:: Blog@Uttiya ::

Finally, there are more voices joining into the assertion India has had all along – Pakistan harbors and even promotes terrorism. Just yesterday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in no uncertain terms that “Osama Bin Laden is in Pakistan and someone high up in the Pakistani government knows where he is“. Someone in her position cannot make a loose statement, especially after the Dubya mess-up with Iraq and WMDs . There has to be concrete and credible evidence that supports such a public assertion.

Additionally, the accused of the India 26/11 conspiracy, David Headley has admitted under oath in the US courts that Pakistan Navy has trained the 26/11 attackers.

If there was any damning conviction of Pakistan’s role in global terrorism, this was it. Pakistan needs to awaken to the problems it faces with its unchecked non governmental militia and out of control provinces like South Waziristan. There is rampant talibanism in thse places and there are too may unchecked agents in the country. It is time Pakistan woke up from its denial and took strong, affirmative action to root out terrorism in the country.

Well, another 15th August is upon us. Have we really become independent? With our total dependance on foreign technology and our “foren” fixation, we are independent only on paper.

When will we realise what we are doing? Instead of capitalizing on what we have already available in terms of human capital and knowledge, we are looking at building in more inefficiencies in our business environment. By building in quotas and unnecessary checks in the processes and procedures, we ensure that mediocrity is recognised, even encouraged. By possessing a single piece of paper that brands me as a SC / ST / OBC, I can open doors with significantly lower academic qualifications. A couple of notes slipped under the door can open it up faster. I can’t take a ride from one place to another without risking serious injury.

We need a wakeup call. Will that happen soon?

There is this hot topic going on now in India, reservations in private sector. While I am all for the upliftment of the underprivileged, I think we demean the progress that we have gained in all these years by connecting reservation to caste.

Casteist politics is the cheapest, most underhanded game that our politicians play. Why do they do that? well, for one reason only – the seat. By reservations for castes, we are automatically branding a large section of the Indian people as poor, under educated and we are insulting them by saying, “We know you cannot do anything by yourself. Here is a favor, lower standards for you than others.”

 I am not a constitutional scholar, but doesn’t the preamble state that “EQUALITY of status and of opportunity”. By making one section of the population have special provisions, are we not violating this basic tenet of the constitution?

I am all for reservations, as long as it means that we will give special concessions to the poorer section of the society. Let’s give them the means to compete on a level field. Will anyone hear this?