Month: October 2006

Mohammad Afzal was handed a death sentence for helping execute a terrorist attack at the Indian parliament. Afzal’s wife has appealed to the president for clemency but Afzal himself has so far refused to appeal for mercy, saying he has no faith in India’s judicial system.
Mohammed Afzal
There have been violent protests in Kashmir following Afzal’s sentencing last week.Human rights groups have been critical as well, saying Afzal was denied a fair trial. But right-wing groups, including the main opposition BJP, are pushing for the execution to be carried out. So Should Afzal be hanged? My view is the issue was very much politicized asusual by the Indian media. The Judge was very clear in his judgement,"By committing treason against the nation and waging war against it, he lost his right to life."
     several people were killed in the incident which was a direct attack at the seat of country’s democracy. So what else can a judge write over in his judgement? What’s the use of projecting India has a soft state again and again by giving mercy to all the killers, that too to a person who doesn’t
believe in our democracy, judicial system.Hang him!!

Two giants of Asia – China and India are in fierce competition now, supplying arms and ammunitions to Myanmar. Chinese started the competition and India followed up to neutralise.India needs Myanmar’s help in flushing out United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) militants who are hiding out in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) dense jungles. Either India or China cares for the human rights abuses in Myanmar nor for the voice of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Am currently reading Bob Woodward’s new book, The State of Denial,  which describes a White House riven by dysfunction and division over the war, it gives an interesting inside analysis of how the policies are made in the white house. It seems the author was given exclusive access to the administration. This is his 3rd book on war. The book is currently #1 in Amazon. Check it out.