President VV Giri unveiling the corner stone at Guru Nanak University at Amritsar

From Our Correspondent

AMRITSAR, Nov. 24 — Laying the foundation-stone of the Guru Nanak University campus, three miles from here, President Giri today said universities in the modern world had a crucial role to play in advancing civilisation. They should respond to changed conditions and new demands. They must not merely display their traditional resourcefulness but should have the capacity for effective growth. In a democracy they could not be content with the traditional goal of scholarship and learning. They had to devise new programmes and take into account the needs of society.

Also read:

• Guru Nanak’s Words Still Inspiring
• THUS SPAKE GURU NANAK
• Processions Mark Guru Nanak’s 500th Birthday Celebrations
• EDITORIAL

Mr Giri said that the primary aim of educational institutions should be to develop character and integrity and to build up personality of students through proper discipline.

Mr Giri said Guru Nanak University should inculcate the cardinal virtues which Guru Nanak preached — humanism, tolerance, reason and breadth of vision — on students. If the universities fulfilled these obligations to the student community in particular and the nation at large, then it would pave the way for translating into reality the goal of a democratic social order, he said.

The President stressed the need for establishing agricultural and industrial colonies, for providing technical training to the unemployed to enable them to earn a decent livelihood.

He, however, mentioned that without the active and sustained assistance from the Government, both in regard to the establishment of such productive colonies-cum-training centres as also in marketing their products, this scheme would not succeed. He said that a progressive State like Punjab could give a lead in this direction. He asked the new university to devote its attention to the growth of agro-industries and help in the solution of the problem of unemployment and poverty.

Mr Bishan Singh Samundri, Vice-Chancellor, thanked the President, the Governor and the Punjab Government and promised to do his best to see that the University functioned in accordance with Guru Nanak’s teachings.

Earlier, on arrival, the President was received by the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Gurnam Singh, Mr Surjit Singh, Education Minister, and Mr Bishan Singh Samundri, the new Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak University.

The function was attended by over 2,000 dignitaries from all over Punjab, including Mr Ujjal Singh, Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr Gurdial Singh Dhillon, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Mr Suraj Bhan, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University.

About 100 students staged a demonstration demanding entry into the pandal, put up for University function. The demonstrators shouted slogans like “Sat Sri Akal”, “Punjab Police Murdabad”. The police, however, pushed them away. Only invitees were allowed to enter the pandal.

THE BAGGAGE: Seen as the key architect of ending the 30-year war against the LTTE, Gotabaya has been critical of India.

Maj Gen Ashok Mehta (retd)
Defence Commentator

THE winner in the seventh Sri Lankan executive presidential election is Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s  (SLPP) Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa. National security trumped economy, democracy and reconciliation. That an authoritarian regime in which Gota played a key role in ending the country’s insurgency has bounced back to power,  after only five years, is not surprising,  given the lackadaisical record of the incumbent United National Party  government. This time, there was no grand alliance to stop the Gota juggernaut.

The key to winning a presidential election in Sri Lanka is garnering the minority Tamil and Muslim vote, given that rival contenders are usually neck and neck in majority Sinhalese areas. In order to vanquish Gota, the National Democratic Front’s Sajith Premadasa had to eat into Gota’s Sinhalese constituency. The reverse happened. Not only did Gota outvote Sajith in the south, but also made a dent in his minority vote in the north-east. In the last two presidential elections, like this time, too, the minorities voted en bloc in favour of Gota’s elder brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s opponents. The election was not finely balanced as expected. A New York think tank, Eurasia Group, got it wrong, predicting a 55% chance of a Premadasa victory over 45% for Rajapaksa.

Gota, a former Colonel from Gajaba Regiment and Mahinda’s defence secretary, is seen as the key architect of ending the 30-year war against the dreaded LTTE. Due to the 19th amendment, Gota was an early bird in the contest whereas the opposition could not pick its contender till six weeks before the elections. Initially, Gota came out as a reluctant debutant, a soldier discomfited in a politician’s role. But the lure of an executive president’s job, even if diminished by the 19th amendment, is still the ultimate aphrodisiac. Under Mahinda’s divine shadow, Gota’s campaign gathered momentum, notwithstanding his linkages to ‘white van’ disappearances, murder of a journalist, sundry corruption charges and alleged human rights violations in the war. It is a near miracle that he managed to keep his head above water. He had to renounce his US citizenship mandated by 19A.

Ironically, this year’s Easter Sunday bombings in Colombo by six local Muslim suicide bombers linked to Daesh, which caused catastrophic casualties and damage,  came as a godsend to Gota. It shot up national security, as internal stability was rocked after a decade of peace. The colossal bungling of the incumbent regime during the tragedy made people yearn for the return of the Rajpaksas. Two other challenges meant to undercut Gota’s chances did not work — a former army commander, Gen Mahesh Senanayake, who distinguished himself after the Easter Sunday bombings, standing as President; and Premadasa announcing that if he won he would appoint Gen Sarath Fonseka, another former army commander and a war hero who unsuccessfully contested presidential elections against Mahinda in 2010, as his defence minister.

In an atmosphere charged with extreme nationalism and reverence for the military, Gota announced he would release all army personnel in jail for alleged human rights violations, and that no war hero would be investigated for excesses during the war, thus countermanding the government’s commitments to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, when Colombo co-sponsored US resolution 30/1 in 2015.  

The UNP’s youthful Sajith Premadasa, the underdog, was a late entrant and gave his best, but could not switch economy and development to replace national security, which was on top of the election agenda, because his government’s record on them was shoddy. His father, a one-term President assassinated by the LTTE, was renowned for his housing programme for the poor, which he replicated. In the end, Sajith could not convince the southern majority Sinhalese that he was their choice for President. While Gota was victorious in nearly all 15 southern provinces, Sajith won just the five north-eastern and Nuwara Eliya provinces. That was insufficient to out-Gota the Rajapaksas.

PM Modi was quick to congratulate Gota. That India was part of the plot to dislodge Mahinda in 2015 is New Delhi’s worst-kept secret. Mahinda has openly accused R&AW of engineering his defeat. Gota’s younger brother and chief strategist, Basil Rajapaksa, a former commerce minister in Mahinda era, has said Mahinda is their supreme leader, adding that while India is their closest neighbour and friend (Mahinda used to call India a relative) — and that they will depend on it for political security — they will count on China for economic development. How this will play out of the ground with Gota, who was critical of India during the war, at the helm only time will tell.

New Delhi now emphasises it will work with a President Sri Lankans elect. Sri Lanka is at a crossroads. Will Gota follow his brother Mahinda’s anti-West (and anti-India) path or contrary to what he has said in his campaign about withdrawing from international agreements, a more balanced policy?

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was sworn in, with a government headed by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe of the opposition United National Party. Another awkward interregnum could follow as parliamentary elections are due in mid-2020, and extendable by 53 days, the time consumed in the constitutional crisis this year. Till then, cohabitation could be explosive and ended by the President dismissing the government four-and-a- half years into its term, and advancing elections, expecting SLPP victory with Mahinda Rajapaksa as PM. Recently Mahinda said: ‘The real power is with PM’!

The accused in the Jammu and Kashmir police custody on Thursday.

our correspondent

Jammu, November 14

Two persons have been arrested for allegedly running a fake Army recruitment racket and duping several people of lakhs of rupees in Ramban districts on Thursday.

The police claimed that Mohammad Qasim, resident of Kangan district, Ganderbal, and Ashiq Yousuf, resident of Lar, Ganderbal, duped many persons hailing from Bishna, Kupwara, Banihal, Ramban and Samba of Jammu and Kashmir of lakhs of rupees.

The police said a Banihal youth in a written complaint alleged that Mohammad Qasim duped him and his friends of Rs 1.5 lakh on pretext of providing job in the Army (TA) by providing fake joining orders.

However, the police arrested both the accused and recovered fake appointment order copies and joining letters of the Army from their possession.

The police claimed that during questioning both the accused confessed to the crime.

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 13

To showcase its history and role, the Border Security Force (BSF) is setting up a hi-tech interpretation centre at the joint check post at Attari on the border with Pakistan.

The Retreat at Attari attracts about 15,000 visitors from across the country and abroad on weekdays and up to 25,000 on weekends or holidays. This, the BSF believes, is an ideal venue to project its activities.

“The process of setting up an interpretation centre has commenced and the entire work of conceptualisation, designing, construction and installation of display items will be outsourced on a turnkey basis,” a BSF officer said. “The project is expected to complete in about two years,” he said.

The centre will have several galleries with different themes, such as the history of the force, its role and allocated tasks, deployment on the eastern and western theatres, counter-insurgency and internal security duties, international peace-keeping missions, organisation and rank structure, achievers and martyrs. There will be a separate gallery for displaying weapons, surveillance equipment and communication gadgets used by the border guarding force. Another gallery will be dedicated to BSF’s specialised wings, such artillery, air wing, marine wing, commando wing, camel squads and dog squads.

Feats on display

• The centre will have several galleries with different themes, such as the history of the force, allocated tasks and deployment on the eastern and western theatres among others
• There will be a separate gallery for displaying weapons, surveillance equipment and communication gadgets used by the force

Manohar Singh Gill

I was born in Aldinpur, a kilometre from Tarn Taran, Punjab. The township was founded by Guru Arjan, the fifth Guru, who stayed there for 25 years, till tortured and martyred by Emperor Jahangir in Lahore. I believe Guru Nanak is the daata of everything in Sikhism, but Guru Nanak and Sikhism would have disappeared a century after him but for the compiling of Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan. His father, Guru Ram Das, initiated the construction of Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, but died soon after. Guru Arjan compiled Guru Granth Sahib, completed the Darbar Sahib, and installed Guru Granth Sahib there. If there were no Guru Arjan and Granth Sahib, Guru Nanak’s teachings would have faded.

His field of action was West Punjab, beyond the Ravi, in a pre-dominant Muslim population. I prefer to call him Baba Nanak, a more loving and affectionate term. None of the later Gurus were so addressed. I said in Parliament and repeat, that the partition was not of India, but of Punjab. We lost all the rich canal colonies and were cleaned out from the West. The Sikhs with their fortitude made a new life in the East, in poor and limited land.

What was the Muslim feeling for Baba Nanak? I have been to Pakistan a number of times. I asked to be taken to Kartarpur. It was not open to the Sikhs and there was no keenness on either side to do so. On my visit, I travelled alone, with no security, just a friend, to Kartarpur. I asked the local MP that I wanted to meet at least 400 people from the surrounding villages. He was happy to oblige. I believed that Baba Nanak was for the masses, most of all the poor. Therefore, I wanted to meet the Muslim population. The gurdwara was small, in a few acres; it had five Sikhs for service and stood in isolation away from any village. The villagers had come in large numbers; pilao had been made and charpais laid out. I wanted some singers of Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah and others. Three men sang for me. Baba Nanak, without the Sikhs, still had his shardhalus. They came regularly, in large numbers, to seek his solace. Baba’s dwar continued to have raunaq.

When I became MP in 2004, I went for the first time to Dera Baba Nanak, on our side, in Gurdaspur. I was shocked. People came, bowed in the dust, cried and went home. In the Punjab Government, officers like me, and all ministers simply ignored Dera Baba Nanak. Once I realised what I had missed, I began to make continuous propaganda in all language papers and in any other way. I demanded that the 4-km path be opened, with security wire put on the sides, and police on duty on either side. The Sikhs should be allowed, without passports or visas, to walk across, pray and come back. There was indifferent silence on both sides. When I went to Pakistan, I was interviewed as a former Chief Election Commissioner. I always asked to speak on Kartarpur. I put it to them that the Indian Government was sending Muslim pilgrims to Mecca at state cost and deliberately said that all world faiths can visit there “Meccas” and why then were they not allowing Sikhs to walk over to Kartarpur, our ‘Mecca’. As it happens, Baba Nanak’s main shrines, Nankana Sahib, Kartarpur and Panja Sahib are all in Pakistan. I believed this was an issue even for the UN, as we were the only people so punished.

I am giving this past not to claim anything. I believe Baba Nanak is doing this for us, in this year of remembrance. Our prayers have been heard. I thank the people of Pakistan for finally seeing the light. The work on both sides and the tremendous world interest will only promote what Baba Nanak preached. First, “Naa koi Hindu, Naa Musalman”, we see no other. “Sabna jiyan kaa ik daata”, let me not ever forget, says Baba Nanak. In our morning, evening prayers, in our ardas, our final prayer, is, “Nanak Naam Chardi Kala, Tere Bhane Sarbat Daa Bhala.” Remembering your Name and your highest being, I pray for the benefit of all.

— The writer is a former MP and CEC

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Ruchika M Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 6

The special commemorative session of the Vidhan Sabha, convened to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, saw the Congress taking “Panthic hues” and the party’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh talking of how Punjab was moving away from the Guru’s philosophy, as its youth were getting addicted to drugs, air and water were polluted and culture being eroded.

The session was attended by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, Governors of Punjab and Haryana VP Singh Badnore and Satyadeo Narain Arya and Chief Ministers Capt Amarinder Singh and ML Khattar. The session also saw legislators from both Punjab and Haryana sit in the Vidhan Sabha hall after more than 50 years.

Raising “jaikaras” and chanting hymns, five Congress MLAs — Parminder Singh Pinky, Kulbir Singh Zira, Fatehjung Bajwa, Varindermeet Singh Pahra, and Darshan Brar — came barefoot, wearing siropas and chanted hymns, even as Aam Aadmi Party and Akali-BJP MLAs looked on. The five MLAs were joined by other Congress MLAs who stood there and raised the “jaikara” with them, just as the VIP guests came in.

Naidu began his speech in chaste Punjabi and used several quotes of the first Sikh Guru on creating an ideal society. Incidentally, he was the only one to have also addressed former CM and Akali Dal patriarch Parkash Singh Badal before he beginning his speech, even as Manmohan Singh, Capt Amarinder and Speaker Rana KP chose to ignore him in their addresses.

Naidu hoped that the opening of the corridor would be a sign of peace, harmony and humanism, and contribute to the realisation of Guru Nanak’s vision of an ideal society. “In a world that is increasingly fragmented with narrow tunnel vision, bigotry and dogmatism, we needall the strength to dispelthe darkness that constantly threatens to envelop individuals, communities and nations,” he added.

Manmohan Singh said the Kartarpur model should be replicated in the future too as a lasting resolution of conflicts. “I appeal to you all to spread Guru Nanak’s message of love and respect to ensure an equitable society. Guru’s eternal message of oneness of God, religious tolerance and peace could pave the way to end sectarian violence, which was the biggest challenge facing the world,” he said.

Capt Amarinder gave a call for the protection of nature to save the future generations from the devastating effects of environmental pollution. Recalling the Guru’s ideology “Pavan Guru, Pani Pita, Mata Dharat Mahat” (Air is the guru, water the father, and earth the mother), he underlined the intrinsic bond between nature and mankind.

Bills passed

The House unanimously passed a Bill to establish Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University in Patiala. However, opposition MLAs raised question as to why another university was being set up in the royal city. Parminder Dhindsa said it should be established at Sultanpur Lodhi.

Lunch diplomacy

• At the special lunch after the session, Capt Amarinder and his bete noire Parkash S Badal sat on the same table, though at a distance. Haryana Dy CM Dushyant Chautala sat next to Badal
• Sukhdev Dhindsa sat close to the CM, while Bikram Majithia at the other corner
• After the lunch, Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur walked up to Badal and enquired about his well-being
• Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, former PM Manmohan Singh, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, and both Punjab and Haryana Governors did not stay back for lunch

• Chhatra’, ‘rumala’ for Kartarpur Sahib handed over to Manmohan Singh

• 
• A delegation of Delhi Congress leaders led by DPCC President Subhash Chopra felicitate former prime minister Manmohan Singh ahead of his visit to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan through Kartarpur corridor, at formers residence in New Delhi, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019. (PTI Photo)

Family members and officials pay their last respects to Sepoy Randeep Singh at Dera Hariyoli village.

Tribune News Service

Ambala, November 4

Sepoy Randeep Singh, a resident of Dera Hariyoli in Ambala, was cremated with state honours at his native village on Monday. Randeep died of heart attack in Sikkim while on duty in the wee hours on Saturday.

Commanding Officer Rajat Sehrawat, Subedar Major Haripal, Mullana MLA Varun Chaudhary, DSP Amit Bhatia, Tehsildar Punyadeep Sharma and a large number of other people laid wreaths and paid their tributes as a mark of respect to the deceased Army man.

Randeep (33) of the 27th Rajput Regiment was posted at Nathu La Pass. He is survived by wife Anjali and two minor daughters Manvi (6) and Riya (3). He joined Army in 2005.

Randeep felt pain in his chest on Friday and then again on Saturday, following which he was taken to the military hospital for treatment where he breathed his last.

Meanwhile, kin of the Army man marked their resentment after not finding any senior district official or government representative at the cremation. They said no senior official has visited the family yet.

However, the district administration maintained that representatives from the administration, Zila Sainik Board and the police attended the last rites of the Army man.

Ex-serviceman Shripal Singh, Randeep’s uncle-in-law, said, “We were told that Randeep is unwell and has been taken to military hospital, but there was no official information about his demise. We came to know about his death only after my niece read a status on social media, which was posted by Randeep’s colleague on Saturday morning.”

“We were told that Randeep died due to heart attack. He was on duty at Nathu La Pass when experienced chest pain. It is sad that no senior official has visited the family even after three days of his demise.”

For representation only. File photo

New Delhi, November 18

Six persons, including four soldiers and two civilian porters, were killed after a team of Indian Army personnel patrolling the Siachen Glacier was struck by an avalanche in Ladakh on Monday.

A group of eight persons, including six soldiers from one of the battalions of the Dogra Regiment, was patrolling the area when the avalanche hit them at an altitude of 19,000 feet. The incident occurred around 3 pm in the northern part of the glacier.

A spokesperson for the Northern Command said avalanche rescue teams from nearby posts were rushed to the location for rescue work. All eight personnel were pulled out of the avalanche debris and taken to the nearest military hospital accompanied by medical teams. The four soldiers and two porters succumbed to extreme hypothermia, said Col Rajesh Kalia, Srinagar-based spokesperson for the Indian Army.

Siachen is the world’s highest battlefield and more soldiers have been killed in weather and terrain-related incidents in the area than in enemy firing. Indian soldiers have been deployed there since 1984, after Pakistan tried to usurp the glacier by sending soldiers and mountaineering expeditions in the area. In February 2016, 10 soldiers were killed in an avalanche. — TNS

Two survive the tragedy

A group of eight, including six soldiers from the Dogra Regiment, were on a patrol when the avalanche struck them at an altitude of 19,000 feet.  Two soldiers were lucky to survive the calamity.