Kailash Vidyarthi in its activities.

Justice Misra said the formulation of plan for the rescue and rehabilitation of sex workers could go along with the concrete steps in this direction. She said that the court should have the satisfaction that if it was dealing with the problem, something positive and concrete should emerge in every hearing of the case.

“Let the states tell the court that in the intervening period between two hearings, they have rescued one, two, three sex workers and rehabilitated them,” she said, adding that in every hearing, the court will take up one state and suggested Delhi be taken up in the next hearing.

Justice Kabir came down heavily on the central government for its failure to provide the office and secretarial staff to the panel constituted by it for taking steps in pursuance of its directions.

The court adjourned the hearing giving three weeks time to the central government to find a place for its panel. It directed the listing of matter after three weeks.

The court had earlier said that the schemes for the rehabilitation of sex workers should also include the marketing of the products that will be produced by the rehabilitated sex workers. In the absence of such an arrangement, things would get back to square one as they would not be able to feed themselves, it observed. (IANS)

http://www.asianage.com/india/educated-girls-entering-flesh-trade-money-says-supreme-court-407

Vilvoorde Gurdwara, Jatinder Singh Antwerpen Wala

Vilvoorde Gurdwara, Palki Sahib and Sangat

Vilvoorde Gurdwara, Sangat

 Vilvoorde Gurdwara, Sangat

Gurdwara Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Lange Molenstraat 14 B-1800
Vilvoorde (near Brussel)

To see more Netherlands and Belgiun pictures go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12445197@N05/sets/72157622147381380/

More Belgian pictures to follow
Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

Chandigarh, January 27 Living up to its notoriety of being a Bacchus-loving state where election time is synonymous with free flow of alcohol, poll-bound Punjab has brought true the worst fears of the Election Commission (EC) that liquor would flow freely here.

During the 34 days of surveillance, various teams have confiscated 5.12 lakh bottles of country made liquor, 1.6 crore ml of illicit liquor and 1.6 lakh kg of illegally brewed liquor (lahan) from across the state.

Only today, 7,000 cases of liquor were seized from a godown in Jalandhar. According to the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, these have allegedly been linked to Rana Gurjit Singh, Congress candidate from Kapurthala. Besides, another 300 cases of liquor have also been seized from Jalandhar.

Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureishi had expressed worry over the use of liquor and drugs to woo voters in Punjab.

He had issued directions to ensure that liquor is not allowed to be distributed at any cost.

“We have recovered so much of liquor in the state during these days. We are going to step up the vigil even more now,” said Usha Sharma, Special CEO, Punjab.

Following the directions, the State Election Commission had been keeping a hawk’s eye on the transportation of liquor.

Kusumjit Sidhu, Punjab CEO, had banned the transportation of liquor from distilleries at night.

She had received information that candidates were storing the quota to be used on the poll eve which was being transported in trucks at night. Police chiefs of certain districts had also reported the matter to the CEO.

A. Venu Prashad, Commissioner, Central Excise, said even they were surprised at the huge recovery of liquor during the last one month. “It seems most of the liquor recovered was related to elections,” he said.

Allaying the fears of certain EC officials that there was a possibility of liquor making way into poll-bound Uttar Pradesh from Punjab, Prashad said there seemed to be no connection. He said the liquor was more expensive in Punjab, the transportation was regulated and Haryana was closer to UP than Punjab. “So, it is certain that all this liquor was meant for our own state only,” he said.

A few days ago, the police had registered an FIR against SAD candidate from Bholath, Bibi Jagir Kaur after 183 cases of liquor were seized from her truck. A case under various sections of the IPC and the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951.

Hoodwinking authorities

The 1.6 crore ml of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, 1.6 lakh kg of illegally brewed liquor (lahan) and 5.12 lakh bottles roughly sums up to 6.9 lakh bottles of liquor for over 93 lakh registered male voters. Despite the surveillance there are many ways to hoodwink the authorities, say sources. As many as 72,000 cases of liquor are driven out by 180 trucks out of 30 distilleries across the state everyday.

Confiscated drugs

Surveillance teams have also confiscated 2,636 kg of poppy husk, 10,489 gm of opium, 6,357 gm of heroine and 2,506 gm of smack to date from different places in the state.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120128/main1.htm

Mr Musharraf had previously vowed to end his self-imposed exile and fly back to Pakistan by the end of this month to revive his political career.

He faces arrest on arrival as he is accused of failing to provide adequate security for former PM Benazir Bhutto ahead of her assassination in 2007.

The former military ruler, who stepped down in 2008, denies wrongdoing.

On Friday Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani repeated that Mr Musharraf would be arrested if he did return.

‘Threatened’   Mohammad Saif, general secretary of Mr Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League, told journalists in Dubai: “General Musharraf will return to Pakistan, that’s for sure.

“But we are waiting for the tension between the government and the Supreme Court to subside.

He told journalists in Dubai that the government would seek to use Mr Musharraf’s return to divert attention from its failures.

Mr Saif gave no date for Mr Musharraf’s return.

In early January, Mr Musharraf had told a Karachi rally via video link from Dubai that he would be in Pakistan from 27 to 30 January and planned to participate in parliamentary elections, which are due by 2013.

“I’ve been threatened and warned but I’m not one of those who gets scared or backs down,” he told supporters. “I’ve fought wars. I’ll come to Pakistan.”

The former president has described the case against him as “baseless” and politically led.

Little support  

Correspondents say few people in Pakistan believe the country’s former military ruler is the answer to its many problems.

The government is currently locked in a three-way struggle with the judiciary and Pakistan’s powerful military establishment.

Relations with the US have hit new lows in recent months, principally over concerns about Pakistan’s role in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

General Musharraf led a military government which ruled Pakistan from 1999.

His supporters were defeated in parliamentary elections in February 2008, and Gen Musharraf resigned in August that year under threat of impeachment.

Pakistan’s current president is Asif Ali Zardari, who is the widower of Benazir Bhutto.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16766967