Growing Chinese Influence in India causes suspension of Train Services
Muhammad Javed Iqbal
Bengal
PTI 2 January 2010, 02:28pm ISTText Size:|Topics:threat
hoax
disrupted
Train services
JHARGRAM (WB): Train services in the Kharagpur-Tatanagar route of
South-Eastern railway were disrupted today after a landmine hoax
created panic in
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West Midnapore district.
A pilot train and a team of joint security forces rushed to a spot
near Jhargram railway station after a driver of the Howrah-bound
Sambalpur Express noticed some banners and a tiffin-box with wires
spread out lying on the railway tracks in the wee hours today, police
said.
Later in the day, an inspection by the bomb-disposal squad revealed
the absence of any explosives.
Police said that this was a ploy by the Maoists to create panic, as a
result of which several local trains in the route were cancelled while
long-distance trains got delayed.
The Maoists had called for a 24-hour bandh today in five states - West
Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
Satish Kumar
wrote:
> Growing Chinese Influence in India causes suspension of Train Services
> Train services disrupted after Maoists create landmine hoax in West
> Bengal
In Muhammad Javed Zball's native Pakistan, growing influence of
Taliban is disrupting volleyball games with heavy loss of lives. Of
course, this is no skin off Muhammad Javed Zball's penis for he no
longer has one. It got blown away during a bomb attack on Shia namazis
at a mosque in Orangi. Muhammad Javed Zball, a diehard Sunni, had
accompanied his Taliban buddies to watch the fun during the bombing.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
EDITORIAL: A gruesome attack
Friday’s attack on an unguarded crowd of villagers watching a game of
volleyball in Lakki Marwat amply reflects the values and mindset of
people who are fighting against the state of Pakistan. Any crowd of
ordinary citizens going about their lives — be it an Ashura procession
in Karachi, a market in Peshawar or Lahore, or a mosque in Rawalpindi
— seems fair game for these barbarians to kill and maim. The field
that was the scene of an animated game and resounding applause was
turned into a spectacle of gore and flesh in a matter of seconds. An
explosives-packed vehicle drove into the field in Shah Hasan Khel
village and killed most of the players and a large number of
spectators present inside the playground in a huge explosion. The
death toll had risen to 93 at the time of writing these lines, with
100 injured. In addition, adjacent houses and other buildings were
badly damaged. One wonders what kind of morbid pleasure it will offer
to the perpetrators of this attack. The only explanation that comes to
mind is that in a battle for territory and influence, the jihadis
considers unarmed civilians in their own country as justified targets.
There are no signs of the weakening of the jihadis after the
initiation of military operations last year. In fact, they have come
back with more ferocity. The present incident indicates that they are
in full retaliatory mode against anybody they perceive as their enemy,
which by now seems to mean everyone. Situated on the border of South
Waziristan, Shah Hasan Khel village and the adjoining area was a hub
of militants in the recent past and was cleared by local people with
the government’s help. A peace committee of the area is active and
according to some accounts, its meeting was being held in a nearby
mosque at the time of the attack. It is not clear if any members of
the committee have been killed, but the militants have sent a very
strong message to the people of the area that they are alive and
kicking. At this point the role of the security forces and government
agencies is very important. The psychological effect of this carnage
in a small village will be huge. If the government does not step
forward to provide security and necessary aid to the local people,
nobody can prevent this area from falling back into the hands of the
militants, leading to more reversals, which neither the government nor
the people can afford.
It is imperative that in addition to medical aid for the victims,
monetary compensation for loss of life, injury and loss of property
announced by the provincial government are paid at the earliest. The
members of the peace committee would need special protection because
they are obviously the source of ire for the militants whose houses
were razed in the area under their supervision. In consultation with
the local administration and elders of the area, the government can
also consider providing training and supervision to the local militia
of the people to prevent the Taliban from re-entering their area.
That said, this attack should also be looked at from a wider
perspective. From their past activities and statements, the militants
have made it known that they would attack both military and non-
military targets in order to create chaos and mayhem to achieve their
dubious goals. They want to make Pakistan a place where no one is safe
and where nobody should take the risk of coming. By creating a
security situation, they have already succeeded in achieving their
objective of isolating Pakistan internationally. The UN is pulling out
a majority of its staff from Pakistan. A large number of foreign aid
workers, educationists, businessmen and technical experts working here
have left. No international sports or cultural event is likely to
happen in Pakistan anytime soon. All this has had a degenerative
effect on all spheres of life. This should leave no doubt in the minds
of the security establishment, media, political elite as well as the
general public that those carrying out suicide bombings are the
enemies of Pakistan. They need to be snuffed out by putting up a
united front.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\01\03\story_3-1-2010_pg3_1