This would be an amusing piece had it not been for the shameless
demonstration of slave mentality of Assam's intelligentsia. The Assam
Govt. was being offered advanced forensic assistance that the gods at
Indraprastha have been unable or unwilling to provide. But the loyal
slaves not only can't accept it without the gods' blessing, but also
are driven to look the gift horse in the mouth, if not as a Trojan
horse.
I won't even comment on the specter of an FBI/ISI nexus to take
break-up the Indian union painted.
Are these the pillars of our society who could be counted on to
bring greater autonomy to Assam?
cm
Camel in the
Arab's Tent
It is significant that for the first time in the insurgency- ridden annals of our recent history, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan too has unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks in Assam and Nagaland and sent condolences to the victims and their relatives. What is interesting, however, is that close on the heels of Mr Annan's gesture, we have an offer of help from the United States that is unusual to say the least. The United States has offered the help of its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the Assam Government to help in forensic probes in the wake of the spate of powerful blasts by insurgents who have been using sophisticated explosives. The first thing that should strike the Government of Assam is that this offer of help came directly to the Chief Minister of Assam (bypassing the Union Government). The correct procedure would have been to extend this offer of help to the Prime Minister of India with a subsequent reference to the Chief Minister of Assam on the subject if need be. There is no reason to be elated over the offer being made directly to the Chief Minister of Assam. True, this does wonderful things to the ego of the Chief Minister; but that cannot be a reason for overlooking the significance of the Union Government being bypassed in an offer of international and military significance being made to a constituent State of the Indian Union that is passing through troubled times due to insurgency and terrorism. The question that should be asked before responding to such an offer is: how would the US have reacted to an offer of this nature (say an offer to launch a satellite - something India is perfectly capable of doing at much less cost than the US) to the Governor of an American State rather than directly to the President of the US? The answer to this question is very important in a situation where the US is trying to enter into an arrangement with a State of the Union where there is insurgent activity, where insurgents have sought and secured help from other countries and which is very close to international borders. It must also be borne in mind that there are very strong reasons to believe that the ISI of Pakistan, one of the closest allies of the US, has been behind much of the recent violence. Given this scenario, anyone will agree that the inherent dangers of accepting any help from the US at this juncture are far too great, no matter what terms Washington may offer. It is useful to bear in mind that not all protocol is ritualistic, and that there is much good sense in a lot of the protocol formalities refined through the ages. It is a relief to learn that Mr Gogoi has said he is ready to accept the offer if the Union Government gives the clearance and the offer does not compromise on national security.
Intelligence is also defined as the ability to profit from experience. And there is no stipulation that the experience has to be one's own. In Assamese too, we talk about "dekhi xika" as opposed to "theki xika". Are we then not going to learn any lessons at all from the results of US intervention (in any form) elsewhere in the world? The search for one elusive Osama bin Laden has resulted in Afghanistan being turned into rubble by the US forces. And just think of what the US has done to Iraq merely on trumped-up charges of Saddam Hussein being in possession of weapons of biological and chemical warfare - charges that were never substantiated. Permitting the US to intervene in any country or region carries with it the hazards of allowing the proverbial camel to enter the Arab's tent. When this happens, ultimately it is the camel that is in full occupation of the tent, with the Arab completely pushed out of it. Do we want the same thing repeated in our State? Just because the Centre is unable to assess the worth of the north-eastern region in terms of resources, should we expect foreign powers like the US also to be equally blind to them? Then there is the ISI angle that should be a matter of major concern. Did the US not give rise to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda largely through arms given to Pakistan to be passed on to Afghan rebels? And what was the role of the ISI in the entire operation? Are we about to let the US use the ISI in the North-east as well? Have we forgotten that Pakistan is the foremost ally of the US in the so-called objective of combating terrorism? If the US really wants to help India or Assam, it can do this much better by persuading Pakistan to get the ISI out of the North-east and Bangladesh. As for the rest, our police and Army officers and forensic experts should learn to fend for themselves.
It is significant that for the first time in the insurgency- ridden annals of our recent history, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan too has unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks in Assam and Nagaland and sent condolences to the victims and their relatives. What is interesting, however, is that close on the heels of Mr Annan's gesture, we have an offer of help from the United States that is unusual to say the least. The United States has offered the help of its Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to the Assam Government to help in forensic probes in the wake of the spate of powerful blasts by insurgents who have been using sophisticated explosives. The first thing that should strike the Government of Assam is that this offer of help came directly to the Chief Minister of Assam (bypassing the Union Government). The correct procedure would have been to extend this offer of help to the Prime Minister of India with a subsequent reference to the Chief Minister of Assam on the subject if need be. There is no reason to be elated over the offer being made directly to the Chief Minister of Assam. True, this does wonderful things to the ego of the Chief Minister; but that cannot be a reason for overlooking the significance of the Union Government being bypassed in an offer of international and military significance being made to a constituent State of the Indian Union that is passing through troubled times due to insurgency and terrorism. The question that should be asked before responding to such an offer is: how would the US have reacted to an offer of this nature (say an offer to launch a satellite - something India is perfectly capable of doing at much less cost than the US) to the Governor of an American State rather than directly to the President of the US? The answer to this question is very important in a situation where the US is trying to enter into an arrangement with a State of the Union where there is insurgent activity, where insurgents have sought and secured help from other countries and which is very close to international borders. It must also be borne in mind that there are very strong reasons to believe that the ISI of Pakistan, one of the closest allies of the US, has been behind much of the recent violence. Given this scenario, anyone will agree that the inherent dangers of accepting any help from the US at this juncture are far too great, no matter what terms Washington may offer. It is useful to bear in mind that not all protocol is ritualistic, and that there is much good sense in a lot of the protocol formalities refined through the ages. It is a relief to learn that Mr Gogoi has said he is ready to accept the offer if the Union Government gives the clearance and the offer does not compromise on national security.
Intelligence is also defined as the ability to profit from experience. And there is no stipulation that the experience has to be one's own. In Assamese too, we talk about "dekhi xika" as opposed to "theki xika". Are we then not going to learn any lessons at all from the results of US intervention (in any form) elsewhere in the world? The search for one elusive Osama bin Laden has resulted in Afghanistan being turned into rubble by the US forces. And just think of what the US has done to Iraq merely on trumped-up charges of Saddam Hussein being in possession of weapons of biological and chemical warfare - charges that were never substantiated. Permitting the US to intervene in any country or region carries with it the hazards of allowing the proverbial camel to enter the Arab's tent. When this happens, ultimately it is the camel that is in full occupation of the tent, with the Arab completely pushed out of it. Do we want the same thing repeated in our State? Just because the Centre is unable to assess the worth of the north-eastern region in terms of resources, should we expect foreign powers like the US also to be equally blind to them? Then there is the ISI angle that should be a matter of major concern. Did the US not give rise to Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda largely through arms given to Pakistan to be passed on to Afghan rebels? And what was the role of the ISI in the entire operation? Are we about to let the US use the ISI in the North-east as well? Have we forgotten that Pakistan is the foremost ally of the US in the so-called objective of combating terrorism? If the US really wants to help India or Assam, it can do this much better by persuading Pakistan to get the ISI out of the North-east and Bangladesh. As for the rest, our police and Army officers and forensic experts should learn to fend for themselves.
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