The Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 6

 

The Bits and Pieces – As I Please – 6

Fake Ambassadors – Interesting Scenario -  One fake and self-styled diplomat/Ambassador Harsh Vardhan Jain has been arrested, according to media reports, in Ghaziabad , He was manning the Embassies/Consulates of various fictitious and non-existent countries like “West Arctica”, “Saborga”, “Lodonia”, “Poulvia”. The

“diplomat” was working out of the “Consulate”, which also hoisted “flags” of these “nations” and a fleet of luxury cars with special blue coloured (diplomatic registration) number plates parked outside, the police sources said. Harsh Vardhan Jain is said to be an educated person was engaged in this illegal activity for the last so many years, first from his family house and later from a huge rented bungalow in an upscale locality in Ghaziabad, just outside Delhi in UP. First obvious question which comes to mind is that where were the local government including police authorities where these illegal establishments were being run? The answer, in all probability, is involvement of local politicians and bureaucrats and corruption as such open operation cannot stand for long without the connivance of civil and police establishments and also public bigwigs of the area.  Jain is reportedly associated with controversial personalities such as Godman Chandraswami and international arms dealer Adnan Khashogi, even setting up shell companies in the UK and Dubai to launder funds and establish brokerage networks. Where are our intelligence and other agencies like ED and others? Somebody would need to answer these questions. Jain may not be alone. There may be more HEs in the garb of influencers roaming around in the corridors of power in and around Chanakyapuri in Lutyen’s Delhi.

Indian diplomacy at work in Scotland

There is a need to alert and educate the common citizens about the diplomatic and international relations. According to Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed, “Most Indians have either never heard of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) or have only the vaguest notion of what the Service does.” It is true. I narrate here an anecdote of a case which came to me in Kampala (Uganda) in 1995-96. One day, an Indian young man approached the High Commission with the story that some agents brought him from Patiala in Punjab to Kampala in Africa on the pretext that from here he will be sent to America neighboring Africa. After fleecing him of his passport and money, deserted him at some petrol station. I asked him about his background back home. He turned out to be a so called educated man with MA and B.Ed. degrees. He resigned from his job as a teacher and fell prey to the agents. I scolded him and joking asked him to stand up as educated people like him didn’t deserve a seat in this room and asked him did he not know that America and Africa are located in two different continents? His innocent reply was that he studied history and not geography. My experience in the diplomatic circles in Delhi tells me that there is a well- organized clique of self-proclaimed and appointed influencers who are permanent invitees to all diplomatic receptions in various Embassies and High Commissioners. The next day one can find them in various high offices of the GOI just to say Hi as they met the other day in so and so diplomatic reception. It is advisable to include some matter in the school curriculum to inform the young students about diplomatic functionaries like Ambassador, High Commissioner, and Consul etc. My own experience back home in Jalandhar is that most of the people including junior government functionaries do not know who an Ambassador or any other diplomatic designation means. Many self-appointed HEs tend to take advantage of this ignorance to promote their vested interests.

Common Causes Need Public Support – There was news story in the Hindustan Times on July 27 ‘SGPC will urge Un to mark International Human Rights Day November 25’ – the Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur, 9th Guru of the Sikhs – Navmi Patshahi. The proposal has been floated by some eminent and established

personalities and outfits of the UK, USA, Canada and other countries and has solicited support of the SGPC and other stakeholders in this regard. Whereas it is a praiseworthy initiative to honour and recognize the sterling role and contribution of the great Guru in upholding human dignity and rights of all in his life time and sacrificed his life for the religious rights and freedoms of the Hindus opposing the inhuman and barbarous conduct of the Mughal rulers of the time. The proposal of the Sikhs and SGPC, if accepted, would be a befitting tribute to Guru Teg Bahadur in the 350 years of his Martyrdom which will be observed throughout India and the world at large. Obviously, all such proposals do need public support which, I am confident, will be forthcoming as the Sikh community and its outfits like SGPC among others are vocal and strong to pursue the proposal. It is just a mention that SGPC and the proposers of the idea must know that we already observe International Day of Human Rights under the aegis of the UN on December 10 every year.  Human Rights Day is observed by the international community – the day on which the UN adopted the Declaration of Universal Human Rights in 1948.  

It will not be out of place to mention that why I say that common causes need public support. My own experience is my guide in this regard. In the run up to celebrated 125^th birth anniversary of Babasaheb B. R. Ambedkar in 2015, a proposal was made to MEA/PMO/GOI to declare April 14, birthday of Babasaheb Ambedkar, as International Day of Equality under the aegis of the

UN not only to pursue our Soft and Cultural Diplomacy and honour one of greatest sons of India but also to carry forward the agenda of UN itself in establishing a just and fair world order. I regret to say that in spite of the fact that all political parties and the their leaderships including the ruling BJP and PM Narendra Modi fall on each other to claim and own Babasaheb Ambedkar and his legacy yet the proposal on International Day of Equality is gathering dust in the cup-boards of MEA/PMO for the last 10 years or so. Not that we have not been occasionally reminding the powers in the South Block that is MEA/PMO but we could not generate matching common support from the public to the proposal. With this, I take this opportunity to solicit wide spread support to the proposal on International Day of Equality particularly of the followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar. If they vocal and communicative, nobody will be able to block and stop the proposal. I may add for the information with a sense of satisfaction that taking cue from the proposal in International Day of Equality, the followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar abroad associated with the outfits like Chetna Association of Canada, Federation of Ambedkar and Buddhist Oganisations (FABO) of UK, The Ambedkar Times and the Desh Doaba Group of Publications of the USA among others did a great job in this regard. As a result many cities, provinces un Canada, USA and UK have proclaimed April 14, birthday of Babasaheb Ambedkar, as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Day of Equality locally to honour the icon and his thought. I hope that much needed public support to the proposal on International Day of Equality would be forthcoming in the days to come.