The Curse on the Bhutto Family* 73

I have been wondering how the Bhutto family has fared. In a matter of a about 3 decades the name Bhutto has almost ceased to exist in Pakistan's political field. This to my mind is nothing short of curse. To start with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was in real terms the son of a Hindu mother was hanged in a judicial farce. It was murder and Bhutto became the second Prime Minister to be hanged in the world. This was not the end as his wife who was kept imprisoned for years by general Zia- ul- Haq finally scummed to cancer.

 Her daughter who had donned the legacy of her father and was Prime Minister of Pakistan was assassinated during a public meeting. The list does not end here and the younger brother of Benazir Bhutto , Murtaza Bhutto was shot dead in Karachi when his sister was prime Minister of Pakistan. It was a murky affair to say the least. Murtaza was opposed to his sister and many eyebrows were raised at this killing. His elder brother was found dead in a Paris apartment. Another gory death that has never been explained.

It appears the mark of Cain is on the Bhutto household. One hopes this is the end of this chain and the survivors of the Bhutto household can live a full life.

Putin is Back and the USA is Uneasy

Vadimir Putin is sworn in again as the President of Russia. He was President earlier also and is now back. This is not good news for the Americans who tried their best to foment trouble for Putin. The reasons are not far to seek. Putin is a strong nationalist who believes in the greatness of Russia. He is from the Soviet era and has seen the slide of the USSR from the pinnacle of power to a second position behind America. Putin has a one point agenda to restore the pre-eminent postion of Russia in world affairs. He feels America is a pain in the neck and he is backed by a strong military with almost 1.4 million men under arms, not forgetting the nuclear arsenal at his disposal. One other point is that Russia is rising economically and has the worlds largest reserves of natural gas and oil. Thus the Russians are sitting on a gold mine. In addition Russia produces some of the best military hardware in the world. Its aircraft are a match for the USA. Russia also encompasses the half the globe and 5 time zones and thus can be a Pacific and a Baltic power. The Americans don't like this and would be better of if Putin is overthrown, hence the small agitations are all sponsored by the Americans. Putin feels Russia has a destiny and is to be a world power again. With the economy looking up and a might army Putin may well lead Russia forward. The US is sick with continuous wars and rampant inflation and budget defict of 3 trillion dollars. It will be difficult for it to remain at the apex with Putin breathing hard down the US spine.

The Last cavalry Charge

The cavalry had been the mainstay of the army for close to 2500 years. Nostalgic poems like the “Charge of the light brigade” were written by Lord Tennyson. At the out break of World War I many old timers still felt the cavalry had a role to play, though a few knowledgeable pundits opined that the days of the cavalry were over. But the pro cavalry lobby had its way and they transported some one million horses and mules to France from the colonies like Canada and India. The famed Deccan horse also made its way from Pune in India. The old timers felt that the horses would be used for the charge of the German positions. All this is explicitly brought out in the movie “War Horse” screened recently. This movie by Steven Spielberg is a real gem. At the start of the battle a few cavalry charges did take place but the riders and the horses were cut down by German machine gun fire. It became apparent to most generals that cavalry had seen its day. The horse could not negotiate the trenches and the barbed wire fences that had been erected on the battle field. But still some die hard generals persisted and it is on record that in 1916 during the battle of the Somme, the 7th Dragoon Guards rode with their horses and swords against the German lines manned by machine guns. It was a veritable slaughter and 90% of the men charging the German lines perished. That made the generals look up and the horse led cavalry charge was simply stopped. The Deccan horse also took part in the charge at the Battle of Somme again with disastrous results. Out of a million horses and mules in France only about 60,000 survived. It was a colossal massacre, but it was the swan song of the cavalry as the horse was replaced by the tank

US Armed Forces and Women * 78

American women constitute 18% of US personnel in the armed forces. This does look nice, but what it hides is significant. The matter reached a head and at a recent press conference Leon Panetta, the secretary of Defense brought out the fact that he was aware that there have been cases of rape and molestation of women in the US armed forces. He also opined that perhaps because of this stigma more women are not joining the armed forces. What is the fact? Many women who have served earlier in the armed forces have testified that they have been raped. But they also said that the army put a lid on these rape cases and in some cases the matter was allowed to die down. One of the survivors Barbara Grove who served at Cherry Point in the mid nineteen fifties gave startling information. She said two women were raped and one hung herself from the ceiling. Though the incident is over 50 years old I suppose this is still prevalent in the US armed forces.

Last year more than 3000 women reported to their superiors that they had been sexually assaulted while on duty. Theoretically women in the US army are barred from active combat duties. This is a good thing as it recognizes the infirmity and biological difference in women. A few women in the combat zone during the Iraq war were captured by Iraqi troops and systematically raped. That is one of the reasons the US army women are not used ina combat role. The debate of women in the Armed forces is an ongoing one. I suppose women can take part in all activities except as soldiers in actual battle conditions. The US has now an all volunteer force. May be it will be a good idea to have a selective draft in force. To try and fill the ranks of the army with women to over come shortages in manpower is fraught with grave consequences. Thus what ever happens, rape and sex is not going to go away in American armed forces, for that matter in any armed force in the world

A Military Coup in India?

A military coup is not a small matter. It means removal by force of arms a civil government and replacing it with a military rule.Two strike units of the Indian army moved from Hissar to Delhi on 16 january this year.Information leaked to the Defense Secretary who alerted the Prime Minister at 2 am in the night. The movement was halted, but it brought out that the army given the will can easily oust the government in Delhi. One can recollect that when General Ayub Khan took power in a military coup in 1958, the common man in Pakistan welcomed it. Something similar could well happen in India. The reason is not far to seek. Rampant corruption where even central cabinet ministers took part in looting the nation has bred dsgruntlement among the masses. Food is costly and 70% of the population is subsisting on a dollar a day. The common man may well welcome an army coup. There is an old saying nothing is impossible'. That could herald a coup . It could be a necessity. The scenario in SE Asa is not very encouraging. Most of the countries have military rule. Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Tibet have military rule or a dictato rship in some form or another. India is the exception where the army has remained apolitical. But don't be too sure!

Why Buddhism died in India

Gautama Buddha was born a Vedic Brahamin. He was from the highest caste and of royal lineage. He renounced his wordly life and attained Nirvana or Buddhahood. Buddhism initially spread in India and became a state religion. From India Buddhism spread to distant lands like China, Tibet and South East Asia. As the religion spread it slowly died away in India. This is certainly food for thought and one wonders how Buddhism completely vanished from the face of India. There are many reasons for this, but I suppose the main reason is that Buddhism had nothing special to offer. It merely restated Hindu concepts in a different language. In addition Hinduism recognized Buddha as the 9th Avatar of Vishnu and incorperated him in the Hindu religion itself. Thus Buddhism vanished from India but thrived in distant lands. But again Buddhism is not anything unique as far as India is concerned.

My Chinese Girl Friend

China is our neighbour, but it hides its people behind an bamboo curtain. A small incident will bring out the frightening quality of life in China. After reading this I wonder how anyone can talk of China being a better place in the world. Some time back I met a chinese girl on the net. After some time we did become intimate and she promised that she would make it to Singapore to meet me. In the long emails we exchanged I wrote to her about India, the killings in China, the conquest of Tibet and a host of other topics. But what surprised me was that the girl was totally ignorant of all these matters. On the contrary she wrote to me that her emails wete being checked and she was frghtened. I wrote to her calm herself. But in between she asked me about the deaths during the Red Guard movement. She hadnt heard of it. One fine day I found all my mails bouncing. Somebody had tinkered with the settings. A month later I recieved one short mail. All it said was 'farewell' . I wondered what had happened to my Chinese friend. So sad! Alas this China , a closed nation. I wouldnt like to live there.