"Kashmir" issues and Indo-Pak
tensions
-Zaglul A. Chowdhury, Dhaka
The Kashmir issue has once again come to the fore after the
state assembly passed a resolution for autonomy for the only Muslim-majority State of
India and subsequently the cabinet of the central government rejecting it. Prime Minister
A.B.Bajpayee, soon after the passage of the resolution by the ruling National Conference
headed by Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, has said that the Indian government could
consider it and the cabinet would first discuss the matter. Later, the cabinet rejected
the autonomy demand obviously fearing that this will encourage such demands by several
other component states of India where the Felix of more powers from the center of
secessionist tendencies are quite rampant. Chief minister Abdullah, son of Kashmir’s
leader later "Sher-e-Kashmir" Sheikh Abdullah, said the autonomy for the state
would ensure its integration with India and discourage separatist activities. The
resolution calling for the autonomy had suggested that the state will control issues
except foreign,finance and communications. The chief minister also said that granting of
this autonomy would not open Pandora’s Box in India. But the government and some
other political parties including the BJP of Bajpayee brushed his contention aside. The
National conference of Abdullah is an ally of the BJP-led multi-party government in India
and rejection of the resolution asking autonomy for Kashmir may strain the ties between
the central and the state government of Kashmir.
"Kashmir" problem is the crux of the dispute
between India and Pakistan regardless of what the state government of Kashmir and the
federal government of India approaches the issue and how settles their differences.
Islamabad says the right of self-determination to Kashmiri people is the key of a
resolution of the problem, which is a hangover from the partition of the two countries
from British India. New Delhi rejects this line of Pakistan and asserts that Kashmir is
the integral part of India and there can be no change of this status.
Tensions in South Asia primarily for the rivalry between
India and Pakistan are nothing new, as this region has become an international flash
point. But what is worrying the peace-loving and saner sections of people all over the
world is the fact that not only there is no sign or relaxation of tensions but all the
indications are discernible that the animosity is on the increase. Earlier, the rivalries
notwithstanding, two countries sought to take measures to relax the tensions as far as
possible although they vastly differed on the issues that are bedeviling the bilateral
ties. While Pakistan calls for the right of self determination of the people of Kashmir,
India accuses Pakistan of fomenting this trouble by supplying arms to these secessionists
and patronizing the separatist movement in the state. Islamabad says it only extends moral
and political support to the movement, which India brushes aside.
There is no denying that Indo-Pak relations have taken an
alarming turn since May 1998 after the two belligerent rivals exploded several nuclear
explosions much to the concern and dismay of the peace-loving people not only in this
region but across the world. In South Asia, other smaller nations have voiced deep concern
over the nuclearization of the area. So much so is the anxiety among the smaller neighbors
of India and Pakistan that countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka feel that they may
become the helpless victims of the induct of atomic weapons in the region since any
holocaust will not spare them. B’desh Prime minister undertook trips to both New
Delhi and Islamabad in the aftermath of the atomic detonations of the two countries and
tried to impress upon them on the need for desisting from the dangerous path of atomic
rivalry. Obviously, leaders of both the countries told her about their own compulsions
while mentioning the ritualistic assurances that both want to see that the much-vaunted
nuclear power is not used for military purposes and they will not be the first country to
use it against the rivals. Needless to say that such observations are only the noble
thinking and the hard fact is that one may not hesitate to use it should the necessity
becomes unavoidable.
Certain developments in the Indo-Pak ties have further
worsened their known hostilities and it seems that the trend continues. Although not much
later than the atomic explosions, leaders of the two countries took some steps to lessen
the tensions which was reflected in the "’Lahore summit", the relationship
nose-dived in unexpectedly short time. The Kargil situation late last year brought them
almost on the brink of a war. Thanks to the wisdom that dawned in both countries and the
international pressure that worked effectively to convince Pakistan to take back the
outsiders supporters by it from the Indian side of the LOC that divides the disputed
Kashmir region. India and Pakistan returned from near war situation although for several
weeks a kind of limited war existed along the "Kashmir" region. The Kargil
conflict impacted on two countries on contrasting ways as Bajpayee derived benefits from
it and won the national elections that followed after the conflict. For Nawaz Sharief, the
then Pakistan Prime minister, it was disastrous as his handling of the situation was
largely seen as a national capitulation. This factor was the main among other reasons that
prompted the armed forces to stage a coup in the country and capture power under army
chief General Pervez Mussarraf in October, last year. Sharief is now incarnated after a
Karachi court found him guilty on charge of attempts to hijacking a passenger plane and
terrorism. He is accused of trying to divert the plane that was carrying the General from
Colombo to Karachi after the army chief was dismissed by Sharief while he was on an
official tour to Sri Lanka.
Certain comments by the top leaders of both countries further
queered the pitch of dialogue, which existed earlier. Then came the hijacking of an Indian
commercial flight from Kathmandu by the Kashmiri militants who successfully extracted
their demands from the Indian government and New Delhi said Pakistan was behind this
incident. Islamabad denied its involvement. But the absence of any dialogue between the
two neighbors is contributing to further worsening of the ties, which suffers badly due to
no contacts in different levels. Earlier they held "composite" and other form of
bilateral discussions mainly at the level of foreign secretaries, which is now stalled.
Then the continued violence in the Indian Kashmir which Pakistan says the movement for
independence by the indigenous Kashmiris but India says designs of Pakistan and its
supported terrorists is further affecting the relationship. India seems to be less willing
for apparently questioning the legitimacy of the authority in Islamabad. General Mussarraf
has urged India for talks but there is no encouraging sign from the other side. Pakistan
insists that Kashmir is the main bone of contention and this needs to be resolved and
India unexpectedly turning a blind eye to this point of Pakistan. The military ruler of
Pakistan, who has not proclaimed a martial law in the country after seizing power from the
elected government and is the chief executive of the country, told a gathering of editors
and senior newspersons from South Asian countries recently in Islamabad that
"Pakistan" problems needs to be addressed immediately if Indo-Pak ties are to be
improved. Because of the divergent views, the standoff continues with little sign of
chances of bettering the Indo-Pak relations,
Text courtesy: News and Views, July 20, vol.02 issue 27,
Dhaka.
The Airbus A3XX, the liner of the air
-Dominique GARRAUD, France
It is already being called the "liner of the air".
For the moment, it bears the mysterious name of A3XX, A for Airbus, 3 for the series and
XX for the dose of mystery surrounding, less and less, the future super-jumbo which aims
to meet the strong growth in air traffic in the 20 coming years. "it is the greatest
challenge since Concorde! One of the designers of the project involved in the studies
since they were begun in 1996, points out.
Last winter, the full-scale model of the A3XX was assembled
in Toulouse, giving an idea of its huge size. 73 meters long, 24 meters high and with its
wingspan of nearly 80 meters, the giant has an ovoid fuselage with two wide decks place
one above the other, as if one was placing that of a Boeing 747 on top of an A340 Airbus.
To bear its weight of 500 tons on landing, it will be equipped with four sets of landing
gear with 24 wheels. Its size matches up to the stakes involved. It will carry 550
passengers in three classes and up to 1,000 in a single class, over distances able to
exceed 15,000 kilometers without a stopover. About 30 hostesses will be needed on board
and nine emergency exits are planned so as to be able to evacuate 110 passengers a minute.
There are plans for five versions including one for freight and the space available offers
a range of new possibilities in conditions of maximum comfort on flights which could last
up to 16 hours. Businessmen will be able to use an office with a fax, a telephone and a
computer while economy class passengers will have a television set and a telephone. It
will be possible to turn the big holds into cabins with beds, toilets and washing
facilities and some people already dream of a smoking lounge and a casino. For the time
being, the project is in the pre-commercial campaign stage.
Last winter, at the Singapore Air Show, Philippe Camus, the
managing director of Aerospatiale-Matra, was formal, "We will launch A3XX. It is the
most profitable segment of the market and Boeing must not be allowed to take advantage of
it alone. All we need to know now is the exact buying intentions of airline
companies". The European Airbus consortium, which groups together Aerospatiale, the
German DASA, the British BAE and the Spanish CASA foresee a world demand of 1,300 aircraft
with 400 seats or more with a global estimated value of 300 billion dollars-nearly 2,000
billion francs- for the coming 20 years. According to estimates, development costs will
amount to 10 billion dollars. Airbus, reimbursable advances from governments and the
participation of other aerospace companies, which have already signed draft agreements,
will finance them. Asian companies are specially interested in the reduction in the cost
of kilometer/seat offered by A3XX. Airbus promises that running its super-jumbo will be 15
to 20% less expensive than for a Boeing 747.
The "liner of the air" could come into service as
early as 2005 but a more accurate idea of the schedule will be known when the future
European aeronautics and defense giant, EADS, becomes quoted on the Stock Exchange, in
June 2000. EADS will group together three Airbus partners, Aerospatiale Matra, DASA and
CASA- and negotiations are expected to be finalized with the fourth, BAE. The A3XX already
looks like the new flagship of the air battle that Europe continually wages against the
American giants. The aim, which Airbus does not conceal, is to win 50% of the world market
for very large transport aircraft, for Europe. Originally, the world leader in this range,
Boeing, had been a partner in the studies for the future "liner of the air".
Since then, the American aircraft manufacturer counterattacks by maintaining that the
market is too small for such a project. It has some surprise up in its sleeve, the present
world leader in air transport could merely offer a longer version of its B747 which could
carry a maximum of 500 passengers. |
