Viglinks

Monday, November 23, 2015

Pay Commission and OROP: the Ex Servicemens Leadership Have led all to Nadir of Despair

The Ex serviceman's agitation for OROP has entered nearly the 180th day. The period or days is not important except that it has gone on for a pretty long time. However what it has achieved is a big zero and as things stand a 24% increase of pensions authorised for other government servants is denied to the ex servicemen.

What a tragedy, even the legitimate demands of the ex servicemen like equalisation of pay  as per the highest band and  2014 as the base year of calculation is denied. I wonder what the leadership achieved. The next revision is now in 2019 and one does not know what will happen then.

The 3 Chiefs of staff as I wrote earlier are the villains of the piece. These gutless men who just want to cling to their chair have let the men they command down the drain. Not one of them could put his foot down and insure that these regressive decisions are not taken.

In addition the entire approach of the ex serviceman's leadership played into the governments hands by spurning political support. You can't win a battle on ' good will". There has to be solid political support and on this General Satbir Singh and his team have gravely defaulted. What have they to show? Nothing . All this would have come about  even if there was no agitation. Thus this agitation served no purpose and the government dismissed it as a few old men sitting and not eating. It's so silly.

I do not know what is the solution, but this entire leadership of ex servicemen should pack up and go home. They just cannot achieve anything. There is also no political support and the ex servicemen are on their own. Defeat was imminent.

Understanding Doctrine of Necessity and the Pakistan Connection

What is " Doctrine of Necessity" and its Sordid Connection with Pakistan

The Doctrine of necessity is an ancient law, but is rarely used except in Pakistan where it has been used to justify martial law and the sordid hanging of Bhutto, prime minister of pakistan

Defination


“Doctrinne of necessity” is a legal term. This is a term used in constitutional law and is as old as history. What does it mean? It means that a government can resort to extra constitutional authority in case there is a breakdown in law and order. The purpose is to restore order in a situation when anarchy rules. The Romans used this doctrine in the occupied lands. Later in the 13th century the doctrine was given a legal cover by the 
jurist Henry de Bracton (1210-68).

Theory of Blackstone and Henry Bracton


Henry Bracton was perhaps the first to give a proper legal frame work to this theory. He lived during the 13th century and was perhaps influenced by the conditions in England at that time.
The doctrine was further revised by William Blackstone (1773-68) an English Jurist. Both jurists had a common thread that this doctrine was a necessity in case there was a breakdown in law and order. The crucial point is “breakdown in law and order”. There is a related question as to who will decide this. The jurists did not amplify on this matter.
‘Doctrine of Necessity’ has never been used in England. But it has been used in Germany by Hitler and now in Pakistan. Pakistan is one nation that has repeatedly upheld changes in Pakistan’s political environment by military coups under this doctrine. This makes sad reading.

Doctrine of Necessity and Pakistan


The Doctrine of Necessity has been known for over 2000 years, but it has been rarely invoked in modern history. The state of Pakistan has however relied on this doctrine to justify military coups and judicial political hangings like of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by the army general Zia ul Haq.
The first time this doctrine was used in Pakistan was in 1954. The events are now well known. The then Governor general of Pakistan Ghulam Mohammed dismissed the constituent assembly. He took this unconstitutional step as he felt that the assembly did not represent the people of Pakistan. It was a partisan step and an appeal against theGovernor General’s order was filed in the Sind High court. The President of the Constituent Assembly Maulvi Tamizzuddin was the man who filed the appeal.
It is on record that the Sind high court ruled in favor of the petition filed by Maulvi Tamizzuddin. The Governor Generalwent in appeal to the Chief Court of Pakistan (later the Supreme Court). The then Chief Justice Muhammed Munir seeing the wind blowing with army breathing down his neck ruled in favor of the Governor General. Justice Munir relied on the doctrine of necessity as enunciated in Roman law and further enunciated by Ivor Jennings. This was a sad day for Pakistan.

Last word



This decision of Justice Munir became a precedent and on a number of occasions the Supreme Court of Pakistan justified Military Coups. Thus military coups against elected governments by general Zia ul Haq and general Mushraff who overthrew the elected civilian governments were given legitimacy.
the supreme court of Pakistan also acquised in the hanging of Zulfikar Ali bhutto. Not something Pakistan should be proud off.

Friday, November 20, 2015

But what do Muslim Women Feel despite Conversion of many White Christian women to Islam

Recently I read a news item that many young girls and even mature women in the west are converting to Islam. These women have been brought up in a Christian environment, yet are converting to Islam. These girls have been brought up in a liberal atmosphere with a degree of economic security, yet they have decided to convert to Islam. These women are ready to wear the hijab and become part of a harem as well and live in the zenana- the exclusive and segregated residence for wives.

This is all good news and one cannot find any rationale for it. Yet it is worth examining what the Muslim woman, born a Muslim feels in the cloistered world of Islam. This question has no easy answer and a lot depends on the makeup of the woman and place of residence.

Islamic women who are educated know the inequality that dogs them from birth. One has to read the novel " The Pakistani Bride" by Bapsi Sidhwa to realise the torture a woman goes through in Muslim society in the Sub-Continent,particularly Pakistan. Muslim women have literally no rights and many right thinking Muslim women are agitating for their rights. But its a no win situation as the roots of discrimination run deep. Many women do not want to wear the black burkha in the heat, but pain of death enforces this. There is no freedom of choice.

Muslim women in particular educated women want to break out of this restrictive fold and many marry  Hindu men, albiet after converting them. The reason is the harsh law that prescribes death for a person converting from Islam to another religion; after all everybody wants to live and life is precious.

Women from the west need to think over consequences of converting and joining the ISI. Muslim women are treated as door mats by the  ISIS. 

India China military Equation * 74

Indian Army Vs China in Ladakh
I write this post with a heavy heart as a nationalist one cannot condone the thinking of the political leadership which in turn rubs off on the Army. I underwent the 41st Staff course at wellington. One of the exercise as part of the curriculum is a study tour of the Northern or eastern border. Which study to tour to take is at the option of the student officer? I opted to visit the Northern border for a first hand study.
The visit to Ladakh was an eye opener. We visited the various Indian Army formations facing China and had a one to one interaction with the Deputy GOC. Some of the results of that inter -action is summarized below.
a) We learnt that the Indian army had one division facing China in a holding role. On query we learnt the Chinese on the opposite side had 6 divisions. This didn’t make sense, one division vs. 6?
b) The 1962 border war had resulted in large areas being occupied by China. After cease fire the Chinese vacated the areas they had occupied and went back to their earlier line of control.
c) This land vacated by the China is now a no mans land with China occasionally patrolling it. On query we were specifically told by the GOC that the vacated area by China was out of bounds for the Indian army and they only watched as once in 3 or 4 days the Chinese trucks came and went away. On query as to why the Indian army did not go back and occupy the territory which India claims as Indian Territory, the reply was that these are the instructions of the government at Delhi.
d) It also appeared that the in the event of a war the Indian army had no plans for an offensive into the occupied area of Ladakh or Tibet.
It also came to light that the Chusul airfield close to the line of control, which was the scene of some bitter fighting during the 1962 war, was not operational. On query as to why it was not made operational when it was in Indian territory. We were told that these were the instructions of the Central Government so as to not antagonize the Chinese.
All this makes sad reading and shows that the Army which mirrors the policy of the Central government may still lead India to another defeat as a when there is another clash. I do not think anything is learnt by India after 1962. One must read Kautaliya that master of political thought,to realize that a dread of an enemy is sign of defeat. Sadly the political leadership intent on filling its coffers with hard cash has no time for the greatness of India. I wonder the pot bellied ministers sitting in Delhi have even heard, let alone read Kautaliya.

Dining at the Lal Qila in Abu Dhabi * 68

Lal Qila
Abu Dhabi is a place that never fails to charm a visitor, especially a person who loves North Indian and North Western Frontier food. The place has wonderful eating joints and restaurants. One can get the best in Continental and Chinese cuisine as well. The entire city is a gourmet’s paradise if you want good food in comfort than nothing beats Abu Dhabi. Here I shall introduce all my readers to a top eating joint servingNorth Indian food.
The Urdu Poet and food
Abu Dhabi has many restaurants that are classy and serve Frontier and Punjabi food. One of the finest places to dine is the Lal Qila located in the heart of the capital city. I understand the eating joint is owned by a Pakistani from Lahore. The restaurant has excellent staff who are courteous and look after you very well. The best part apart from the foodare a bevy of excellent looking Muslim girls in traditional Indian and Pakistani dresses serve and attend to you.
Most of the girls are from Pakistan and what will strike you is the fairness of these girls. Another added attraction is a poet from Lahore. This man in traditional attire of yore goes from table to table and recites some beautiful Urdu couplets that regale the customers. He came to my table and recited a lovely couplet extolling the beauty of my American girl who was dining with me.
My girl didnt understand the couplet, till I translated it for her and she was delighted and blushed a crimson red.
Good meals
The restaurant serves only buffet meals and has one of the most lavish spreads one can think of. The fare on display to taste and savor consists of over a 100 dishes covering Indian, Pakistani and Chinese food. It’s one of the most elaborate spreads I have come across anywhere in the world. My American gal loves it. I think she has now started relishing spicy food as well. The food is exceptional and one can spend a fair amount of time eating and listening to the Urdu couplets.
The only drawback is that beer and alcohol are not served. In a way I think it’s a good thing as one must try and be away from this intoxicant.
A wonderful place
The meal can set you back by 100 dirhams per head, but overall is a wonderful place to dine on the best food available in Abu Dhabi. I would have mentioned some dishes served, but the list is so exhaustive, that it’s not possible in a short article.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Islam Rises like the Phoenix: biggest Religion by 2050

Religion still dominates the ethos of a human being. It remains a driving force in everyday life. Presently the Catholic faith is the most preferred in the world, with the Sunni form of Islam coming second.

The Pew research centre is a non-partisan foundation that carries out research and polls and brings forth its findings in the form of a report, complete with statistical data. The research centre was started in 2004 and is based in Washington. It has earned a name for accurate and unbiased reports.
The Pew centre has published its latest report on religions and their growth. The centre has after due analysis of available data and trends concluded that by 2050, Islam will overtake Christianity as the biggest religion in the world. It also forcasts that Hinduism will decline by 2 percentage points in the over all scenario. It clearly states as per available, data, that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. It also brings out the unsavory fact that both Buddhism and Hinduism are declining in appeal. The Pew centre does not go into reasons and only publishes cold facts. It is for social scientists to analyse and interpret the data.
One can understand the decline in Hinduism. One reason is the rigidty of caste, a phenomenon that does not exist in any other religion. This lowers the esteem value of Hinduism and unlikely to attract new adherents. In fact a sizeable number of lower caste Hindus will be happy to convert to any other religion. One can recollect that Dr Ambedkar and millions of his followers converted to Buddhism in one stroke.
Christainity is growing, but its appeal appears limited. It is also a liberal religion and loses out against the fanatical zeal of Islam. Buddhism of ofcourse is too pacifist in approach and also has a monk structure that does not appeal to a new convert. The fact is that both Buddhism and Hinduism are in a declining mode.
Islam is the religion of the 21st century as Christianity was the religion of the 19th and 20th century. It has tremendous appeal and is a classless society. Its puritan approach has a appeal and thought of Mohammed as Messanger of God has tremendous motivation. The Islamic concept of paradise and promise of 72 virgins to the true believers has its own charm.
One fact that stands out from the figures published by the Pew Centre is that in due course of time Islam will dominate the world. That is a sobering thought.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

The Sari: Sexy and Exciting Dress of the Sub-Continent

The Allure of The Sari





Oct 20th, 2010
Background
The sari is the standard garb of the women of the sub-continent. It creates a mystery and exudes sex appeal
It must be noted that a mutitude of religions, clans and tribes l form part of the Indian union. But the one dress that is universal is the sari. The sari is a long  wrap that is worn around the hips and extends to the ankles. Women of the sub continent will wear a blouse that will add to the luster of the sari.

The Sari proper
The sari extends to 5 or 6 yards and comes in vibrant colors and designs. In addition sari's will be made of a variety of materials ranging from cottons to silk. Some of the sari's will be embroidered with intricate desins that could make use of gold thread as well. The sari thus can be a costly item as well.Some of the sari's can set you back by Rs 5 Lakh.

Wearing a sari
There are many methods to tie the sari. Tt is usually draped around the waist with a petticoat as an anchor. It has a number of folds  and wearing a sari is an art by itself.  The sari can be worn in a way that the midriff is bare and in some cases , it can be tied low so as to add to the allure of the wearer. When worn with a blouse which can be sleeveless or backless the sex appeal of the woman is greatly enhanced. Many western men have told me that seeing a lovely woman in sari ia a matter of great fantasy for them, as it creates a mystery of the woman by revealing a little and promising a lot.
Sari and sex appeal
Some of the Indian women will tie the sari in a way that the naval is visible.They will embellish the naval with jewel as well. They will wear a low cut blouse that  may be backless. This dress creates a great degree of sex appeal and is sure to fire the imagination of a man. One only has to look at the present day heart throb, the film actor  Deepika Padakune in a sari to realise the potential it generates in terms of sex appeal.

Sari and Types
Some of the tribal women in the east will wear a sari without a blouse. The eastern women will also wear a shorter sari.Mahrastrian women will wear a 9 yards sari which divides the legs, enhancing the sex appeal to a tremendous extant. the sari is a dress that has been in vougue for thousands of years  and is distinctive of the sub continent.