Film on Maharaja The Top 5 Sikh Sikhi Message Sewa

Duleep Singh Countdown of celebrates Guru

sw
Granth Sahib

world sikh news

releases in 2007: Events that
New York P23 will impact 2008 P11 Tercentenary P13

January 2-8, 2008 www.worldsikhnews.com Vol 3 Issue 1, Phone (408) 272-2034, Fax (408) 519-6610

Daughter of Richmond killings

East who shock community;
motive unknown
befriended Zafarzang Singh

RICHMOND: The new year began

West goes
on a rather sad note with the blind
killings of two Sikh brothers -
Ravinder Singh and Paramjit
Singh Kalsi - leaving the Sikh com-
munity in a state of shock. The the

down police are still groping in the dark

about the motive of the murders.
Theirs was the forty-sixth murder
in the course of a year in a town
which is reeling under homicides
The brothers at their restaurant

Pak must reinvent polity. Old directions are dead, heaped
up like fossils of an age gone by on the dung-heap history
Kalam Nishan Singh
KARACHI/ISLAMABAD: Eras
have a way of ending; some taper
off gradually while some change
in as much time as it takes a shot
to fire or a human bomb to press
the button. On December 27,
Pakistan watched Benazir
Bhutto's assassination marking
exactly such a point. Though it
will take some time for the dis-
passionate analyses to emerge, in
her death, Benazir lived up to her
name. Rarely has the subconti-
nent witnessed someone as brave
as her who knew death was
brushing her by but continued to
stare it in the face, determined to
play a role in her nation's destiny
and sure that it was her fate to
lead Pakistan.
The Daughter of the East went
down in history as a martyr, and
proved that bravery could be a
strain so redeeming that it can
force the world to overlook even
her role in backing the Taliban.
A son has risen, and a husband
too, after her death. Will it mean
a new sun rise for Pakistan?
Unfortunately, her death was
followed by a row over how she
went. Gun shots and human
bomb, and then came along an
Interior Ministry spokesperson
saying she hit against the sun-
roof lever, lost a lot of blood and
that was all. That brought for-
ward people who claimed they
say a bullet wound while the
body was being washed. Flip flop
continued from government side.
Now, Pakistan People's Party
FULL COVERAGE INSIDE
co-chairman and husband of
Benazir, Asif Ali Zardari, has
now said the assassination was
an act of followers of Yazeed's
philosophy. Yazeed was the man
whose army killed Imam
Hussain. He has tagged the pro-
Mush Pakistan Muslim League-
Quaid-e-Azam as the 'Qatil
League' and is pressing for hold-
ing polls on time. He has also
demanded a UN investigation
into the murder.
Meanwhile, twelve members of
the US Congress have rejected
the White House contention that
Benazir's murder is an internal
matter for Pakistan and have
instead urged an international
investigation as in the case of
Lebanese leader Rafik Hariri.
In a letter to Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice, they have also
asked for withholding of $50 mil-
lion aid to Pakistan as decided by
Congress.
The letter is signed by House of
Representative members Steve
Israel, Joseph Crowley, Ron
Klein, Carolyn Maloney, James
McGovern, Donald Payne, Adam
Schiff, Allyson Schwartz, Brad
Sherman, Loretta Sanchez, Ron
Kind, and Adam Smith. Key
members of the US House
Appropriations Subcommittee
on State and Foreign Operations
have threatened Pakistan with
more aid cuts if elections are not
held on time.
Dispassionate analysis will
also tell us how Benazir carried
out her politics for years from
London and Dubai, a study in a
Continued on page 7
of all shades.
Through sheer dint of hard
work and toil, the two brothers
were engaged in the sale of houses
and running of a restaurant cater-
ing Indian food.
Over the last few years, the East
Bay area has seen a steep rise in
hate crimes against Sikhs, ranging
from murders to attacks on
Gurdwaras. Whether this one was
a hate crime of the kind which the
US has witnessed or if it is a con-
tract killing is a matter of conjec-
ture at the present moment. While
SALDEF, Sikh Coalition and other
organizations are engaged in undo-
ing the stereotype image of the
Sikhs, it comes as a surprise that
crime continues to chase the Sikhs
in one form or the other.
The friend of the duo, Gurman
Bal has described them as "hard-
working and spiritual." The local
councilor of Richmond City, who
knew the family, said they were
kind, friendly, smiling and hard-
working. Like most American
Sikhs, he too cannot fathom the
reason for this senseless murder. It
is disturbing that this city has a
record worse than the third world
as stated by a former president of a
local Gurdwara.
The family of Ravinder Singh in
Patiala is worried about their sud-
den end. Their American dream is
Memorial Service
on Thursday
Friends of the killed duo are
organizing a memorial service at
Sunset View Cemetery (located at
the corner of Colusa and Fairmount
Avenue El Cerrito) on
Thursday, January 3, 2008 from 4:30
pm - 5:30 pm. A Ravi and Pammi
Kalsi Memorial Fund has also been
started at Wells Fargo Bank with
Account number 7294234344.
over. They are now waiting for the
bodies of the brothers hoping that
they will come without the red tape
making that an impossible task.
Two customers of the India
Sahib restaurant, Woujie and
Michael from Pinole sum up the
personality of the two brothers in
their online tribute on a website.
They say, "Your gentleness and hos-
pitality was unusual in a mean and
hurried world. We are so saddened
by your untimely passing."
Wendy writing a condolence
says that Pammi and Ravi so gra-
cious and kind. "I got to know them
as a customer over their 5 years
with the restaurant. When my
friend was dying from stomach
cancer they let her come eat with
me for free. They always had warm
smiles. We talked, joked, laughed.
I'm so sorry they are gone, I'll miss
Continued on page 7

IMMIGRATION SERVICES KHALSA VIRSA WEAR

Insurance Agency PANNU LAW FIRM HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW!
FREE CONSULTATION FOR
Refugee Stay, Adoption, Deportation, Marriage, 3750 MCKEE RD #A • SAN JOSE, CA 95127 ATTORNEYS & COUNSELLORS
H1, L1, Labor Certification or any other
INSU. BROKER SINCE 1992
Immigration related service.
Immigration Law
JASPREET SINGH Auto
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW (NY & CA)
Citizenship YOUR
Home
Estate Planning AD
Life GURPATWANT SINGH HERE
Health Harjot Singh Khalsa
PANNU
39300 Civic Center Drive, Suite 170
Sacramento Office Fremont Office Commercial Fremont, CA 94538
65 Quinta Court, Suite E 39172-B State Street ORDER ONLINE! Advertise with us
Sacramento, CA 95823

916-681-1188
Fremont, CA 94538

510-790-6444 Call: (800) 954-5409 www.VIRSAWEAR.com T: 510.796.9000 510-706-1300

2 January 2-8, 2008
SGPC secretary accused Christmas with
of turpitude reinstated a Sikh spirit
WSN Network
AMRITSAR: In a rather contro-
versial decision, the SGPC execu-
tive has decided to reinstate addi-
tional secretary Daljit Singh Bedi
and re-employ controversial secre-
tary Harbeant Singh, thus inviting
much flak from not just many
members but also circles outside
the largest Sikh shrine manage-
ment panel. The SGPC executive
met at Anandpur Sahib on
Tuesday and reinstated Bedi who
was suspended on charges of
moral turpitude, and re-employed
Harbeant Singh following the
expiry of his one-year extension
after retirement.
SGPC opposition members like
Gurwinder Singh Shampura and
Karnail Singh Panjauli not only
opposed the decisions but went so
Indo-Canadian
company
develops
fasted travel
search engine
WSN Network
NEW DELHI: SkyLink Travel,
which is part of the SkyLink
Group owned by Indo-Canadian
entrepreneur Surjit
claims to have developed the
Babra,
world's fastest travel search
engine, most of the work on
which was done at Noida near
New Delhi.
Named Skylink Global
Booking Engine, it is also North
America's largest provider of
airfare to travel agencies, chains
and consortiums.
Surjit Babra, chairman and
CEO of SkyLink Group of
Companies, said with pride, “On
our search engine, we offer 35
million fares in an instant. When
you type out your two travel
cities-say from Little Rock to
Amsterdam-in an instant this
search engine sorts out whether
flights are available between
these destinations, which air-
lines operate and what the fares
are.''
He said the Global Booking
Search Engine was part of the
group's foray into the travel and
hospitality industry. “Right now
this search engine is available to
travel agents who pay us to
become members. Fourteen peo-
ple load the data on it everyday,
making us the leader in this
area.''
Babra said their Noida-based
office was handling much of the
work related to the search
engine, travel portals and sites, e-
fliers and customer calls.
“We have 28 people working
there right now, but we need 50.
However, the staff attrition rate
is a major problem there.
Everybody is stealing from
everybody else. Just like Air
Canada has shifted its operations
to Pune, we are also looking at
smaller cities such as
Chandigarh.''
In the long run, he said, his
group will have 500 to 600 people
in India.
far as to ask that Avtar Singh
Makkar be summoned to the Akal
Takht for taking "such wrong deci-
sions". Bedi was placed under sus-
pension on the eve of the SGPC's
annual office-bearers election in
November-end after he was
charged with moral turpitude. A
five member panel was constituted
to probe the charge.
Makkar was accused of going
the extra mile to get him a clean
chit from the panel members and
his case was not taken up for dis-
cussion during the previous execu-
tive meeting.
Harbeant was dismissed from
service during Gurcharan Singh
Tohra's tenure as SGPC president
for getting the job of a clerk in the
committee on the basis of a bogus
certificate. He was re-employed and
entrusted with prominent portfo-
Bus service between
Pakistan and
India resumes
WSN Network
AMRITSAR/LAHORE: The bus
and train service between
Pakistan and India resumed on
Monday and the Samjhauta
Express departed as per schedule.
According to Indian
Commission, the bus service
High
between India and Pakistan on
Delhi-Lahore, Amritsar-Nankana
Sahib and Amritsar-Lahore sec-
tors are being resumed.
“Bus service between Srinagar
and Muzaffarabad and Poonch-
Rawalakot would also run as per
existing schedule,” the High
Commission said in a press
release issued in Islamabad on
Monday.
The Thar Express, running
between Munabao-Khokrapar,
however, remained suspended on
the advice of Pakistan Railways,
said the Indian High Commission.
Scholars resolve to revive Persian in India
WSN Network
AMRITSAR: A mega conference
of Persian teachers organised here
concluded this week. A plethora of
noted scholars in the Persian lan-
guage from India as well as over-
seas who had gathered to partici-
pate in what was officially termed
as the 28th International
Conference of Persian Teachers
were of the view that Persian
should be made a compulsory part
of the syllabi in all the universities
and other educational institutions
of the country. They also resolved
that a Council for the promotion of
Persian should be constituted by
the government.
It was also resolved on the occa-
sion that all the vacant posts of
Persian teachers at different edu-
cational institutions should be
filled immediately. Also, short
term courses should be intro-
duced in Persian for advocates, it
was resolved. That is considered
particularly important in the
NEWS
lios after being given a year's exten-
sion following his retirement last
year. Now, he has been re-employed
on a salary of Rs 25,000 a month.
Talking to mediapersons after
the meeting Makkar said Bedi was
found to be innocent following the
inquiry by the five-member com-
mittee. He said the charges against
him could not be proved. The
SGPC chief also said that
Harbeant's term as secretary had
been extended for another year "in
view of his good administrative
record".
SGPC member Manjit Singh
Calcutta objected to the executive's
decisions, saying Bedi and
Harbeant had tarnished the Sikh
body's image. "Makkar should
explain his compulsions to favour
tainted persons like Bedi and
Harbeant," Calcutta said.
The Indian High Commission
has issued instructions for exten-
sion of visas of Pakistan nation-
als who were to travel on the
Munabao-Khokrapar service, by a
week, if so required.
Pakistan nationals who intend-
ed to travel on this service and
need to travel back to Pakistan
urgently may approach the con-
cerned offices at Mumbai, Delhi,
Amritsar, Jodhpur and
Ahmedabad for obtaining
changes in visas to travel to Delhi
for return by any of the scheduled
bus/train services to Lahore, said
the Indian High Commission.
The Indian embassy said alter-
natively, the interested passen-
gers may also approach the
respective offices for making nec-
essary endorsements on their
visas to enable them to cross over
to Pakistan at the Attari border
on-foot.
light of the fact that much of the
legal parlance used in the coun-
try, particularly in Punjabi, is
drawn from Persian.
The valedictory function for the
conference was held at the Guru
Nanak Dev University. Eminent
Sikh scholar Professor Prithipal
Singh Kapoor and more than 150
Persian scholars from India, Iran
and Afghanistan presented their
views at the conference. More than
25 research papers were also pre-
sented by noted scholars on the
relationship of Persian with
Sikhism and also on the impor-
tance and relevance of the Persian
language in general.
Professor Prithipal Singh
Kapoor, former Pro Vice-
Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev
University, highlighted the impor-
tance and relevance of Persian lan-
guage and its situation in Punjab.
He said Persian had a great cultur-
al heritage. Talking about the rela-
tionship of the Persian language
and Sikhism, Professor Kapoor
in Burnaby
WSN Network
BURNABY: The Sikhs of Burnaby
got into Christmas spirit in a big
way last Sunday. A Christmas cele-
bration at the Shri Guru Ravidass
Sabha temple, 7271 Gilley Ave, fea-
tured an 18-meter-long Christmas
card made by students at the tem-
ple's Sunday school.
Instead of turkey and eggnog,
200 revellers dined on pakoras and
tea. It's all part of the temple's
push to teach members about other
cultures, said board member Jai
Birdi.
"If we believe in including every-
one, there's no reason to be exclud-
ing Christmas," Birdi said in an
interview.
While some have argued
Christmas greetings offend new
Canadians, the temple has chosen
to educate members about the holi-
day, Birdi said.
The board recently started refer-
ring to the temple as a community
centre, a way to make South Asian
immigrants who are Christian,
Buddhist and Hindu feel more wel-
come, Birdi said.
Many Sikhs revere the teachings
of Christ, whose birth Christians
celebrate at Christmas, Birdi said,
Indian govt gives nod for extension
of freight corridor to Amritsar
WSN Network
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
has agreed in principle to connect
Mumbai and Amritsar through a
freight corridor that will allow
increased domestic and interna-
tional freight activities.
The decision to this effect was
conveyed to the Punjab Chief
Minister Prakash Singh Badal
when he met Manmohan Singh
last Wednesday in Delhi. Media
advisor to the Punjab Chief
Minister Harcharan Bains indi-
cated that the state expects a for-
said the interaction of language
started with Guru Nanak.
Giving brief historical facts
about Bhai Nand Lal, Balkar
Singh said he was one of the 52
poets in the court of Guru
Gobind Singh. Son of Diwan
Chajju Ram, mir munshi or chief
secretary of the Governor of
Ghazni, Bhai Lal in a short time
acquired great efficiency in
Persian and Arabic languages.
After the death of his parents, he
decided to return to Multan where
he married a Sikh girl, who used to
recite Gurbani and knew
Gurmukhi. Leaving his family
behind, he left for Anandpur Sahib
and received Guru Gobind Singh’s
blessings. After staying at there for
some time, he left to serve as mir
munshi under prince Mauzzam
(later to become Emperor Bahadur
Shah), due to an acquaintance of
his father, named Wasif Khan.
Aurangzeb wished to convert
him to Islam because he had so
beautifully interpreted the verses
world sikh news
adding the two faiths have com-
mon ground. For one thing,
Sikhism preaches that all people
are equal, a reaction against
India's rigid caste system.
"Christ taught equality. That
message is very important,
because in India, if people are of a
lower caste, they're mistreated," he
added.
About 60 children worked on the
card, which was presented to
Mayor Derek Corrigan at the party.
While some were as young as
three, seniors at the temple also
chimed in.
Pastor Randolph Bruce of All
Saints Anglican Church also made
an appearance. The party was such
a huge hit with local kids, the tem-
ple will consider doing it again
next year.
Burnaby-Edmonds MLA Raj
Chouhan said the party shows
local Sikhs'
Canadian traditions.
acceptance of
"It's a tradition that we want to
celebrate with all the other tradi-
tions," said Chouhan, the NDP's
multiculturalism critic.
"If we're so proud of Canada as a
multicultural country, we should
make sure all cultures are celebrat-
ed," he said.
mal clearance in January. He
added that the chief minister
was impressed by the prime min-
ister's initiatives to strengthen
the national trade artery given
the increased prospects of inter-
national trade through the
Attari border.
The PM had also given an assur-
ance that the Centre would consid-
er Punjab's request for setting up
of Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) and Indian
Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT) in the state.
of the Koran. Fearing persecution,
Bhai Lal and his family left for the
northern India. Leaving his family
in Multan, he once again came to
stay with Guru Gobind Singh at
Anandpur Sahib in 1697. Later, he
returned to Multan where he
opened a school of higher educa-
tion in Persian and Arabic.
Professor Singh said Bhai Lal’s
seven works in Persian poetry
included Diwan-e-Goya, Zindgi
Nama, Ganj Nama, Joti Bigaas,
Arzul Alfaaz, Tausif-o-Sana and
Khatima, and Dastural-Insha,
besides three in Punjabi.
Earlier, the conference had been
inaugurated by veteran journalist
and former Rajya Sabha MP
Kuldip Nayyar. Jathedar Joginder
Singh Vedanti highlighted the
importance of Persian in the vers-
es of Guru Gobind Singh in the
Zafarnama and the writings of
Bhai Nand Lal and expressed the
wish that the Persian scholars
would help in the analysis of
Gurbani and the Sikh religion.
world sikh news NEWS January 2-8, 2008 3

Sikh man has head surgery Here's to the outgoing year, 2007
May the good times live on in our memories,
and may we learn lessons from the troubling times

after NY attack on X’mas eve

that will make us stronger and better than ever.

WSN Network
FLUSHING, QUEENS: Three men
were viciously attacked in sepa-
rate robberies within two hours of
each other in Flushing, on
Christmas eve, which left Amarjit
Singh, a 45 year-old Sikh taxi driv-
er, with head injuries that were
later operated at the New York
Hospital Queens.
“The first attack, by at least two
men, was on a Caucasian man at
4.10 am followed by an attack on an
Asian man at 5.30am and on
Amarjit Singh at 5.40am, near the
Sikh Gurdwara in Parson Blvd,”
said Detective Vaughn of NYPD,
who is investigating a connection
between the attacks. The attacks
left the Caucasian man with head
injuries and the Asian man with
injuries to his ribs.
Amarjit Singh, 45 years, after
undergoing head surgery at New
York Hospital Queens.
“A man is in custody after one of
the victims picked him out from a
preliminary identification and a
line-up identification will take
place on 7th January,” he added.
Investigations are ongoing about a
mobile phone which was dropped
by one of the robbers during the
attack on one of the victims.
Amarjit Singh’s wife, Jasbir
Kaur, said her husband sustained a
fractured skull and a piece got
pushed down which was detected
through a cat-scan.
According to Detective Vaughn,
police are investigating the three
attacks in the area involving blunt
weapons. A black car was also
present at each of the crime
scenes.
The United Sikhs, a non profit
community organization, called
upon all Gurdwaras in the Queens
area to install security cameras to
meet concerns about these crimes.
This Christmas eve attacks fol-
lows a robbery last month on 59 yr
old Gurjit Singh, who was attacked
at his doorstep on 91st Avenue in
Richmond Hill, Queens, which was
also near a Gurdwara.
NY Committee Head on Public
Safety, Council Member, Peter F.
Vallone Jr., was contacted by
United Sikhs to draw his attention
to the concerns of the local resi-
dents.
Here's to 2008
For each and every one of you,
may it be filled with significant steps
toward the fulfillment of your fondest wishes.
In this coming new year,
let us focus on our goals and work toward our dreams,
and yet (smile)
let's all try to go with the flow a little more
and stress a little less.
And most important,
here's to all of you.
Appreciate yourselves and each other in the New Year
as I appreciate all of you now.
Let's focus on each other's good points
and choose to overlook minor annoyances
to create mutual happiness and contentment in 2008.
Enjoy the journey!!
Parminder Singh Sandhu

Indian caste murder in Chicago

US States outsource F&A Activities to Punjab WSN Network

WSN Network
CHANDIGAH: FINANCE AND
Accounts outsourcing has now
reached the Tier II and Tier III
cities of Punjab. One such town is
Mandi Gobindgarh. In its bazaar,
you find young Punjabi boys work-
ing online for the North American
clients of their company, Sunil
Khullar InfoTech Management
Services (P) Ltd. And yes, they
derive total satisfaction from the
job. It all started three years ago,
when Sunil Khullar, a Chartered
Accountant, decided to enter out-
sourcing. He got in touch with
Harmeet Singh Dhillon, a local
software specialist and Harjinder
Singh Jonjua, an overseas market-
ing specialist based in Mohali.
Today, after three years of hard
work and dedication, the results
can be seen. Already the company
is working for five States in USA; it
has been adding newer States to the
list. It is planning to enter the
Canadian, British, Australian and
NZ markets too.
Says Gurpreet Singh of the com-
pany, "I have grown up with the
company from the Executive level
to the Manager level. I am totally at
home with the overseas clients as
we work online with their staff
daily. I am from Mandi Gobindgarh
and never thought would work
with Americans without leaving
my town." Adds Sunil Khullar, "I
am proud to lead my staff, all local
Punjabi boys, tasting success in the
global market".
MARKHAM (ILLINOIS): A man faces murder charges for the deaths of
his pregnant daughter and her family, a crime authorities allege stemmed
from his anger over his son-in-law's failure to secure his permission for
the marriage. Subhash Chander, 57, was being held without bond on
three counts of first-degree murder and one count of intentional homi-
cide of an unborn child in connection with the fatal fire on Saturday in
the Chicago suburb of Oak Forest.
Chander told the police he disliked Rajesh Kumar, his 36-year-old son-
in-law, because he belonged to a lower Indian social caste, said Mr Robert
Milan, Cook County's first assistant state's attorney. He allegedly set the
fire that killed Kumar, Monika Rani, 22, and their three-year-old son,
Vansh, the authorities said. Rani was five months pregnant. Chander was
represented by a public defender at a bond hearing on Tuesday, but the
public defender's name was not immediately available.

Tiger mauls brothers,

kills another
WSN Network
SAN FRANSISCO: Two Indian-American
brothers were mauled by a tiger at the San
Francisco Zoo in an attack on Christmas day
which killed another man.
Brothers Amritpal 'Paul' Dhaliwal, 19, and
Kulbir Dhaliwal, 23, were being treated for
severe bite and claw wounds at the San
Francisco General Hospital.
Carl Sousa, Jr, 17, the third victim of the
attack, died.
The culprit in Tuesday's freak incident, a
350-pound Siberian tiger named Tatiana,
had to be shot to death by the police.
Tatiana had evidently escaped its enclo-
sure by leaping or climbing the walls, which,
a zoo expert now says, were scaleable.
Tatiana was in the news around this time
last year too, when it had attacked the zoo
keeper during public feeding.
The police said Kulbir was the rampaging
animal's first victim. As the tiger clawed and
bit him, his younger brother and Sousa
yelled to scare it off him. The big cat then
went for Sousa, slashing his neck as the
brothers ran to a zoo cafe for help.
After killing Sousa, the tiger followed the
trail of blood left by Kulbir about 300 yards
to the cafe, where it mauled both him and
Amritpal.
The three boys had gone to the zoo togeth-
er, which has remained shuttered since the
incident.
The two boys are due to be discharged
from the hospital over the weekend.
Newspaper reports say the Dhaliwal
brothers have been hostile to police inter-
viewers, at first refusing to identify them-
selves or give an account of the incident.
The reason for their reticence may have
been that they were charged in September
with misdemeanour, public intoxication and
resisting a police officer after they were
arrested a short distance from their home,
according to court documents.

5,000 Pakistanis attend

Qadian meet despite unrest
WSN Network
QADIAN: The political unrest in Pakistan
following the assassination of former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto notwithstanding,
as many as 5,000 Pakistanis made it to the
annual Ahmadiyya congregation at Qadian
in Punjab.
"The most important thing about this
year's convention is that a huge number of
devotees have come from Pakistan," said
Ahmadiyya Jamaat officials.
Manuver Ahmad Khadim, the communi-
ty's spokesperson, said the special slogan
'Love for all, hatred for none' was being
spread in the entire world.
"This slogan is very special for the annual
convention and is adding splendour to the
event," he added. The main objective of the
convention, speakers said, was to project the
pristine teachings of Islam.
Started in 1891 by the founder of the
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Hadhrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Jalsa (annual
convention) is held in this Punjab town
every year.
4 January 2-8, 2008 NEWS world sikh news

Kiran Bedi to reveal Mega farm relief package on the cards NEW DELHI: As the election time year if the farmer paid his instal- have already provided at least 20%

all in revised approaches, the Indian govern-

ment is set to announce a mega
farm loan restructuring package
covering bad and doubtful debt of
ments on time. At the end of five
years, the farmer would have
cleared all his previous dues and
also be eligible to start on a fresh
to write off a part of the debt. They
have to make another round of
provisions this year.
North Block has suggested that

biography
NEW DELHI: Promising to expose
how police reform process is "sabo-
taged" by the establishment, the
country's first woman IPS officer
Kiran Bedi is now planning to
revise her biography by
adding a new chapter
which depicts her last
days in policing.
The 58-year-old
Magsaysay awardee,
whose nearly 38-year-
long association with
police came to an end on
a bitter note last week,
will add a new chapter
to I Dare , a best-seller
written by Parmesh
Dangwal, on policing
and state of police
reforms in the country.
"Believe me, actually the police
reform policies formulated by the
at least Rs 30,000 crore. note. The proposal, however, banks be allowed to negotiate with
The proposal, which is close to requires that the government pro- farmers to seek a repayment of a
finalisation by the agriculture and vide banks with Rs 100,000 crore portion of the remaining loan. So,
finance ministries, is expected to since the move would amount to if a farmer had borrowed, say Rs
tation in the police force," Bedi be announced in the Budget; the writing off debt, if not immediate- 10,000, and the bank has already
said. details are being thrashed out. ly, then over a five-year period. But provided for a loss of 20% or
Revising the book is a step The agriculture ministry has to carry forward the process, the Rs 2,000 and is going to provide
towards achieving the goal of suggested that farm loans worth government, which is pushing a another 20% this year, then it can
police reforms in the country, she around Rs 100,000 crore — classi- fiscal prudence agenda, might settle the loan for Rs 3,000.
said, adding she would fied non-performing and overdue have to levy some sort of cess. By doing so, it hopes that not
now campaign for — be set aside for five years and Instead, the finance ministry only would banks take a smaller
police reforms. defaulting farmers, who are in has suggested that the government hit, but the immediate problem of
"I sacrificed my job debt with no fresh assistance forth- take up cases which have been finding money would also be dealt
for the best and police coming, be given more credit. termed non-performing assets, with. Once the outstanding is
reform is my mission Over the next five years, 20% of estimated to be worth Rs 30,000 cleared, farmers can get fresh cred-
now," she said. the loan would be written off every crore. On this amount, the banks it on their Kisan Cards.
Bedi's biography
describes her early
career years, the role
she played in Delhi,
Goa and Northeast and
work done by her for
the betterment of pris-
BJP forms govt in Himachal,
jail.
ons and prisoners,
especially in Tihar

She was sulking since she was

Home Ministry are a part to sabo-
tage it completely," an irate Bedi,
whose voluntary retirement plea
was accepted last week, claims.
She claims that it was only dur-
ing her stint as the Director
General of Bureau of Police
Research and Development
(BPR&D), her last posting, that she
understood the functioning and
policy making of the Ministry of
Home Affairs.
"My biography will have another
chapter soon. It would be an eye-
witness account of the policy mak-
ing process and its poor implemen-
superseded by Y S Dadwal for the
post of Delhi Police Commissioner
in July this year and had applied
for VRS on November 15.
Bedi, who made a mark as the
country's first IPS officer was also
critical about the role of women in
police force.
"Women are still an unknown
entity in the force. They remain
anonymous," she said.
Bedi had alleged in July, when
she was overlooked for the post of
Delhi Police Commissioner, that
the government was biased
towards women in police.
will review Congress decisions
SHIMLA: Prem Kumar Dhumal,
the new chief minister of
Himachal Pradesh after the BJP
won the assembly elections in the
north Indian state, has announced
that all the decisions taken by the
previous Congress government in
the state during the last six months
would be reviewed, including set-
ting up of the Himalayan Ski
Village in Manali.
He said there had been com-
plaints from the public over the
past some months, and also reports
in the media that certain decisions
could prove detrimental to the
interest of the state.
He added that decisions where
the departments had given no
objection certificates in a hurry or
where benefits were given to indi-
viduals at the cost of the state,
would also be reviewed. Dhumal,
however, claimed that the exercise
would neither involve witchhunt-
ing nor any vindictive feelings.
About the Himalayan Ski Village
project, he said there had been no
transparency and giving it a go-
ahead without taking into account
security and ecological issues was
not understandable.
The CM said the defence and the
environment ministries were yet
to give its permission to the proj-
ect. Asked whether other issues
would also be taken up for scrutiny,
he said, ‘‘Complaints made to the
government supported by docu-
ments that could stand scrutiny in
the court of law would be looked
into in detail, but anonymous com-
plaints and letters accusing people
without any evidence would be dis-
couraged.’’
The chief minister said his gov-
ernment would live up the credo of
zero tolerance for corruption, and
in all sectors where there would be
complaints of corruption severe
action would be taken.

NecLife plans 220-cr

expansion in Punjab
AMRITSAR: Chandigarh-based
Nectar Lifesciences Ltd (NecLife),
an integrated pharmaceutical
organisation offering comprehen-
sive range of cephalosporin active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
and finished dosage forms (FDFs),
has plans to expand its capacity at
the Derabassi facility with an
investment of Rs 220 crore.
Further, it has plans to foray into
the US and Europe market by the
next year. The company has man-
ufacturing facility at Derabassi
(Punjab) for producing oral and
sterile active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs) and formula-
tions, spread over 60 acres of land.
Also, it has one more unit in
Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) to man-
ufacture formulations, spread over
10 acres. The company plans to
increase the production capacity
by 200 tonnes per year at its
Derabassi facility. After the expan-
sion, the total capacity would
reach 650 tonnes per year. —WSN
Freezing cold grips Goa SEZs scrapped,
Punjab, Haryana move hailed
WSN Network
CHANDIGARH: Freezing cold
gripped Punjab and Haryana on
New Year day and the weather gen-
erally is getting harsh in Punjab as
calenders changed and minimum
temperatures dropping to the sea-
son's lowest at some places.
Chandigarh witnessed the sea-
son's coldest night as minimum
temperatures dropped to 1.4
degrees Celsius, five degrees below
normal, the Meteorological
Department said. However, biting
cold had little effect on revellers,
who came out in great numbers
and thronged the main commer-
cial centres in the city to usher in
the New Year.
Though mercury rose by over a
degree since Monday at Amritsar,
the minimum still settled at bone
chilling minus 0.8 degrees Celsius,
five below normal. Icy cold winds
restricted the minimum at Patiala
to 1 degree Celsius, six below nor-
mal, making it the coldest night so
far. Ludhiana also had no respite
from cold wave, with minimum set-
tling at 2.7 degrees Celsius, down
three degrees.
In Haryana, Narnaul shivered at
1 degree Celsius, four below nor-
mal. Ambala registered a low of 1.2
C, down six while Karnal, too,
faced extreme cold at 1.2 C, also
down six degrees. Rohtak regis-
tered a low of 2.9 C, down three
while Hisar had a low of 4.9 C.
Most of the towns in Haryana on
Tuesday witnessed their coldest
night. Shimla was warmer than
most places in the plains, with
minimum there settling at 3.5
degrees Celsius.
PANAJI: The Save Goa Front
(SGF), an ally in the state govern-
ment, has said the scrapping
of the special economic zones
(SEZs) in the state marks the
fulfillment of a key pre-poll
promise given by the regional
party.
"It was we (SGF), who had
raised the issue initially.
Scrapping SEZs was the part of
our manifesto for Assembly elec-
tions. We have fulfilled our prom-
ise," SGF President Churchill
Alemao, who is also Public Works
Department (PWD) Minister,
said.
Alemao, a member of the
Cabinet Committee on
Infrastructure which decided to
scrap the proposed SEZs, said he
had opposed these trade zones
much before other political par-
ties and NGOs raised their voices
against them.
Goa Chief Minister Digamber
Kamat had on Monday
announced scrapping of 12 pro-
posed SEZs and referred three of
them for denotification to the
Centre.
The government's decision,
which follows massive protest by
political parties and NGOs,
leaves the coastal state with no
SEZs.
Alemao hailed the decision on
SEZs and said his newly- floated
party will now take up issues
like its opposition to internation-
al airport at Mopa and shifting
of naval base from Goa, which
too were part of the SGF mani-
festo.

world sikh news For Advertising Punjab polls

and India’s
Federal
Govt 10
January 17-23,

Akalis in top
gear as Cong
high comma
2006
More bones
found from
Pandher’s
house 7
www.worldsikhnews.c
om
A love story
with the
Partition in
background
Vol 2 Issue
23
41, Phone (408)
254-4070,Fax
(408) 519-6610

Call
nd
sits on brakes
WSN Network
threatened to
CHANDIGA contest independen
RH: As Akali denied a ticket.
machinery campaign His revolt would tly if
got into top not only affected have
Prakash Singh gear, the party’s prospects
Badal went around and in Faridkot
but also in
jab cajoling,
mollifying, sooting, Pun- a couple of

Resident Editor
neighbourin

Editor
ing, goading the g seats. Finally
enraged, the angrycoax- lotted the ticket , he was al-
the left-out ticket and but not before
aspirants, Congress- unconditional seeking
men looked askance apology for his
towards the high ty utterances. anti-par-
command, as In Bathinda,
always, for the Lal Garg, who Chiranji
of candidates. elusive list had raised the
By of revolt agreed banner
most candidates' Thursday evening, inee Sarup Singla to support SAD
names will be nom-
But one thing known. Sangrur, Ranjit uncondition
is clear: PM Manmo- ally. In
han Singh has Singh Baliyan
shrunk away won over by convincing has been
ing the bait from pick- him that it was

1-866-902-1300
for Amritsar only opposition
seat, where Lok Sabha from Sukhdev The spirit of
state Fi- Dhindsa that Singh Yuletide met
has come in
BATTLE FOR
nance the way of the great tradition
Minister of langar at
Surinder Singla fielding him.

Sarna walks awa

is However, the Salvation
the front runner. now

Ajmer Singh
in Muktsar Army. Report
the party on page 17
PUNJAB
the Akali candidates Even has failed to

y
SP Singh
win over
with tickets Harnirpal
in Singh
pockets eagerly their Kukku who had

with DSGMC aga

looked forward lost to
Congress list
to know
Though embroiled their rivals.
to the Marar in 2002,
Sukhdarshan
who
pendent candidate was then an inde-
Singh world sikh news
in court hear-

in
ings (see separate ed in the Akali and had finally land- Amritsar Times
Badal was busy story on page fold after a stint is World Sikh
tackling the tide 6), the Congress. with News now! Defering
volt that threatened of re- Since Kuku to strong
to rock Shiromani mined to contest, is deter- and consistent
Akali Dal (SAD)
boat ning the party is busy
win- WSN Bureau advice from
of tickets though after allotment over his supporters the ever-widen
left the Delhi in
ng
it has been decidedreadership,
the early announce- gives up even so that he
ment of candidates before filing NEW DELHI: battle to SGPC
tion papers. of nomina- Just a month Avtar chief
party leaders ensured that
the Punjab Assembly before extent, Singh Makkar and to to World Sikh to switch
had enough time In Payal, Jagjeevanpa Akali elections, Delhi Sukhdev Singh some News,
the rebels. n
the to woo Captain Kanwaljit l, a protege of polity has delivered The biggest Dhindsa. which underlines a name
campaign could other hand, a long ciled and would Singh, has recon- Prakash Singh Badal-led a jolt to gainer,
the SAD (Panthak) however, was our
cause of dearth not be sustained be- with Akali continuiing commitme
nominee Maheshlend support to party AkaliParamjit Singh Sarna's Dal Singh led by Manjit nt to
of resources. Delhi contestGK. His party in its maiden

Staff Intern: Ambri Pukhraj

Badal made Inder Singh Grewal. Dal winning the community
The revolt in and
relationship with its
promises of Nakodar and seats, leaving 27 of the 46 won six seats
posts in the lucrative has also tapered Nawanshahr Badal with support denting
new only 12, several base of the SAD (Badal).the
ever was willinggovernment to who- ble spots are Dhuri, out. Remaining two less than
the figure the world which
the rest of
to listen. Besides, trou- up in places, the In
Sukhbir Badal Lehra, Pucca the last elections. it notched seat by a meager party lost the is
bers also undertook
and other family Valtoha and
Tarn Kalan, The margin,
undergoing a paradigm shift.
the damage
mem- would ultimately Taran, where SAD Manjit breakaway Akali sending the
message that clearly The change of
trol exercise, face Singh (Greater Dal of
albeit with partial con- Reports suggest rebel candidates. six Kailash) won be watched out he has to name reflects
cess. However, that political seats while one in the coming our commitme
where the rebels suc- mation of the
late Beant Singh's deci- by an Independen seat was bagged Badal can derive days. nt to watch the
not budged from have ly could be on tion from the some consola- interests of the
fami- Singh
attempts to wean their stand, there are al Kaur may
the cards as
Gurkanw- Matharoo.
t Harbhajan
Takht jathedar
fact that former
Akal follow the path
community,
porters and weaken away their main miss likely to be quoted The results are ly Ranjit shown
sup- har cantonment the bus from Jaland- as by the Congress fought alongside Singh virtual- great gurus, project by the
The main threatthem. brother Tej Prakash seat, leaving
only her anti-Badal
well as the
rival Akalis Sarnas, but him against
the a strong
Faridkot where to SAD was as an that the sad news value system
the sitting party in for a ticket. Gurkeeratwith the last hope verdict Gurcharan for him and underline
The Akali Dal by the Sikhs. Singh, brother is

San Jose office 517 214 8820

islator Kushaldeep leg- son of the assassinate Singh, the grand- (Badal) tried Bhai Ranjit of the belief thhat the 'Sarbat
Singh Dhillon downplay the to the losers Singh, lost. Also among Da
had even being considered d CM was not only verdict in Delhi Bhala' motto

KHALSA
for the ticket. 40 per cent where was
Chandok former Prahlad Singh
will take
turned out of the electorate president DGMC the community
for voting. Akalis and Badal supported on
had candidate uncharted but
Continued on glorious paths.
page 16

Insurance
Toll Free 1-8
-5409 Ph: 00-954

General Manager: Satnam Singh 510-706-1300

Agency 408.272.26
IMMIGRATION 3750 MCKE 00 • FAX
SERVICES E RD #A • SAN (408) 272-2670
VIRSA WEAR HELP YOUR BUSINESS

Corporate Office
FREE CONSULTA
Refugee Stay, Adoption, TION FOR JOSE, CA 95127
Deportation, Marriage,
H1, L1, Labor Certification
GROW!
Immigration related
or any other
service.
STUDENT VISA BUSINESS
AND
REAL ESTATE RESIDENTIAL
JASPREET SINGH Do you want to
help your friend #
1 IN LISTING
SPECIALIST
ATTORNEY relative in their or & SELLING LIQUOR
- AT-LAW (NY studies? STORES IN N.
them to America/Cana You can bring CALIFORNIA
YOUR
& CA)
da on Student BUSINESS/COMMER
Visa. With your Liquor Store, CIAL
help they can go Convenience
school/college of to the Station, Investment Store, Gas

AD
their choice, stay Property, Commercial
you and can even with Sites for Gas
Station/Motel/
work. SBA Loans Apartments,
APPLY AND
HERE
Amritsar Publications and Media group
QUALIFY RESIDENTIAL

* All disputes must be handled in Santa Clara Superior Court.

FOR US SCHOO Single Family
LING Home,
Town Home, Condo,
Conventional
Loans
Sacramento Offi
65 Quinta Court, ce Fremont Office Top Producer
Suite E For more info: Remax Tri-Valley
Sacramento, CA
95823
39172-B State Street
ORDER ONLIN 415-845-0801 for 2005
916-681-1188
Fremont, CA 94538
E!
510-790-6444
www.VIRSAW Advertise 510-585-9893
HARRY SIDH
3750 McKee Road, Suite-F, San Jose, CA 95127 USA EAR.com with
510-366-6 U
Visit our website:
510-706-13 us MyAmerican
Visa.com
00
130
30545 UNION CITY
BLVD., UNION CITY,
For current active Listings
Visit: www.bizplu
CA 94587
ss.com

Phone (408) 254-4070
Toll Free (866)902-1300
Fax: (408) 519-6610 The opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the staff or

e-mail: worldsikhnews@gmail.com employees of World Sikh News.

world sikh news NEWS January 2-8, 2008 5

Badal govt set to roll The Sikh Information Centre Presents:

out red carpet for non-

resident Punjabis
WSN Network

CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal-BJP govern-

hammer out a concrete policy for their wel-
fare. Besides, the government would try to
convince the guests that the state offers a hos-
Ajmer Singh
“Whi h“Whither
W SWent iSovereignty”
ment has set “we care for you” motto as one of pitable investor-friendly environment.
the major messages to be sent across to the
Punjabi diaspora during the two-day jamboree
Ramesh Inder Singh said: “One of the major
objectives of this sammelan is to send a clear Author:
from January 5 here. message to all the Punjabi NRIs that we care
Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, who for them.” The author of “Kis Bidh Ruli Patshahi” January 12, 2008
is also Principal Secretary NRI Affairs, held a The Punjabi diaspora has an important role (Whither Went Sovereignty) will dis-
meeting of the Steering Committee compris- to play in helping Punjab move on the path of Lecture: 2:30 - 3:30pm
ing senior officers of various departments to development, Ramesh Inder Singh said. “We cuss his book, which makes sense of
review arrangements and programmes of the will devote a full session to know about their the Sikhi movement for past, present, Q&A: 3:30 - 5pm
International Punjabi NRI Sammelan. problems back home and how they want the and future generations. This event is a
Well-known Punjabi NRI and former state government to tackle them. The focus West Sacramento Gurdwara
British Columbia Premier Ujjal Dosanjh, would also be on how they want to contribute must for all Sikh men and women
European Parliament member Neena Gill for the development of the state,” he added. who value their religion and culture.
In the new conference hall
from Belgium, New York-based businessman Ramesh Inder Singh said Punjabi NRIs have Start the New Year on the right foot 2301 Evergreen Avenue
and friend of former US president Bill Clinton been facing numerous problems pertaining to
Sant Singh Chatwal, Lord Daljit Singh Rana their properties and the state government will by attending this event to discover (or West Sacramento, CA 95691
(UK) and Dr Ruby Dhalla, MP (Canada), would seek their views to overcome them. “We also rediscover) your roots.
be the star attractions of the conclave. want to share with them, among other things,
The first-day will have three sessions. On as to what can be done to overcome their vari-
January 6, a function would be held at ous problems here,” he added.
Jalandhar. SAD working president Sukhbir The Commissioner NRI Affairs, A.S. SGPC chief announces Matrimonial
Singh Badal will be the key speaker in the first Chhatwal, said over 160 Punjabi NRIs had con-
session, focussing on the vision of Punjab. firmed their participation and that near 200 Rs 1-lakh aid to Kalsis Jat Sikh parents seek suitable match
Different departments will also give power were expected to attend the function. “This is for their US born handsome, athletic,
point presentation in this session followed by an exercise to unite the Punjabi diaspora,” he Patiala: The SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar has engineer son, 24 years, 6 ft. 1 in.
a documentary film on Punjab emerging as a said. announced Rs 1 lakh for the Patiala-based family that lost working for a large corporation.
preferred destination for investment. In the “The idea is to create a good will and make two of their sons in a suspected hate crime in California Seeking a US born/raised 21-23
second session, on legal perspective for NRIs, them feel that we actually care for them and last week. Brothers Paramjit Singh Kalsi and Ravinder Singh years Jat Sikh girl with a
Advocate General H.S. Mattewal will be the they can contribute to help Punjab grow,” he Kalsi were killed by unidentified gunmen at their restaurant professional degree. Please contact
main speaker, while the last session will focus said. in Richmond on Thursday. Makkar visited their family at at sikh5family@gmail.com.
on the role of the NRIs in the development of The indication of the state government their ancestral house in Model Town here.
Punjab. The Secretary Employment looking forward to tap the potential of the
Generation, N.S. Kalsi, will make the power Punjabi NRIs in development of the state had
point presentation in this session. become evident when the SAD-BJP govern-
The state government has chalked out a ment had set up a separate ministry for NRI
strategy to use this occasion as an ideal plat- Affairs and Badal keeping this portfolio with
form to redress the grievances of NRIs and himself.

Bramptonians go big with protests

against hospital they funded
WSN Network reports said.
The organisers, who claim to have collected
BRAMPTON: The new year was heralded in thousands of signatures, said they would for-
Brampton with the Indo-Canadian residents ward the mass petition to the government to
of this virtually Punjabi city near address the problems of 'the sick NEWS

Toronto rang in the New Year by Sikhs fund Canada hospital'.

collecting signatures against the hospital, now The angry residents, who have
hospital that was funded by local pushed to fight it raised millions of dollars for the
Peel Region’s Sikh community played a key role in establishing
Sikhs in Brampton
According to 2001 Statistics Canada information, the Sikh religion is the
third largest in Brampton behind Catholic and Protestant. Under the public
private partnership (P3) funding formula being used to build the new hospital,
the community had to raise 30 per cent of the building's total cost of $536

community which is now agitating construction of the hospital, had

million.
Brampton's gleaming new hospital. It has played an equally William Osler Health Centre (WOHC) paid a tribute to the Canadian Sikh
community by naming the new hospital's emergency department as Guru
major role in the troubled institution's first major crisis Nanak Emergency Services Department.

BRAMPTON: The opening of front-page news in Parvasi Weekly, hospital would have fewer beds th

and is agitated against the way it is taken out one of the biggest ral-
Brampton Civic Hospital was sup- which has a circulation of 20,000 in originally thought and that the
posed to be an occasion for celebra- the GTA, Vancouver and India. Peel Memorial Hospital would
tion, especially among the city's Local Punjabi radio shows picked closed once the new hosp
burgeoning Sikh community. it up, and Saini talked about it on opened.
They had been actively courted his own radio show, which runs on "Until then, I don't believe t
by the hospital foundation, and CJMR 1320 AM. The Times of India anybody in the community kn
responded with tremendous enthu- picked up the story, says Saini. He that if we are getting this new h
siasm, raising $2.8-million with a was invited to talk about it on televi- pital, they are snatching away P

being run. Negligence is also lies in Brampton on Dec 9 to

Punjabi radiothon and an incredi-
ble $200,000 during a 48-hour Sikh
prayer ceremony in July.
The new $790-million facility,
built in a field in northeast
Brampton, was meant to take pres-
sure off the aging Peel Memorial
Hospital downtown, with its water
sion. Memorial hospital, too," says Sa
"It was big news," says Saini. "That's how it started simmer
"Everybody talked about this story. around, you know. People star
There was big outrage in our com- complaining that, `Why are th
munity." closing down Peel Memorial?'"
"It's a very small kind of commu-
nity newspaper, but still I am trying The community
to run it very professionally," says Brampton is home to a large a

blamed for two recent deaths and a protest against shortage of

leaks and occasional blackouts, and
offer the community an improved
level of health care.
Instead, the new hospital, which
opened two months ago, has become
a public relations nightmare for
staff and administrators, with
unproven allegations of misman-
Saini, who operates out of a small
office opposite a strip mall in
Mississauga.
"We have nothing against the hos-
pital staff or management. We are
trying to raise the voice. The voice
of the people."
why the same people who told him
they understand his position took to
the streets in protest.
"A lot of community leaders had
to decide whether to support the
hospital or the community," says
Mohammad. "The community is
large, it's what's around you all the
did not come to the hospital, not
even after Narwal began having
seizures, according to Nijjar. Finally
the nurses brought a doctor down
from the intensive care unit. He
read the file and told the family that
nothing could be done.
Narwal, 42, with a 2-year-old son
politically important South As
population.
South Asians make up 83,245
the 206,185 immigrants in the c
which now has a total population
400,000.
The overall population of the s
urb northwest of Toronto h

wrong operation on an elderly beds, doctors and long waiting

agement and substandard health The doctor time. If you're someone who has to in India, died that night. grown by 60 per cent in 10 years
care sparking street protests among By the time stories of what was depend on the community for busi- Nijjar said he tried to get help for 400,000, resulting in gridlo
the very community that worked to happening in the emergency depart- ness...it's difficult." his cousin – he called someone he crowded schools and, critics

woman in this hospital serving the The WSN story in Dec periods at the hospital.
city which has 20 percent popula- 26, 2007-Jan 1, 2008 Since it is one of the first pri-
tion of Punjabi origin and two edition on the Brampton vately (under private-public
Indo-Canadian MPs in the nation's hospital. partnership or P3) built hospi-
parliament. tals in Canada that has a public
The signature drive was organized by health system, it has also angered individu-
Bramptonians for Better Health at city tem- als and organizations opposed to privatisa-
ples and mosques as people thronged the reli- tion of health care. One of the community
gious places to ring in the new year. The mass leaders said its "demands are straight-for-
petition also demanded the reopening of the ward: if you have taken money from us, give
local Peel Memorial Hospital whose closure us what we want. It means more doctors,
due to renovation led to the opening of the new more nurses, more equipment and more gov-
hospital where these deaths occurred, media ernment funds for the hospital."

Land to tiller soon in border areas: Badal

WSN Network ized by the All-India Christian Dalit Front
president and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
DERA BABA NANAK: Dera Baba Nanak leader Monawar Masih here on Christmas,
and Fatehgarh Churian towns of the he said the villages of Shahpur Goraya and
Fatehgarh Churian Assembly segment Dharam Kot Randhawa would each receive
would be developed and beautified. and the a 66-KV power station. Badal also laid the
custodian lands along the border in the dis- foundation stone of the Rs 25 lakh road
trict would be sold at nominal rates to linking Dera Baba Nanak, Darbar Sahib
tillers, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal has and village Khasanwali. Badal said his gov-
said. ernment would hire 15,000 teachers for
Addressing a state-level function organ- institutions in the state.
6 January 2-8, 2008
Punjab police arrest
four for ‘plotting to
revive terror’
WSN Network
LUDHIANA: The Punjab police on
Sunday claimed to have solved the
Shingaar cinema blast case with
the arrest of four men they said
were "suspected activists of the
Babbar Khalsa International".
Announcing the arrest of
Gurpreet aka Khalsa, Palwinder
Singh, Sandeep Singh aka Harry
and Ravinder aka Rinku, the state
DGP N S Aulakh claimed that the
motive behind the October 14 blast
was to "revive terrorism in the
state".
Aulakh claimed that "prominent
religious leaders like Dera Sacha
Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim"
were on their hitlist. The police
claimed to have recovered 5.10 kg
of RDX, three detonators and two
pistols from the arrested men.
The DGP claimed that the police
were still looking for another BKI
activist, Harminder Singh, who he
said was also involved in the blast.
The police said the group had come
together in 2005 and 2006.
‘‘Gurpreet along with Harminder
Singh went to Pakistan with a Sikh
Jatha where they got training for
making bombs. Once they came
back, the duo started training
other youths,’’ claimed Ludhiana
SSP R K Jaiswal.
He said Gurpreet also made a
Chak de phatte!
Queen honours
Bhangra singer
Malkit Singh
WSN Network
LONDON: What will it be? Chak
De Phatte or Balle Balle? That is a
million tune question now for
B h a n g r a
singer Malkit
Singh who
will be greet-
ing the
British queen
with one of
his boisterous
songs when he
meets her to
receive his
Member of the British Empire
(MBE) medal.
Both the songs are examples of
exuberance of the language.
Malkit Singh is the first Punjabi
singer to figure in the prestigious
Queen’s Honours List, published
twice every year to honour people
with a record of distinguished and
long-standing service to the nation
or the community.
Born in Husseinpur village of
Jalandhar district, he came to
Britain in 1984 from Punjab and
cut his first album two years later
- it became a trailblazer as
bhangra grew in popularity in
dance halls and nightclubs all over
Britain. Malkit Singh was among a
Police theory
explodes
The RDX related arrests amid
controversial circumstances have
cast a dark cloud over the police
claims and the intentions of the
authorities. Read editorial "Reflect
Upon The Image Reflected" on page
10 on the subject. — Ed
trip to Malaysia after returning
from Pakistan, but came back soon
and started living near Mohali,
where Sandeep and Bhagwan
Singh Sandhu, who are now in in
police custody, arranged a hideout
for him.
On the day of the blast, accord-
ing to police claims, Gurpreet,
Sandeep, Harminder and Rinku
arrived at the cinema in an
autorickshaw "driven by Rinku".
Continuing their utterly implau-
sible claims, the police officers
said, "While Sandeep and Gurpreet
kept sitting in the autorickshaw,
Rinku and Harminder went in and
bought tickets for the film. Rinku
went inside the hall and planted
the bomb. He kept sitting in the
hall till the interval, but as soon as
the interval got over, he connected
the wires of the bomb and moved
out immediately."
large group of Asians figuring in
this year’s New Year’s Honours
List. Others receiving similar hon-
ours include Mushtaq Ahmad for
services to local government in
Lanarkshire, Sri Lankan-born BBC
broadcaster George Alagiah,
Rajvinder Singh Kandola for serv-
ices to disadvantaged people and to
diversity, Witharandeniye Kassapa
for services to the International
Buddhist Relief Organisation,
Chennakesavalu Rajagopal of the
Ministry of Defence, Mohammed
Shahid Raza for services to the
Muslim community in Leicester,
and Kasturi Arachchi Ariya
Saman Warna Kulasuriya for serv-
ices to medicine.
Malkit Singh is most famous for
the songs “Gur Nalo Ishq Mita”,
“Tootak Tootak Tootiyan”, “Kurri
Garam Jayee”, as well as recently,
“Chal Hun”. Whilst “Jind Mahi”
features in the blockbuster Bend It
Like Beckham soundtrack. He
cites The Stone Roses and the 80’s
Manchester music scene as one of
his early influences.
He has recently released “21st
chapter” featuring the hugely pop-
ular and classic “Jago Aaya”.
Singh and his backup band Golden
Star have toured in twenty-seven
countries.
NEWS
Orissa reels under church
violence aftershocks
BHUBANESWAR: The riot-hit
Kandhamal is limping back to nor-
mal. Six days after anti-Christian
violence flared up in the tribal-
dominated district of Orissa, the
police managed to reach the interi-
or pockets by clearing all the major
roads on Saturday. In
Bhubaneswar, chief
tion is under
minister
Naveen Patnaik said, "The situa-
control in
Kandhamal. More forces are on
their way to the district."
Senior bureaucrat Suresh
Mohapatra, who is camping in
Kandhamal said, "Though no major
incident was reported, curfew would
remain in Phulbani, Baliguda,
Daringbadi and Brahmanigaon dur-
ing the night as a preventive meas-
ure. All major roads are now open to
vehicular traffic." As a "preventive
measure" the state government did
not allow a seven-party opposition
delegation to visit the trouble-torn
district. "The Boudh collector and
SP stopped us on the way and said it
would not be possible for them to
allow us to proceed. The chief minis-
ter is saying the situation is normal,
but by preventing our visit it has
been proved that things are not nor-
mal," CPM leader Janardhan Pati
said.
The death toll since radical
Hindus began attacking
Christians on December 24 in the
district went up to three with the
recovery of a decomposed body at
Barakhamba area.
Pak elections in Feb now
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan par-
liamentary elections scheduled for
January 8 will be held in February,
a senior election commission offi-
cial said on Tuesday.
"Elections will not be delayed
beyond February. We expect it to be
towards the later part of the next
month," the official said. The com-
mission was to make a public
announcement later in the day.
"We want the delay to be mini-
mal. But the election commission
needs a realistic amount of time to
get things back on track," he said,
referring to the turmoil that has
gripped the country after Benazir
Bhutto's assassination.
The election commission held an
emergency meeting on Monday to
discuss the situation in the wake of
the bloody violence unleashed by
Bhutto's slaying that has left at
least 58 people dead.
The parliament vote is seen as a
final step in a transition to civil-
ian-led democracy under
President Pervez Musharraf, who
grabbed power following a mili-
tary coup in 1999.
Musharraf stepped down from
the army at the end of November -
under intense international pres-
sure - after securing a second term
as president.
The United States, which views
Musharraf as a frontline ally in
the fight against Al-Qaida and
Taliban extremists, said earlier, it
would still prefer a vote on
January 8 if it could be held "in a
safe and secure way."
US State Department
spokesman Tom Casey said a delay
may be acceptable as long as there
was broad approval, but warned
Washington would have "con-
cerns" if there was an indefinite
postponement.
PM tells Staines widow
India will act to stop
communal riots
WSN Network
NEW DELHI: In a somewhat belat-
ed assurance, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh has said India
will take necessary measures to
protect the religious freedom of all
communities. The assurance was in
a letter he has written to Ms Gladys
Staines, the widow of Graham
Staines, the Australian missionary
who was burnt to death along with
his two sons in Orissa in 1999.
Ms Staines, who returned to
Australia a few years ago, had writ-
ten to the Prime Minister express-
ing anguish at the recent attacks on
Christians and Church buildings
and institutions in Orissa. In his
letter, the Prime Minister has said:
"We are taking all steps to ensure
the restoration of normalcy and to
bring about harmony and peace in
the affected areas."
Also stating that he has spoken to
the Orissa chief minister regarding
the violence, Dr Singh said: "I
assure you that the government of
India will take all necessary steps
Bhutto, a two-time former pre-
mier who had recently returned
from exile to lead her Pakistan
People's Party into the elections,
was assassinated in a gun and sui-
cide bomb attack as she left a rally
last Thursday.
It sparked street clashes, arson
and violence across the country as
angry protesters denounced the
government, although life in the
major cities has largely returned to
normal.
Opposition parties, including
Bhutto's, have sharply criticised
Musharraf over her death and
gone back and forth on whether
they would accept a delay to the
election.
Bhutto's husband Asif Ali
Zardari, who was named as co-
chair of the party along with his
son, said Monday the vote should
go ahead as planned. “Democracy
was the best vengeance against ter-
rorism”, added Zardari.
"There can be elections in
world sikh news
to safeguard the fundamental
rights and liberties of all sections
of our society and protect their reli-
gious freedoms as enshrined in the
Constitution."
The Prime Minister’s letter to Ms
Staines was released to the media
by the government on Monday, also
the day when a statement came
from Mr John Dayal, a member of
the National Integration Council
and secretary-general of the All-
India Christian Council. Mr Dayal
said the team had driven to
Phulbani on December 29 and en
route was able to assess the damage
caused to the Carmelite Convent
and the Carmel English School.
Nuns the group interviewed told
them of attempts that were made to
set the convent on fire while they
locked themselves inside a room.
As for the group’s meeting with
Mr Kapoor, Mr Dayal said, "He
would not allow me to proceed, or
even to remain in Phulbani. He
said it would not be safe for me, or
for the persons with whom I
would stay.”
Afghanistan when there is an Al-
Qaida movement. Why can't there
be elections in Pakistan and on
time?" he said.
Opposition parties allege the
commission is biased in favour of
Musharraf, whose popularity has
plummeted in the past year.
Previous elections have been
marred by bloodshed and allega-
tions of widespread vote-rigging.
Public anger at the death of
Bhutto, a pro-Western politician
whose family dynasty has a huge
popular following, has mounted
since the interior ministry denied
that her attacker - clearly seen in
videos firing a gun at close range -
had actually hit her.
Earlier, government said that she
died banging her head on her car's
sunroof. Bhutto's party, which has
named her 19-year-old son Bilawal
to take over as its titular chairman,
has demanded a UN probe - some-
thing a senior government official
said was out of the question.
world sikh news
Could Benazir defy the adverse
rules governing martyrdom?
Jawed Naqvi
B
enazir Bhutto courted
death with amazing grace
and courage.
Unfortunately in most
parts of the planet, including our
corner, political martyrdom seems
to have a very brief shelf life. The
rules for religious martyrs are
quite different and many a sect of
faithfuls thrive by their leaders'
memory. Not so the political vic-
tims of assassination. Rajiv
Gandhi's example comes to mind
as a beneficiary and victim of the
callous world of politics. He came
to power with a three-fourth major-
ity in parliament. Had Indira
Gandhi not been killed on Oct 31,
1984, as retaliation for the military
assault under her orders on
Sikhism's holiest shrine, she
would have almost certainly run
into heavy weather at the hustings
a few months later.
Anyone with a three-fourth
majority in India's parliament
should be considered invincible for
the next five years. Rajiv Gandhi
looked anything but secure. We
won't go into the reasons for his
surprising fall from unprecedent-
ed popularity. These factors could
range from corporate subterfuge
(after an early speech in which he
naively threatened to discard poli-
tics of moneybags) to corruption
charges which were years later
thrown out by law courts to intra-
party intrigue. Settle for the fact
that he not only lost popularity
during his tenure but failed to win
a simple majority in the subse-
quent general elections in 1989.
Indira's death also worked its effect
but only too briefly.
Rajiv Gandhi was himself killed
by a suicide bomber, in a more or
less similar fashion as Benazir
Mann contests
Babbar Khalsa role
in cinema blast
PATIALA: Criticising the Punjab
government and the Punjab Police
for allegedly picking up and detain-
ing Beant Singh’s killer Jagtar
Singh Hawara’s aide Baljit Singh
Bhaau, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)
chi ef Simranjit Singh Maan today
said the incident proved there was
no difference between the govern-
ment and extremists. “If a state is
resorting to such unsavoury acts,
then what was the difference
between a state and an extremist
organisation? If a state is violating
rule of the law, how it could prevent
others from doing so?” said Mann.
He also criticised linking of the
Babar Khalsa outfit with the
Shingaar cinema blast. “Actually,
this was the idea of the National
Security Adviser, but there was no
logic behind this linking. Why
would the Babbar Khalsa people
kill Muslims on Id day? The cooked
up story is full of contradictions.
On the one hand, the central gov-
ernment has been saying the
Babbar Khalsa people had been
getting training in Pakistan and on
the other, it was saying the
Babbars were behind the blast. If
Babbars were behind the crime,
why would Pakistan extend any
help to them ever?”
Bhutto, during an election rally.
When he died on the night of May
21, 1991, nearly half the states of
India had already cast their vote in
the general elections that were
under way. His assassination did
help improve the tally of the
Congress party's seats in the Lok
Sabha following a surge of sympa-
thy but only marginally. It was by
no means an electoral tsunami of
the kind that was triggered by his
mother's death. In fact, Rajiv's suc-
cessor Narasimha Rao landed well
short of a majority in that election
and had to cheat the parliament
and bribe a bunch of freelance
MPs in order to shore up a wafer-
thin majority in a crucial trust
vote. The MPs were later found
guilty by a court and convicted, but
not Rao. In any case the Congress
couldn't get a simple majority
despite Rajiv Gandhi's death in an
election rally. Of course, the
Congress party still leans on the
slogan "Ma bete ka ye balidaan,
yaad karega Hindustan". (India
will always remain indebted to the
sacrifice of the mother and the
son.) But this mostly cuts no ice
with the electorate. The Congress
tally in the Lok Sabha since Rajiv
Gandhis' death has hovered per-
ilously close to a lowly 140 plus. It
is another matter that the state
remembers both on their respec-
tive anniversaries and both are
still revered by their Congress
party supporters.
Another big time "political mar-
tyr" was Mahatma Gandhi. Today
he has been reduced to a caricature
of himself. His pictures appear on
India's currency notes. But ask any
political party to go to the elec-
torate on a message of non-vio-
lence, which should ideally include
nuclear disarmament, or
Gandhian economics, a kind of
Daughter of East who befriended
West goes down
fight from exile, challenging
rulers, reorganising and running a
party by remote. For the Diaspora,
it will be interesting to know that
she started her political activities
from London in 1984 during her
exile, and before returning to
Pakistan in 1986, spent most of her
time in London and Dubai.
Rehman Malik's house in London
remained the de facto PPP head-
quarters during these periods.
US House of Representatives
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already
called for an international investi-
gation into the assassination
before releasing any more aid to
Pakistan.
Pakistan is now under extreme
internal and external pressures to
reinvent the national polity, for the
old directions are dead, heaped up
like fossils of an age gone by on the
dung-heap of what passes for histo-
ry.
The military adventurism and
the fires of religious extremism
are threatening to result in a failed
state.
No more can the dictator-turned-
civilian President Musharraf
weave the different strands of
national destiny around his own
person. Pakistan has witnessed
NEWS
socialism derived from the idea of
self-sufficient village units pre-
scribed by early European econo-
mists, and you would be disap-
pointed. He is still preserved as an
institution no doubt, but requires a
lot of formaldehyde.
Tariq Ali wrote a TV play on the
judicial assassination of Zulfiqar
Ali Bhutto in which he refers to the
tragic reality of how the great
martyr that he was, Bhutto's fol-
lowers could still not curb the arro-
gance of his killers much less
checkmate them with a mass
upheaval. In his obituary to
Benazir Bhutto, Tariq Ali quotes
from her emails where she justi-
fied the new path she had chosen
because of the changed circum-
stances in the world as she
described it. It is a bit like the
Congress party in India still using
Gandhi's spinning wheel as a sym-
bol of its appeal among the poor
masses but doing everything to
make the ground fertile for a neo-
con takeover of the national polity.
As martyrs go why should we for-
over the years the top one per cent
of the population getting richer,
leaving other sections of society
far behind; and the gulf between
the people and the army widening.
Political arena is marked by a
poverty of alternatives. Instinct
and perception will be influencing
the way Pakistan goes now.
But then instability can often be
creative and Pakistan will have to
find a window of hope in this
chaos. The dangers facing
Pakistan are real. While everyone
and his alter ego says that it needs
to guard against the spread of reli-
get Liaquat Ali Khan or for that
matter Nawab Akbar Bugti more
recently. Without meaning to belit-
tle their respective causes, it is dif-
ficult to conceive of their rele-
vance in the present or future
political trajectory of Pakistan.
The same holds true for the
assassination of Mujibur Rehman
and his family members in
Bangladesh, or for that matter Gen
Zia ur Rehman who overthrew the
Bangabandhu only to be eliminat-
ed later by his own army col-
leagues. How many votes can the
memory of the socialist Mujib
fetch today? And if by a quirk of
fate he is still considered popular
then what accounts for the elec-
toral success of his tormentor's
party. One of the great populist
Sinhalese leaders of Sri Lanka was
Solomon Bandarnaike, Chandrika
Kumaratunga's father. He was
killed by a Buddhist Sinhalese
monk. His memory is enshrined in
Horrogolla, the village mansion
where he lived on the outskirts of
Colombo, and that's that. President
gious militancy, Pakistanis and the
world must realize that the rise of
religious militancy is a response to
the failure of the state to protect its
democratic ethos. The country
must also weigh its losses and
gains in fighting the Taliban.
Pakistan has long been fighting
America's war against its own peo-
ple in the tribal areas. War on ter-
ror has to have a layered perspec-
tive. A black and white reading
only results in the kind of black
Thursday that threatened
Pakistan's destiny in as short a
time as it takes to fire a gun, to
press a button on a human bomb.
Martyrs such as Shaheed Bhagat
Singh and the great Tipu Sultan of
Mysore don't return from the dead.
But their example becomes an
inspiration for those who follow.
When the history of Pakistan
comes into its own and in some
mound, over which for sure a befit-
ting monument will be raised, the
last remains of dictatorship are
buried - ensuring the fulfillment of
that promise which lay behind
Pakistan's creation - the courage of
Benazir will be writ large. As for a
dispassionate view, wait for some
time and keep an eye on
Islamabad.
January 2-8, 2008 7
Premadasa had single-handedly
forced Indian troops to vacate Sri
Lanka which made him extremely
popular with Sinhalese chauvin-
ists. He was blown up by suspected
a Tamil rebel in a suicide attack.
Does anyone remember him?
And finally, it was the first
anniversary on Sunday of
President Saddam Hussein's exe-
cution by a coalition of American
and Iraqi usurpers. He was going
to give a mother of all battles to the
Americans. He is still worshipped
by his core followers. Even as
defeat stared him in the face in
April 2003, said a report on Sunday
to mark the anniversary of his
death, Saddam Hussein stood on a
pick-up truck outside Baghdad's
Abu Hanifa mosque and waved to
the crowd of 200 people, promising
them a glorious future.
"His last words to us were 'I
promise the people of Adhamiyah
golden monuments once we defeat
the Americans'," remembered Abu
Rima one year after the deposed
dictator was hanged in the Iraqi
capital. "The image flashes in front
of my eyes even now like a scene
from a film. It was April 9 and a
Wednesday. That date is in my
blood. Saddam is in my blood,"
Rima said, his voice choking with
emotion. However, in a separate
report, a TV channel quoted the
Iraqi government as claiming that
75 per cent of the Sunni militants
who had doggedly opposed the
American occupation since the fall
of Saddam had now agreed to join
forces with the occupation army.
Much of this official claim sounds
like desperate propaganda. On the
other, according to the rules gov-
erning the shelf life of the great
martyrs of our times, there could
also be a grain of truth in the
claim.
Richmond
killings shock
community
them!" said a long time friendly
customer.
Rosemary and Pat McKean remi-
niscing Paramjit Singh said that
"Our world was better with you in
it. You are missed."
Across the continent, taxi driver
Amarjit Singh was attacked in a
suburb of New York. Though the
motive there has been said to be
robbery, the victim with a wife and
three children seeks assistance
and relief from the community.
Murderous attacks over the
years have sent a wave of anger
and despair in Punjab among the
elderly; for the young there is still
hope of El Dorado.
(Zafarzang Singh may be con-
tacted at zafarzang@gmail.com)
Dissolve Wakf Board: Shahi Imam
SANGRUR: Shahi Imam Habib-Ul-
Rehman of the Jama Masjid here has
demanded dissolution of the Punjab
Wakf Board in the interest of the
Muslim community. The Imam has
demanded that an IAS-level officer
from another state investigate scams
in the Board. He dismissed as a farce
the reported resignation of Board
chairperson Razia Sultana.
8 January 2-8, 2008 NEWS world sikh news

Bhutto’s Assassination, Pak govt says Benazir death

a Big Blow to America accidental, makes U-turns later
Sawraj Singh decline of the pro-Western forces in
the subcontinent. Islamic funda- ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic U- through the sun-roof before the sui- death.

B
enazir Bhutto’s assassination
will prove to be a very big set-
back for the American poli-
cies. Bhutto was America’s last
hope for mending relations with the
Islamic world. Pakistan has been
America’s most important ally in
the fight against terrorism.
Bhutto’s assassination will push
Pakistan into chaos and instability
that will only help the Islamic fun-
damentalists.
Pakistan does not have a leader of
Bhutto’s stature and charisma at
this time. There are only two well
known leaders in Pakistan at pres-
ent, Pervez Musharraf and Nawaz
Sharif. Musharraf has been consid-
erably weakened and discredited.
Moreover, the Pakistani army has
lost its influence and prestige
because of its poor performance
against the Islamists, particularly
in the Northwest Frontier tribal
areas. There are deep divisions in
the army. The upper ranks are pro-
Western, but the lower ranks are
generally pro-Islamist and anti-
Western in their outlook. Nawaz
Sharif can be acceptable to the
Islamists but is not very attractive
to the West.
Bhutto represented the pro-
Western elite that has dominated
the subcontinent in the last sixty
years. Her assassination is not only
going to weaken this elite class in
Pakistan, but will lead to the overall
mentalism will radicalize and fur-
ther polarize the subcontinent.
Bhutto’s assassination and the vic-
tory of Narendra Modi, the funda-
mentalist Hindu leader in Gujarat,
both will be steps in that direction.
However, there is a basic differ-
ence between the Islamic and
Hindu fundamentalism. The Hindu
fundamentalism has rightist and
pro-western leanings. The Islamic
fundamentalism at this time has
taken a strong anti-imperialist
stand by challenging the western
domination of the world.
Therefore, an alliance of the
Islamic fundamentalists and the
radical left cannot be ruled out in
the subcontinent because
Chairman Mao Tse Tung said, “the
enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
Even though Hindu fundamental-
ism has a soft corner for the West,
particularly because it shares the
anti-Islamic feeling with the West,
yet it objectively goes against the
fundamental interests of the West
because of its differences with the
West on the issues of liberalism
and secularism. Moreover, Hindu
fundamentalism will only encour-
age retaliatory Islamic fundamen-
talism in the subcontinent.
Pakistan may have been lost as a
stable and crucial ally forever.
Benazir Bhutto leaves a vacuum for
America that will be very difficult if
not impossible to fill at this time.
turn, the Pakistan government
"apologised" for claiming earlier
that former premier Benazir Bhutto
died of a skull fracture after hitting
the sunroof of her car during a sui-
cide attack.
Caretaker Interior Minister
Hamid Nawaz Khan has asked the
media and people to "forgive and
ignore" comments made by his min-
istry's spokesman Javed Iqbal
Cheema which were slammed by
her Pakistan People's Party as "lies"
and led to an uproar at home and
abroad.
The Interior Minister made the
apology during a briefing for
Pakistani newspaper editors on
Monday.
Punjab province on Tuesday
issued a front-page advertisement in
newspapers that offered a reward of
Rs 1 crore for information about a
gunman and a suspected suicide
bomber seen in the photos and video
footage of the assassination.
The government's apparent dam-
age control exercise on Cheema's
comments made at a news confer-
ence a day after Bhutto was assassi-
nated at Liaquat Bagh in
Rawalpindi on December 27, came
after TV channels aired privately
shot photos and video footage which
showed a gunman shooting at
Bhutto.
The Pakistan People's Party
leader is seen in the footage falling
cide bomber detonated his explo-
sives.
The briefing by caretaker Prime
Minister Mohammedmian Soomro
was also attended by the foreign,
interior and information ministers
and senior officials.
"Editor after editor lambasted the
government for its non-serious atti-
tude towards the tragedy, specially
the statement that Bhutto had died
by hitting the lever and not (due to)
a bullet or shrapnel," The News
reported.
During the briefing, an editor
asked why spokesman Cheema had
said that a lever on the sun-roof had
caused a fatal injury when the man-
ufacturers of the car and Bhutto's
husband Asif Ali Zardari had stated
that there was no metallic lever that
could have caused the wound.
Khan said the spokesman's com-
ments may have been a mistake as
"we are faujis (soldiers) and we are
not so articulate to present our
views as you journalists can".
Both the interior minister and
spokesman Cheema are retired
army officers.
"I am sorry if that happened and
please forgive us and ignore the
comment," he told the editors.
Earlier, Prime Minister Soomro
tried to defend the interior min-
istry's spokesman, saying he was
just relaying facts that had been told
to him, especially about the cause of
"We are conducting an investiga-
tion and all TV footage, all evidence,
that would be available will help in
reaching a definite conclusion,"
Soomro told teh editors.
But the editors asked more ques-
tions, especially with reference to
the medical report of doctors of
Rawalpindi General Hospital who
treated Bhutto.
They "emphatically pointed out
that the report quoted by the
spokesman never mentioned the
cause of the head injury" to Bhutto.
The report only said there was a
skull fracture that caused cardio-
pulmonary arrest, the editors point-
ed out.
Soomro then referred the issue to
Interior Minister Khan. He
explained in detail the security
measures taken and asserted that
Bhutto had a bulletproof vehicle
which could not be damaged by a
bomb or bullets.
Once she was inside it, she was
secure and police vans were trying
to keep her car clear of other vehi-
cles. But when she emerged from the
sun-roof she exposed herself to an
attack, Khan said.
"Nothing would have happened to
her even if every one in the world
had wanted to hurt her," the
Minister added.
However, the government took
another U-turn later, saying the fac-
tual position remained as it was.

Shekhar Gupta
Lahore dust and a London sale
evident in the compromises she new PM, she sat chatting in her
lately made with Musharraf. home with a small group of foreign

L
ike all great political fig- But while she could be exasperat- journos she was friendly with and
ures, Benazir Bhutto was ing, confused, insecure, loud, turned to one from a British paper.
far from perfect. In more immature, vicious, venal, desper- "Christopher," she said in mock
than a decade of knowing ate, whatever - one weakness you lament, "How awful I have to
her, as a reporter on the Pakistan would never associate with Benazir become PM now when so many
beat, I often found her exasperating was physical cowardice. great sales are on in London. I had
- as when, in the middle of an inter- At a time when the Indian Prime to buy so much for my family."
view, she would digress from Minister would not step out of the She came to attend Rajiv
mouthing the juiciest lines about SPG's embrace, I have seen her not Gandhi's funeral and was put up in
her pet hate Zia-ul-Haq and start only having dinner with her family New Delhi's Ashok Hotel. She had
reading off totally irrelevant fig- in the Islamabad Marriott's open her people seek me out and while
ures on Pakistan's economy. Or coffee shop, but even invite me, an we were walking though the grand
when she would keep you waiting Indian journalist at a loose end, to lobby, she said to me,"What a great
for hours after fixing time for a join them for an ice cream at a building and what a terrible hotel."
meeting - and this could happen Baskin Robbins or an equivalent on Then she added with a wink and a
irrespective of whether she was in a nightly family drive. nudge,"Tell your friend Nawaz
power or not. She lived in Karachi, travelled Sharif (Nwaz shreef much like a
She was also sometimes irra- often to Larkana and those lands Punjabi that she sure wasn't) and
tional, as in her May 1990 attack on are not for the lily-livered. For the he will sell it to some private bidder
India over Kashmir. She delivered most part, she showed such noncha- in three hours." Nawaz, then PM,
the famous speech in lance for the army estab- Ours has mellowed hugely in com- democracy for nearly a decade, this was also in Delhi at that time.
Muzaffarabad where she lishment. In the 1993 elec- parison. At the best of times, a pop- was a moment to savour. Often, when she came to Delhi,
exhorted Kashmiris to cut tion, when she was a front- ular politician in Pakistan takes And the frail, then 35-year-old, she sought me out.
Jagmohan (then J&K runner, one morning in huge physical risks. Crowds, chaos, who had brought it to them, the Our last longish conversation
Governor) into pieces: her Karachi home, she din, drums and dust, just the raw freedom of the street, the safety of was at TV anchor and her close
Jagmohan ko jag-jag mo- told me: "So you keep say- energy of the Pakistani street numbers, and hence the courage to friend Karan Thapar's home a cou-
mo han-han kar do, she ing you have never been to leaves India far behind. Perhaps it shout slogans against Zia and ple of years ago. Some of the promi-
said, making a furious Larkana? Come there is because of the spasmodic nature America, stood for those hours - in nent editors Karan had invited did
chopping gesture with her tomorrow with me." I said of that democratic process, each that dust storm - on top of a totally not quite know her rather feudal,
left palm on to her right I had no visa for Larkana rally is some kind of mass cathar- unprotected open truck. The truck personal style. Outlook editor-in-
hand. She could also be and wouldn't risk ventur- sis. Or, perhaps, as a Pakistan was to become her campaign vehi- chief Vinod Mehta happened to be
stupid in speaking so ing so deep inside very journo once told me, "It is just that cle for ever. sitting to her left and as the conver-
openly against her army to Shekhar Gupta sensitive Sindh without we are a mostly Punjabi nation." But, if Benazir wasn't so exasper- sation got more animated, he, as his
Rajiv Gandhi in what was documentation. "What But in so many years of covering ating, she wouldn't be such an orig- friends and TV audiences well
hailed as the "honeymoon" summit will happen? At worse, they will jail politics, I have never seen such a inal. She could swallow so much know, leaned forward to make his
in the winter of 1988. Stupid, you. Then in a week I will be Prime crowd, so much energy, noise, dust dust from the top of a truck, mingle point, often touching her by now
because she had not even cared to Minister and will send you home and adrenalin as while following with crowds, court danger, disease, ample arm in a wonderfully warm
get her own rooms swept for bugs. and if I could last in Sukkur jail for Benazir from Lahore airport when inconvenience, anything. But read gesture of informality. Benazir
As you would expect, the ISI had the so long, can't you survive for just she returned from exile in the sum- a disclosure in Pakistan's National stopped me for a five-minute tattle
room nicely wired and tapes of that one week?" mer of 1986. It was the first time Assembly after her second term as as we were all leaving. She talked
damning conversation were liberal- I did travel with her to Larkana, ever that I was lost. I, who had seen PM - for the short term for which about this and that, and then said:
ly leaked to justify her sacking by perhaps the first Indian journalist so much chaos from Indira was in power she spent nearly $6 "I did not know your Delhi journal-
the Establishment - that remark- to do so in a long time, the local Gandhi's rallies to JP Narayan's million of taxpayer's money to ists get so familiar with leaders.
able Pakistani institution, the trini- right-wing press went to town with and the mass defiance of curfew by import Evian mineral water from Tell me how would Sonia Gandhi
ty of the army, intelligence and Benazir's dodgy friendships in the a million people in Guwahati. After France for her household. handle that?"
bureaucracy which I have always Indian media. But she wasn't both- an hour, I had no idea where I was, At a personal level, I was privi- Shekhar Gupta is the celebrated
spelt with capital E. She could be ered. my shirt was torn. My face and leged to have not just access and Editor In Chief of The Indian
corrupt, as her fortunes overseas You have to experience Pakistan's head were covered in dust like attention from her, but also a Express. This piece is being pub-
would tell you. And, finally, she street politics to understand how everybody else's but nobody seemed degree of informality. In 1993, as lished here, courtesy The Indian
could also be desperate for power as chaotic and dangerous it can be. to mind. For a nation starved of any results came in anointing her as the Express.
world sikh news
PPP will take
part in elections,
says Zardari
NAUDERO: Assassinated
Pakistani opposition leader
Benazir Bhutto's party will take
part in the January 8 general elec-
tion, as she would have wanted,
her husband and new co-chair-
man of her party, Asif Ali
Zardari, said on Sunday.
"Despite this dangerous situa-
tion, we will go for elections,
according to her will and think-
ing," Zardari told a news confer-
ence at the Bhutto family home in
Naudero in the south of the
country.
Asif Ali Zardari also called on
former premier Nawaz Sharif to
reverse his decision to boycott the
polls, which Sharif had
announced as a gesture of solidar-
ity in the wake of Bhutto's assassi-
nation on Thursday.
"We are grateful to Nawaz
Sharif for announcing a boycott of
the election. But we appeal to him
Lankan Tamil
MP shot dead
COLOMBO: An ethnic Tamil Sri
Lankan opposition MP has been
shot dead by an unidentified gun-
man while attending a New Year
service at a Hindu temple in the cap-
ital, police and hospital officials said
on Tuesday.
T Maheswaran, a lawmaker from
the United National Party (UNP),
died after being admitted to the
Colombo National Hospital follow-
ing the shooting inside the Sivam
Temple, hospital spokeswoman
Pushpa Soysa said.
"He had several bullet injuries,
including to the head," Soysa said.
"Another 10 people who were
wounded have been brought for
treatment." Maheswaran, who rep-
resents the embattled northern dis-
trict of Jaffna, has been highly criti-
cal of the government's military
campaign. He survived a similar
attack two years ago.
Sharif’s party too
ends poll boycott
ISLAMABAD: The party of for-
mer Pakistan premier Nawaz
Sharif will take part in scheduled
elections on January 8, after earli-
er saying it would boycott, two
spokesmen said on Sunday.
"We will contest the election," a
party spokesman said. Meanwhile a
personal spokesman for Sharif said
the decision was taken after slain
opposition leader Benazir Bhutto's
husband Asif Ali Zardari had
asked Sharif's party to participate.
"No major party should boycott
because it would damage democra-
cy," the spokesman, Zaeem Qadri,
quoted Zardari as telling Sharif.
The party said the boycott had been
announced as a gesture of solidari-
ty after Bhutto was assassinated at
a campaign rally on Thursday.
Bhutto had come back to
Pakistan from exile in October to
contest the elections.
THE SUBCONTINENT
to end the boycott and take part."
"We will go to elections,"
Zardari further told a news con-
ference at which his 19-year-old
son Bilawal was named as the new
chairman of the Pakistan People's
Party.
PPP also rejected any govern-
ment investigation into the assas-
sination of Benazir Bhutto and
demanded a probe by the United
Nations into the tragic incident.
"We reject their (Pakistan gov-
ernment's) commissions, judges
and police. We want an interna-
tional investigation team to probe
the killing of Benazir," PPP co-
chairman and Bhutto's husband
Asif Ali Zarari told reporters.
"We will write to the United
Nations and the British
Government to order an interna-
tional investigation into the mar-
tyrdom of Benazir Bhutto," he
said.
A Sri Lankan police commando
stands guard at the scene of the
shooting in Colombo
Police said the gunman was min-
gling with devotees at the temple
and pulled out a revolver and shot
Maheswaran at close range.
Five ex-Maoists rejoin Nepal govt
KATHMANDU: Five former
Maoist rebels were sworn in as gov-
ernment ministers in Nepal, end-
ing a political crisis that began
when the ex-guerrillas walked out
of a coalition government three
months ago.
The ex-rebels agreed to rejoin
the interim coalition government
after the country's seven main
political parties agreed last week
to abolish the country's monarchy
immediately after elections now
scheduled for April.
The Maoists withdrew from the
government on Sept. 18 demand-
ing electoral reform and the imme-
diate removal of the king, plung-
ing Nepal into a political crisis
and forcing the government to
postpone elections initially
planned for November.
Two of the five will hold key
positions. The Maoists' spokesman
Krishna Bahadur Mahara will be
Bhutto was last hope for
women: Mukhtaran Mai
ISLAMABAD: Mukhtaran Mai,
who gained global prominence for
her campaign to seek justice after
she was gang-raped, has mourned
the assassination of former pre-
mier Benazir Bhutto calling her
"the last hope for the women of
Pakistan."
"I am feeling lonely at this time
because Bhutto was the last hope
of women activists. I am proud of
Democracy best
revenge, says Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari
LARKANA: Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari in his first ever press con-
ference as the Chairman of the
party thanked the CEC members
and said that he remained commit-
ted to the federation of Pakistan.
"Democracy is best revenge,"
Bilawal said and added that the
PPP would work with a "renewed
vigour".
The 19-year-old son of slain for-
mer Pakistan premier Benazir
Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on
Sunday was elected as the
Chairman of Pakistan People's
Party (PPP) by the members of the
Central Executive Committee of
the party at a meeting which was
held at Bhutto's parental Naudero
House in Larkana.
Senior Vice-Chairman of the
party Makhdoom Amin Fahim,
who presided over Sunday's meet-
ing, announced this at a press con-
ference after the marathon meet-
ing that went for over five hours.
Fahim said that during the
meeting Bilawal read out his
mother's will that was signed on
October 16, two days before she
returned to Pakistan ending her
self-exile.
"In the will, Benazir had stated
that if she dies then her husband
Asif Ali Zardari would lead the
party, but during today's meeting
Zardari said that he would not
take the responsibility and offered
the post to his son Bilawal, which
was endorsed by everyone," Fahim
told reporters.
Later in the press conference
Minister for Communication and
Information, with control of all
state-run media, while Dev
Gurung is to be the Minister for
Local Development, controlling
city and village councils. Matrika
Yadav will be Minister for Forest
and Soil Conservation, while
Hisila Yami becomes the Minister
for Physical Planning.
``We fought for a constituent
assembly for 10 years. It will be our
priority to make the election to the
assembly a success. As a responsi-
ble party representing the people
we will do all we can to work for the
nation and the people and for sus-
tainable peace,'' Yami said late on
Sunday.
Four of the five new ministers
had already served in the govern-
ment between April and September.
Only Pampha Bhusal is new to the
Cabinet, and will be the Minister
for Women and Social Welfare.
being a woman because of her
(courage)," Mukhtaran Mai told
the media.
Mukhtaran Mai said Bhutto was
a great leader and her assassina-
tion was a national tragedy.
She said the killing of Bhutto
was tantamount to the "murder of
democracy in Pakistan" and the
country now had no one who could
represent it at the world level.
Zardari, who has been appointed
as the co-chairman of the party,
said, "Benazir ki tasveer Bilawal
(Benazir's image is Bilawal)," that
led to party workers shout slogans
in praise of Benazir and her son
Bilawal.
The party constitution, however,
states that the Chairman of the
party must be at least 22 years old.
Earlier in the day, PPP
spokesperson Sherry Rehman had
said that Bilawal is not keen to
take up the post and wants to pur-
sue his studies at the Oxford
University.
The decision to abolish the cen-
turies-old monarchy and turn
Nepal into a republic was endorsed
by Parliament last Friday.
The monarch, King Gyanendra,
seized absolute control over the
country in 2005, but was forced to
relinquish most of his powers fol-
lowing widespread protests in April
2006. The Communist rebels gave
up their decade-long armed revolt
last year after more than 13,000 peo-
ple died in the fighting against gov-
ernment forces.
``The re-entry of Maoists in the
government has certainly ended
the political uncertainties in
Nepal,'' said Krishna Khanal, a
political science professor at the
Tribhuwan University in
Kathmandu.
But Khanal said holding success-
ful elections now depends on how
the government handles ethnic
trouble in the south.
January 2-8, 2008 9
Mai, who was gang-raped by
men of higher clan, also demanded
a probe into the killing by foreign
investigators.
She said her organisation,
formed with the settlement money,
would hold a "Quran Khwani" for
Bhutto and that she would visit her
ancestral village in Sindh province
to offer her condolences to the
slain leader's family.
Prabhakaran
may be dead,
says Sri
Lankan govt
COLOMBO: Sri Lankan defence
secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
has hinted that Tamil Tigers chief
Velupillai Prabhakaran might
have been killed in the air raid on
his bunker on November 26.
“Our intelligence sources
believe that he (Prabhakaran)
was seriously injured or killed. It
is obvious that the LTTE will not
divulge this for a long period,”
Rajapaksa told government-run
‘Sunday Observer’.
He discounted the validity of
the pictures put out by the LTTE
of Prabhakaran delivering his
annual Heroes’ Day address over
TV and radio on November 27, a
day after he was supposedly
injured or killed in an air raid.
“The LTTE can also publish pic-
tures but (the pictures) do not
give any indication that he is
alive, until he comes for a public
meeting,” Rajapaksa said.
In another interview in the
same paper, Sri Lanka’s army
chief Sarath Fonseka said the Sri
Lankan air force had plans to
attack all LTTE bases in the north
Sri Lanka. According to Fonseka,
the LTTE is left with only 3,000
cadres. “Over 500 cadres have
been killed by the armed forces.
We have weakened the LTTE by
50% or more and we are confident
we can go that extra mile in the
coming year,” said the general,
who survived an attempt on his
life by an LTTE suicide bomber in
April 2006.
Asked if Prabhakaran’s death
would mean the end of the LTTE,
Rajapaksa said that it might not
be so but it would be a “major fac-
tor that would gradually destroy
their organisation”.
Meanwhile, Tamil Tiger rebels
admitted that government forces
launched incursions into north-
ern rebel-held territory, but said
the soldiers had been repulsed
and denied army claims that at
least 20 guerrillas were killed.
Soldiers seized part of
Parappakandal village in north-
ern Mannar district on Saturday,
a defense official said on condi-
tion of anonymity.
Rebel spokesman Rasiah
Ilanthirayan said in an e-mailed
statement that government sol-
diers launched a three-pronged
offensive around the
Parappakandal area but the
rebels beat them back on two
fronts. Fighting had continued in
some locations, he said.
Ilanthirayan said 20 soldiers were
killed in the fighting and 40 more
were wounded, while three rebels
also died.
10 January 2-8, 2008 THE EDIT PAGE world sikh news

world sikh news Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination

Every man builds his world in his own

and The Crash of Civilizations

image. He has the power to choose, but no
power to escape the necessity of choice.
—Ayn Rand

Dr Amrik Singh

Reflect upon
R
awalpindi has earned
the notorious reputa-
tion of terminating life

the image span of three former

Prime Ministers of Pakistan.
Liyakat Bagh Park where

reflected
Benazir made her last speech
bears the name of the first Prime
Minister Liyakat Ali Khan 1896-
1951. He breathed his last after

2007 hasn't been a great year for the

globe. It has been deadliest in Iraq
in recent history. Various people's movements
fighting against oppression and tyranny of
nation states are being slapped with a tag
which their oppressors think will work the
best in such troubled times - the tag of being
part of the global terror network. As we usher
in the new year with special programs in gur-
dwaras, kirtan darbars, family get togethers
and the spirit of stock-taking weaved with the
joie de vivre, we must also assess the per-
ceived image of the Sikh community across
the globe. In these times of confused identi-
ties and preconceived notions impacting
agendas, we must weigh the outcome of the
anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab propaganda that
the mainstream India media tilts towards
whenever the cops find couple of criminals
roaming with some explosives. What is more
shady is the way such arrests take place. The
entire police story comes under a cloud once
sections of the media blow holes the size of
Indian ocean into cops' claims.
The recent arrests of so called Babbar
Khalsa activists fall in this category and it
will probably never be known as to what was
the real extent of their involvement. While no
less an authority than the head of the Punjab
Police himself announced the arrests, it is
surprising that many vernacular dailies had
reported the arrests many days before the
police says it got to know about the presence
of these men in a certain area.
If the police indeed arrested them on the
dates the DGP claimed it did, why were the
relatives of the arrested men giving state-
ments days earlier to the media about police
picking them up? Also, in one case the
police said it arrested a man intending to
trigger a bomb in Nurmahal. As per the
cops, he was carrying in his pocket a map of
the Phagwara-Nurmahal road. A trained
terrorist making his third attempt carrying
a map of the straightest stretch of the road
which every village bumpkin knows? Why is
the public's intelligence being so grossly
insulted?
There is something fishy in this entire mat-
ter and the only contribution that the Punjab
Police chief has made is to the muddle creat-
ed by his cops.
No surprise that the official or the officially
inclined media laps up the stories served on a
platter. One of the popular websites on India
was quick to proclaim that with the arrest of
"four suspected activists of the Babbar
Khalsa, the worst fears of the people of
Punjab" have been rekindled. It headlined the
story sensationally as: "ISI-sponsored Sikh
militancy back".
"The Intelligence Bureau had always cau-
tioned the police and the state administration
regarding the revival of Sikh militancy in the
state. The arrest of these militants only goes
on to confirm this."
How is this website aware of the fact that IB
has been "always" cautioning the police on
this matter? Unless it is the IB, or at least a
part of it!
being fatally shot in 1951 by a pro-
fessional Afghan assassin.
Military dictator Zia ul Haq in
the name of Islamic reforms
ordered the execution of Zulfikar
Ali Bhutto in 1979 in an open defi-
ance to the mounting interna-
tional diplomatic pressure. Z.A.
Bhutto's death sentence in
Rawalpindi represented Zia's
chilling message to the civilized
world that democracy in
Pakistan was irrelevant. The US
then had different priorities; one
Benazir’s assassination is a severe
of them was to defeat Russians'
war against God.
setback to Bush’s war on terrorism. As
A city built on the ruins of
great Indus civilization,
it was flawed right from the beginning,
Rawalpindi remained a magnet
for business and cultural activi-
Bush didn’t pay any attention to her
ties during 1765 -1849 until
British Governor General Lord
apprehensions. She hinted at ISI’s
Dalhousie annexed sovereign
Punjab. He made it a largest hub
covenant with underground militants.
of the British Military Garrison.
After independence in 1947,
Undoubtedly, ISI is the key element
Rawalpindi became the head-
quarters of the Pakistan nation-
in the military-controlled
al army. As a satellite town of the
nation's capital, Islamabad, its
administration of Pakistan
strategic importance always
remained of paramount interest. under their control. Musharraf, she continued to be administration of Pakistan.
In ancient times 350 BC- 280 The mandate of the post-World a staunch critic of his policies. Benazir's allegation of
BC, Taxila-one of seven tehsils of War II situation required that the In the aftermath of 9/11, she Musharraf's shelter to terrorist
Rawalpindi district, attracted British leave India. The resulting wrote an article in Washington groups was never investigated.
students in thousands from all partition took place by compro- Post in September 2001criticiz- The absence of democracy in
over the world and had reputable mising all norms of decency and ing George Bush's excessive Pakistan and the dictatorship
figures like Chanakya on its staff. cardinal wisdom of non-violence reliance on a dictator whose in the name of Islamic laws too
It is believed Kautilya completed of ancient Buddhists; and by giv- only qualification was that he could not alleviate the miseries
Arthshashtra while serving as a ing prominence to intolerance, murdered democracy in of Pakistanis. Innumerable
teacher in the ancient seat of hatred, and violence. The legacy Pakistan. It was strange that human lives are sacrificed at
learning. UNESCO declared it of the Raj influenced the social George Bush continued to treat the altar of twisted justice.
as a World Heritage Site. and political life of the two coun- Musharraf with fondness even India and Pakistan are two
Violence was once abhorred here tries. India emerged as the when he crushed civil rights of key players in South Asia.
when it was the capital of largest democracy on earth. judges, journalists and common Unless they build a coalition to
Buddhist King Gandhara in pre Pakistan, however, found itself citizens with impunity. The honor its citizen's civil rights,
Christian era. Today, Gandhara on a very slippery ground after clamping of emergency, termi- no external power can do better
school of art is a popular subject the assassination of the fist nation of the entire judiciary for the welfare of the region.
of scholarly studies. Prime Minister Liyakat Ali and unlawfull killing of dissent- The trend of fanning hostilities
British ascension to the Raj in Khan in 1951. The bumpy ride of ing voices were clear signals of on both sides of the borders to
eighteenth century changed the the civilian rule ceased when how the dictator would treat chart political careers in fla-
complexion of South Asian polit- military dictator Ayub Khan set someone who promised civil grant violation of civil behav-
ical demography. The main- the precedent that the rod rules rule to the masses. ior will remain counterproduc-
stream thinking of the East better than the consensus. The Benazir's assassination is a tive and self-destructive. India
India Company was not to med- constitution was never followed. severe setback to Bush's war on can play a significant role in
dle in the affairs of Punjab. Instead each military dictator terrorism. As it was flawed democratizing Pakistan , but
However, the death of Maharaja revised it to suit his design. right from the beginning, Bush only if she holds out the high-
Ranjit Singh left a vacuum that The blame of Benazir's assas- didn't pay any attention to est democratic principles of
could be only filled by the sination squarely falls on Gen Benazir's apprehensions. She respecting minorities' right to
British. The turmoil had started Musharraf as he remained apa- hinted at ISI's covenant with share the fruits of freedom.
with mutiny in 1857. The British thetic to her request for security. underground militants.
never had a rollercoaster ride in Benazir had entered into an Undoubtedly, ISI is the key ele- (The author is based in
India after they brought Punjab uneasy alliance with ment in the military controlled Sacramento, California)
She offered to pour me tea, asked about my children
Fakir Hassen think she could easily have been a movie star came from what is now Pakistan and how
herself. But the initial perception of a stern, they felt about the newfound freedom from

"A report prepared to this effect by the IB
also points out that ISI has plans to revive
Sikh militancy in a big way." Clearly, this is
what official India wants the world to know
about Sikhs. The community must guard
against such stratagems and discuss the issue
threadbare. It is very necessary that we take
care of the larger image of the Sikh commu-
nity in times when the US is leading a war
against terror and it is rather easy to slap a
group with some dirty terror label and make
it more vulnerable. ✍ must be spending a lot of time on her makeup,
B
enazir Bhutto, who was assassinat-
ed last Thursday as she left a rally,
had a unique bearing that made
her stand out among many world
leaders. I was fortunate to be one of very few
journalists who got the opportunity to inter-
view the then prime minister of Pakistan
when she attended the inauguration of
Nelson Mandela’s presidency in 1994 togeth-
er with scores of other world leaders.
I recall my first impression being that she
as she had this flawless image that made me
domineering politician faded away very
quickly as Bhutto enquired after my own
children and spoke about her love for chil-
dren generally, although she remained fierce-
ly protective of giving any details about her
own children. The imposing presence melted
even more quickly as she offered to pour me a
cup of tea herself, despite aides being at hand.
Then Bhutto chatted informally, revealing
a great depth of knowledge about the histo-
ry of South African politics, and wanting to
know whether the South Africans of Indian
descent included those whose forebears
apartheid rule and democracy here. It was
almost turning into me becoming the inter-
viewee rather than interviewer when an
aide reminded us of the time constraint and
we reverted to the original purpose.
Now, as speculation continues about who
was behind the assassination and even how
the leader died, her words seem to ring alarm
bells about attitudes towards not just social
values, but even religious prescriptions in a
world gone awry with global terrorism.
(Fakir Hassen is a Johannesburg-based
journalist)
world sikh news
L E T T E R S
It’s getting away
from us,
brothers
Dear Editor, I read with some
genuine interest and also a
fair amount of cynicism your
news report regarding anoth-
er witness having arrived on
the scene, ready to testify
against Jagdish Tytler, the
man everyone knows as one of
the principal perpetrators of
the 1984 carnage of the Sikhs.
You in the media, along with
the civil society, will continue
to present proof after proof of
what everyone knows to be
true, yet nothing is likely to
happen. Yes sir, that is the sad
truth. I am not suggesting
that you give up on your
struggle against such mass
murderers. After all, it is the
struggle of men like Advocate
HS Phoolka and many of our
worthy friends in India who
have kept at least some hope
alive of there being some jus-
tice. I say there is only some
hope, but that certainly does
not demean the efforts of
these really committed people
but says much for the system.
Similarly, your coverage of
the issue, like the aforemen-
tioned report of another man
coming forward willing to tes-
tify against mass murderer
Tytler, does go a long way in
making people aware of just
how sad the justice-dispensa-
tion situation in India is.
Report after report like that
does stir up the blood of even
the most neutral of observers
but ironically, it does
absolutely nothing to make
the Indian establishment take
note of the matter. I hate to
say this my dear Sikh broth-
ers and sisters but we live in a
day and age in which India
has its first-ever Sikh head of
state, yet there is no hope of
the Sikh community getting
justice anywhere in the near
future for the worst of crimes
against humanity committed
over two decades ago and
elaborately documented zil-
lions of times. What a tragedy
for the Sikh community that
the first-ever non-Hindu
prime minister of India (a
Sikh prime minister to be pre-
cise) though so well known as
a man of fair and independ-
ent thinking has disappointed
everyone who had faith in
him after assuming charge.
That he is completely helpless
in the face of all the pulls and
pressures that be is clear for
all to see. Well, if there’s no
hope for the community
despite having someone from
within at the helm of affairs, I
doubt if there will ever be.\
—Tejinder Singh
via email
Keep us posted about
news and events in
your area as also your
feedback to stuff in
the WSN, and these
shall surely find due
mention in our pages.
Letters may be edited
for reasons of space or
style. All letters
should be mailed to
worldsikhnews@gmail.com
THE OP-ED PAGE
2007: Top 5 Sikh Countdown
Jodha Singh
O
scar Wilde said the best
way of dealing with a
temptation is to yield to
it. At least on this occa-
sion, I would go with the
Irishman. I just couln't resist the
urge of the 'countdown' spirit
which often takes over between
Yuletide and the New Year
(although not the Nanakshahi
Sikh calendar) and gives us an
occasion and some time for
thoughts and reflections. Here is
my list of this year's top 5 events
that will influence 2008 and
beyond.
5. Khalsa Kids - The Sikh dias-
pora is coming of age and creat-
ing new tools for the community.
It has been over ten years since
the suicide of 13 year old Vijay
Singh in the UK after being
repeatedly bullied in school.
Unfortunately the bullying of
young Sikh boys tends to be the
rule and not the exception. The
Sikh Coalition released a harrow-
ing report that showed 77.5% of
Sikh boys surveyed in Queens
reported being teased or harassed
on account of their Sikh identity.
However, the community is
beginning to respond and it
reveals a coming of age here in
the US Sikh population.
A Sikh teacher, SriNam Singh
Khalsa, recently published Break
the Bullying: Intervention
Techniques and Activities to
Create a Respectful School
Community. This book provides
strategies to enable school teach-
ers and administrators in helping
not only the victims of bullies,
but also the bullies themselves.
Another book, written by a Sikh
high school student, Harkirat
Singh Hansra, helps to give non-
Sikhs, especially students, a basic
understanding on Sikhi. Titled
Liberty at Stake - Sikhs: The Most
Visible Yet Understood Minority
in America provides a Sikh
teenager's perspective of the
world around him. Finally, per-
haps the most innovative project
was the Sikh Coalition's launch of
its Khalsa Kids website (link -
http://www.khalsakids.org ).
Fun, interactive, and professional
the Sikh Coalition must be com-
mended for creating a real tool
that will serve Sikh communities
throughout the world. That the
Sikh community has a multi-
faceted approach and is using its
resources is a great success of
2007 that will set the bar for 2008
and beyond.
4. Bhindranwale's picture in
the Sikh Museum - Although this
controversy broke out during the
last month of the year, its notabil-
ity makes it worthy of inclusion.
Demands for the installation of
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale's
picture in the Sikh Museum at
Darbar Sahib had been raised for
some time. Finally the SGPC
acquiesced to the views of the
Sikh community. No sooner was
the portrait installed than the
Sangh Parivar and its allies were
threatening action. The Shiv
Sena even offered a reward of for
anyone that would tear down the
portrait. Many Sikhs were puz-
zled as the portraits of other
Shaheeds of 1984 had been in the
Sikh Museum for decades.
Bhindranwale's posters and cas-
settes have been widely available
and distributed for years.
Bhindranwale merchandise is a
top-seller throughout Punjab and
is extremely popular at rural
melas and events. The Immortal
Shaheedi albums and songs by
January 2-8, 2008 11
develop critical mass, religious
Sikh community this year than
Not being able to resist the
immigrant communities are the Dera Sacha Sauda incident.
gaining footholds in civic life in The Indian press and those with
the United States. These com
little understanding of the com-
urge of the ‘countdown’ spirit
munities are being changed by
what the American politica
process demands of them to
munity falsely labeled this as
some sort of form of 'fundamen-
which often takes over
have their voices heard. And
they in turn are influencing
how America sees its own talism' at issue. Such a misread-
ing displays little understanding
between Yuletide and the New
ethics, politics, and religious
commitments. The Fourth o
July is an occasion best suited of the dynamics of the Sikh com-
for us to ruminate on the issues munity. The issue had long been
involved.
Year (although not the
Asian Indians were found in simmering with a number of dif-
the United States as early as a ferent Dera Babas and their pro-
Nanakshahi Sikh calendar)
hundred years ago. The firs
Sikhs who entered the United liferation throughout the state.
States were labeled as Hindus while Previous confrontations with
and gives us an occasion and
some of other South Asian
Americans were part of the
British Indian Army. Eighty
Bhaniarawala, Ashutosh, and the
Nirankaris have created a long
some time for thoughts and
five percent of South Asian
Americans coming to
Canada and California
continuous history of such con-
frontations. Conflicts arise and
reflections, here is a list of this
between the period
of 1900 become violent only with those
deras that try to appropriate the
year’s top 5 events that will symbolism and heritage of the
distinct Sikh Qaum as their own.
influence 2008 and beyond The chief of Bhaniarawala not
only sponsored a book that he
wished to call a 'granth,' at events
Tigerstyle are only now begin- Rohanpreet Singh of Patiala in he purposely placed it higher
ning to reach the Punjab country- the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs than the Sikhs' revered Guru
side and are popular amongst the 2007 competition may mobilize Granth Sahib and still later had
youth. Although seemingly com- the same Sikh support through- birs of the Guru Granth Sahib
pletely senile, there may be truth out Punjab and the world. burned. Ashutosh began claim-
to Khushwant Singh's comment As discussed previously, the ing himself as the living embodi-
that the "Bhindranwale's ghost 'Sikh turn' is occurring. The psy- ment of the Guru Granth Sahib
still stalks the Punjab country- chological tragedy of the post- and thus the Khalsa Panth and
side disturbing the sleep of the 1993 Sikh community is begin- Guru Granth are no longer need-
Punjabi Hindu and the con- ning to wane and we may be wit- ed. Dera Sacha Sauda's chief not
science of the Punjabi Sikh." nessing the dawn of a new era. It only attempted to make himself
Despite the empty threats of the may not be in the Khalsa symbol- equal by donning the iconogra-
Sangh Parivar, the SGPC has ic form that many hope, but a phy of Guru Gobind Singh, but
stood firm with the Sikh commu- religio-ethnic movement is occur- attempted to imitate one of the
nity. The most critical point is ring. The youth are not disinter- most critical events - the found-
that a community decides its own ested and disconnected; they are ing of the Khalsa - as his own.
heroes and that no other commu- engaged and can be mobilized. Although one hopes that such
nity should be able to interfere The pull of the pagri is not dead ridiculous attempts would not be
with its decision. Whether one in Punjab either as we see many made by these cheats and vio-
agrees or disagrees with the Bihari migrants joining the lence would not be employed as
views and deeds of Jarnail Singh Qaum's ranks. This is a good countermeasures, the communi-
Bhindranwale, it is undoubted sign. A new generation will soon ty will stand up for its honor
that he was one of the most influ- have its own version of 'pagri against invasions and disrespect
ential Sikhs of the 20th century sambhal jatta.' by others that try to appropriate
and continues to be in the 21st. 2. Pakistani Sikh Anand its lineage, history, and symbolic
He deserves a place in the Sikh Marriage Act - That many Sikh icons.
Museum now and forever. organizations clamoring to take The Dera Sacha Sauda incident
3. Ishmeet and the 'Sikh Turn' - credit for this legislation shows saw waves of Sikh youth rallying
It may seem odd that we would that there is an understanding of behind the cause. Motorcycle
include the winner of an Indian its success and implications. The morchas (processions) were seen
talent show in our top 3, but the passage of the original Anand throughout the state. These
issue is far bigger than Ishmeet. Marriage Act in 1909 was seen as groups were not only Amritdhari
The pagri is the flag of the a success of the Singh Sabha or Keshadhari Sikhs, but
Punjabi Sikhs. Although many Movement and its relationship involved many others that have a
worry that it is disappearing in with the British Raj. The Act was connection to their Guru. It was
Punjab, its place in the psyche of seen as recognition of the Sikh due to the youth pressure that the
Punjabi Sikh remains strong. community's long-standing inde- Sikh clergy had to take positions
Whether Ravinder Grewal's Pagh pendent status. Now in legisla- that it did not want to take. Sikhs
or Pammi Bhai's Pagg many tive and judiciary workings they should not look towards the old
Sikhs are rallying behind the would be on the same footing as establishment (Akali Dal, SGPC,
importance of the turban. The that of Muslims and Hindus. It Jathedars, etc) for leadership, but
Amritsar-based Akal Purakh Ki was with the transfer of power the Sikh youth must itself be
Fauj, the vanguard organization and creation of India and ready to lead. The mobilization
in taking on this issue, has suc- Pakistan that this Act was said to of Sikh masses in defense of the
cessfully organized a Mr. Singh fall within the Hindu Marriage Sikh religion shows that the spir-
International Beauty competi- Act of 1955. As the Sikh constitu- it of the community is alive and
tion, created turban tying videos, tional representatives saw that engaged. This is an example of
and even 'smart turban' software. the progress of recognition was the 'Sikh turn' mentioned earlier.
Although many Sikh youths have being rolled back, they refused to With the rise of the Dera Sacha
for the time being removed their sign the Indian constitution. The Sauda incident to prominence,
turbans, their sense of a religio- recent efforts of the Pakistan much ink has been spilled in try-
ethnic identity still remains Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak ing to understand the phenome-
strong. Maybe the temptations of Committee and American non. We hope that members of the
modernity and especially the Gurdwara Parbhandak Sikh community recommit them-
desires of the opposite sex are Committee bore fruition this selves to fighting casteism and
strong and many feel that at this November during the 539th birth other hierarchies that have led
point in their life they would anniversary of Sikh founder - members of our community to
rather pursue women and cannot Guru Nanak, when Pakistan's find refuge in the lairs of liars.
live up to the great ideals of their Federal Law Minister, Sayed Understanding the phenomenon
Gurus. This should not be read Afzel, announced at Nankana and making changes in one's own
as a rejection of those ideals but a Sahib that Pakistan will recog- life is the key to our salvation as a
realization of where they are and nize and enact legislation recog- community.
their priorities at this time. nizing the Anand Marriage Act. While I wish I could include
(Though this may be the case of For the globalized Sikh communi- more social issues, such as sex-
those that remove their pagri on ties this success will spark selective abortion, the rise of drug
their own account and not in increased debate in India and abuse, violence against women,
those families and children beyond. Despite the continuing casteism, these are systemic prob-
where they never had it as many disappointment of the Sikh com- lems where progress usually is not
in the diaspora) The way the munities' position in France, suc- made in data points on a 'top 5' list.
Punjabi Sikh youth rallied cess in this matter in Pakistan However, these systemic issues are
behind Ishmeet Singh's turban to gives new hope and new legisla- some of the key issues that I hope
win him the title of 'Star Voice of tive impetus for the Sikh commu- the Sikh community resolves to
India' shows, however, that the nity in 2008 and beyond. combat and recommit to alleviate
pagri flag does create unifying 1. Dera Sacha Sauda Incident - by following the examples of our
marker. The success of No other issue galvanized the beloved Gurus.
02 January to 08 January 2008 WORLD SIKH NEWS 12

KHALSA
INSURANCE SERVICES Prices so low, it
feels like you’re
AUTO • HOME • LIFE • TRUCK • HEALTH buying in Rupees!
BUSINESS (STORES, GAS STATIONS & RESTAURANTS)
BOND • SHOPPING CENTERS • APARTMENTS
WORK-COMP • UMBRELLA • RENTERS • FLOOD We rent

VISITORS HEALTH INSURANCE

Lehengas and
Jewelry sets
for Weddings!

We specialize in Punjabi Suits,

all sorts of Saris, Lehengas,
and artificial Jewelry.
We also do all kinds of
alteration and fitting work.

WE REPRESENT OVER Since BOUTIQUE HOURS:

40 A RATED COMPANIES 1992

Tues., Thurs., Friday: 4PM to 8PM
Saturday & Sunday: 12PM to 7PM

3750 McKee Road, Suite A • San Jose, CA 95127 • Fax 408.493.4553 1406 Janis Court, Suite B

BEST PRICE  GOOD COVERAGE  EXCELLENT SERVICE

Livermore, CA 94551
For More information, Call:

408.272.2500 • 800.954.5409 Ph: 925.243.1300

www.khalsainsurance.com • info@khalsainsurance.com FAX: 925.373.1300

VIRSA WEAR

visit our website

for the latest news.
UPDATED REGULARLY.

www.VIRSAWEAR.com www.worldsikhnews.com
world sikh news TEXTING RELIGION December
January
12-18,
2-8,2007
2008 13

SMS
Sikhi Message Sewa
While advertising Jagmohan Singh

I
n this Tercentenary year of Guruship
networks are still of Guru Granth Sahib Ji, WSN will
continue to provide a platform to
experimenting with explore newer ways of commemorat-
ing the uniqueness of its teachings.
this new medium, Jagmohan Singh presents the Sikhi Message
Sewa initiated by young netr-
Harjinder Singh, a preneur Harjinder Singh,
using a new medium, hitherto
net-savvy and misused by mobile companies
and marketing giants.
progressive
management
You are a Sikh living in India
and you have a cell-phone -then
get set for SMS downpour. They
are not the regular irritating
student, has hit upon
this new medium to
messages, but the sewa-orient-
ed social service of an ener-
getic young and devout Sikh.
While advertising networks are still exper-
stay in touch. "This imenting with this new medium, Harjinder
Singh- a net-savvy and progressive manage-
is my way of ment student has hit upon this new medium
to stay in touch. "This is my way of celebrat-
celebrating the ing the Tercentenary of Guruship of Guru
Granth Sahib. Within 30 seconds, a message
Tercentenary of from the SikhNetwork set up through the
website www.sikhismonphone.com reaches
Guruship of Guru 30,000 viewers across India" says the humble
smart-looking Ludhiana lad. Powered by the
Granth Sahib team of smsgupshup.com, it takes mobile
messaging to a new spiritual level.
Over a period of six months, the member-
ship of this SMS group has grown from a
modest 500 to a whopping 30,000. Harjinder
is working hard to touch the target of 200,000
to coincide with the celebrations of the
Gurtagaddi Diwas of Guru Granth Sahib Ji,
in October 2008.
Using the medium of cellular phones, this
website simply asks you to provide a cell
number. The rest follows on our phone, once
a day and sometimes more. Prefixed or suf-
fixed with the official slogan, "300 Saal Guru
de Naal (1708-2008)", all messages are simple
and direct, - from Shabads with their expla-
nations to the Guru's teachings about female
foeticide, dowry, kindness, piety- covering a
wide range of religious and social aspects.
From Jhansi to Amritsar, from Rudrapur
to Panjim, every Sikh whose mobile number
is registered with the site gets the messages
free of cost. There is a small unobtrusive ad
message which follows, but it does not
detract from the substance of the Sikhi mes-
sages that implore you to help fellow Sikhs,
not to seek and give dowry, feel proud of
good deeds of Sikhs worldwide and of course
to vote for Ishmeet Singh!
Whilst this Sikhi Message Sewa was
intended to do Parchar through this new
medium, the SikhNetwork rendered a signif-
icant service in generating Sikh fervour in
favour of Ishmeet Singh. Every Saturday
evening, this network flashed messages urg-
ing members to vote for Ishmeet Singh. This
direct message galvanized new viewers all
over the country -as far as Cochin and the
Lakshadweep islands to watch the pro-
gramme and to vote en masse for Ishmeet
Singh. "Vote for Ishmeet Singh as he is a
Sikh and he is talented too." "Be proud of a
sabat-soorat Sikh singer" and so on. The
message tones never stopped on Saturdays
and Sundays. "I wanted to put this message
across. If you are good in your deeds and you
are a good Sikh, the Sikh on the street will
support you, everybody will support you"
says Harjinder. There is no doubt that he has
conveyed and pretty successfully.
Undoubtedly, it is the world's largest Sikhi
Messaging Sewa. The author of this new
script on the canvass of Sewa is exploring
prospects of starting such service in various
parts of the world. Spelling out his plans,
Harjinder Singh said that this year he would
be concentrating on spreading the Guru's
word and thence would build a network to
enable Sikhs worldwide to stay in touch.
With such a connecting service in place,
no Sikh with a cell phone will be taken off
guard. Keeping abreast of current events
and happenings will alert every receiver. "I
have many other plans in the years to come,
making www.sikhismonphone.com an inter-
active platform for exchange of information
on Sikhi a reality.
From supporting a reality contest to
becoming a real-time Sikh source of valu-
able information is the mission, which sure-
ly seems possible at the present rate of
growth.
So, pick up the phone, write an email and
just ask your friends and relatives in India to
join this unique service. All they have to do
is to send an SMS -Join Sikhnetwork to
567678 or put in their name and mobile num-
ber at the site.
The Guru's message will start reaching
you -mobile te.
Jagmohan Singh is a commentator
based in Ludhiana, Panjab.
He may be contacted at
jsbigideas@gmail.com
Tête-à-tête with
Harjinder Singh
JS: Good work, young man. What keeps you going
Harjinder?
Harjinder Singh: Through SikhNetwork, I reach
the Sikh masses, touch their lives and make a dif-
ference. I want Sikhs to stay abreast of Sikh news
from all over the world. I want them to say, 'Wow! I
did not know there are Sikhs in the US Army !!'
when they receive an SMS. I want SikhNetwork
subscribers to say, 'I never new Sikhs are not sup-
posed to consult Pandits or believe in astrology'.
JS: Do you think that you are doing Dharam
Parchar?
Harjinder Singh: It is my humble contribution
towards Dharam Parchar. The fact that I am able to
reach the Sangat from all over the country daily
motivates me no end. I am very pleased to share
Sikhi with so many people.
JS: What kind of feedback do you get?
Harjinder Singh: More than 500 calls and return
thank you SMS in a day! In the days to come, I will
need volunteers to answer the calls.
JS: Describe some of the responses?
Harjinder Singh: Oh, they are fantastic. Ranging
from, "I never knew this! I can't imagine Sikhi is so
cool!" "Please send us more and more messages
everyday." "SikhNetwork is the need of the hour."
"I keep waiting for your messages." "Your mes-
sages touch the heart."
JS: What is the key motivator?
Harjinder Singh: Undoubtedly, SikhNetwork
believes in love of Sikhi. Anyone who has a Sikh
Name is a potential member. The greatest thing is
reaching Sikhs as far as Goa and Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. They feel connected to Punjab.
They are like - Wow Wow Wow -every time they get
a message.
JS: WSN readers are in the US. What message
would you like to give them?
Harjinder Singh: The WSN readers in the US may
kindly ask all their friends and relatives to submit
their numbers to the site. They must spread the
word. Networking comes easily to Americans and
I am sure that with their contribution,
SikhNetwork will grow by leaps and bounds.

The Best Sikhi Messages

" Apne Ghar Vich Bacheya Nu Sikh Itihas
Diya Gallan Jaroor Sunao Jee Taki Oh
Sikhi Ate Sikhi Saroop Naal Jude Reh
Sakan.
" 'Chaad Maan Har Bemukhan Ko Sung',
meaning,- O my mind, leave the
company of non-believers of God. (Ang
1251, GGSJ)
" Don't you feel bad when films and
music videos show Sikhs as Jokers with
fake beards and untidy patkas making
fun of themselves? We are not Jokers!
Are we?
"Guru Teg Bahadar's Shaheedi for the
sake of Humanity inspires every Sikh- meaning - Forever and ever, I humbly "NEWS: Sikhs will now have a small
Man, Woman and Child to sacrifice bow to the Guru. (We Matha Tek ONLY to Gurudwara in the John F Kennedy Intl.
everything for Human Rights. Shabad Guru, Guru Granth Sahib Ji!!) Airport in New York. Other religions
already have their Prayer Rooms in
"All well-settled and financially sound "'Gur Ka Sikh Vadbhaagi Hai', meaning - the airport.
Gursikhs must help needy Sikhs. The Sikh of the Guru is very fortunate.
It is very important to support our needy "'Pathar Le Pujeh Mugadh Gavaar'
Sikhs. Let us uplift our people to "'Dhanvanta Hoe Kia Ko Garbai' meaning -The ignorant fools pick up
progress. meaning -Why should anyone be proud stones and worship them. (Ang 566)
of being rich? (Ang 282) -Sikhism No Sikh should engage in any form of
"If you are witness to a road accident, teaches us humility and modesty. Moorti Pooja.
please rush the victim(s) to a nearby
Hospital immediately. Being a Sikh " Today is the 332nd Shaheedi Diwas of "Sikhs believe that all children have
means helping fellow humans, Guru Tegh Bahadar Ji. --Let us firmly the right to education. Children must
whenever needed. believe that Guru Sahib is with us in the not be made to do physical labour. It
form of Shabad Guru, Guru Granth Sahib harms their growth. Say "NO" to child
"'Sada Sada Tis Gur Kao Kari Namaskar', Ji. labour.
14 January 2-8, 2008
MY FRIEND,
BENAZIR
Karan Thapar
S
itting in my digs at
Cambridge after dinner dur-
ing the Easter vacation of
1976, Benazir, who had driv-
en over from Oxford that morning
with her friend Tricia, suddenly
suggested we dash out for ice cream.
So we bundled into her MGB sports
car which was parked outside. But
instead of driving towards the cen-
tre of town, she headed for the A40.
"Where are you going?" I asked
perplexed.
"London! It's the nearest Baskin
Robbins I know."
Benazir loved ice cream. She
could eat vast quantities of it. In
later years, her favourite became
Ben & Jerry's. Whenever I
finished a particularly acri-
monious interview, she
would insist that we eat ice
cream together.
"It will cool you down!" she
would laugh.
There were several inter-
views that annoyed her, a few
that upset her and at least
one that riled her. But she Karan
never held that against me.
She accepted that a journalist had a
job to do just as she insisted that a
politician couldn't answer every
question. She always ensured that
our professional relationship - as
interviewer and Prime Minister or
Opposition leader - remained sepa-
rate from our friendship.
As a young politician, in the years
after her father's cruel hanging, she
often consciously modelled herself
on Indira Gandhi. I remember her
fascination for the traditional
Indian namaste. "It's dignified,
friendly but not familiar," she once
said. I suspect the adab that she
made her personal greeting was in
her eyes an equivalent.
In 1984, when Maqbool Butt was
about to be hanged, Benazir wrote to
Indira Gandhi pleading that he be
saved.
"Why are you doing that?" I asked.
I couldn't understand her need to
write the letter. I thought it was a
mistake.
"I have to, Karan," she explained.
"I've lived through my father's hang-
ing and I know the trauma it created
for the family I can't watch someone
. else go through the same misery
without doing what I can to prevent
it."
Indira Gandhi never
replied but
Benazir
didn't
hold
that
REMEMBRING BENAZIR
against her.
As a Bhutto daughter, Benazir
was always conscious of her fami-
ly's similarity with the Gandhis.
After Sanjay Gandhi's plane crash
and Indira's assassination in the
early 80s were followed by her broth-
er Shahnawaz's mysterious death,
she once commented that there was
a curse on both families. At the time,
Rajiv's killing and her own were still
far in the future. To day there can be
no doubt about that curse.
In 1988, when Rajiv visited
Islamabad, during the early weeks
of her first prime ministership, she
invited him and Sonia to a private
family dinner on their first night.
Her husband Asif, her mother
Nusrat and her sister Sanam were
the only other people present.
In those days, a common joke
in both countries was that
Rajiv and Benazir should
marry each other and sort
out their two countries' prob-
lems. Benazir told me they
laughed over it at dinner.
"Rajeev", as she always pro-
nounced his name, adopting
Thapar a misplaced Punjabi accent
for a Westernised Sindhi, "is
so handsome," she said when I next
met her. And then she added, "But
he's equally tough."
During the BJP years, Benazir
forged a link with the Advani family
with equal facility and friendship. A
few months after her first meeting
with L.K. Advani, we were together
in Washington for the Prayer
Breakfast of 2002. During a break in
one of the sessions, she insisted that
I accompany her shopping. "But
we're walking, okay? I need the exer-
cise and so do you!"
As we sauntered down
Connecticut Avenue, she stopped
outside an old-fashioned bookshop.
Minutes later she bought a Robert
Kaplan paperback as a gift for
Advani. I carried it back to Delhi. It
was the first of several similar gifts
she sent to him through me.
I know that as Prime Minister, her
two terms in office disillusioned
many Her fans were disappointed
whilst her . critics felt justified. But
between 1989 and 2007 the change
that characterised her attitude to
India and Kashmir in particular
steadily progressed and didn't falter.
From the young Prime Minister
who would shout on television
"Azadi, Azadi, Azadi!", she became
the first, the most consistent and
perhaps the strongest proponent of
a joint India-Pakistan solution to
Kashmir. As early
as 2001, she began
to speak about
soft borders,
free
world sikh news
trade and even, perhaps unrealisti-
cally a joint parliament for the two
halves of Kash , mir. Musharraf 's
concept of self-governance and joint
management draws heavily upon
her original thinking.
When I last interviewed her in
September, days before her return to
Pakistan, she went fur ther than
ever before. Not only did she force-
fully repeat her commitment to
clamp down on all private militias
and shut terrorist camps but, in
addition, she promised to consider
the extradition of Dawood Ibrahim
and even the possibility of giving
India access to men like Hafiz
Mohammed Sayeed and Masood
Azhar.
In private conversation, she
would readily admit that the stri-
dent Prime Minister of 1988-89 was a
mistake. In fact, she came close to
saying as much on television as well.
Had she lived to become Prime
Minister, I feel certain she would
have fulfilled this commitment. This
is why she was so upset, actually
angry at the National Securi , ty
Advisor's scepticism of her. Her
death is, therefore, an irreparable
Farewell
loss for India as well.
The two months since her return
to Pakistan have proved beyond
doubt her incredible bravery But it
wasn't . just death that she refused to
be frightened of. She was equally
fearless of failure. In 1986, at the
Wadi Bua,
peak of the Zia dictatorship, an
untried and inexperienced 33-year-
old flew home to challenge the might
of the General and his loyal army .
"Are you worried?" I asked on her
last night in London.
"When something has to be done,
my aunt
fear is the last thought in my mind."
To some that might sound pompous,
but I took it as a reflection of her
steely confidence.
This October, when I asked her if
she could repeat the miracle a sec-
ond time, she shot back with the
question, "Why do you ask?" I told
her that now she was 54, she had
been Prime Minister twice and dis- We were very Fatima Bhutto
M
appointed many and Pakistan was a y aunt and I had a com-
very different country . different. Though plicated relationship.
She heard me in silence and then That is the truth, the
softly smiled. Her eyes seemed to people liked to sad truth. The last fif-
take on a knowing but playful look. teen years were not the ones we
When she spoke, her words sounded compare us, almost spent as friends or as relatives, that
measured and well-considered. is also the truth. But this week, I
"It will be an even bigger return instinctively, because too want to remember her differ-
home." ently. I want to remember her dif-
In fact, it was an explosive return. well, they could. It is ferently because I must. I can't lose
But I doubt Benazir would have faith in this country, my home. I
wanted to die of old age. Instead, she difficult for me to can't believe that it was for nothing,
died a hero, a martyr and an inspira- that violence in its purest form is
tion for many. write about two so cruel and so unforgiving. I can't
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the father she accept that this is what we have
adored, would have been proud of people, one in the come to. So, I must offer a farewell.
his Pinky But she leaves behind One that is written in tears and
three . young children and an ailing present tense and anger but one that comes from a
mother who will miss her sorely place far away, from the realm of
And there is a hole at the heart of one in the past, at memory and forgiving - a place
Pakistan's re . turn to democracy where at another time, we might
that may never get filled. Was she the same time have all been safe. As a child, I used
her country's last chance of a peace- to call my aunt Wadi Bua, Sindhi
ful, moderate, enlightened, Muslim for father's older sister.
future? When I got the news, I was told
The day after her death, I received that something had happened to
Benazir's New Year card. It reads, Wadi Bua. It was an expression I
'Praying for peace in the world and hadn't heard or used in a very long
happiness for your family in 2008.' time, when I heard it said to me
Unfortunately, they were denied to over the phone I remembered
her. someone different.
Karan Thapar is a well We used to read children's books
known TV personality. together. We used to like exactly the
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
 world sikh news REMEMBRING BENAZIR
Hillary
Clinton
with
Benazir
Bhutto
same sweets - sugared chestnuts because I have yet to bury a loved
and candied apples. We used to get one who has died from natural
the same ear infections that tor- causes. Four. That's the number of
tured us throughout the years. family members, immediate family
I have never before written an members, whom we have laid to
article that seemed so impossible. rest, all victims of senseless
We were very different. Though killing. I was born five years after
people liked to compare us, almost my grandfather, Zulfikar Ali
instinctively, because well, they Bhutto's assassination. I was three
could. It is difficult for me to when my uncle Shahnawaz
write about two people, one was murdered. I remember
in the present tense and one Wadi Bua sitting with me
in the past, at the same time. and telling me stories while
Especially when one per- the rest of the family was
son's passing makes the with the police.
other one wonder whether When I was fourteen, my
there is a cusp to things and life was ended. I lost my
whether or not there really heart and soul, my father
is a past and present to life. Murtaza. I am and have been
I never agreed with her Fatima since then a shell of the per-
politics. I never agreed with Bhutto son I was. I suppose there are
those she kept around her, cusps in life, and thank god
the political opportunists, hangers- for that because that way we can
on, them. They repulse me. I never stay in between. And now at twenty-
agreed with her version of events. five, Wadi. But this isn't about me,
But in death, perhaps, there is a it's about those whom we have lost.
moment to call for calm. To say, It's about the graveyard at Garhi
enough. We have had enough. We Khuda Bux that is just too full.
cannot, and we will not, take any I pray that this is the last, that
more madness. I mourn because from this moment onwards we will
my family has had enough. I no longer have to bid farewell too
mourn for Bilawal, Bakhtawar, and quickly.
Asifa. I mourn for them because I Wadi, farewell.
too lost a parent. I know what it Fatima Bhutto is Benazir's niece,
feels like. the daughter of her brother
I am at a loss. I am in shock Murtaza.
December 19-25, 2007 15
PRODIGAL
DAUGHTER Vir Sanghvi Trotskyite Tariq Ali released from a
Pakistani prison so that he could fly
think back to that first debate at the
Oxford Union, 31 years ago. I see a
I
n the end, it's the first impres- back to England to take part in a determined girl, plodding away at
sion that lasts. Certainly, that's debate. (It helps when daddy runs emulating the successes of her
how it was for Benazir Bhutto the country). beloved father and being judged as
and me. I never knew her well Her term as president was little more than her father's daugh-
and what little interaction we had uneventful, lacklustre even. It is ter.
was professional - a TV interview, customary now to refer to her debat- Like Bhutto — and unlike
her visit to the HT Summit etc - but ing prowess at university but as I Jawaharlal Nehru, founder of
the image that has stayed in my remember it, she was a mediocre India's key dynasty - she had few
mind was of the first time I speaker, reading out speech- core values. She stood for no clear
ever saw her. es from a series of index ideological position and did whatev-
It was in 1976. I was an cards in a selfrighteous nasal er she thought was best in the cir-
undergraduate attending his drone. Even the few jokes she cumstances. If she had to play the
first debate at the Oxford cracked were the usual sta- globe-trotting liberal, she did so. If
Union and marvelling at the ples of the Union circuit. she had to create the Taliban, well
verbal dexterity of the Her stint at the helm of the then, that too was okay. If she had to
speakers. Benazir had fin- Union over, she vanished oppose the army, then that was her
ished with Oxford but had from Oxford, strengthening filial duty. But if she had to do a deal
stayed on or so it was widely the suspicion that she'd only with that same army, then that was
believed - because she des- Vir Sanghvi hung around to win the elec- fine too. You could argue that
perately wanted to become tion. Her friends visited her because Pakistan has no liberal-
president of the Union. At the time, in Pakistan and predicted that she democratic tradition, its politicians
her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was would be her father's political heir. do not have the opportunities that
Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Nobody could have predicted India's do. You could argue also that
she was a glamorous figure, hang- what happened next, though. a state created solely on the basis of
ing out with a socially-desirable set Within months, the senior Bhutto religion is less equipped to fight reli-
and dressing expensively. had called an election and had gious extremism than secular India.
A Union tradition requires the rigged it so blatantly that riots But judging by Benazir's record
first speaker of the day to tear into erupted on the streets when the right till the moment they shot her
all the other speakers. On that occa- results were declared. The deterio- on Thursday - there's no real evi-
sion, Benazir was speaking and the rating law and order situation led dence that she was the great politi-
first speaker, Trevor Bench-Capon, the army, under General Zia-ul-Haq, cal leader that the obituary writers
began by outlining her many unsuc- to take control. Zia threw Bhutto in claimed she was on Friday.
cessful attempts to become presi- jail, tried him for murder and, as She was bright, charming, decent
dent of the Union. "Miss Bhutto's the world watched appalled, hanged even. But she was a dynast, doing
failures hold a lesson for us all," he him. Benazir Bhutto found that her what she needed to do to get daddy's
boomed. "If at first you don't suc- future had changed forever. The job for herself.
ceed, then don't try and try again. father she worshipped was dead. Her designation said it all. She
Just give up!" The new Pakistani government was wasn't just chairperson of the PPP.
The audience laughed and entirely hostile to her. And as she She was "Chairperson for Life".
Benazir managed a tight smile. But participated in the resistance to And because of her tragic and
worse was to follow. "Miss Bhutto's General Zia's regime, she was untimely demise, she may well end
claim to fame," he continued, "is her arrested. up being the last Bhutto, daughter
father. He is a tradesman of some She was 26. And the Oxford Union of a dynasty that tried and tried and
description. A butcher, I gather." seemed a long way away. tried again.
The audience roared again but I Many years later, Benazir Bhutto And never gave up. Till it had no
could not take my eyes off Benazir. told me that she believed that the choice.
She looked as though somebody had moment things began to go serious- Vir Sanghvi is a celebrated editor.
slapped her. And she never recov- ly wrong for Pakistan was when Courtesy: Hindustan Times
ered her composure that evening. General Zia took over. My first reac-
I bumped into her infrequently tion was to think: well, you would
after that first debate (but not mem- say that, wouldn't you?
orably: when we met again many All leaders risk death - whether
years later as interviewer and inter- in India or Pakistan - when they
viewee, she had no clue who I was), campaign but most believe that
and I was struck by the persona she adequate security will offer some
had chosen to adopt for her Oxford measure of protection. I think
days. She hung around with very Benazir did not understand that
few South Asians, her pals were the cancer of Islamic militancy
upper to upper-middle class Brits, had eaten so deep into Pakistani
she dressed Western, looked Iranian society that the normal rules of law
(after her mother) rather than and order had been abandoned.
Pakistani or Indian, and was unfail- The disorderly civil society she
ingly charming to everyone she met had left behind had descended into
at the Union bar. But nobody could a bloody anarchy during her
ever forget that she was Zulfikar Ali absence. In this kind of society, no
Bhutto's daughter. In 1976, five years security can ever be enough -
after the massacres that led to the especially if your assassins
creation of Bangladesh, there were are willing to kill them-
many in Oxford who held ZA Bhutto selves along with you.
responsible for the killings and it What happens next has
was common to refer to him as 'the important consequences
Butcher of Bangladesh'. for India. I am prepared
Though the stigma surrounding to accept the claims of
the Bhutto name was largely her friends that she
unfounded, it wounded Benazir would have softened
deeply. It was clear that she wor- Pakistan's hostility to
shipped her father; she drew her India - no more safe
sense of identity almost entirely haven for Dawood
from being his daughter; and most Ibrahim, fewer
people believed that her relentless terrorist training
determination to become president camps across
of the Union stemmed from a desire the Kashmir
to emulate his political success. border etc. So,
At the end of that year, Benazir how will we
did fi nally manage to get elected as remember
president and pretty much her first B e n a z i r
act was to get the British-Pakistani Bhutto? I still
16 January 2-8, 2008
Hugo Chavez
pardons 2002
coup plotters
CARACAS: President Hugo
Chavez granted amnesty on
Monday to those accused of
involvement in a failed 2002
coup that briefly drove him
from power.
Chavez said he signed an
amnesty decree that would also
pardon others accused in sus-
pected attempts to overthrow
the government or assassinate
him. It was not immediately
clear how ma
The decree would also pardon
others charged in suspected
attempts to overthrow the gov-
er nment or assassinate him,
Chavez said. It was not immedi-
ately clear how many accused
opponents would be affected by
the amnesty.
“It’s a matter of turning the
page,’’ Chavez said in a tele-
phone call to state television on
Kenyan President wins Vatican to create
violence-marred election more exorcists
NAIROBI: Kenyan President
Mwai Kibaki won a second term
on Sunday amid allegations that
the government stole the vote,
sparking deadly riots that lit up
the night sky as enraged youths
torched homes and shouted
“Kibaki must go!’’
Soon after the results were
announced, the gover nment
suspended all live television
broadcasts and the slums, home
to tens of thousands of opposi-
tion supporters, exploded into
fresh violence. At least 15 peo-
ple were killed in fighting
across the country, police and
witnesses said, although the
tally was likely higher.
“This country is going to turn
into a war zone,’’ said Elisha
Kayugira, who was running
through the Kibera shantytown,
searching for his sister, as
columns of black smoke curled
above the maze of shacks and
winding dirt roads.
Others were waving machetes
in the air as buses and shops
burned. The bloodshed was a
France decides to boycott Syria over Lebanon crisis
CAIRO: France will have no more
contact with Syria until
Damascus shows willingness to
let Lebanon end its long-running
political crisis and find a new
president, President Nicolas
Sarkozy said on Sunday.
France “will have no more con-
tact with Syria until we have proof
of Syrian willingness to let
Lebanon appoint a president by
consensus,” Sarkozy told journal-
ists after talks in Cairo with
Egyptian President Hosni
New Year’s Eve. “We would like
a country that moves toward
peace.’’
Chavez read aloud the new
law, which grants amnesty to
those who signed a decree rec-
ognizing an interim gover n-
ment that briefly replaced him
during the 2002 coup. Chavez
was ousted by dissident mili-
tary officers, but was returned
to the presidency by loyalist
generals within two days, amid
street protests by his support-
ers.
Opponents accused of taking
over Venezuela’s state televi-
sion channel during the coup
would also fall under the
amnesty, along with those who
sought to sabotage the oil indus-
try during an opposition-led
strike that followed the coup, he
said.
stunning turn of events in one
of the most developed countries
in Africa, with a booming
tourism industry and one of the
continent’s highest growth
rates. Many observers saw the
campaign as the greatest test
yet of this young, multiparty
democracy and expressed great
disappointment as the process
descended into chaos.
Raila Odinga, the firebrand
opposition candidate who had
been leading early results and
public opinion polls, said the
dispute could trigger a political
crisis like in Ukraine or the
Ivory Coast. Following reports
he would stage his own swear-
ing-in Monday, police war ned
the opposition not to take any
step that might incite violence.
Elections chief Samuel
Kivuitu, who read the results on
live television after other media
were expelled from the main
vote headquarters Sunday, said
Kibaki beat Odinga by 231,728
votes in the closest race in
Kenya’s history.
Mubarak covering thorny region-
al issues. The French president
was on his first official trip to the
Middle East since taking office in
May and his Cairo talks followed a
private Egyptian holiday.
Former colonial power France
“wants a president for Lebanon,”
Sarkozy said. “It’s time to pro-
vide proof (of goodwill), it’s time
for Syria to show it.”
Keen to stress a continuation
of his predecessor Jacques
Chirac’s Arab-friendly policies,
WORLD
Australians line the foreshore to usher in the New Year with the spectacular ‘The Time Of Your Life’
fireworks display over Sydney Harbour. The 3,000 kg pyrotechnics included 100,000 individual effects
ignited from the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
``This means Honorable Mwai
Kibaki is the winner,’’ Kivuitu
said, soon after he was escorted
from the counting center under
ar med guard. Hecklers had
stopped his announcement with
shouts of ``This is not a police
state!’’ and ``Justice!’’
Kivuitu had acknowledged
problems with the count,
including a constituency where
voter turnout added up to 115
percent and another where a
candidate ran away with ballot
papers.
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff,
chief European Union election
monitor, said the Electoral
Commission of Kenya ``has not
succeeded in establishing the
credibility of the tallying
process to the satisfaction of all
parties and candidates.’’
Kibaki was sworn in almost
immediately after the results
were announced, standing with
his hand on the Bible in a
serene ceremony at State House
as his wife Lucy and dignitaries
looked on.
Sarkozy called on Israel to make
gestures to show its commitment
to peace with the Palestinians.
“I’ve said several times that it’s
time for Israel to make gestures
which would show that peace is
possible, including ending settle-
ments,” in the occupied West
Bank, Sarkozy said.
“Our position (toward Israel)
is unchanging, being a friend
doesn’t mean being complacent,”
Sarkozy said,
Sarkozy has ruffled Arab feath-
to take on evil
LONDON: Remember the 1974
horror film The Exorcist based on
real events? Well, 33 years on, it
seems to have created some impact
on the Vatican which has now
vowed to tackle the “evil”.
According to Vatican’s Exorcist-
in-Chief Father Gabriele Amorth,
the Roman Catholic Church will
train hundreds of priests as exor-
cists to “fight the Devil head-on”,
The Daily Telegraph reported on
Saturday.
As per plans, each bishop will
have a group of priests in his dio-
cese who would be specially
trained in exorcism and on hand
to take action against “extreme
Godlessness”.
“Thanks to God that we have a
Pope who has decided to fight the
Devil head-on. Now bishops are to
be obliged to have a number of
established exorcists for their dio-
cese. Too many bishops are not
taking this seriously and are not
ers by showing friendship for
Israel and rejecting anti-
Americanism, with sections of
the Egyptian press deriding him
as President George W Bush’s new
poodle, replacing British ex-pre-
mier Tony Blair.
While the US remains Israel’s
key ally, France is seen by many
as the Western power most able to
end Lebanon’s political impasse.
“It’s time for Syria to prove with
facts what it has not stopped say-
ing in speeches,” Sarkozy said.
world sikh news
delegating their priests in the
fight against the Devil. You have to
hunt high and low for a proper,
trained exorcist,” he said.
“Thankfully, Pope Benedict XVI
believes in the existence and dan-
ger of evil, from the time he was in
charge of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith,” Fr Amorth
was quoted as saying.
The Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, the oldest
Vatican department, deals with
promoting and safeguarding
Roman Catholic beliefs.
It was headed by the Pope when
he was Cardinal Ratzinger, from
1982 until his election as Pope in
2005. Fr Amorth said that during
his time at the department the
Pope had warned humanity of the
risks it faces from the Devil. “I
remember a meeting we exorcists
had with the Holy Father last year,
in which he implored us to follow
our mission as exorcists.”
“We are now waiting for acts on
Syria’s part and not speeches.”
Only last month, Sarkozy called
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,
reopening top-level contacts after
a three-year break in a bid to end
Lebanon’s political crisis, Syrian
media reported at the time.
Mubarak described the political
deadlock in Lebanon as “danger-
ous” and appealed to Syria to “use
its influence in Lebanon to work
towards reconciliation so that the
parliament elects a president”.
world sikh news WORLD January 2-8, 2008 17

Fahim may Poll rigging: Bhutto had

be Pak’s next ‘proof’ of ISI-EC nexus KARACHI: Benazir Bhutto was
poised to reveal proof that
"The President has said a free,
fair, transparent and peaceful
to the Election Commission's sys-
tem.

puppet PM
ISLAMABAD: Like most other
politicians in Pakistan,
Makhdoom Amin Fahim, too, is a
feudal lord.
And like all other leaders in
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP),
Fahim, too, believes in complete
loyalty to the Bhuttos.
Everything else, including poli-
tics, democracy or the country is
secondary.
In 2003, when Pervez
Musharraf offered him prime
ministership on condition he
snapped ties with Benazir, the
Sindhi leader declined in a jiffy.
And this year, when ‘Mohatarma
Benazir Bhutto Sahiba’ asked
him to contest the presidential
poll against the general, he
jumped into the fray in a second.
Such is his fidelity to Pakistan’s
first family.
In 1993, after the PPP swept the
polls in Sindh, Benazir refused
to make Fahim the CM. She was
always a bit scared of his popu-
larity in the province. But he
didn’t hold any grudge against
her. And that’s how Musharraf
couldn’t use him against
Benazir.
Now, the years of loyalty final-
ly seem to be paying.
The 68-year-old leader, who has
been PPP parliamentary leader
in the national assembly and a
minister in Benazir’s govern-
ment, finally has a chance to
become the prime minister with-
out betraying the Bhuttos.
As a teenager takes over the
reins of the 40-year-old centrist
party, Fahim’s brief is clear:
Groom the boy and keep the seat
warm for the heir. It’s a familiar
scene in this part of the world.
With PPP likely to sweep polls
on a sympathy wave, this could
be Fahim’s best chance. But,
with Bilawal and Asif Zardari
leading the PPP, he has been told
that he can at best be a regent,
and not the real leader. That con-
trol will remain with the family.
So, if Pakistan goes to the polls
and PPP wins, get ready for
another puppet prime minister.
Pakistan's Election Commission
and ISI were seeking to rig an
upcoming general election the
night she was assassinated, a top
aide disclosed on Tuesday.
Senator Latif Khosa, who wrote
a 160-page dossier with Bhutto
documenting rigging tactics, said
they ranged from intimidation to
fake ballots, and were in some
cases unwittingly funded by US
aid.
Bhutto had been due to give the
report to two visiting US lawmak-
ers over dinner on December 27,
the day she was killed in a suicide
bombing.
"The state agencies are manipu-
lating the whole process," Khosa,
a top Bhutto aide and head of her
Pakistan People's Party election
monitoring unit, said.
"There is rigging by the ISI
(Inter-Services Intelligence), the
Election Commission and the pre-
vious government, which is still
continuing to hold influence.
They were on the rampage."
President Pervez Musharraf's
spokesman Rashid Qureshi dis-
missed the claim as 'ridiculous'.
"It makes one laugh," he said.
US offers help on Bhutto assassination probe
WASHINGTON: With questions
being raised on the credibility of
the Pakistan government’s probe
into the killing of former pre-
mier Benazir Bhutto, the US has
offered to provide “any assis-
tance or guidance” required by
Islamabad for a “full investiga-
tion” into the assassination.
The Bush administration,
however, made it clear that
Pakistan has not asked it for any
election is essential, which forms
part of his overall strategy for
transforming Pakistan into a
fully democratic nation."
"Benazir's coming back to
Pakistan was part of a national
reconciliation ordinance," he
added. "Take it from me, it's going
to be perhaps the best election
that Pakistan has ever had."
Khosa said the report, entitled
'Yet another stain on the face of
democracy', details how the ISI
was planning to issue 25,000 pre-
stamped ballots for each of 108
candidates for national assembly
seats in Punjab from the party
that backs President Musharraf
and formed his government.
"They have used intimidatory
tactics, they intimidated the
returning officers into rejecting
nomination papers, they prevent-
ed candidates from submitting
their nomination papers," Khosa
said.
"This happened in Baluchistan
and in the other Central areas of
Pakistan. It happened in Sindh."
He said the ISI also had a 'mega
computer' which could hack into
any computer and was connected
help. “Obviously they’re a sover-
eign government and they will
have to be conducting that inves-
tigation. We have offered to pro-
vide any guidance or assistance
that is requested,” White House
Deputy Press Secretary Scott
Stanzel said at a briefing in
Crawford, Texas.
“At this time, as far as I’m
aware, none has been requested
of the United States, but that is a
Separately the commission had
tried to manipulate the voting
register by leaving millions of
potential voters out, he added.
An initial draft list of voters
published in June put the elec-
torate at 52 million people, more
than 20 million short, triggering a
backlash from Musharraf's poli-
tial opponents.
The Supreme Court ordered the
commission to revise the list, and
in October it raised the total to 80
million.
"The Election Commission is
completely subservient to the gov-
ernment," Khosa said.
In the Election Commission's
case, US financial aid had been
used in rigging, he added, stress-
ing however he did not believe it
was diverted military aid.
"She was going to give the
dossier to two US lawmakers sim-
ply because they happened to be
visiting. It was then going to be
made public," Khosa said.
"Benazir was supposed to hold a
press conference. It was going to
be distributed to everyone, but
unfortunately that did not arise
because she was assassinated."
matter for the Pakistani govern-
ment to move forward on; it’s
early in the investigation,” he
said.
The spokesman said that it
was in the interest of the people
of Pakistan that a “full investi-
gation” is held. “I think it’s in
the interest of long-term
prospects for democracy in
Pakistan that that be the case,”
he said.

Malaysian Sikhs
celebrate Guru
Nanak’s Gurpurab
KUALA LUMPUR: The Sikhs of
Malaysia have started month-long
prayers to celebrate Guru
Nanak’s 538th birthday at one of
the oldest gurdwaras in Rawang.
Thousands of devotees reached
the Nanaksar Temple on
Wednesday to attend prayers for
the first Guru of the Sikh faith.
‘Hundreds of devotees came to
attend the prayers and volun-
teered to cook for devotees
throughout the month,’ temple
president Mahinder Kaur said.
During the month, Sri Guru
Granth Sahib would be recited
non-stop while religious hymns
would be sung during the
evenings.
Other activities organized on
the occasion were a blood dona-
tion campaign and a procession of
the holy book through Serendah
town, the New Straits Times
reported.
Malaysia has nearly 100,000
Sikhs and the Sikh community in
Malaysia owes its arrival to the
British connection and in particu-
lar the recruitment of Sikhs for
the paramilitary and police units,
which formed the nucleus from
which the modern police and mil-
itary forces of the nation were
derived. The first of these units
was the Perak Sikhs.
30 burned alive in church Elections must go
NAIROBI: At least 30 people were burnt
alive in a church on Tuesday in Kenya,
where the death toll from days of violence
triggered by disputed presidential elections
looked set to pass the 300 mark.
The victims had taken shelter in the
Kenya Assemblies of God church in the
western town of Eldoret as they sought to
escape escalating tribal clashes that have
fuelled the post-election unrest.
The incident is likely to raise concerns
that the violence could develop into a full-
blown ethnic conflict.
“At least 30 burned to death,” a police
commander said. Another 10 people died
after their house was torched in the port of
Mombasa which has witnessed several
nights of tit-for-tat tribal killings.
Earlier on Tuesday, EU monitors cast
doubts on the results of the December 27
poll, so increasing pressure on re-elected
President Mwai Kibaki who was sworn in
on Sunday despite widespread voterigging
allegations.
A second consecutive day of conflict
and clashes between police and protestors
left more than 110 dead, with no end in sight
to the unrest that has plunged one of
Africa’s more stable democracies into an
unprecedented crisis.
World leaders called on Kibaki and
defeated opposition candidate Raila Odinga
to open a dialogue, but Odinga said he
would only talk when the president owned
up to fraud.
“The conditions under which we are
prepared to negotiate is that Kibaki must
first accept that he did not win the elec-
The fleeing refugees
tions,” he told the BBC.
Odinga’s charges were lent extra weight
by the EU election monitoring team which
issued a report on Tuesday saying the vote
had \“fallen short” of international stan-
dards and called for an independent audit
into the results.
The polls were “marred by a lack of
transparency in the processing and tallying
of presidential results, which raises con-
cerns about the accuracy of the final
results,” the report said. Britain, the for-
mer colonial power, joined international
calls for calm, with PM Gordon Brown
speaking by telephone to both Kibaki and
Odinga.
“What I want to see is them coming
together, I want to see talks and I want to
see reconciliation and unity,” Brown said.
While noting the widespread allegations of
vote-rigging, Brown argued that “the first
priority” was ending the violence.
on, says Brown
LONDON: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has
asked Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to go-
ahead with planned elections saying the legacy of
Benazir Bhutto's death should be the country's com-
mitment to democracy.
"The legacy of Bhutto's death should be Pakistan's
commitment to democracy," Brown said while speak-
ing to television media.
The Prime Minister pledged to "step up" efforts to
defeat terrorism in Pakistan and ensure that the dem-
ocratic process continues.
Brown said, "The international community is unit-
ed in its outrage and determination that those who
stoop to such tactics shall not prevail.
"I therefore encouraged President Musharraf to
stick to the course he has outlined to build democracy
and stability in Pakistan."
In an earlier Downing Street statement, he said he
had passed the nation's condolences to the people of
Pakistan in a telephone call with President
Musharraf. Brown said "I have just spoken again to
President Musharraf. I passed on my condolences, and
those of the British people, following the assassina-
tion of Benazir Bhutto and many of her supporters on
Thursday. Terming Bhutto's assassination as a potent
reminder of the threat from terror, he said "this was a
cowardly terrorist act designed to destabilize demo-
cratic elections.
"Pakistan is a major ally in the global effort to com-
bat this (terrorism) menace. I told President
Musharraf that the UK is prepared to sustain and
build the already significant counter-terrorism sup-
port we offer his country, not least in the efforts to
destroy Al-Qaida."
18 January 2-8, 2008 NEWS / OPINION world sikh news

Life after the midnight knock

Jyoti Punwani questions or even keep offending news-

Textile and press workers papers around. The same kind of silent

I
t’s going to be a bleak Christmas for
the inmates of the andaa cell in
Arthur Road Jail. Reminding fellow
inmate Vernon Gonsalves of the sumptu-
ous delights he had relished during
Ramzan and Id, they had asked for
Christmas goodies in return.
But just when Vernon’s lawyer-wife
Susan Abraham had asked her in-laws to
make extra kululs, rose cookies and one
more plum cake, she got a call from ‘Irfan
ki ammi’. Her husband had been whisked
away by the police to Chandrapur. The
caller, whom she chanced to meet once
fleetingly, has been informing Susan of
her husband’s sudden shifts ever since he
was arrested.
'Irfan ki ammi' is one of those unex-
pected quarters from which help has
come in these three harrowing months,
while the legal safeguards ostensibly in
place for undertrials haven’t worked. But
if the system failed her, there have been
plenty of those who’ve rallied around and
kept Susan afloat through the worst crisis
she has gone through - even worse than
her own imprisonment 21 years ago for
attending a May Day rally in Chandrapur.
This time, she’s had to share the ordeal
of her husband’s arrest, the flood of dis-
information by the police aired through
the media, and his travails in custody as
he was paraded through Chandrapur and
Gondia, with her 13-year-old son.
Sagar, says Susan, wasn’t entirely
unaware that his parents were different.
It wasn’t just that they were older, or did-
n’t celebrate Christmas. She remembers
the building children asking her incredu-
lously, "Auntie, is it true what Sagar says
- that you’ve been in jail? Has uncle
(Vernon) really eaten ants’ chutney?"
Some of his parents’ traits have rubbed
in Mumbai, unorganised
construction workers and
Adivasis in Chandrapur —
a number of lives have
been touched by this 50-
Susan and Vernon
year-old couple
incriminating
off on the child. evidence (including a book by the black
His teachers have told Susan how, in a poet-activist Maya Angelou), the instruc-
storytelling session in school, Sagar tion went out: "Don’t touch the boy’s
related the story of Bhagat Singh "told to books or CDs."
me by my father". Or how, asked to speci- Through the search, a handcuffed
fy his community, the child answered: Vernon had been confined to the bed-
“My mother’s from Kerala, my father room, and Susan wasn’t allowed to talk to
from Mangalore. I’m an Indian.’’ As the him. Sagar was, but initially preferred to
child of a working mother and a father hang around keeping a watch on the
who was often away from home, Sagar police, alerting Susan when he saw them
grew up among Susan’s lawyer/trade place a pistol on the bed. As the night pro-
unionist-friends, and knew there were a gressed however, the boy went to his room
lot of people like his parents, who could to sleep, making his father promise he’d
have lived well, but who had chosen to wake him up when he left.
work with the poor. The police left at around 7 am, by which
But even knowing all this could not time many of the building’s residents had
have prepared Sagar for what he saw come down for their morning walk.
when he opened his door at midnight on Seeing the flurry of activity in the
August 19: his father surrounded by a ground-floor flat, they crowded around,
dozen plain-clothed policemen, saying, offering to help.
"I’ve been picked up." Since that mor ning, says Susan, who
Sagar had at the time been studying for has lived in this building for seven
his exams, a fact that greatly impressed years, and is a member of the society’s
the policemen. "Not like our kids, whom managing committee, her neighbours
we have to beat to get them to study," they have been amazingly supportive.
told one another. And even as they ran- Sagar’s playmates have even war ned
sacked the two-room apartment for their parents not to ask the child any
support has come from Sagar’s school
too, leaving both mother and child sur-
prised but grateful.
Perhaps it’s some kind of reward for
the number of persons helped by Vernon
and Susan. A topper throughout school,
and on the SSC merit list, Vernon could
have walked into any elite college, but
chose the nondescript Burhani College
where he got involved in an agitation for
student council rights. That was when he
joined the All India Catholic Universities
Federation.
Later, he gave up a corporate job to
teach in college. Susan came to study in
Mumbai from Africa, where her parents
taught, and stayed on. Both became part
of the vibrant Left movement in post-
Emergency Mumbai. Susan risked her job
as a journalist when she got involved in
the famous Indian Express workers’
strike in 1984, studied law, and finally
joined Vernon when he chose to work as a
trade unionist in Chandrapur, then a
boom town.
Textile and press workers in Mumbai,
unorganised construction workers and
Adivasis in Chandrapur - a number of
lives have been touched by this 50-year-
old couple. Is it this knowledge that has
made 13-year-old Sagar retain his compo-
sure all through - whether it was when
the Gondia police came knocking one
evening when he was alone at home, or
when he met his father in court recently
after three months?
Susan doesn’t know. All she knows is
that “it’s Sagar who’s kept me going.
Despite the illegal acts of the police, the
frustrating delays of this legal system, I
get strength and inspiration from the way
he’s coping, and determination to keep
him that way."

Dr. Baba Saheb Huge VHP

Ambedkar’s writings
In one of his revolutionary book on Indian philosophy
Riddles In Hinduism, Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar presents
his surprisingly unconventional views about the
rally for Ram
contradictions of India’s Brahminical culture. For the
readers of World Sikh News, this book is being serialized

To begin with it would be better
to have a full understanding of
the Ashram Dharma before
inquiring into its origin and its
purpose and its peculiarities. The
best source for an exposition of
the Ashram system is the Manu
Smriti from which the following
relevant extracts are reproduced :
Ch. II-36 In the eighth year after
conception, one should perform
the initiation (upanayana) of a
Brahmana, in the eleventh after
conception (that) of a Kshatriya,
but in the twelfth that of a Vaisya.
Ch. II-168. A twice-born man
who, not having studied the Veda,
applies himself to other (and
wordly study), soon falls, even
while living, to the condition of a
Sudra and his descendants (after
him).
Ch. III-1. The vow of the three
Vedas under a teacher must be
kept for thirty-six years or for
half that time, or for a quarter, or
until the (student) has perfectly
learnt them.
Ch. III-2. Who has studied in
due order the three Vedas, or two,
or even one only, without break-
ing the (rule of) studentship, shall
enter the order of householder.
Ch. VI-8. The student, the
householder, the hermit, and the
ascetic, these (constitute) four
separate orders, which all spring
from (the order of) householders.
Ch. VI-88. But all (or) even
(any of) these orders, assumed
successively in accordance with
the Institutes (of the sacred law),
lead the Brahmana who acts by
the preceding (rules) to the high-
est state.
Ch. VI-89. And in accordance
with the precepts of the Veda
and of the Smriti, the house-
keeper is declared to be superior
to all of them ; for he supports
PART:96
the other three.
Ch. VI-1. A twice-born Snataka,
who has thus lived according to
the law in the order of household-
ers, may , taking a firm resolution
and keeping his organs in subjec-
tion, dwell in the forest, duly
(observing the rules given below).
Ch. VI-2. When a householder
sees his (skin) wrinkled and (his
hair) white, and the sons of his
sons, then he may resort to the
forest.
Ch. VI-33. But having thus
passed the third pert of (a man’s
natural term of) life in the forest,
he may live as an ascetic during
the fourth part of his existence,
after abandoning all attachment
to worldly objects.
Ch. VI-34 He who after passing
from order to order, after offering
sacrifices and subduing his sens-
es, becomes, tired with giving
alms and offerings of food, an
ascetic, gains bliss after death.
Ch. VI-35 When he has paid the
three debts, let him apply his
mind to (the attainment of) final
liberation; he who seeks it with-
out having paid (his debts) sinks
downwards.
Ch. VI-36. Having studied the
Vedas in accordance with the
rule, having begot sons accord-
ing to the sacred law, and having
offered sacrifices according to
his ability, he may direct his
mind to (the attainment of) final
liberation.
Ch. VI-37. A twice-born man
who seeks final liberation, with-
out having studied the Vedas,
without having begotten sons and
without having offered sacrifices,
sinks downwards.”
For these rules it is clear that
according to Manu there are
three features of the ashram
Dharma. First is that it is not
To be continued
Setu in Delhi
NEW DELHI: Buoyed by the saf-
fron surge in Gujarat, the Hindu
extremist Sangh Parivar on
Sunday stepped up pressure on
the Ram Setu issue with a huge
VHP rally demanding scrapping
of the Sethusamudram project.
The rally which saw a galaxy of
leaders from the Sangh Parivar
and the BJP, including RSS chief
K S Sudarshan, warned the gov-
ernment that the people of the
country would not tolerate any
damage to the Ram Setu, which
they believe had been built for
the Ram's conquest of demon
king Ravana.
"Not only Hindus, but Muslims
and Christians also oppose the
project," Sudarshan said to a
loud applause from the gathering
in which BJP chief Rajnath
Singh and two party Chief
Ministers Raman Singh and
Shivraj Singh Chouhan were
present.
Radical VHP leaders Ashok
Singhal and Pravin Togadia
wanted the government to pay
heed to their demands reminding
it that "we destroyed Babar's
structure in just four hours", an
obvious reference to the Hindus'
demolition of the Babri mosque.
Also significant were messages
of support from former Prime
Radical VHP leaders Ashok
Singhal and Pravin Togadia
wanted the government to
pay heed to their demands
reminding it that "we
destroyed Babar's
structure in just four
hours", an obvious
reference to the demolition
of the Babri mosque
Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa
and Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal, whose
Shiromani Akali Dal is a part of
the NDA.
In a clear move to revive its
Hindutva plank, Togadia won-
dered whether the government
would have gone ahead with the
project if it was "Ali Setu".
The VHP rally came a day after
the BJP strategy group decided
to begin a systematic study of the
social and political profile of
each of the 543 Lok Sabha con-
stituencies.
world sikh news
Live life to the fullest A few handy tips show you how to live longer and increase your life expectancy
Have a good laugh
◗ Research states that laughter may be
beneficial to health. Laughing
appears to boost the blood flow (by
more than 20 per cent) and
researchers say it may reduce the risk
of developing heart disease. Laughing
has previously been found to help
fight infections, relieve hay fever, ease
pain and help control diabetes. The
positive effect of laughing is thought
to last around 30-45 minutes.
Adjust sleeping time
◗ Life expectancy may be reduced by
sleeping more than eight hours a
night. A study found that people who
get only six to seven hours sleep a
night live longer than those who
sleep eight hours or more, or less
than four hours.
Eat more garlic
◗ Garlic has been referred to as
‘nature’s antibiotic’. It is a powerful
cleanser of the body and regular
ingestion promotes a healthy heart
and circulation by lowering blood
pressure and cholesterol, and also
helps fight infection and boost immu-
nity. There is also strong evidence to
suggest that garlic helps with the pre-
vention of cancers of the digestive
system, including the esophagus,
stomach, colon and rectum. Those
who don’t like the taste of garlic
should try the odourless supple-
ments that are available.
Drink tea
◗ Many bodies of research support
the view that tea is good for your
M
ost of us have cherished
memories of pestering our
parents and grandparents
to narrate a ‘new’ story every night
as a child. And even as the long,
playful days would unfold them-
selves into calm, thoughtful nights,
we would find ourselves happily
lost into the joys of yet another
story.
The art of storytelling has been
looked upon as a tool to influence
the way a child thinks. Research
says that children absorb as much
as they can in the first five years of
their life. And counsellors suggest
that when parents read out stories
to their kids, it stays with them for
life, enriching their personality
and improving their vocabulary.
Shruti Mehta, mother of a nine-
year-old, reveals, “My son had a
speech disorder. That was when a
psychiatrist suggested that we tell
The healthy art
of storytelling
Be it the concept of reading out stories or the
interactive way in which parents and grandparents
narrate them, storytelling is healthy for kids
him stories and make him read out
to us. Today, not only has his
speech improved but he has also
become socially proficient.”
Parents also agree that story-
telling is an essential technique to
instill good values in the kids.
Asha Pillai, mother of a five-year-
health. Scientists tend to agree that
tea, both black and green, may con-
tribute positively to the promotion of
health and the prevention of chronic
disease. Recent research studies
reveal the antioxidants in tea may
inhibit the growth of cancer cells,
support dental health, increase bone
density and strengthen cardiovascu-
lar health. According to a study pub-
lished in Circulation: The Journal of
the American Heart Association,
heart attack patients who were tea
drinkers decreased their risk of
death by up to 44 per cent, as com-
pared to non-tea drinkers.
Drink more red wine
◗ Any excuse to drink more has good
to be good! Recent studies show that
drinking around one glass of red
wine a day may have certain health
benefits by protecting against cer-
tain cancers and heart disease, and
can have a positive effect on choles-
terol levels and blood pressure.
Excessive or binge drinking, howev-
er, unfortunately doesn’t produce the
same benefits.
Regular self examination
◗ For women this means regularly
examining their breasts, and while
breast cancer is not unknown among
men, males should regularly check
their testicles for lumps. It is impor-
tant to get to know how your body
parts normally feel and look, and
report any changes, such as a lump,
to your doctor. More often than not,
lumps prove to be benign, and these
types of cancer are usually curable if
old, says, “I’ve been telling stories
to my daughter since she was two.
And today she tells me the same
stories. The moral of the stories
are a perfect way to impart a les-
son.”
Laying emphasis on the impor-
tance of introducing storytelling
HEALTH
they're caught early enough.
Have regular smear/prostate tests
◗ Women will usually be called once
every one to three years for a smear
test, and should make sure they
attend when requested. Prostate can-
cer is one of the most common forms
of cancer in men and is second only
to lung cancer as the biggest cancer
killer. There are varying viewpoints
about how often men should have a
test and at what age. Testing should
start at the age of 50, or at the age of
40 if in high-risk groups, such as
black men or those with a father,
brother or son with the disease.
However, if you have any concerns
go and visit your doctor.
Monitor your bowel behaviour
◗ Any dramatic change in bowel
habits such as an increase in consti-
pation, or passing blood should be
referred to a doctor immediately. It
could prove be something as simple
as piles (haemorrhoids), or worse
case scenario could be bowel cancer,
which is important to discover as
early as possible.
Drink more water
◗ Most people are unaware that the
recommendation is that the average
person should drink around eight
glasses of water a day. The human
body is made up of between 55 and 75
per cent water, and is in need of con-
stant water replenishment. An
increased intake of water will great-
ly enhance digestion, nutrient
absorption, skin hydration, detoxifi-
sessions in schools, Chandni Shah,
principal of Asia English school,
says, “Storytelling is a vital medi-
um for the kids to express their
ideas. They try to make up stories,
which helps their literacy skills.”
Besides academic success and
entertainment, storytelling has
been used throughout history in
different ways for character devel-
opment and virtue. Atula Ahuja,
who runs a very popular reading
club for children, says, “Reading
nurtures the imaginative and inno-
vative side of the human mind.
Children, who have experienced
the joy of being read to, and read-
ing all by themselves, often become
avid readers. They are aware, and
come across as confident young
kids, mainly because of their good
communication skills.”
Psychotherapist Vinod Goyal
adds, “Storytelling sessions give
various dimensions to a problem
and make children, especially
teenagers, open up to a number of
possibilities.”
Meanwhile, renowned author
Esther David feels that this genera-
tion is missing out on an invalu-
able form of expression, when she
says, “We are losing out on the
important medium of storytelling
because of lack of time and the
presence of many other attrac-
tions. Storytelling is very impor-
tant for a person’s development
and it creates and strengthens the
bond between the narrator and the
listener.”
Seems Strickland Gillilan sure
had the positive effects of story-
telling in mind when he wrote, ‘You
may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of
gold. Richer than I you could never
be — I had a mother that read
to me’.
cation and virtually every aspect of
better health.
Get more friends
◗ Research suggests that friends help
people live longer. Research in the
Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health says that socialis-
ing with friends is beneficial.
Good friends will promise to be
there for you, and their presence can
actually help you live longer,
researchers say. Australian scientists
said having friends around in old age
can do more for life expectancy than
having family members around, and
that friends may encourage people to
look after their health, and help
reduce feelings of depression and
anxiety at difficult times.
No smoking
◗ Everyone is aware of the potential
catastrophic effect of smoking. It is
better not to start at all, but the soon-
er a smoker quits, the better. Because
the damage caused by smoking is
cumulative, the longer a person
smokes the greater the risk of devel-
oping a smoking-related disease,
such as lung cancer or heart disease.
Quitting not only saves money, but
also has added health benefits.
Within one year after quitting, the
risk of a heart attack falls to about
half that of a smoker, and within ten
years, the risk of lung cancer falls to
about half that of a smoker.
Relax
◗ Relaxation reduces blood pressure
and helps reduce stress-related con-
New claim: UV
contact lenses can
replace sunglasses
Contact lenses are not a
substitute for sunglasses
S
cientists have long known that
the ultraviolet radiation in
sunlight can cause cataracts
and other eye diseases. So it was a
boon for contact wearers when con-
tact lenses with ultraviolet protection
hit the market not long ago.
But despite what some people
think, they do not provide enough
protection against ultraviolet light to
substitute for sunglasses. Most stud-
ies have found that in general they
block at least 10 percent less ultravio-
let light than sunglasses, and that the
amount of protection varies tremen-
dously from one pair to the next.
One study by Irish researchers last
year, for example, tested various con-
tact lenses designed to block out
ultraviolet light and found that some
had as much as 10 times the protec-
January 2-8, 2008 19
ditions such as depression. A relax-
ation technique such as yoga or med-
itation can help reduce stress levels.
Get a pet
◗ Owning a pet has a surprising
amount of health benefits for the
owner, according to a series of stud-
ies. Ownership of a pet, particularly
a dog, means people are more active.
Animals are known to reduce anxi-
ety both from the actual physical
comfort from stroking them, but also
because they are a distraction and
something pleasant to focus on. They
are also good friends to many and
provide a source of amusement,
making us laugh.
Exercise
◗ Exercise is known to reduce the risk
of heart disease, high blood pressure,
osteoporosis, diabetes and obesity. It
keeps joints, tendons and ligaments
flexible, and contributes to mental
well-being by helping treat depres-
sion, relive stress and anxiety.
Exercise also aids better sleep. Even if
you are pushed for time, exercise
could be gained simply by walking up
stairs rather than taking the lift, or
even try walking or cycling on shorter
journeys rather than taking the car.
Eat more fruit and vegetables
◗ Eating plenty of fruits and vegeta-
bles can help ward off heart disease
and stroke, control blood pressure
and cholesterol, and prevent some
types of cancer. It is recommended to
eat at least five servings of fruit and
vegetables a day.
tion factor of others.
But the best strategy for contact
wearers may be to combine them
with sunglasses, because contacts
offer unique benefits, including the
fact that they cover the entire pupil.
And according to a 2003 study in the
journal Investigative phthalmology
and Visual Science, which compared
ultraviolet-blocking contacts and
sunglasses, only the contacts prevent-
ed light from striking the eyes from
the sides.
Contact lenses can offer ultraviolet
radiation protection “against all
angles of incidence, including the
peak-response angle,” the scientists
wrote, adding, “They can also protect
the eye in settings in which the wear-
ing of sunglasses is not feasible or
convenient.”
20 January 2-8, 2008 SPORTS world sikh news

Real Madrid
chase Ronaldo
with 100-mn offer
Man Utd go down to West Ham
LONDON: West Ham beat Manchester United
at Upton Park for the second time in consecu-
tive seasons. Portugese winger Cristiano
Ronaldo’s 18th goal of the season had the EPL
champions ahead but a rare miss from the
penalty spot by Ronaldo after 66 minutes
allowed West Ham to come back in the game.
They took advantage with two goals from dead-
ball situations as Anton Ferdinand and
Matthew Upson scored after 77 and 82 minutes.
BIRMINGHAM CITY 1 FULHAM 1
Roy Hodgson watched from the stands as his
new team Fulham earned an important point.
Carlos Bocanegra glanced in a header after
eight minutes but Fulham’s hopes of a first
away win in 27 games evaporated with
Sebastian Larsson’s equaliser from the edge of
the box 10 minutes after the restart. Fulham’s
Hameur Bouazza was sent off 11 minutes from
time.
CHELSEA 2 NEWCASTLE UNITED 1
Chelsea, without a host of first-choice play-
ers, won it three minutes from the end when
Salomon Kalou scored despite appearing to be
clearly offside. Michael Essien touched in
Chelsea’s opener from a rebound in the 28th
minute but Nicky Butt equalised from close
range in the 55th as Newcastle produced one of
their best performances of the season - yet got
nothing.
PORTSMOUTH 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 1
Portsmouth’s dire run without a home goal in
three months continued as Middlesbrough
ended their poor spell with a Tuncay Sanli goal
after 20 minutes.
SUNDERLAND 3 BOLTON WANDERERS 1
Sunderland climbed out of the bottom three
but were hanging on desperately at the end.
Kieran Richardson’s first goal for Sunderland
in his first appearance since August put the
hosts ahead after 13 minutes. Kenwyne Jones
made it 2-0 with a powerful header from a cor-
ner after 32 before Bolton pulled one back
before halftime through El Hadji Diouf. Daryl
Murphy added a tension-relieving third in
injury time.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 6 READING 4
Reading led 2-1 after an hour and were play-
ing well but seven goals, several of them out-
standing, in 20 minutes left White Hart Lane
shellshocked. Dimitar Berbatov got four of the
Spurs goals, Steed Malbranque and Jermain
Defoe also chipped in while Robbie Keane
missed a penalty. Reading, who lost 7-4 at
Portsmouth in September, will wonder how
they managed to go away with nothing after a
performance described by manager Steve
Coppell as “90 percent magnificent”.
WIGAN ATHLETIC 1 ASTON VILLA 2
Villa stormed back strongly after Wigan had
gone ahead with a 28th-minute Titus Bramble
header It was all Villa in the second half as a
Curtis Davis looping header in the 55th minute
and Gabriel Agbonlahor’s glanced header 15
minutes later secured the victory.

MADRID: Spanish champions

Real Madrid are prepared to pay up
to 70 million euros ($102.59 million)
for Manchester United winger
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Sports daily AS on Saturday
reported that the Portuguese star
is under contract at Old Trafford
until 2012, but AS claims that
Cristiano Ronaldo could buy up his
contract for 70 million euros, a
sum that Real president Ramon
Calderon is prepared to pay to lure
him to Madrid.
AS claims that Cristiano
Ronaldo has insisted on this “buy-
out clause” in his contract because
he is “so enthusiastic” about play-
ing for Real one day, and quotes the
23 year-old winger as saying that “I
would love to play in Spain”.
The report claims that Calderon
is keen to liven up Bernd
Schuster’s hard-working team —
which is seven points clear at the
top of La Liga — with a “media
star”, and is now resigned to the
fact that AC Milan will not sell
Kaka, the player he promised to
the fans in the 2006 presidential
elections at Real.
Karthikeyan still eyeing
bright Formula 1 future
NEW DELHI: India’s Narain Karthikeyan is
confident of returning as a Formula One driv-
er after three years of disappointment.
The 30-year-old became India’s first
Formula One driver in 2005 when he signed for
Jordan, stoking ambitions in the fast lane for
the nation with a booming economy and
youngsters looking to pick up sports other
than cricket.
His tenure with Jordan proved unproduc-
tive and a two-year testing role with Williams
gave him few opportunities. Karthikeyan
secured the first race win for Team India in
the A1 Grand Prix series in China last week.
He was glad to display his skills after years
of frustration, but was at pains to explain his
ambitions as a Formula One driver were still
burning.
“I was just doing testing and had ample time
on my side so I wanted a challenge to keep rac-
ing,” he said.
“This A1 GP victory is very essential, so
that you can shut up the critics,” he said. “F1
is not the end of the world, I still have time on
my side.”
Karthikeyan said he was not keen on a test-
ing role and wanted at least to be considered
as the third driver. “Definitely, there is an
unfinished business in F1,” he said. “There is
still (time), it will happen sooner rather than
later. A1 GP for me is not a step back, only a
step to the side. I race as hard as possible and
try and achieve the best.”
Karthikeyan’s subdued F1 stint has disap-
pointed millions of home fans, although it has
triggered tremendous interest in motor sport
in the country.
Indian businessman Vijay Mallya has
become co-owner of the Spyker team, renam-
ing it Force India, and the nation is due to
stage its first Grand Prix in New Delhi in 2010.
Youngster Karun Chandhok is also bidding
to emulate Karthikeyan by shining in the GP2
feeder series after a test drive with Red Bull
last month.
Karthikeyan dismissed critics who feel his
future as a Formula One driver was in doubt
because of his age.
“There are lot of drivers who are past 33 in
F1,” he said.
Ralf rules out future
with Force India
LONDON: German Ralf Schumacher may have
driven a Formula One car for the last time after
a disappointing test with Force India in Spain.
“I don’t think I will be driving for Force
India,” the German told the Autosport Web site
(www.autosport.com ). “I want to achieve some-
thing and I don’t think I can do that with Force
India.”
“I am going home now and we will see.”
Schumacher was quoted as saying in Sport Bild
newspaper: “It’s possible that today was my last
drive in a Formula One car.”
Schumacher, younger brother of retired
seven times world champion Michael, was the
slowest by a considerable margin of the 20
drivers on track in Thursday’s test at the Jerez
circuit.
By contrast, Austrian Christian Klien was
seventh fastest and Italian Giancarlo Fisichella
was ninth for Force India in testing on
Wednesday.
A team source said the 32-year-old German
suffered a hydraulics failure in the morning,
spun twice and never looked comfortable in the
car. Schumacher, winner of six grand prix with
Williams from 2001 to 2003, left Toyota at the
end of the season in October with his future
uncertain.

McLaren spy controversy comes to end Nadal to open against

LONDON: Lewis Hamilton’s
McLaren team can look forward
to the next season without the
threat of a further points penalty
after Formula One’s governing
body formally closed a spy con-
troversy on Tuesday.
The International Automobile
Federation (FIA) said in a state-
ment that its World Motor Sport
Council had agreed to cancel a
Paris hearing scheduled for
February 14 to assess McLaren’s
2008 car.
FIA president Max Mosley pro-
posed the cancellation last
Thursday after McLaren apolo-
gised for having Ferrari data in
their possession and recognised
that it had penetrated deeper into
the team than suspected.
The hearing had been called
after an FIA technical report
raised suspicions that some of
the systems in the 2008 McLaren
Renault, which did not win even a single race in
2007, was not punished for want of evidence
design could be influenced by the
leaked Ferrari information.
McLaren were stripped of all
their constructors’ points and
fined $100 million this year for
the spy saga and the February
meeting had threatened to pro-
long the agony with the possibili-
ty of a further sanction.
The team, who saw British
rookie Hamilton lose the champi-
onship by a single point to
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, have
offered to freeze development of
the suspect systems.
Ferrari have meanwhile
agreed to close the controversy
on a sporting level but are to con-
tinue legal action against indi-
viduals in Italy and Britain. The
2008 season starts in Australia in
March.
McLaren were also involved in
a second controversy when for-
mer champions Renault were
found at a hearing this month to
have had McLaren data in their
possession since last year.
Renault, who failed to win a
race in 2007, were not punished
however because the FIA ruled
there was insufficient evidence
that the championship had been
affected.
In a 77-page transcript of that
hearing published on the FIA
website (www.fia.com), the
French manufacturer argued
that the case was one of simple
stupidity rather than any delib-
erate intention to cheat.
They denied gaining any
advantage and said former
McLaren engineer
Mackereth, who took technical
Phil
information with him when he
joined Renault, had acted for per-
sonal reasons.
“His actions in this situation
were stupidity, naivety and a
degree of recklessness - and little
more than that,” the transcript
recorded Renault’s technical
director Bob Bell telling the hear-
ing. “There is no malevolence,
there is no intention to deliber-
ately do wrong or to cheat. That
is not in his make-up.” Renault’s
lawyer described Mackereth,
who appeared at the hearing, as
being like “a rabbit in the head-
lights.
“He is a very unhappy, very
guilty and very contrite man,” he
added.
Montcourt in Chennai
CHENNAI: Spanish world number
two Rafael Nadal will start his 2008
season against Frenchman
Mathieu Montcourt in the first
round of the Chennai Open ATP
event. The draw pitted Cypriot
Marcos Baghdatis, the second seed,
against Dutchman Robin Haase
while defending champion Xavier
Malisse of Belgium will play Giles
Muller of Luxembourg.
Malisse, 27, who toppled French
Open champion Nadal in the semis
last year and also went on to beat
the Spaniard in the doubles final,
is unseeded after slumping to 112th
in the rankings due to a wrist
injury suffered in February.
Spain’s former world number
one Carlos Moya, twice a winner
in Chennai, is seeded third and
Russian number two Mikhail
Youzhny fourth. Baghdatis, the
current world number 16, said he
was looking forward to a new
start.
world sikh news SPORTS January 2-8, 2008 21

Chelsea, Villa appeal Matches too easy

to FA against cards
LONDON: Chelsea and Aston
Villa have both appealed to the FA
against the red cards shown to
Ashley Cole and Zat Knight in
their 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge
on Wednesday.
Referee Phil Dowd also sent off
Chelsea’s Portuguese defender
Ricardo Carvalho for a two-footed
lunge on Villa striker Gabriel
Agbonlahor but the clubs are not
appealing against that decision.
The appeals will be heard by the
FA on Friday before Saturday’s
matches when Chelsea are at
home to Newcastle United and
Aston Villa travel to Wigan
Athletic.
Chelsea defender Cole was sent
off for a deliberate handball on
the goal line deep in stoppage time
at the end of the match which
resulted in a penalty for Villa that
Gareth Barry converted to leave
the teams level at 4-4 at the finish.
Knight received a straight red
for a foul on Michael Ballack that
earned Chelsea a penalty which
Andriy Shevchenko converted just
before halftime.
Villa boss Martin O’Neill
accused the Germany skipper of
going down too easily under the
challenge.
“It wasn’t a penalty. The Chelsea
player went over and there had
been no contact,” he told reporters
after the game.
Ballack has denied the accusa-
tions, telling the London Evening
Standard: “For me there is no dis-
cussion about this. I had the ball
and two guys, not just one, came
and one pushed me. It was a clear
penalty.”
to fix, says
Navratilova
PERTH: Tennis authorities have a
tough task to stop match-fixing
because it is too easy to fix results,
says Martina Navratilova.
Navratilova, the winner of 59
grand slam titles, said the sport
had to do whatever it takes to put
an end to the scandals that rocked
tennis in 2007.
A match involving Russian
world number four Nikolay
Davydenko in August is one of sev-
eral under investigation because
of irregular betting patterns.
Several players on the men’s
tour have admitted being offered
money to throw a match but all
insist they refused the bribes.
“It’s pretty new, this match-fix-
ing idea,” Navratilova told
reporters at the Hopman Cup in
F1 ace Hamilton fined
in France for speeding
PARIS: Formula One sensation
Lewis Hamilton had his driving
licence suspended for a month
after being caught speeding on a
French motorway, the police said
on Tuesday.
The British driver was at the
wheel of a Mercedes when he was
clocked at 196 km/h near the
northern town of Leon on
Sunday.
The police stopped him,
Chelsea’s star player detained the car and fined him
Michael Ballack 600 euros ($860.2).
Perth on Monday.
“So we’ll see where it goes (but)
of course, if it is a problem, it’s
pretty easy to throw a tennis
match because it’s so hard to
prove.”
“We have to make sure that the
sport stays clean, both on the drug
side as well as any kind of betting
scandal. We have to keep it clean
whatever it takes.”
“We need to make sure that,
most of all, the players understand
what’s at stake here.”
The Australian Open, the first
grand-slam event of the year
which begins in Melbourne on
January 14, will introduce a set of
security measures, including the
banning of unauthorised laptops
in the stands.
“He was very polite and coop-
erative,” said a police
spokesman, who added Hamilton
had since had the car collected.
The McLaren driver, 22, fin-
ished runner-up in his rookie
season to Ferrari’s Kimi
Raikkonen in the 2007 world
championship.
Earlier, the British Formula
One ace had stirred up a contro-
versy by announcing that he
would leave the UK to get away
from the prying press.

Schumacher’s Carvalho justifies fielding

taxi race under
investigation
BERLIN: The police in Coburg are set to investigate whether
seven-times world champion race driver Michael Schumacher
broke the law after he got behind the wheel of a taxi last week
so his family were on time for a flight.
Schumacher turned taxi driver last Saturday having taken
his family to buy an Australian Shepherd puppy in the
Bavarian village of Kronach and then took over the wheel of
the cab on the return journey to make sure they caught their
plane.
The German star, who retired from Formula One last year,
was said to have “taken the corners at full-throttle and over-
taken in unbelievable places,” according to the cab driver.
Schumacher paid the 60 euros fare (86 US Dollars) for the
journey and even gave the cab driver a 100 euro tip (144 US
Dollars) to show his appreciation.
But the light-hearted story has not gone down well with
local police, who are to investigate whether Schumacher
broke the highway code, while taxi driver Tuncer Yilmaz will
be questioned for allowing the German racing star to take the
wheel.
According to a report in German tabloid Bild, police will
cross-examine Yilmaz, 42, as a possible witness and
Schumacher could face a fine.
But things may be even worse for Yilmaz, who is also set to
face a hearing.
“That was an offence against transport laws,” Kai Holland,
deputy director of Coburg’s traffic authority, told the media.
“We will have a hearing with the taxi driver to resolve the
matter.” Schumacher’s manager Willi Weber was amazed
Yilmaz and his client could find themselves in trouble over the
incident.
“To punish this man would be ridiculous. He very kindly
helped Michael and we wish all taxi drivers were so under-
standing.”
too many juniors in PHL
CHANDIGARH: Impressed with the
performance of junior players, nation-
al coach Joaquim Carvalho on Sunday
said that Indian Hockey Federation’s
proposal to put such players in the
ongoing Premier Hockey League was
“justified.”
“In the beginning, most teams par-
ticipating in the PHL were reluctant
to field youngsters knowing that they
are inexperienced, but as the tourna-
ment progressed most of the junior
players have started proving that they
have fresh pairs of legs who have been
proving excellent from game to
game,” Carvalho told here.
Karun joins Senna’s nephew in new GP2 team
NEW DELHI: Karun Chandhok’s
Formula One hopes received a shot in
the arm with the Indian driver joining
Ayrton Senna’s nephew Bruno in the
cockpit of iSport International, a top-
rung team in the GP2 series.
In a significant development in his
fledgling career, Karun, who raced for
Durango in the 2007 season, announced
on Wednesday that he was joining the
British GP2 outfit which won the Team
Championship last season.
The Chennai driver said he was hop-
ing to emulate Timo Glock, the iSport
driver who was roped in by Toyota F1
The juniors who have been in vari-
ous PHL teams have come out with fly-
ing colours, an elated coach said.
Carvalho, who was unhappy with
the display of the juniors at the start
of the league, said “juniors are now
scoring goals also... moreover, most of
the teams are fielding juniors in
games which is showing good
results.”
Their fitness levels are also “good”
during the PHL, he said, adding that
he and Gill were impressed with at
least 10 juniors playing in the PHL.
These include the likes of Deevakar
Ram, Sameer Basla, Cheyyna,
team for the next season after winning
the 2007 GP2 championship.
“I enjoyed my time with Durango,
specially winning the race in Spa-
Francorchamps (Belgium). But it’s a
mid-field team, whereas iSport is the
top flight team.
“Naturally, every driver wanted to
drive for them. I tested for iSport at
Jerez and knew it was the team I too
wanted to drive for. Fortunately things
fell in place,” Karun said.
In fact, Glock was not the lone driver
to make the transition from GP2 to
Formula One. Nico Rosberg, the 2005
Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Shravanjeet
Singh, Amardeep Ekka, Pramod
Kumar and Chengappa.
“The experience which the juniors
are getting is good for the game in
times to come,” Carvalho said.
After the PHL, “we will assemble to
chalk out different strategies,” he
added.
“We did not get chance to re-assem-
ble and do an analysis of our
strengths and weakneses,” he said
adding “the core group will assemble
at Bangalore after the PHL and do
video analysis of each player who fig-
ures in the probables.”
champion, was roped in by the
Williams in 2006, while 2006 GP2 win-
ner Lewis Hamilton joined McLaren
the following year.
Karun made it clear that he was in
no hurry to achieve his F1 dream and
is ready to commit himself to GP2
series for the next year.
“In between, I would wait for more
F1 opportunities from the Red Bull
Racing F1 team. They have made me
part of the Junior Team Programme
and I’m expecting more testing oppor-
tunity with them,” said the 23-year-
old driver.
22 January 2-8, 2008 KIDS world sikh news

Doggy faux pas!

VTech smile The Robosapien
T his gadget has a simplified and bargain-priced
entertainment console that caters to the youth- T he Robosapien has to be every teenagers dream
toy: a programmable, remote-controlled person-
A dog that often jumped
out the window of his
owners' ground-floor apart-
ful set with a colour-coded, big-buttoned joystick al robot that walks around, grabs and throws things, ment jumped out of the win-
and fun, educational games. This video game con- dances, reacts to its environment, does kung fu and dow of their new flat forget-
sole comes with one joystick and an alphabet park even talks in his own idiosyncratic caveman speech. ting it was six floors up. For-
smartridge game cartridge and plugs into TV au- It has a small loudspeaker unit, which can broadcast tunately the lucky dog was
dio and video jacks. An AC adapter is available sep- several different vocalisation, all of which appear to saved when it landed on a
arately, as is an extra joystick needed for two play- be recordings of a human male pretending to be a balcony three floors down
ers. In this game there are different games which great ape, such as a gorilla. The Robosapien, or from the apartment in
are designed for different age groups, teaching every- more correctly the Robosapien controller, is Cologne. The dog's owners
thing from numbers and letters to math and early equipped with a basic level of program- Udo and Angela Baecker,
reading. The game characters in this game include mability. Users can string together move-
many of the plushy, fluffy celebrities of the teen ment commands to form what the toy's
land. From learning lessons on this electronic gadg- manual describes as either macros or
et to making friends, VTech smile offers a wide mini-programs, but which are more cor-
range of activities to suit inquisitive teens. The big rectly described as robotic instructions
colourful buttons are easy to use, making it a fun sets. Robospaien participated at the RoboCup Ger-
gadget to play with. So, play games on this console man Open 2005 tournament and played the first soc-
while you learn your lessons. cer match of humanoid robots worldwide.

Wireless teens
Teens today are technology sophisticates, they are able to perceive, utilise a new gadget much
quicker than adults. So, here are some gadgets that have been made exclusively for teens...
both 29, called the fire depart-
ment when they heard their
pet boxer whining from the
balcony below. They could-
n't get him themselves be-
cause the tenants were away
on vacation.

Monkey thief
A South Korean tourist
has filed a formal com-

S
ending SMS and chatting online is the new pass-time of teenagers. plaint against a monkey he
A middle-class teen usually has a computer, videogame player, TV, says stole his reading glass-
DVD player and, more and more often, a cell phone. The technolog- es during his visit to the Hin-
ical habits of teenagers will likely influence their future lives. The du holy city of Varanasi in
more comfortable teens become reading online, for example, the northern India. Part of the
more the read they will become more mature in how they view the outer frame later was recovered by
world. Today’s tech-savvy teens will spend more time downloading music
and movies from the Internet than they will actually going to record stores
and the cinema.
However the more the teens become familiar with the tech world, they
will be exposed to the travails of the tech world. Physical atrophy is one
syndrome that has plagued teenagers who sit long hours on computers.
However, with the latest teen-friendly technology, that is available there is
a desirable balance that can be struck between education and play. There
are many high-tech toys that cater specifically to teenagers and young adults,
tailoring their digital experiences to suit their lifestyles, needs and abili-
ties, all the while teaching them how to interface with an increasingly elec-
tronic future. hotel staff and Kim said he
filed the report so he can
make a damages claim on his
travel insurance. Thousands
DVD Jr Computer microscope of wild monkeys roam
Varanasi, dotting the trees

T his DVD Junior has a 2.5-inch thin film transis-

tor (TFT) colour screen, and plays movies from
3-inch DVDs. The DVD Junior has over standard-
C ombine your teens fascination with the micro-
scopic world with their aptitude with micro-
processors. This microscope shoots video at up to 15
on the banks of the Ganges
River and scampering
through the city's many tem-
sised players its small size, simplified controls and frames per second, as well as time-lapse movies that’ll ples, where they are vener-
a lineup of movies like: (Harry Potter) and cartoons let kids watch paramecia shake their cilia in real ated as manifestations of the
like: (Batman, Scooby Doo, Teen Titans, X-Men), that time. The included software also lets users digitally Hindu monkey god Hanu-
appeal to the teen demographic. This gadget has a edit the microscopic images and video, even adding man.
battery which can run up to 2.5 hours. special effects.
Save me from 911
Hasbro Furby Lifestyle hip-e
A 38-year-old man was
arrested after he called

T his all new, fluffy, adorable, yet slightly creepy

Furby will hit toy store shelves across the globe.
This robotic fluffball can speak, dance, play games,
I t is a digital environment gadget for teen-age com-
puter users. This gadget includes a set of wire-
less speakers, a 17-inch widescreen LCD flat-panel
911 and told a dispatcher he
was surrounded by police

tell jokes and express himself with his motorised
ears, eyes, eyebrows and fully flexible beak. This
gadget can listen to teenagers and answer according
to its mood, using hundreds of programmed words
and phrases in English.
monitor, a Sprint PCS slider-keypad cell phone, a
512-megabyte MP3 player and a remote control to
manage the entire thing. Hip-e is impressive, and
the integration of the system perfectly fits teen-age
lifestyle.

Air-flo game system Pixter colour

L ove playing video games for long hours, but can’t
stop due to the sewat in your palms. Don’t wor-
ry with this game control you’ll need not worry about
I t has got colour touchscreen and caters to the
creative impulses of teens, letting them draw,
colour and play with an interface that bears a sur-
the unpleasant condition of the gaming-induced prising resemblance to a primitive Adobe Illustra- officers and needed help,
sweaty palms. This gadget has got game pads can air- tor. Plus, it can be accessorised with extra software authorities said. Police of-
cool hands while your teenagers are playing. So for to teach math, geography, astronomy and other lan- ficers met Dana Farrell
teens the action does not stop anymore. guage skills. Shelton after being called
to investigate a disturbance
at a bar but had found no
Vex system Danger sidekick II problems and told him to
move along. Shelton, who

F or the teen-age engineer in your household, this

Vex system is like an amped-up erector set with
a brain. It comes with over 500 parts, including three
S idekick II is the most hand-friendly cellular de-
vice on the market. It is slim and features a longer
battery life. Its shape still makes it somewhat awk-
officers said appeared in-
toxicated, then called 911
to report he was “surround-
continuous-drive motors, one servomotor, a radio re- ward as a phone, but it more than makes up for that ed by Largo police,” accord-
ceiver, a six-channel remote control, a programma- as a messaging device. It has a full keypad and an in- ing to an arrest affidavit.
ble micro-controller and all sorts of wheels, gears, genious flip-out screen for answering e-mail, instant The charge carries maxi-
tires, etc. It allows teens with curiosity and techni- messaging, web surfing and an integrated camera mum penalties of one year
cal skill to build any sort of robot. that comes with an online photo gallery. in jail and $1,000 in fines.
world sikh news ENTERTAINMENT January 2-8, 2008 23

Film on Bhutto’s life soon ‘BORING’
Indian filmmaker
Mahesh Bhatt
roped in for
MUSIC
the project
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani film
company is rushing into the pro-
duction of a movie based on the
life of slain former premier
Benazir Bhutto in collaboration
with noted Indian filmmaker
Mahesh Bhatt.
Well-known Pakistani writer
and poet Aqeel Ahmad Ruby
would write the script of the
movie that is already in its pre-
production phase, Karachi-based
Skies Unlimited Films said.
The film will be released across
the world, it said.
The film will be completed in
collaboration with Bhatt, said
Aneela Khan, a producer with the
company.
Khan said the director of the
film "will soon be announced"
though the makers had not yet
decided who would play the
charismatic Bhutto.
"We have not decided yet. It
could be someone famous or a
completely new face. There are
possibilities that some of the
scenes would be shot in India, but
we are not sure," she said.
"The project is running through
its pre-production phase and we
will soon be on the set," Khan said.
Aamir Rizvi will be the film's
associate producer and Indu
Mirani its official coordinator in
India, she said.
MACCA BLASTS
B
eatles legend Sir Paul
McCartney has slammed his
former record company
EMI, calling it “boring”.
McCartney ended his 45-year-old
relationship with the label in June
and signed on with Starbucks’
label Hear Music, reports anano-
va.com. Explaining his reasons for
not renewing the EMI contract, he
said, “Everybody at EMI had
become part of the furniture. I’d be
a couch, Coldplay are an armchair.
Robbie Williams, I dread to think
what he was.”
The Memory Almost Full singer the treadmill. It’s mind-numbing.
claims EMI had become “mind- So I started saying, ‘God, we’ve got
numbingly predictable”.He to do something else.’” Paul, who
explained, “I could guess what became the first act to sign to cof-
they were going to say, ‘Love your fee chain Starbuck’s new record
record, Paul’ and I’d say, ‘Well, label, claims tearful Starbucks
what should we do with it?’ Then record executives won him over.
they’d go, ‘Well we think you He said, “One of my new songs
should go to Cologne’, which is You tell Me came on and one of the
what they always say. team started crying. It was weird. I
“This idea became symbolic of thought, Oh this is real feedback.’”

Siropa to Bachchan
A DVD film on the life of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last
emperor of the sovereign Sikh state, entitled “Beinsafi Di
Daastan”, was released at a function organized here.
Maharaja Duleep Singh was the youngest son of the leg-
Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1799 and how it was lost after 50
fifty years in 1849. The film very interestingly depicts a his-
tory of deep rooted controversies and betrayals, how the
young Sikh Maharaja was separated from his mother Rani

angers Sikh endary Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

The film has been produced by Amarjeet Singh, a
Chandigarh-based filmmaker best known for several tele
films and documentaries on the Sikhs and Punjab’s history.
Jind Kaur, how he was converted to Christianity, sent to UK
and was politically detained there for 40 years, his return to
his original faith Sikhism, then death in miserable condi-
tions in Paris in 1893. This is a heart rending story of Sikh

organizations He has been visiting USA, Canada & UK to promote this film.
Addressing the audience and the media, producer Amarjeet
Singh said that this film titled
“Beinsafi Di Daastan” is not only a film but a true histori-
cal document on the subject. Earlier he had produced a film
in English title ‘A Monument of Injustice’ on the same sub-
ject which was released in USA and UK last year. This film
acclaimed worldwide recognition, the film has been
history !! The rare Relics, monuments, documents and places
related to the Sikh Raaj are also shown in this film including
the Original Kooh-i-noor diamond, The Golden Throne of
Maharaja Ranjit Singh, hand written letters of Maharaja
Duleep Singh and his rare family photographs make the film
more authentic. The shooting of film was done in UK and
India. The film has been directed by Prof. P. Nirola, Music
by Varinder Bachhan / Lyrics : Rattan Babakwala / Voice
over: Kulwinder Khanda / Camera : Jatinder Sharma. The
post production and other technical works were done in

Film on Mumbai. The research and script has been done by the
producer himself.
The function was attended by a large gathering of
prominent persons of the NY region, including the

Maharaja
members of various Sikh Gurdwara Committees,
Cultural Societies, Social Organizations, Business per-
sonalities, and Journalists representing Print and elec-
tronic media.
The main speaker of the function was Dr. Amarjeet

Duleep Singh, Washington; he briefed the audience with his

scholarly views on the subject, the need of such film
for the community and also the role of electronic
media in the present times when the Sikh commu-
nity all over the World, is under attack from vari-

Singh ous directions, with different intentions. He said

that it’s the electronic media which can tell
world about their identity, Status and
rights.

releases
On behalf of Ravi Punjabi TV,
Amitabh Bachchan and SP leader Amar Singh with the Choudhary Shaftak, Mr. Riaz Barrar and
ashes of Teji Bachchan in Amritsar Peer Wajid Ali were also present and con-
gratulated the producer.
WSN Network On this occasion Mr. Avtar Singh Pannu,

AMRITSAR: Hindi film actor Amitabh Bachchan, along

with wife Jaya, son Abhishek and daughter-in-law
Aishwarya, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple on
Saturday.
The Bachchan family accompanied by family friend
and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh reached the
temple amidst a tight security cover. The family was
here to offer prayers at the shrine after the demise of
Amitabh's Sikh mother Teji Bachchan.
They reached the temple in a chartered bus from a pri-
vate hotel, with more than 70 personal security guards
besides an extra security cover of the Punjab Police.
Bachchans spent 20 minutes inside the sanctorum and
listened to kirtan. Several Sikh organizations, mean-
while, protested against a special welcome having been
accorded to the Bachchan family when the actor's role in
instigating the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 was well known.
Akali Dal (Amritsar) leader Simranjit Singh Mann
joined the chorus of condemnation of the SGPC's act of
presenting a siropa to Bachchan.
An SGPC spokesman however denied that the gurd-
wara management extended a special welcome to the
Bachchans, who he said, were treated just like any com-
mon visitors to Sri Harmander Sahib.
in NY President Richmond Hill Gurdwara, Mr.
Pritam Singh Gilzian , President
Gurdwara Makhan Shah Lubana, NY, Mr.
Jaswinder Jassa , President Shaheed
Udham Singh Foundation NY. Mr. Gurmit
screened at six international film Singh, Balwinder Bhaura Journalists and
festivals in India, UK, Canada and some other members representing different
USA, telecasted on B4U Movie Gurdwara Committees also spoke on the
Channel in over 60 countries and occasion and congratulated the producer of
above all a special screening was the film for this pioneering effort. They also
organized at the House of Common assured to give full support for promoting
in UK Parliament. this historical film in North America by
Now on a great public demand the arranging special shows in the Gurdwaras
Punjabi version of this film has or by making arrangements of providing
been DVDs of this film for people through differ-
re-produced in a different format ent outlets.
and presentation. Elaborating upon The DVD containing both the the versions
the making of the film, Amarjeet ( Punjabi. & English) was released and the
Singh disclosed that the Punjabi ver- screening of Punjabi version of this film .. “
sion was made keeping in view the taste Beinsafi Di Daastan” was also screened.
of Punjabi audience all over the world. Producer Amarjeet Singh was also honored on
As claimed by the producer, this is the the occasion.The function was hosted by Harwinder
first ever film made on the Sikh Raaj, Riar . In the end Dr. Ranjit Singh N.Y. thanked the
depicting the historical incidents, like how management of Ravi TV, the guests and the media to
the Sikh Empire was established by make the function memorable.
02 January to 08 January 2008 WORLD SIKH NEWS 24

1.866.FOR.RAJA

Raja ®

• Lunch
• Dinner
www.rajasweets.com
SWEETS & CATERING
• Catering
• Banquet

King of Sweets & Catering

Wholesale & Retail of Fresh Sweets
• Professional Catering with Portable Tandoor
• Large Banquet Hall for Parties
• Catering for All Occasions up to 10,000 Guests
• Authorized Caterer For All Major 5 Star Hotels
• Full Waiter Service, Crockery Rental & Bartender

Special Discounts
for Religious
Functions
Call Makhan
Bains or
Ravinder Singh

510.489.9100 OPEN EVERYDAY 510.264.9300

31853 Alvarado Blvd. 1275 W. Winton Ave.
FROM 10 AM TO 10 PM
Union City, CA 94587 Hayward, CA 94545