Public flogging in Pakistan

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Ram Bahadur Chhetri Memorial One-Day Football Tournament

FROM GARHWAL POST

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

DEHRADUN, 14 Sept: Garhwal Sports Academy-B lifted the Ram Bahadur Chhetri Memorial One-Day Football Tournament, today, beating Garhwal Sports Academy-A in a tie-breaker here today. Vikas Negi of Garhwal Sports Academy-B was adjudged ‘Best Player’ of the tournament.

The match played between the senior and junior teams of Garhwal Sports Academy ended in a goalless stalemate in the stipulated time, extending it to the tie-breaker. Taking the first spot kick for Garhwal Sports Academy-A, experienced player Dheerendra Singh Negi, in a bid to place the ball in the left corner, hit the bar instead. The Garhwal Sports Academy-B team’s Sandeep committed no mistake in converting the spot kick and took his team 1-0 up. Then came Sher Singh to take the kick for the senior team and successfully sent home the equaliser. Shashank, with a powerful shot, netted the ball and took the junior team 2-1 up. Deepak Kandari, considered a fine player, shocked his admirers by shooting too wide off the crossbar for the senior GSA team. He tried to lob the ball over the Goalie’s head but it went too high.

Earlier, GSA-A defeated Young Garhwal 3-0 in the first semifinal and GSA-B beat Young Star to enter the final. In all, 16 teams participated in the tournament organised under the aegis of Garhwal Sporting Football Club. The matches were played seven-a-side at the FRI ground.

The Chief Guest on the occasion, Jagdish Kiswan, Director General, ICFRE, and Special Guest Upendra Thapli gave away the prizes to the winners.

The capture of Zojila

Dr Niti Rana: New crusader against School Bullying

FROM GARHWAL POST

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

DEHRADUN, 9 Sept: It is an open secret that all is not well with the present system of school education. The problems that students face in present day schools were, to an extent, brought to the fore in the Bollywood blockbuster ‘Taare Zameen Par’. But, what the film has tackled was a minuscule element of the issues that haunt school children. One such issue is of peer victimisation or bullying among school children.

While American schools have woken up to the destructive potential following events like the 1999 Columbine High School and 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, Indian schools are yet to acknowledge the presence of the danger lurking within their school premises.

So, which Indian law prevents a school bully from terrorising his fellow student? “There is no such law,” says Dr Niti Rana, who runs a Career Development Institute in Kathmandu, Nepal and specialises in the study of school bullying.

“Although state governments in India have enacted Anti-Ragging Acts on their own, they are specifically aimed at tackling bullying in colleges and University campuses and not schools,” says Rana. Unfortunately, even the central government’s endeavour to enact the Prevention of Ragging in Colleges and Institutions Act, 2005 did not see the light of day.

Kapil Gurung, a Design prototyping student at DeMontfort University, UK posing for the camera

Kapil Gurung, a Design prototyping student at DeMontfort University, UK, dons a Gorkha uniform as a tribute to his paternal grandfather, Late Sher Bahadur Gurung of the Gorkha Regiment which was transferred to Britain in 1947. Kapil’s maternal grandfather was Late Colonel Puran Singh Thapa of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles.

Rajneesh Thapa from Dehradun practising Karate in Leicester

ALL PHOTOS BY JYOTI THAPA MANI

Coming Up! One on One with Bhaskar Pradhan ‘Drishti’

Coming Up – An exclusive one on one with Bhaskar Pradhan ‘Drishti’, Actor, Director, writer and columnist.

Exclusive trailer of Disha – an experience – A film by Bhaskar Pradhan

Press Release Issued by GJM

The Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs Shri Pranab Mukherjee gave us an opportunity to present our case for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland. Each member of the delegation presented different aspects of the demand and the reasons for which it was raised.

Shri Mukherjee heard the delegation with grave concern. He observed the otu demand for the creation of a separate state of Gorkhaland was a constitutional demand and not anti-national. He said that the Congress (I) was not averse to the idea of creating smaller states and outlined the backdrop in which the Congress (I) had examined the matter, including the demand for creation of Gorkhaland, by a committee chaired by him in October 2000.

The Honorable Minister concluded by saying that he had now fully apprised of the various aspects of the demand and had been given a frist hand account of the facts, he woul dnow confer with the Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Congress (I) President Smt. Sonia Gandhi as to what further steps would be taken concerning the demand.

The nine member delegation was led by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha General Secretary Shri Roshan Giri comprising of vice president Pradip Pradhan, Shri Amar Lama, Shri Anmol Prasad, Shri P Arjun, Dr. Rohit Sharma, Dr. Ram Bhujel, Shri Palden Lama and Shri Taranga Pandit. Shri Dawa Narbula, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from Darjeeling was also present during the discussions held at an informal level.

Gorkha Liberation Army militant arrested

FROM ASSAM TIMES

BY NANDA KIRAT DEWAN

NEWS SHARED BY YK SHRESTHA

One suspected hardcore Gorkha Liberation Army (GLA) outfit militant Arjun Chetri of Nagaland was today nabbed by state police at Dheraichuli while he was coming from Dalgoan towards Dekhiajuli in Sonitpur district. Well placed sources told Assam Times that Mr. Chetri was arrested with AK-47 rifle, a Chinese made pistol and hand grenades and modern arms and ammunitions. Interrogation is on while more details is awaited.

Do Ends Really Justify the Means?

By Amar Singh Rai

This is a question, which can be asked over and over again and debated endlessly. There have been philosophers, leaders and politicans in the past and there are many at present who swear by it. At the same time there are others who have cnsidered it from the point of view of ethics and morality and for whom if the means are improper, the end cannot be justified. [Inset: A Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporter. Photo by Praveen Pradhan]

In the 80s we beleived in the dictum and so, for the casue of Gorkhaland, there was violence, killing, arson, betrayals and distrust. In the present context, we need to thread on cautious grounds as the means we have adopted for achieving our “end” is Gandhian and non-violence, the corollary of which include-peace, restraint and unity.

Yes, what happened on the 25th July is unpardonable and our natural instincts and anger led to untoward incidents. It is not easy to condone the fact than an innocent girl lost her life…not in vain but for a cause! We salute her! In times to come, if the course of our movement changes, many more such sacrifices will be made. Our “End” will remain the same but the “means” may be diffeent!

For the rpesent, the need of the hour is peace, restraint and unity. Our adversaries will do all to test our patience and endurance but we need to be resolute. We need to show the way and not allow the state and the cetnre to brush aside our demand. They must not be allowed to make light of our “end”. The sinister designs of our antagonists must be thwarted. The adopted “means” must not be overshadowed by politics of revenge and violence. We are now too mature for this. The instigators and those who take advantage have to be dealt with “means” other than those that go against our “end”.

Nepalese PM armed with new treaty draft

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NEWS

KATHMANDU: Though Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ today described his upcoming trip to India as a “goodwill” visit, he said he would be going to New Delhi with a draft that Nepal would like to replace the existing 1950 India-Nepal treaty of peace and friendship.

“The treaty was signed (during) the Rana regime,” Prachanda told the state media. “But today, we have come a long way. The Ranas were overthrown and so were the Shah (kings)… In the new political context of Nepal’s transition to a federal democratic republic, it would be sensible to replace it with a new one… The objective should be to consolidate mutual welfare.”

The Maoist chief said critics who were saying his party had not done adequate homework on the new treaty were “misguided”.

“We have already prepared a draft which I am carrying to India,” the new Nepal prime minister said.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood said all aspects of Nepal-India relations would figure during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’s’ goodwill visit to India. Sood said this after conferring with PM Prachanda at the latter’s office in Singha Durbar. Asked whether they discussed reviewing the 1950 Treaty and problems caused by the breach of the Koshi embankment, Sood said they discussed all aspects of bilateral relations.

Prachanda to reassure India over China fears

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL NEWS

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s new Maoist prime minister, Prachanda, arrives in New Delhi on Sunday seeking to allay fears that Kathmandu would now move closer to China, dumping its traditional friendship with India.

Such doubts gained ground in New Delhi after Prachanda travelled to China last month for the Olympics closing ceremony, departing from a tradition which has seen incoming Nepali leaders make New Delhi their first foreign port of call.

There is little doubt that ignoring India is almost impossible for Kathmandu: India is landlocked Nepal’s major economic as well as trade partner, and supplies the bulk of essential goods. It is also Nepal’s sole supplier of fuel.

“Whatever ties it seeks with China, India is their lifeline and they would want it to remain that way,” Indian analyst Bharat Karnad told Reuters in New Delhi.

“He definitely wants a normal friendly relationship with India.”

Experts say New Delhi would be keen to find out from Prachanda how he planned to take bilateral relations forward after the Maoists made anti-India rhetoric an integral part of their decade-long insurgency that ended in 2006.

Prime Minister visits palace

FROM GULF TIMES

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s Prime Minister Prachanda yesterday visited the palace of the king his Maoist party battled to overthrow, which is being turned into a museum. “Prime Minister Prachanda came to inspect the preparations to open former King Gyanendra’s palace as a museum,” Sharad Bista, a senior official at the Narayanhiti Palace Museum told AFP. [Inset: Prachanda visiting Narayanhiti Palace]

Nepal’s monarchy was abolished in late May by an elected assembly dominated by the Maoists who waged a deadly decade-long insurgency to install a communist republic until striking a peace deal in 2006.

Prachanda, accompanied by his wife, daughters and a few other ministers, showed keen interest in the palace, which boasts over 60 rooms and halls – each named after the 75 districts of the Himalayan nation, another official said.

“This was his first visit,” said Bista.

He drove around sprawling palace grounds in his motorcade before entering the main building whose halls are decorated with huge royal family portraits, statues of Hindu deities and stuffed animals including tigers and leopards.

Nepal’s defence minister likely to visit Beijing

FROM GULF TIMES

KATHMANDU: After Nepal’s new Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda chose to break with tradition and made China his first destination abroad instead of India, now Nepal’s new Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa ‘Badal’ could be heading for Beijing once again.

Badal, the Russia-educated military strategist of the Maoists’ guerrilla army during the decade-old armed insurgency, has been invited to visit China from September 22. Besides meeting officials, he has also been invited to inspect the Chinese army.

The defence minister’s office yesterday confirmed the invitation to IANS but said no immediate decision has been taken on whether the minister would accept or not.

For a long time, Nepal did not have a defence minister as the prime minister himself held the crucial ministry.

Beijing would be eager to cultivate close relations with the defence minister since it is trying to sell indigenously manufactured arms and aircraft to the Nepal Army.

China had supported King Gyanendra’s army-backed coup in 2005 and in exchange, had been able to sell its aircraft to the army at marked up prices.

After the fall of the royal regime, the cash-strapped Nepal government asked Beijing to scrap the deal, but the Chinese authorities refused to oblige.

A ‘red’ carpet awaits Prachanda in India?

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

As Nepal’s insurgent-turned Prime Minister Prachanda begins his five-day visit to India on Sunday, people of the Himalayan Nation are anxious as to how New Delhi welcomes the new leader.

There is a sense of discomfort in the minds of almost every Nepali over the high-profile visit as Prachanda broke the decade-old tradition of foreign visits by flying to Beijing instead of New Delhi immediately after taking over as PM.

Moreover, there has been a growing feeling among Nepalis that New Delhi is not euphoric with the birth of a new ‘radical communist’ nation in the neighbourhood.

“Let us hope that India would offer a red-carpet welcome to him (Prachanda),” Yughnath Sharma, a Kathmandu-based journalist, said, adding that New Delhi should try to treat the Beijing-trip as a non-issue, and forge a stronger bond of friendship with Nepal.

Historically, Nepal has always been India’s friendly neighbour and shares strong socio-cultural bonds as well as a healthy diplomatic relationship.

The relationships reached a new point in June 2006 when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rushed to the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi, breaking the protocol, to receive the visiting Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

“Let us hope that forgetting his (Prachanda’s) political background, India would accept our new PM as a true democratic leader of a newly-born republican nation,” Shankar Sharma, a student leader, said.

Marxist friend from Nepal skips Bengal

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

New Delhi, Sept. 13: Not only some industry captains but even friends of the state’s Marxist rulers appear to be shying away from Bengal.

Nepal’s Maoist Prime Minister, Prachanda, will skip Calcutta and fly to Bangalore during his first visit to India starting tomorrow.

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had been the first Indian leader to invite Prachanda, in May, after the Maoist chief’s poll victory. Prachanda had accepted the invitation, forwarded through Sitaram Yechury in Nepal, but no date was fixed.

“The invitation stands. But the programmes of visiting dignitaries are finalised by the Centre,” Yechury said. Prachanda, however, will be meeting Yechury, who played an important role in the Nepal Maoists joining the democratic mainstream, on September 16.

The five-day visit that ends on September 18 is Prachanda’s first “official” foreign trip as Prime Minister. In Delhi, where he is to arrive at 7.30pm tomorrow, he will be meeting President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Sonia Gandhi and L.K. Advani besides Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Prachanda brings promise of change – Ex-rebel no longer an unwelcome irritant in New Delhi

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY SANKARSHAN THAKUR AND JAYANTH JACOB

Prachanda: Debut trip as PM

New Delhi, Sept. 13: A suite at the Taj will probably count the least among the many transformations in Prachanda’s India experience when he arrives tomorrow on a five-day state visit. Neither will it merely be the change from a wanted head of insurgency to a vaunted head of government.

Prachanda, aka Pushpa Kamal Dahal, was till just the other day the nub of differences between India and Nepal. Now he turns up laden with potential to make a difference – elected Prime Minister of a fledgling republic that is seeking to put relations on a new keel. No longer an unwelcome irritant furtively ducking in and out of holes in Noida; very much an honoured guest New Delhi will hope to toast the future with.

There has been whispered annoyance in South Block at Prachanda’s decision to break convention and choose China as his first port of call on becoming Prime Minister, but the Nepali leader has been eagerly prefacing his arrival with loud disclaimers to suggestions that Nepal under him will turn more to China; Beijing, his managers have been saying, was not strictly a state visit, more an incidental trip occasioned by the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.