Rooting For The Enemy - Part-2

First, here’s something to ponder: “Vir Sanghvi refers to the Congress as "we". He is not being disingenuous. Perhaps he should admit his preferences openly. It wouldn't be misconstrued”. And another one: “Barkha Dutt too has her political leanings. I have often jokingly taunted her as the "voice of the Hurriyat”. These are a few lines buried in history that should be recalled often and quite frequently. Why? Because it explains a lot of journalistic pursuits that are claimed under “independent and honest” as many do. Those lines aren’t mine. They come from a man who should know. That is Swapan Dasgupta writing about these characters from Radiagate. If one could go back to Kargil, Kandahar, Gujarat and the two subsequent general elections (and many others) it would explain a lot about the reporting of Barkha and Sanghvi. By now everyone knows they are practically Congress mouthpieces except they won’t be honest enough to admit it openly. It is not wrong to have political affiliations, after all journalists too are voters. But when it starts influencing your programmes and shows it should carry a disclaimer stating: “NDTV as a policy supports Congress”. 

So Kargil happened under the BJP/NDA govt, stands to reason why Rahul Gandhi feels his party obliged the nation by supporting the then govt on Kargil. Barkha Dutt wasn’t the only one to report about beheadings of Pak soldiers in Kargil. Someone else has written on it before her. So the so-called Kargil-heroine wasn’t the only reporting from Kargil. Shammy Baweja who was working with IndiaToday narrates the same incident in her book about Kargil. But before we get to Shammy let’s read the Nancy Drew, Enid Blyton type description by BD again:

“I had to look three times to make sure I was seeing right. Balanced on one knee, in a tiny alley behind the army’s administrative offices, I was peering through a hole in a corrugated tin sheet. At first glance, all I could see were some leaves. I looked harder and amidst all the green, there was a hint of black—it looked like a moustache. “Look again,” said the army colonel, in a tone that betrayed suppressed excitement. This time, I finally saw. It was a head, the disembodied face of a slain soldier nailed onto a tree. “The boys got it as a gift for the brigade,” said the colonel, softly, but proudly”.

She was on one knee in a tiny alley and peeping through a hole. That does sound very dramatic doesn’t it? Here’s what I call it: Absolute balderdash. If there indeed was a head pinned to a tree it doesn’t seem like a big secret that BD discovered all of a sudden. It seems like journos were being given a guided tour if you go by what Shammy Baweja (SB) writes (again from Kafila):

“We have their dead. And a head. The experiences of 18 Garhwal also show another side of the war. The frustration that has built up among our jawans and the thirst for revenge. Having captured Point 4700, not without significant casualties, their jawans went berserk. One of them took out his knife and slit the head of a Pakistani soldier in one stroke. The head was sent to the Brigade Headquarters at Drass and pinned to a tree trunk…. Maj Gen Puri came down from Mughalpura to see it. Other officers dropped in to Brigade Headquarters to take a look. So did some of the journalists who have been routinely visiting the Brigade Headquarters. It was there, pinned on the tree, for anyone who could bear to look at it. In fact, the reporters were shown the head with the warning they they won’t be able to sleep for the next three nights….”

SB’s story was published in 2000 and Barkha’s article in 2001. So even after SB published the story why was Barkha being so theatrical about it when many journos were allowed to see the head. I have only one explanation: Too much of “Alice in Wonderland”. Now, SB interestingly says the soldier slit the head of a soldier in one stroke. Amazing! From what I read, SB’s story doesn’t appear to be ‘first-hand’ but narrated by some soldiers. But she confirms she has seen it herself and was shown the head by army officers. If you read the excerpt from her book it doesn’t say she saw it as confidently as her tweet does. Maybe she would like to recheck whether she herself saw it or others saw it. And it’s even possible to believe BD picked up her story from SB’s version published earlier rather than her secretive ‘peeping-Tom’ account in 2001.

So when General V.P. Malik rejected Admiral Ramdas’ claim about beheadings why didn’t Barkha confirm the story instead of interrupting and distracting the discussion to arts and sports? I am fine with keeping discussions on a show focused on the chosen topic but surely such a serious issue can’t be brushed aside. So who do we trust Admiral Ramdas or Gen VP Malik? Who do Barkha and NDTV trust? For that we have to go back to a presser by Admiral Sureesh Mehta who again repeated the charge of a female reporter causing damage in Kargil. The reference was obviously to BD. Here are responses to that charge made by Admiral Mehta.

NDTV responds to a charge by Admiral Sureesh Mehta repeated during his presser after 26/11: In this context, there has also been an allegation that NDTV coverage during the Kargil conflict involved asking a Colonel to trigger a Bofors gun for the camera. NDTV wants to emphatically state that the allegation is a falsehood and no such incident ever occurred. It would be extraordinary to even presume that a senior army officer would commit such an act in a conflict situation at the behest of the media! There is an official acknowledgment of this motivated falsehood from those who supervised the 1999 conflict. NDTV has formally complained about and asked for an immediate retraction of comments that we believe amount to defamation.

BD‘s response to Admiral Mehta’s Kargil allegation was: “I would urge Admiral Mehta to read General V.P Malik's book on Kargil for further clarity. General Malik was the Army Chief during the operations and puts to rest any such controversy in his book. In a formal letter, NDTV has also asked for an immediate retraction from the Navy and officially complained that the comments amount to defamation”.

To my knowledge, there is no defamation case filed and no retraction by Admiral Mehta has been published so far. In which case we should rely on his story, right? NDTV says there is official acknowledgement from those who supervised the 1999 conflict and BD asks to refer to General VP Malik’s book. So when NDTV relies on the account of Gen Malik why shouldn’t we? If General Malik, who was the Army chief then, rejects the beheadings, we should take his word for it rather than Barkha’s or NDTV’s. In any case, BD was a rookie then and the people concerned in the Army and govt (BJP) should be questioned on why this rookie was allowed into a conflict zone in the first place.

Certain journalists, candle-light diners and arty-farty types from Bollywood seem hell-bent on muddying the waters in our relationship with a troubled and blood-thirsty enemy. This is not like boycotting French fries. The “useful idiots” in India who long for Pakistani artists or cricketers are no different from fringe elements or extremists who constantly create hurdles in dealing with an enemy. All this people-to-people nonsense can wait till Pakistan stabilises itself to a decent level of peace within. For that matter, even India isn’t at peace within. We have extremists in Kashmir, Maoists elsewhere so why spend so much time in building a bridge with a country that has sworn a thousand year jihad on us? Remember the post about Roman Agent? Seems there are many such agents in India who wish to keep Indians in constant conflict and division.

As for the beheading and the head on the tree during Kargil, the answer is neither difficult nor impossible. The only person, other than BD, to have mentioned it is SB. A third journalist, Sankarshan Thakur, has reported butchery and ill-treatment of Pak captives but doesn’t mention any head pinned to a tree. The answers are not hard to get. SB clearly mentions a Major General Puri who saw it. All that the govt, if it is honest, is question Maj Gen Puri and established the truth. A lot happens during a war and the truth about wars never really comes out. The recent beheadings of Indian soldiers hasn’t happened during war time. If a Pakistan soldier was beheaded or butchered that country would have screamed all the way to the UN. There is no such record or report of them complaining. Only those amongst us who root for the enemy can hand them stories to defend their butchery. Unless there is confirmation from a reliable Army source, like Maj Gen Puri himself, both Shammy’s and Barkha’s stories have to be dismissed as unreliable. They have written it and the onus is on them to prove their story is factual.

Rooting For The Enemy - Part-1

On the morning of September 12, 2001 the prominent French newspaper Le Monde headlined “We are all Americans”. This was to show solidarity, share the grief and anger over the 9/11 attacks on the US. Two years later when George Bush decided to attack Iraq, the French strongly opposed the US and weren’t part of the coalition that launched a war on Iraq. Protesting the French, two Republican Representatives ordered “French fries” in the canteens at Capitol Hill be renamed as “Freedom fries” (see pic of the menu). Soon the term “Freedom fries” became pop culture and a symbol of boycott of French products. That was jingoism at its best. By 2006 the stupidity was reversed and Americans were back to “French fries”. But the US and France have a long history of friendship. The French fought on the side of Americans for their independence from the British. It was the French who gave America the ‘Statue of Liberty’, which stands as a symbol of freedom. The statue holds a tablet in one hand with the date of American independence, July 4, 1776, inscribed on it. Friends often have minor tiffs but good friendships aren’t broken. Friends don’t go to war or attack each other.

When bimbos from Bollywood lament cancellation of shows of Pakistanis over the latest beheadings they reflect poor understanding of friendships. Blunt Truth: We DO NOT have a history of friendship with Pakistan. Period! NDTV reports Javed Akhtar (who else?) and Prasoon Joshi lamenting the situation about arts suffering. They don’t understand India, they don’t understand Pakistan and most of all they don’t understand friendship. India and Pakistan share a history but have never shared friendship and I dare say, they never will. Pakistan was created on the concept and in the belief that Muslims can’t live a just life with Hindus. Many of their leaders have vowed a 1000-year Jihad on India. So, for many “useful idiots” who keep thinking arts and sports should be kept out of the equation one can only imagine these idiots can’t see what ordinary Indians can see. Unfortunately, these useful idiots also happen to be prominent public celebrities. Seriously, what kind of morons worry about arts and sports when their soldiers are being beheaded? Only some in Bollywood and some in our MSM!

When your team plays you scream yourself hoarse supporting them, cheering them even against friendly opponents. A certain level of jingoism is not bad when it comes to backing your troops confronting an opponent who has sworn to treat your country as a ‘permanent’ enemy. In such a case anyone who professes deep yearning for Pakistani artists, their cuisine and all kinds of nonsense is bound to be seen as an oddball with suspicion. Why do we need Pakistani artists or anything from that country at all? We are much richer in every aspect of culture, creativity and productivity whereas Pakistan has been on a downward spiral to nowhere since it was born. Those who keep ranting about arts, sporting ties, trade ties, people to people hugs and kisses are almost a fifth column for the enemy. In the previous post I mentioned Shahrukh Khan flying the flag upside down. It’s no coincidence. This pic from a BBC report of 2009 (Thanks to @Ecophilo) showing a Muslim rally to protest torture of terror suspects tells a story. Sure, by all means protest, scream as hard as you want but why fly the national flag upside down? France may not have supported the US in the Iraq war but can you imagine France ever supporting a war against the Americans? If another country were to wage war against India which side do you think Pakistan will be on? Sorry! No prizes for guessing right.

Considering we may have many enemies within the country to first deal with, Pakistan should hardly be a priority for us. I repeat what I have said many times before; we need not seek war with Pakistan but at the same time we need not foolishly seek peace and friendship with them. They best belong in a cold storage till they make genuine efforts to stop terrorism, punish terrorists and set their house in order first. If Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi miss Pakistani artists so much they are welcome to go to Pakistan and make their films. These “useful idiots” only help to derail our army and our national pride. We first need to deal with the ones who fly our flags upside down and wage war against India from within. Bollywood bimbos aren’t the only ones who selfishly make strange statements. Our MSM can beat them at that game any day.

Here’s a tweet from Barkha Dutt. (Who else would this come from, eh?) To a rhetorical tweet by Shammy Baweja (Harinder), a journalist with the IndiaToday group, she responds, expectedly, with a nonsensical estimate about communal riots before war. A very insightful and observant Tweeter (@BhaskarChat) drew an “experience” from this tweet of hers. He mentioned that when India stacked up its army on the border after the December 2001 attack on Parliament it resulted in some “anti-India” elements igniting the incident at Godhra in February 2002. This resulted in the burning of a train and 59 passengers and then led to a backlash leading to communal riots. Is that what Barkha predicts? And what is all this hate about? Most of it is being fuelled by idiotic statements and actions by the media. What kind of people hold “Candle Light” debates immediately after news of the recent beheadings? Yeah, you got that right: only people from MSM and Bollywood. Who’s moderating the debate? A minister from the UPA govt which is struggling to handle the situation! And the lady has also handed ammunition to the Pakis to deny/defend the beheadings. It’s from a story that now needs a thorough investigation. I would even demand a military inquiry or an SIT.

One of Barkha’s favourite characters is Alice. Yep, that’s Alice from “Alice in wonderland” the famous fairy tale and one of great literary imagination. She often draws analogies to current situations and affairs from Alice. Barkha’s writings too are sprinkled with an abundance of literary flair and imagination. On January 17, Zafar Hilaly, a former Pak diplomat, held up a newspaper on Headlines Today and quoted an article by Barkha Dutt where she had mentioned Indian Army had beheaded a Pak soldier during the Kargil war. Now, this Hilaly has been on many TV channels for a week over the Pak beheading incident but it’s only on January 17 he claimed Indians too had beheaded Pak soldiers in the past. Where did he get his hint and inspiration from? Let me just reproduce this edited excerpt from Kafila (This is about BD’s program “Indo-Pak Tipping Point” on January 15 on NDTV)

Around 21:15 into the programme, Admiral Ramdas says, “Beheading of Troops has been going on from both sides has been for some time, I mean there is evidence of this…”

Barkha Dutt, eager to change the subject, nervously interjects and says ‘I want you to comment, Sir, on Sporting and Cultural ties, because that is what has been hit today…’.  

Gen. V.P. Malik says (around 24:40) “…And I don’t agree with Admiral (Ram) Das that both sides have been doing this, I would like to see anybody give me one instance where this kind of inhuman act has been done by the Indian army… I know that with great respect, we not only buried their bodies with great respect… we returned any body that they asked for.”

Barkha Dutt knows what Admiral Ramdas was talking about… she has written about it (the decapitation of Pakistani soldiers by the Indian army during the Kargil conflict in the summer of 1999) herself in Himal magazine (June, 2001).

I had to look three times to make sure I was seeing right. Balanced on one knee, in a tiny alley behind the army’s administrative offices, I was peering through a hole in a corrugated tin sheet. At first glance, all I could see were some leaves. I looked harder and amidst all the green, there was a hint of black—it looked like a moustache. “Look again,” said the army colonel, in a tone that betrayed suppressed excitement. This time, I finally saw. It was a head, the disembodied face of a slain soldier nailed onto a tree. “The boys got it as a gift for the brigade,” said the colonel, softly, but proudly.

So that is an instance where ‘this kind of inhuman act’ did happen. So why did she not say so to Gen. Malik. She is not ‘anybody’, she was there, and this is an issue that is being discussed on a show that she is anchoring. How long can it be before she gets called out for the gross irresponsibility of her reticence on this very crucial matter. Was she lying in 2001, or, is she concealing the truth now?

So when Admiral Ramdas brought up the issue what did Barkha try to do? She tried to distract him with the same Sports and Bollywood stuff that Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi wail about. As if that’s the biggest concern staring at us right now. So, did Barkha write a first-hand account of what she really saw? Is she telling the truth? Should we trust Admiral Ramdas or General Malik? More importantly, who do Barkha and NDTV trust? We’ll seek some answers in part-2.

Await Part-2.

No Friendship With Barbarians

There’s an old joke about legendary bowler B.S. Chandrashekhar. On a tour in New Zealand he had the batsman plumb in front of the wicket and appealed for LBW and jumped in delight, only to hear the umpire say “not out”. A little later he had the batsman caught in the slips off a thick edge and gently appealed. To his horror the umpire again said “not out”. After a few more deliveries he clean-bowled the batsman. As he walked back past the umpire Chandrashekhar gently said to him: “Almost got him, didn’t I”? So all these years our media was quiet about the Owaisis and suddenly they realised they were “clean-bowled” and had to be outed. There are non-bailable warrants on Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi since 2005. The “friendly” police under the Congress govt in Andhra never arrested them. They don’t have the guts and they are in alliance with the MIM, the party of Owaisis. So when the media finds Akbar’s speech is the equivalent of being “clean-bowled” they couldn’t cheat the nation anymore. Even the likes of Javed Akhtar couldn’t help condemning him. Same goes for issues with Pakistan. All the farce wasn’t condemned by the media till two of our soldiers were killed on January 7. They were beheaded and bodies mutilated. Some report that one head was taken away by the killers.

DNA aptly called it “Return of the barbarians”. Our PM, Manmohan Singh, seemed desperate to somehow seek the impossible peace with Pakistan. It wasn’t long after the 26/11 disaster that he severely bungled at Sharm-El Sheikh with a stupid joint statement. It was truly “Sharm-nak”! Our media and Bollywood types don’t tire from calling Pak a “good neighbour” and offering employment to their third rate artists when we have more talented artists in this country. Media celebs like Barkha Dutt and the Unholy Trinity of NDTV-CNN-IBN-HindustanTimes don’t spare any effort to celebrate Parvez Musharraf. This guy should have been rightly treated as the “war-criminal” of Kargil. Barkha Dutt even runs to London to interview the guy. Such is the passionate love for him. In 2001 when he was invited to a summit by PM ABVajpayee (which was a terrible mistake and failure) who organised an impromptu presser? You guessed it right! Prannoy Roy of NDTV. Their next favourite is politician Imran Khan, who is not even in any official position.

The most criminal among the lot when it comes to Pakistan is, of course, TOI. The blood from 26/11 had not even dried and they launched their farce called “Aman Ki Asha”. I can say this with absolute confidence: Peace with Pakistan is NOT possible. All the people to people nonsense has to stop. We need not treat them as enemies but they certainly don’t deserve our friendship or any MFN status. The latest nonsense from TOI is TV ads that state Pak and India are “competitors and not enemies” in their AKA campaign for the recent Indo-Pak ODI series. Competitors? How and what exactly is Pakistan even a worthy competitor? And we have our activists with their own nonsense of "don’t mix politics and sports". Our GOI is no different. Palestinian terrorists attacked and killed at least 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Olympics have been boycotted by USA and Russia. South Africa was banned from sports because of apartheid. Who are these people fooling? Pakistan itself is a ‘Cricketing-Pariah’ after the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan players.

Arun Jaitley, BJP top leader and also the leader of Opposition in RajyaSabha, now says (in an interview with Barkha): “This government needs to understand that the spirit of Sharm El Sheikh can never define approach with Pakistan.. Review engagement with Pakistan now; the mutilations break all rules of war”. Elsewhere, he goes on to say “name and shame Pakistan internationally”. Hypocrisy and third rate nonsense from a man who neither has hindsight nor prudence. Why didn’t he oppose the recent Indo-Pak cricket series? Forget opposing, he was blissfully in attendance at the Delhi ODI on January 6 in a Nawabi cap. For all his pathetic sound-bites neither he nor the BJP seem to have learnt anything from the past. They should be hanging their heads in shame and saying sorry to the nation for not taking a strong opposing line against engaging Pakistan in any which way. Two days after the match in Delhi Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh were killed by Paki Army soldiers who had intruded across the LoC. Their mutilated bodies sent back to their devastated families and the nation. In return for Vajpayee’s Bus to Lahore they gave us Kargil in return. When will these people learn? (Do read “Twenty yards of dead bodies”)

As for the GOI the less said the better. This is the most corrupt and shameless govt we have ever had in our history. All the balderdash that now flows from govt spokesmen like Salman Khurshid, AK Antony and Manish Tiwari is the same that has been heard over and over again. What hasn’t been said is that the PM didn’t say that the killers “had the advantage of surprise” like he said after a terrorist attack in Mumbai in July 2011. They can’t get anything right but never forget to make stupid moves like easier visas for Pakistanis. Now a terrorist can land in Delhi or Mumbai and have a visa stamped I suppose. Fabulous! The worst of the lot in this situation has to be the tainted Salman Khurshid: “Mutilation of jawans unacceptable, but attack should not be escalated” and “Pak high commissioner spoken to in very strong terms”. I am unable to fathom how this guy is even holding any ministerial office. This response by Tarek Fateh to a tweet by Barkha Dutt says it all (although we aren’t signatories to that court the sentiment is to show courage and act). The GOI has yet to take any strong stance or action on the issue of Saurabh Kalia killed during Kargil. Even the Italian Defence Minister rushed to India to negotiate release of the Italian marines arrested for killing fishermen off Kerala. But Indians getting killed anywhere, taken hostages on high seas doesn’t bother this govt.

Whenever such a barbaric incident happens our media never fails to call some Paki stooges on their channels for a panel discussion. What are they expecting? That these guys will accept responsibility when they aren’t even official govt spokesmen? Predictably, every Pakistani, from panellists to their High Commissioner Salman Bashir and their EAM Hina Rabbani Khar has denied their army was involved. So why is it that Arnab Goswami keeps bringing these useless voices on TimesNow? There is some strange arousal that Arnab gets from bashing these Paki panellists when he should be bashing our reckless govt and its ministers. Even TimesNow’s defence expert Mahroof Raza asked Arnab “Why do you give them so much airtime on Indian channels”? 

The hypocrisy of the TOI group deserves condemnation. They run the AKA campaign and then behave as if they care. They have once even admitted peace with Pakistan is not possible under “Times View”. Raza also said on January 9 on Timesnow that Obama takes two days off every year to understand the nuclear chain of command again. He also asked “when was the last time a PM took time understand the difference between Northern Command and Western Command”? He makes a very pertinent point.

I have stated before and say it again; peace with Pakistan is NOT possible. We need not wage war but there is no way a nation from which many have promised a 1000-year Jihad against India can ever be true friends. This is like expecting Iran to become a friend of Israel. Not happening! This sucking up to and molly-coddling Pakistan is just another feature of ‘Muslim vote-bank’ politics by our govt and nothing more. As far as our national interest is concerned Pak has nothing to offer; not even a small safety pin. For all our genuine gestures of goodwill we have only got barbaric acts in return. It’s time to dump this charade. Instead of uttering more useless statements the GOI should recall our High Commissioner from Pakistan and expelled theirs from Delhi. The one article that has honestly acknowledged peace with Pak is not possible for many reasons is by TheJaggi in Firstpost. He aptly titles it “We are fools: 6 things we need to realise about Pakistan”. I would have to say not all but our govt and appeaser-politicians have been fools all along. There is no way friendship with barbarians will be possible.