Uncertain future

Your cover story on the current state of politics in Karnataka offers a thread-bare, objective analysis of the prevalent scenario in the state . Now B S Yediyurappa is in command as the new chief minister of the state. One, however, does not know how long he would last in his new term as the state’s chief political executive.
The future of the new political leadership in the state looks highly uncertain. His predecessor H D Kumarswamy government was voted out only because of the absence of 15 legislators. Then Speaker Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar left the scene after disqualifying all of them.
The strength of the Karnataka Assembly now stands at 222 , including a nominated member. The BJP has the support of 106 MLAs only. The majority mark is 112. To remain in power with confidence and be able to govern properly , the new BJP government in the state must win enough seats in the upcoming byelections. It is to be seen how the new government in the state gathers the needed majority in the Assembly.

S. JAYKUMAR
MANGALORE

Revocation of Article 370

The Jammu and Kashmir State government’s decision last month to abruptly end the Amarnath pilgrimage was unfortunate. The Centre had recently sent additional troops to the State. This should have been meaningfully used to neutralize the terror threats, if any, to the pilgrims.
The Modi government has however, done well to proceed with its much -declared intentions to revoke Articles 370 and 35A and annul the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. It must be tough with all secessionist forces at home.
India need not talk with Pakistan on Kashmir any more . Pakistan has not kept its commitment to solve the Kashmir issue in the spirit of the Shimla Accord. In 1999 , it waged war on India . Pakistan has been arming and training insurgents for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan.

Vishnu, K. J.
Kurukshetra

Tough laws

India must take tough action against individual terrorists . Banning terror groups will not do. Such groups tend to change their names and continue to operate. As such many countries have started designating individuals under anti-terrorism laws. Such laws are there in European Union (EU) countries, United States, China, Israel and Pakistan. Recently, Sri Lanka has started designating individuals.

Hopefully, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, passed by both Houses of our Parliament last month, would take care of this problem in India . The new law empowers the Union Home Ministry to designate individuals as terrorists. New Delhi must use the law to take adequate action against elements like Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed.

V. S. Varadarajan
Chennai

No reason for panic

Any apprehension that one’s human rights may be violated under the new anti-terror law passed by our Parliament is baseless. There is a four-stage scrutiny with provision for appeals for individuals who may be declared terrorists. The proposal to declare one a terrorist has to come from our intelligence agencies. The information provided by one agency has to be corroborated with another. MHA will examine the proposal. Once it is convinced after going through all the records, it will be cleared by the Home Minister and then notified.

Once the individual has been designated as a terrorist, he or she could file an appeal before the MHA, either in person or through registered post. MHA will have to decide the case in 45 days. The individual will have an option to appeal before an independent three-member review committee comprising sitting or retired High Court judges. The committee will be appointed by MHA.

Vikramjit K
Nagpur

Defence ties getting better

India is doing well to upgrade its defence cooperation with the world’s major actors today. India and the U.S are said to have made progress in finalising the last of the foundational agreements, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, and the Industrial Security Annex for closer defence industry cooperation and collaboration.
Recently, the Trump Administration has approved foreign military sales worth $ 670 million to support India's C-17 military transport aircraft. This will help India to maintain its operational readiness and ability to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) assistance in the region.

India is likely to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSA) this year. This will further enhance the operational reach of our military in the region. India has already signed such agreements with the U.S. Agreements with Australia, Japan and Russia are said to be in advanced stages.

The MLSA with Japan is called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). With Russia it is called the Agreement on Reciprocal Logistics Support (ARLS).

India signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the U.S. in August 2016 . Since then, it has concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore.

Logistics agreements will facilitate access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplify logistical support and increase operational turnaround of the military.

Under LEMOA with the U.S., India has Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). This includes designating the points of contact for the U.S. military to work with.

M. G. Kulshreshta
Allahabad



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT INDIAN ECONOMY FRANKLY SPEAKING INDIA’S KASHMIR POLICY INDIA’S PAK POLICY REALPOLITIK PM’S I-DAY ADDRESS NATURE’S FURY LYNCHING WEST BENGAL POLITICS CHANDIGARH DIARY HIMACHAL SCENE PUNJAB SCENE HITS & MISSES AFGHAN SCENE AMERICA WATCH TRENDS IN TERRORISM BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR SIGNS OF THE TIMES MAN VS WILD PUNJAB’S PRIDE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PIPE TOBACCO ART OF LIVING Issue:June' 2019 Subscribe Now	EDITOR’S MAIL Uncertain future Your cover story on the current state of politics in Karnataka offers a thread-bare, objective analysis of the prevalent scenario in the state . Now B S Yediyurappa is in command as the new chief minister of the state. One, however, does not know how long he would last in his new term as the state’s chief political executive. The future of the new political leadership in the state looks highly uncertain. His predecessor H D Kumarswamy government was voted out only because of the absence of 15 legislators. Then Speaker Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar left the scene after disqualifying all of them. The strength of the Karnataka Assembly now stands at 222 , including a nominated member. The BJP has the support of 106 MLAs only. The majority mark is 112. To remain in power with confidence and be able to govern properly , the new BJP government in the state must win enough seats in the upcoming byelections. It is to be seen how the new government in the state gathers the needed majority in the Assembly. S. JAYKUMAR MANGALORE Revocation of Article 370 The Jammu and Kashmir State government’s decision last month to abruptly end the Amarnath pilgrimage was unfortunate. The Centre had recently sent additional troops to the State. This should have been meaningfully used to neutralize the terror threats, if any, to the pilgrims. The Modi government has however, done well to proceed with its much -declared intentions to revoke Articles 370 and 35A and annul the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. It must be tough with all secessionist forces at home. India need not talk with Pakistan on Kashmir any more . Pakistan has not kept its commitment to solve the Kashmir issue in the spirit of the Shimla Accord. In 1999 , it waged war on India . Pakistan has been arming and training insurgents for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan. Vishnu, K. J. Kurukshetra Tough laws India must take tough action against individual terrorists . Banning terror groups will not do. Such groups tend to change their names and continue to operate. As such many countries have started designating individuals under anti-terrorism laws. Such laws are there in European Union (EU) countries, United States, China, Israel and Pakistan. Recently, Sri Lanka has started designating individuals. Hopefully, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill, 2019, passed by both Houses of our Parliament last month, would take care of this problem in India . The new law empowers the Union Home Ministry to designate individuals as terrorists. New Delhi must use the law to take adequate action against elements like Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad’s Masood Azhar and Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafiz Saeed. V. S. Varadarajan Chennai No reason for panic Any apprehension that one’s human rights may be violated under the new anti-terror law passed by our Parliament is baseless. There is a four-stage scrutiny with provision for appeals for individuals who may be declared terrorists. The proposal to declare one a terrorist has to come from our intelligence agencies. The information provided by one agency has to be corroborated with another. MHA will examine the proposal. Once it is convinced after going through all the records, it will be cleared by the Home Minister and then notified. Once the individual has been designated as a terrorist, he or she could file an appeal before the MHA, either in person or through registered post. MHA will have to decide the case in 45 days. The individual will have an option to appeal before an independent three-member review committee comprising sitting or retired High Court judges. The committee will be appointed by MHA. Vikramjit K Nagpur Defence ties getting better India is doing well to upgrade its defence cooperation with the world’s major actors today. India and the U.S are said to have made progress in finalising the last of the foundational agreements, Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement, and the Industrial Security Annex for closer defence industry cooperation and collaboration. Recently, the Trump Administration has approved foreign military sales worth $ 670 million to support India's C-17 military transport aircraft. This will help India to maintain its operational readiness and ability to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HA/DR) assistance in the region. India is likely to conclude three Military Logistics Support Agreements (MLSA) this year. This will further enhance the operational reach of our military in the region. India has already signed such agreements with the U.S. Agreements with Australia, Japan and Russia are said to be in advanced stages. The MLSA with Japan is called the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). With Russia it is called the Agreement on Reciprocal Logistics Support (ARLS). India signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Understanding (LEMOA) with the U.S. in August 2016 . Since then, it has concluded several such agreements with France, Oman, the Philippines and Singapore. Logistics agreements will facilitate access to military facilities for exchange of fuel and provisions on mutual agreement, simplify logistical support and increase operational turnaround of the military. Under LEMOA with the U.S., India has Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). This includes designating the points of contact for the U.S. military to work with. M. G. Kulshreshta Allahabad