Pakistan is pumping in high quality fake Indian currency through the India-Nepal border

EXCLUSIVE: Top secret Nepalese documents in our possession prove that Pakistan is pumping in high quality fake Indian currency through the India-Nepal border

By Anupam Dasgupta/Kathmandu---the week

Flight PK 268 from Karachi was behind schedule. Mohammed Farooq stared out of the window of the Pakistan International Airlines carrier and shifted uneasily in his seat. At an altitude of 9,500ft, the splendid view of the Chure Hills south of Kathmandu could not have calmed the nerves of the physically challenged Pakistani. It was not the tricky approach to the Tribhuvan International Airport, surrounded by hills, that was the problem. The butterflies in his stomach fed off the precious cargo he had with him. It was always the same; seven times in the lastfive years, six in the past two years.

As the flight landed at 6.30 p.m. on August 9 and the other passengers disembarked, Farooq waited for the airline staff to assist him. He accepted his briefcase from the flight attendant but refused the wheelchair saying he wanted to be wheeled out in his personal wheelchair bundled with his check-in baggage. That was surprising since the norm is that the airlines provide wheelchairs to the needy. As intelligence sources told THE WEEK later, their Indian counterparts had tipped them off about the possible arrival of a consignment of fake Indian currency notes from Karachi, and Farooq’s demand sounded suspicious. His wheelchair was then scanned by the X-ray machine. Neatly tucked into its cushion were fake currency notes. A thorough search of his suitcase revealed a false bottom, which contained more notes. Altogether they recovered ‘super’ fake Indian currency worth 125 lakh (3,000 notes of 1500 denomination and 1,000 notes of 11,000 denomination).

Farooq was the sixth Pakistani carrier to be arrested from Kathmandu till August this year, one of them a woman, and super fake notes worth 12.13 crore were recovered from them (last year the count was 11.5 crore). They are part of a larger plot to target the Indian economy, which has been growing at a steady pace. Pakistan's proxy war has been going on for some time, but of late they have started producing super fake notes which are very difficult to differentiate from genuine notes. Sources told THE WEEK that such notes were being printed at government-run facilities in Pakistan, especially one close to its border with Afghanistan.

A top secret document with THE WEEK shows that two serving Inter-Services Intelligence officers, Ershad Khan and Major Tayyub Ali, are directly controlling the operations and are using the Nepali soil to funnel fake notes into India through the porous, 1,800-kilometre-long border via corridors in Nepalgunj, Janakpur and Birgunj. They have direct links with two of the biggest fake currency dealers in Pakistan, Haji Talaad Ali and Ali Mohammed, says a report prepared by the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police after Farooq's arrest, a copy of which is with THE WEEK. The fake dealers are getting substantial help from the Pakistan embassy in Kathmandu, say sources. “Activities of at least three embassy officials are being monitored in this regard,” says a Nepalese intelligence officer.

In the early part of this decade, Pakistan embassy's first secretary Mohammed Arshad Cheema was said to be actively involved in the fake currency racket. The Nepal Police arrested him on April 12, 2001, with 16kg RDX. Also picked up were his wife and their two Nepali associates. Cheema and his wife were expelled two days later. A year before that, two other embassy officials, Asam Saboor and Ahmed Siraj, were on the intelligence radar for their active involvement in the racket.

The amount of fake Indian currency seized is small when you consider the fact that Farooq alone had made six trips to Nepal and seven to Bangladesh before his game was up. According to an Intelligence Bureau report prepared two years ago, fake currency worth 11,70,000 crore is in circulation in India. New Delhi should certainly be worried. More so because of Pakistan's patronage of the racket.

“The imprint of Pakistani facilities is all too clear,” says Ajai Sahni of the Institute of Conflict Management, Delhi. “The entire fake Indian currency racket is being controlled by people who are deeply familiar with the business of faking international currencies. The phenomenal improvement in scanning and printing technologies is helping people with criminal intentions copy even tiny, ingrained features in the notes.”

So, how do the ISI and the fakers get around the security features in the Indian notes? Only 5 per cent of the India's currency paper is made in India and the rest is imported from any of the 11 firms in Europe producing security grade currency paper made of cotton and linen. While some of the security features are ingrained at the time of paper production (watermark, windowed security thread, magnetic properties, fibres and the like), some crucial ones (like the micro lettering, Mahatma Gandhi portrait) are incorporated at the printing stage. Most of the security features incorporated at the production stage (embedded security features) are common to countries dependent on the European firms for currency paper. Of course, there are country-specific requirements, which are meant to be kept secret by the foreign firms, though there are no ways to ensure that they are kept so. “We can't fully discount that possibility,” says a source in the Reserve Bank of India. If a violation happens, the only action that can be taken is cancelling the tender. There is no international law in this regard, which means you cannot take a firm to task if it plays foul.

UK-based firms, like De La Rue, cater to nearly 15 countries, and close to 40 per cent of India's requirement is met by UK-based firms. Sources told THE WEEK that inspection teams sent by the government to carry out quality checks at the production stage were often not allowed to go about their job. Rue's chief executive James Hussey had to step down in August 2001 after India stopped orders following the firm's failure to meet expected production standards. Though Hussey later clarified that the firm did not compromise on security features, his head rolled.

A source in the RBI says that while placing an order great care is taken to ensure that the exact amount required is specified to avoid excess currency paper reaching the wrong hands. But experts believe that it is entirely possible for a black sheep in a currency paper firm to make additional quantities of the secure paper.

From time to time the RBI issues communiques to public, private and foreign banks about fake notes. One such letter dated May 26, 2009, warned of counterfeit notes of 11,000 denomination belonging to the series 2 AQ and 8 AC and bearing the signature of Dr Y.V. Reddy. The letter followed the seizure of 345 fake 1,000-rupee notes by the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Mumbai. “This is the first time that counterfeiting of the higher denomination notes pertaining to the 2005-2006 series (with new/strengthened security features like optically variable ink, colour shift security thread, etc.) has been brought to our notice,” the letter said. “The counterfeiting has been by printing the notes and first visual impact is very much akin to the genuine note. The notes were checked on CVPS/note sorting machines and were treated as suspect/reject by both machines.”

The man on the street and small business establishments who have no access to the machines have no way of spotting the super fake notes. “Common man goes by the sheer look of the currency,” says former CBI director Joginder Singh. “This is to the advantage of the ISI and its agents who pump in the super fakes into India.”

Fake currency kingpins Talaad Ali and Ali Mohammed take direct orders from the ISI, says the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police report. The Nepalese intelligence had earlier provided detailed dossiers on ISI officers Tayyub Ali and Ershad Khan to their Indian counterparts after the arrest of a middle-aged Pakistani woman, Mariam Wali Mohammed, from the Kathmandu airport with fake currency worth 130 lakh in July.

Sources in the Indian intelligence say that the ISI's direct involvement is significant. “They seem to have shed their dependence on Dawood Ibrahim's network,” says an intelligence officer. “They are not seeking the help of Dawood's trusted men Aftab Batki and Tahir Taklia, who have been managing the fake currency business from their hideout in the Gulf countries.”

The ISI using their modules in Nepal and Bangladesh to push fake currency into India is nothing new. Nepali nationals Ateeq Ahmed and Rajesh Gupta, arrested by the Madhya Pradesh Police from Bhopal in 2009 with fake Indian notes, had told the interrogators of the alleged involvement of Nepal's former crown prince Paras Shah in the business. As many as 22 people were arrested with fake Indian currency in Nepal this year. Most of them were linked to Talaad Ali and Ali Mohammed and, through them, to the ISI officers Tayyub Ali and Ershad Khan. The others arrested belonged to India, Nepal and Bangladesh, mostly those employed to route the currency to India.

But the most important arrest was that of Younus Ansari, son of the former forest minister of Nepal Salim Ansari, on January 1, 2010. Also picked up were his bodyguards Prakash Bhandari and Kanshiram Adhikari and two Pakistanis, Sajjad Muhammad Khurram and Muhammad Iqbal. According to the chargesheet against Ansari, which is in THE WEEK's possession, fake Indian notes worth 125,000 were recovered from him. His direct involvement in the racket became clear when the police raided Hotel Bluestar in the Thapathali area of Kathmandu and recovered three suitcases and a diary from Ansari and his aides. During interrogation, Ansari confessed that he had direct links to an Ali (intelligence sources confirmed that it was indeed Ali Mohammed). Ansari, says the chargesheet, was in constant touch with his Pakistani minders and used to make calls to one number in particular (0092-3212344860).

The chargesheet further says that Ansari had been using Adhikari as a conduit between himself and Khurram. Khurram told investigators that he took direct orders from Talaad Ali, who promised him 115,000 for the successful delivery of two suitcases to Ansari. Talaad Ali had also promised him that he would take care of the incidental expenses. It was the second time Khurram was being used to deliver fake currency. He also told investigators about Talaad Ali's connection with top fake currency operator Mohammad Nadim.

Ansari, the chargesheet says, had been to Pakistan six times and on each occasion he met Talaad Ali. He had been using Bluestar for his operations for the last two years. Vinod Kharel, an employee of the Red Planet Guest House in Kathmandu, where Ansari had rented a room for over a month in December 2009, has told the police that he had seen suitcases stuffed with Indian currency in Ansari's room.

If greed undid Ansari, money was the lone motive for the handicapped Farooq (his left leg was amputated below the calf) and Mariam, whom he knew through her sister. Farooq, who hails from a low-income family in Karachi like Mariam, told his interrogators that he was given 110,000 by a Salman Mohammad Ali for his first assignment. As he grew in experience, his pay packet went up to 120,000 per trip. The Nepalese Embassy in Karachi first issued him visa on May 25, 2005. He made four trips in 2009, including two in the month of October alone. In 2010, he visited Kathmandu in July and August. In between he made the trips to Bangladesh, which also has a porous border with India. On his failed August mission, he was asked by his minders to meet a contact, a man called Jaipal, outside the Everest Hotel in New Baneshwar, Kathmandu. Farooq was given Jaipal's mobile number and also the code number 0786 to identify himself. “This was done to compartmentalise information flow and maintain secrecy,” says a top Nepalese intelligence officer. “That Farooq could successfully board the flight from Karachi with his wheelchair full of fake Indian currency notes points to the involvement of Pakistani authorities.”

Farooq is currently placed in judicial custody and has had no visitors so far. There have been discreet inquiries from the Pakistan embassy officials, as confirmed by the Nepalese sources. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted under the Nepalese law.

But Farooq is an expendable pawn in the larger game played out by the ISI to weaken the Indian economy. Many more Farooqs are willing to take his place, thanks to the promise of easy money. Realising the gravity of the situation, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao raised the issue with the Nepal authorities during their trip to Kathmandu in January this year. Three years ago, at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, then national security adviser M.K. Narayanan had spoken about fake currency being routed to India via Nepal and Bangladesh. There is immense pressure on Nepalese agencies to stem the currency flow. Sources told THE WEEK that following Farooq's arrest, Nepal's intelligence establishment has handed over the mobile numbers of Talaad (0092-3212332366) and Ali Mohammad (0092-3333473288) to the Research and Analysis Wing. And, the National Technical Research Organisation has been given a list of Pakistani numbers under surveillance, a copy of which is with THE WEEK.

Nepal's newly-constituted Central Investigation Bureau has been entrusted with the task of carrying out the probe into fake currency cases. “We hardly get any cooperation from Pakistan for the probe,” says Deputy Inspector-General Rajendra Singh Bhandari, director of the CIB. He admitted that the volume of fake Indian notes brought to Kathmandu has significantly gone up. “Previously, a single currency smuggler had on him fakes worth 180-90 lakh,” he says. “Now they carry only around 110 lakh. It would pose less of a security risk.” The smugglers, he says, have become innovative and their numbers are growing.
Bhandari has a case and it is now up to the Indian authorities to act and restore the faith of the common man in the Indian currency.

JUST WATCH IT.....

இன்று நமது சிந்தனைக்கு

விவரிக்கப்படும் தெய்வத்தின் கதைகள் ஆயிரக்கணக்கில் கூடும் மக்களால் கேட்கப்பட்டு வருவது மிகவும் பொதுவாக நடக்கும் ஒன்று. ஆனால் ஞானம் அல்லது பேரறிவு என்பது கேட்கப்படுவதன் மீது முழு நம்பிக்கை வைப்பதன் மூலமே பெறப்படும். அத்தகைய நம்பிக்கை ஒரு தூய மனதையும், பரிசுத்தமான இருதயத்தையும் உண்டாக்கும். யார் கடவுளைப் பற்றிய கலாட்சேபங்களை கேட்டு அதில் உள்ள இனிமையை முழுவதும் உணர்ந்து, தங்கள் உள்ளத்தில் அசைக்க முடியாத இறை நம்பிக்கையுடன், இறைவனுக்காக இதயங்களில் பெருகிய வேட்கை கொண்டு இருப்பார்களோ, அவர்களே மாறாத இன்பம் மற்றும் தன்னை உணர்தல் ஆகியவற்றை அடைவார்கள். இது சந்தேகத்திற்கு அப்பாற்பட்டது----பாபா

GOD SPEAKS.....!!!!!

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2] Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as your FUTURE. Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!.

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked Swami Vivekanand: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!".

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE!Have a great day.

Amma Peyar kaaranam.

"Ah," said God. "That's India

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven , God was missing for six days.
Eventually, Michael the Archangel found Him, resting on the seventh day.

He inquired of God. "Where have You been?"

God took a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed downwards through the clouds,

"Look, Michael. Look what I've made!"

Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, "and I've put Life on it.

I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a great place of balance."

"Balance??" inquired Michael, still confused.

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth.

"For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth

while southern Europe is going to be poor.

Over there I've placed a continent of white people and over there is a continent of black people,"

God continued pointing to different countries.

"This one will be extremely hot while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a triangular land mass and said, "What's that one?"

"Ah," said God. "That's India , the most glorious place on earth.

There are beautiful beaches, mountains, streams, hills, waterfalls and vineyards.

The people from India are going to be very beautiful, handsome, modest, intelligent and humorous

and they are going to be found traveling the world holding good jobs.

They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high-achieving,

and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of peace,

play cricket and win world test matches. Even their wine will be appreciated and exported to far places."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then proclaimed, "What about balance, God? You said there would be

balance!!!"

God replied wisely,

"Wait until you see the clowns that will run their government."

Proud to be an Indian...A Blackberry addict discovers grassroots enterprise in India

A greater ‘hole in the wall’ you cannot imagine.
A small fading sign on the top saying “Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai. On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my innate sense of adventure (foolishness) made me stop my car and investigate.

A shop not more than 6 feet by 6 feet. Grimy and uncleaned.

‘Can you fix a Blackberry ?”

‘ Of course , show me”

” How old are you”

‘Sixteen’

Bullshit. He was no more than 10. Not handing my precious blackberry to a 10 year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pyjamas! At least if I buy a new one, they would extract the data for me. Something I have been meaning to do for a year now.

‘What’s wrong with it ?”

‘Well, the roller track ball does not respond. It’s kind of stuck and I cannot operate it”

He grabs it from my hand and looks at it

“You should wash your hands. Many customers have same problem. Roller ball get greasy and dirty, then no working”. Look who was telling me to wash my hands. He probably has not bathed for 10 days, I leaned out to snatch my useless blackberry back.

”You come back in one hour and I fix it’

I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an hour. No way. “Who will fix it ?”

‘Big brother’

‘ How big is ‘big brother?’

‘big …. Umm ..thirty’

Then suddenly big brother walks in. 30 ??? He is no more than 19.

‘What problem ?’ He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his greasier hand. Obviously not trained in etiquette by an upmarket retail store manager.

‘Normal blackberry problem. I replace with original part now. You must wash your hand before you use this’. What is this about me washing my hands suddenly ??

19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Original part ? I doubt it. But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening my Blackberry.

“How long will this take ?”

”Six minutes ”

This I have to see. After spending the whole morning trying to find a Blackberry service centre and getting vague answers about sending the phone in for an assessment that might take a week, I settle down next to his grubby cramped work space. At least I am going to be able to watch all my stored data vanish into virtual space. People crowd around to see what’s happening. I am not breathing easy anyway. I tell myself this is an adventure and literally have to stop myself grabbing my precious Blackberry back and making a quick escape.

But in exactly six minutes this kid handed my Blackberry back. He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the whole phone. Taken it apart, and put it together. As I turned the phone on there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on. I looked at him with such hostility that he stepped back.

‘you have more than thousand phone numbers ?”

‘yes’.

‘backed up ?’

‘no’

‘Must back up. I do it for you. Never open phone before backing up’

‘You tell me that now ?’

But then the phone came on and my data was still there. Everyone watching laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show. A six minute show. I asked him how much.

‘500 rupees’ He ventured uncertainly . People around watched in glee expecting a negotiation. That’s $10 dollars as against the Rs 30,000 ($ 600) I was about to spend on a new Blackberry or a couple of weeks without my phone. I looked suitably shocked at his ‘high price ‘ but calmly paid him. Much to the disappointment of the expectant crowd.

‘do you have an I-Phone ? Even the new ‘4′ one ?

‘no, why”

‘I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film you want. I give you 10 film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee’

I went home having discovered the true entrepreneurship that lies at what we call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’. Some may call it piracy, which of course it is, but what can you say about two uneducated and untrained brothers aged 10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology that the greatest technologists in the world can throw at them.

I smiled at the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential.

‘Please wash your hands before use’ were his last words to me. Now I am feeling seriously unclean.

Mohalla plays mother to orphaned 6-yr-old

KOLKATA: Little Olivia is a bundle of energy all day - singing, dancing, playing with friends, watching cartoons on TV. Her elders and guardians can barely keep up with her. It's only at night that the six-year-old quietens down. Her eyes, as bright as diamonds all day, turn soft as she looks up at the stars, probably searching for her mom and dad. Are they up there, hidden somewhere among the pinpricks of light?

That's what someone told the six-year-old when her parents died in the space of six months. Did she believe this? No one knows, for Olivia has spoken to none about what she felt when mother Baishali Paul (32) and father Ashok (41) passed away.

While Baishali, a chronic anaemia patient, had a fatal cardiac attack in February, Ashok succumbed to liver complications on August 25.

Olivia's tiny world could have come crashing down, but for her neighbours on Harish Sikdar Path and Madhu Gupta Lane off BB Ganguly Street in central Kolkata. Seeing that ailing grandfather Subodh Paul was straddled with the child's responsibilities, the neighbours —-Shyamali Das, Ashim Ghosal, Shyamal Gunin, Dulal Deb — closed ranks and decided to share the load of looking after her.

A committee was for-med by the neighbours and the local Harish Memorial Club was roped in for the caregiver's job. As the news spread, more people joined in. Soon, many in the neighbourhood were involved — making it a typically old Kolkata para effort, where joys and sorrows are easily shared among neighbours.

So today, Olivia — better known as Oly in the neighbourhood — may not have her parents, but has a host of mamas, kakas, mashis and pishis to cater to all her childish whims.

This is where character & ethos speak.

This is where character & ethos speak.

Unlike IAS where members grovel around the Political bosses to become Chief & Foreign Secys.

Lt Gen Thakur Nathu Singh,though an infantry officer also had the distinction of being the Colonel of the Regiment of The 8th Cavalry.

After getting freedom, a meeting was organized to select the first General of the Indian Army. Jawahar Lal Nehru was heading that meeting. Leaders and Army officers were discussing to whom this responsibility should be given.

In between the discussion Nehru said, "I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of Indian Army as we don't have enough experience to lead the same."

Everybody supported Nehru because if the PM was suggesting something, how could they not agree?

But one of the army officers abruptly said, "I have a point, sir."

Nehru said, "Yes, gentleman. You are free to speak."

He said ,"You see, sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn't we appoint a British person as first PM of India ?"

The meeting hall suddenly went quiet.

Then, Nehru said, "Are you ready to be the first General of the Indian Army ?"

He got a golden chance to accept the offer but he refused the same and said, "Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us."

The army officer who raised his voice against the PM was Lt. General Nathu Singh Rathore, the 1st Lt. General of the Indian Army.

That is the professionalism and character the military is made of .................

Tasty Map of India...Region wise Speciality food details

Zardari jokes banned by Pakistani Authorities

Pakistan’s president Zardari has tasked his country’s top investigation agency to go after those who send, receive, or forward funny or derogatory text messages about the country’s president

.

Anyone sending or receiving jokes about Zardari will now become liable for a 14-year jail sentence.

Temporarily, many Pakistanis who have so far been enjoying sending and reading funny text messages about their president have reverted to sending messages without any mention of Zardari. Bloggers and mainstream Pakistani media have called the new rules ‘draconian’ and many others contended that such laws would actually encourage further ridicule of the Pakistani president who is consistently portrayed in these text messages as a thief, a dog, a traitor or a demon.

Here are some of those text messages that have angered the Pakistani establishment:

1. Scratch & Win

lllllllllllll
lllllllllli
llllllllri
lllllari
lllardari
“Zardari”
Mubarik Ho aapka KUTTA Nikla Hai.
(Congratulations. It’s a dog.)

2. Long lines

A man standing in a long line for food tells the others in the line that he is leaving the line to go to shoot the president. He returns after a few hours and rejoins the line.
“Did you manage to kill him“, everyone asks him.
“No, that line is longer than this one“, he replies.

3. Robber meets Zardari

Robber: “Give me all your money!”
Zardari: “Don’t you know who I am? I am Asif Ali Zardari.”
Robber: “OK. Give me all my money.”

4. TV anchor announcing:

Terrorists have kidnapped our beloved Zardari and are demanding $5,000,000 or they will burn him with petrol. Please donate what you can. I have donated five liters.”

5. Postmaster General announcing

To commemorate the ascension to the Presidency, Pakistan Post has officially launched a new stamp. But the people of Pakistan are confused which side on the stamp to spit on.

6. Announcement In Zardari’s official airplane…

Mr. President , We are about to land.
could you please put Sherry Rehman (former Information minister) in an
upright position. Thank you….

7. Two dogs

Upset with Zardari
His dog jumped into
A dirty sewer
Said it’s not fair
For two dogs
To live under one roof

8. Pakistani meets American

Pakistani to American: What do you guys do with thieves?
American: We treat them humanely and give them nice food, warm clothes and long jury trials
Pakistani: That’s nothing. We give them the presidency.

9. Genie meets Pakistani

Genie to Pakistani: Order me my master. What can I do for you?
Pakistani to Genie: Bring me all the wealth in the Swiss bank.
Genie: My name is Genie, not Zardari.

Whose man is that soldier fighting in Kashmir ?

India must be the only country in the world where being an antinational murderer means a person or organization getting invitations for talks with the government. MirWaiz and Geelani should have been booked months ago and punished for their anti-India activities. They not only instigated Kashmiri youth to attack our patriotic people and soldiers but also vitiated the entire atmosphere in the valley bringing normal life to a halt and using Kashmiri youth as fodder for their Pakistani plots, resulting in so many killings of young boys. The fact of the matter is that the killers in Kashmir are these two pro-Pakistani elements, who would have been taken to task by any government with a spine much earlier than their fangs grew more poisonous. In such a situation, instead of talking tough and straight, the government is not only giving confused signals to ‘soften’ (whatever that means) the Armed Forces Special Powers Act but making gestures to terrorist supporters to come to talk. Talks, always a welcome way to find a solution, can be held or even an indication for a discussion can be sent only when the atmosphere is ripe for it and the other side, offenders in this case, show a willingness to come to terms. I must say Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sounded reasonable at the Armed Forces commanders’ meet on September 13 when he said: "The youth of Kashmir are our citizens and their grievances have to be addressed….We are willing to talk to every person or group which abjures violence, within the framework of our Constitution." But is this the time to extend an olive branch?

Have they ever thought what effect these gestures by the government have on the morale of the soldiers?

For whom is the Indian soldier fighting the battle in Kashmir ?

It pains me immensely to see how our secular media sirens show their undiluted love for the separatists on TV screens and they go to the streets of Srinagar only to interview the unpatriotic people. When they invite any of the antinational separatists on their shows, they display an utter lack of sensitivity towards those who love their country and give all the space and time to those voices of insanity and violence with a soft, affectionate anchoring you seldom witness when they put on trial any leader showing patriotic leanings. There was hardly a time, except during the Kargil war, when the voices representing the soldiers were given a chance to come to the TV studios or have their say on the editorial pages of the media empires. He is despised, hated and made responsible for all the bad happenings, in a sweeping manner. No one has tried to see the hardened daily routine a soldier is subjected to from 6 am to sunset, and after that the night vigil. Anything untoward happens and rogue actors like Salman Khan say meekly to the Pakistan media: Oh, it was the fault of the Indian security personnel. Salman should have been tried for treason. But we have people who lovingly go to his house and try to ‘settle the issue’. These very people and their governors make this day possible when anyone feels free to speak against the soldiers, against the national psyche of patriotism. A soldier is not a daily wage earner like the stone pelters. He is a representative of the nation’s time-honoured traditions. He is nurtured and nourished on a family's "khandaani izzat" - "Mera beta fauji hai". Ask any politician acting as an apologist for the separatist murderers, has he ever thought of sending his child to the forces? A family offers mannats at the feet of their wahe guru or devatas to ensure their son gets selected in the "fauj". He is trained by the best of the warriors at the National Defence Academy or the Indian Military Academy . Some lucky ones get selected early and go through the National Defence School route and see the pictures when they are commissioned - after a thrilling passing out parade in Dehradun. Their caps in the air and their moms and dads hugging them with moist eyes. Years of training and a life of a great Indian patriot goes waste before the gang of rogue pro-Pakistan elements who have hardly any idea what they are demanding.

Whether he is in the Army or in CRPF, BSF or ITBP, the story is the same. He is there not because he wanted to loot and rape and maim people. He was sent by the Indian government to safeguard the interests of the nation and the Constitution. He is a uniformed gentleman. Those who blow the case of rights violation must be heard definitely. But can an individual's fault be attributed to the olive green or the khaki fraternity of the soldier? I absolutely agree with Manmohan Singh when he says "The youth of Kashmir are our citizens and their grievances have to be addressed". But this should be done through good governance and a mechanism that can win their trust and not through "Srinagar-CM-living-in-Delhi" type Omars who never find time to place a wreath on the body of a soldier martyred in Kashmir .

In fact, the killers of Kashmir are people like Mir Waiz and Geelani. The angst of Kashmir must be directed against them. The soldier would be too happy to go back to his barracks and celebrate Diwali and Eid with family.

In the secular sultanate of Delhi’s power brokers, a soldier is just another babu, another employee to be denied a justifiable demand of "one rank-one pension" by those politicians who raise their salaries 300% in a jiffy. And in the media he is a punching bag. Just read a poem an Indian soldier wrote (saw it on a blog; Ali, perhaps, was his name).

Why do I still serve you?

How you play with us, did you ever see?

At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;

I would serve you to the end,

All these boundaries I would defend.

Now you make me look like a fool,

When at seventeen and just out of school;

Went to the place where they made "men out of boys"

Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…

In those days, I would see my "civilian" friends,

Living a life with the fashion trends;

Enjoying their so called "college days"

While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…

But I never thought twice about what where or why

All I knew was when the time came, I'd be ready to do or die.

At 21 and with my commission in hand,

Under the glory of the parade and the band,

I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,

And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.

I stood there with a sense of recognition,

But on that day I never had the premonition,

that when the time came to give me my due,

You'd just say, "What is so great that you do?"

Long back you promised a well-to-do life;

And when I'm away, take care of my wife.

You came and saw the hardships I live through,

And I saw you make a note or two,

And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;

but now I know you'll never be able to see,

Because you only see the glorified life of mine,

Did you see the place where death looms all the time?

Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?

The name of his newborn he does not know...

Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?

While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?

You still know I'll not be the one to raise my voice

I will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thois.

But that's just me you have in the sun and rain,

For now at twenty-four, you make me think again;

About the decision I made, seven years back;

Should I have chosen another life, some other track?

Will I tell my son to follow my lead?

Will I tell my son, you'll get all that you need?

This is the country you will serve

This country will give you all that you deserve?

I heard you tell the world "India is shining"

I told my men, that's a reason for us to be smiling

This is the India you and I will defend!

But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?

You go on promise all that you may,

But it's the souls of your own men you betray.

Did you read how some of our eminent citizens

Write about me and ridicule my very existence?

I ask you to please come and see what I do,

Come and have a look at what I go through

Live my life just for a day

Maybe you'll have something else to say?

I will still risk my life without a sigh

To keep your flag flying high

but today I ask myself a question or two…

Oh India…. Why do I still serve you?