Kashmir's Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy

More than 700 insurgents currently in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) have expressed the desire to return under the state government's surrender and rehabilitation policy. Until now, relatives of more than 700 insurgents have made applications to offices of various superintendents of police in the state. These applications would be forwarded to various intelligence agencies for complete verification. Home Commissioner B.R. Sharma has recently disclosed this, and added that after complete investigation of the applicant, the file might be forwarded to the Federal Home Affairs Ministry and the External Affairs Ministry. After approval of the two ministries, insurgents would be permitted to return.
Initiated Measures
Until now, approximately175 applications have been received. Of these, 20 have been verified at the state level, and their cases forwarded to the central government. After receiving clearance from the central government, these insurgents would be allowed to return. Sharma disclosed that verification of 175 applicants is on, and added that their cases may soon be forwarded to the federal government. From this, it appears that the state government is serious in rehabilitating these insurgent youths, and has initiated measures in this regard. Yet, there is a sterling query that some of these insurgent youths have got married in Muzaffarabad, and also have children. These children should be grown up now. Therefore, what does the government thinks in such cases, and what kind of policy has been formulated in this regard.
Such insurgents may be allowed to bring their families, wife, and children along them, but they would enjoy the position of Pakistani citizens. Their visas would continue to be extended until the time to the Indian Government confers them the right of being Indian citizens. To gain this status, they would have to fulfill certain conditions.
Harsh and Stringent
Youths residing across the border are said to have abandoned guns, and have taken up regular jobs, and their children are studying there. If rules and regulations for their return were harsh and stringent, how would they stage a comeback? If a Kashmiri youth remained unmarried in PoK, he may easily come back, but those having families would it extremely difficult to return. Their relatives here have said that it may prove a hard nut to crack for such people. They said if families of such youths get impeded because of harsh rules, how could they leave their children across the border, and come back?
In fact, they cannot return at all. It is, therefore, necessary that the state government adopt a soft and flexible policy so that these insurgent youths, desirous of return, may come with their families. The government also maintains that the door of return for such youths would remain closed, who are involved in serious cases and are wanted by police. Doors for those insurgent youths would also remain closed against whom adverse remarks are filed by intelligence agencies.

Need for Simultaneous Economic, Political Reform in Vietnam

Bui Tat Thang, Vice Director of the Institute of Development Strategy, Ministry of Planning and Investment, shared the thought with the scientists attending the seminar entitled 'Determine the relationship between economic and political reform' that it was the first time he had attended an open talk on political reform after many years of research.
The seminar was held recently by Tap Chi Cong San (Communist Party of Vietnam Magazine) and attended by many scientists from large academies and institutes of strategic study. They shared the opinion that after more than 20 years of reform, political institutions have not developed in step with economic institutions. The pressing requirement is that economic reform must go along with political reform, and it cannot be avoided due to 'sensitivity.'
Associate professor Vu Van Phuc, editor in chief of Tap Chi Cong San, pointed out that economic and political institutions can obstruct and interfere with each other in the absence of well-balanced, coordinated, and thorough reform.
Cannot Be Avoided
Major General Le Van Cuong, former director of the Security and Science Institute of the Ministry of Public Security, analyzed that inertia, weakness, and deterioration of some officials in the political system has impeded socio-economic development. Therefore strong political reform is to contribute to strengthen the leadership role of the Party.
Thang related the story of reform in China, and observed that it represents a good lesson for Vietnam. He quoted Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that the achievements of economic reforms will disappear in the absence of political reform.
Former Vice Director of the Academy of Journalism and Communication Duong Xuan Ngoc shared his view that while economic reform has been studied at length, the issue of political reform has rarely been mentioned and is often avoided, while they have a dialectic and symbiotic relationship. According to Ngoc, only by building stable institutions on the basis of the law-governed state can we minimize the influence of some individuals on the general interest.
The scientists also used many analogies in their discussion about the discrepancy in speed between economic and political reform, and agreed that political reform should not be avoided. Everything should be discussed in public. Phuc, editor of the Tap Chi Cong San, said that to define the relationship between economics and politics is to understand and resolve it properly, rather than rely on extreme and one-side views.
Reform From Top Down
Like economic reform, the steps to political reform need to follow a road map and make the right choices. According to Gen Cuong, the first obstacle to overcome is deterioration and weakness of some officials, Party members, and particularly high-ranking officials.
Beyond that, it is to realize the principles in the regulations and resolutions of the Party, which are to develop the people's ownership, and to carry out supervision mechanisms within the Party and the people's supervision of the activities of the Party. 'Power without supervision will deteriorate. That is certain' he said.
The third important point is to carry out social supervision and criticism of all the policies, guidelines, and socioeconomic development plans of public authorities.
Gen Cuong said that the supervisory systems of the Party and the State are performing inefficiently not because of the weakness of the supervision agencies, but rather due to their inappropriate structure and organization.
Duong Phu Hiep, former general secretary of the Central Theoretical Council of the Communist Party of Vietnam, said that the focus should be on officials, since 'this is the face of the Party.' In addition, the political system should meet the demands of the market, and be dynamic and trim. At present, the state apparatus is still cumbersome and intervenes too much in the economy, and operational shortcomings in the administration have not been overcome.
It is important, according to Hiep, for the Party to continue to reform from within, and not to try to do the work that should be done by others.
Requirements of Present Situation
Ngoc affirmed that political reform must start from the top. The Eighth National Party Congress placed 'stability' as the premise, but continuing to focus on the target of stability reflects an attitude of hesitation and fear of reform. It does not meet the requirements of the present situation.
Only political and economic reform can be the premise for development. The reform must start from the high ranks, in the Party and in the society. Although the participants had different points of view on the range of political reform, they all agreed that it is necessary to conduct wider discussions on this subject, and that economic and political reform must be carried out at the same time to achieve a comprehensive reform.

Assembly Election Results To Change India's Political Scenario

The assembly election results of four states and one union territory have been declared. These results can be harbingers of things to come. The results have proved to be good for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), but they can prove ominous for the Congress. From the looks of it, except for Assam, the results of other states have not proved to be very good for the party, and not very successful. If this trend continues and the results of the coming elections in Uttar Pradesh (UP) turn out to be as disappointing, then it will be very difficult for the Congress to remain a major party. The reason for this is to maintain its strength in the states and have sufficient numbers.
Prestige Issue to Congress
The results of today's elections have given a blow to the Congress. This has been especially true of Andhra Pradesh (AP). Rajashekhara Reddy's wife and son have given a nasty shock to the Congress government and have exposed its tall claims. Only until yesterday the Congress was claiming that it will win the two seats in AP hands down. It was claiming these seats as theirs, especially the Cuddappa seat had become into a prestige issue to the Congress. But today, the election results have shattered its image. Keeping in mind to win these seats, Jagan and his mother Vijai Lakshmi played many tricks. They got many candidates with similar names of Jagan and Vijai Lakshmi to stand so that the voters got confused, and the Congress took full advantage of this confusion. But Jagan's immense popularity led to a large margin victory for Jagan and his mother.
In West Bengal, where the Left Front had been ruling for over three decades, the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Bannerjee sent Left parties packing and laid the foundation of a new history. Bannerjee, winning with a comfortable majority, has assured for herself the Chief Minister seat. She made a pact with the Congress. But for 90 percent of seats, the credit goes to her. Here also, the Congress was in the fray but it could not get much success.
Change in South
There has been a change in the administration in South India also, in the state of Tamil Nadu. Here Jayalalitha, by ensuring her victory over Karunanidhi, has made sure she becomes the chief minister. Here, A. Raja of the Dravida Munnetra Kazahagam (DMK) had to pay the price of being involved in the biggest scam of independent India, the 2G scam and other scandals. Otherwise also, Tamil Nadu had a trend of changing the government every five years, and the DMK and All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (AIADMK) take turns in running the government every five years. While in West Bengal, the Left had to face defeat because of the mistake they have made in Nandigram and Sangrur, Left leaders have acknowledged the mistakes they have made.
In Assam, the Congress put up a good show, while in Puducherry, the party's record was not very good. In Kerala, the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) did not get any significant majority. In these elections, the most amazing aspect was that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been wiped out completely from these states and could not get even a single seat, except in Assam. The BJP has been wiped out clean from all these states though it proudly claims that it was the country's largest opposition party. This is a very embarrassing and shameful situation for the BJP. The biggest proof of this defeat is that people of this country have stopped thinking in communal terms in their agenda.
Constructive Opposition
Tamil Nadu took the blame for the defeat of the DMK and Karunanidhi's son, Abhigyan, resigned from the union government and has presented his resignation to DMK Chief Karunanidhi, the Left Front acknowledged its defeat and promised to work as constructive opposition.
During the elections, Mamata Bannerjee's fixation for the figure 13 was at its height. Coincidentally, this is the 13th year of the formation of the Trinamool Congress. Also 13 is the figure of Mamata's name numerological. She considers 13 to be lucky for her. Even the announcement of the election date was 13. All other predictions, except for West Bengal, turned out to be disappointing and the political scene changes. In such a situation, how all this would affect the federal government remains to be seen.