Tags:
Journalism of Courage
• As the first bell rings for General Elections 2004, BJP nets a handful. Varun Feroze Gandhi, along with mother Maneka Gandhi, joins the party though he vows not to take on aunt and Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi directly. Next comes a pack of glitterati: Navjot Singh Siddu, Jeetendra, Hemamalini. And yes, D P Yadav, the strongman from the badlands of Western UP, too affirms his faith in India Shining.
• India, Pakistan walk the talk as the bilateral ‘talks on talks’ conclude in Islamabad. Thus resumes the promised official-level dialogue process and proposals change hands on modalities and time-frames relating to the eight issues that comprised the 1998 composite dialogue framework.
• After days of speculations the cricket boards and the governments reach at a consensus and the all-important itinerary for India’s tour to Pakistan is announced. The 40-day tour will first witness five one-dayers followed by three Tests. Security concerns too were addressed since Karachi and Peshawar missed the chance to host Tests. There was exhaustive action all over the world on the 22-yards. Indian Colts recorded three wins in three games in the under-19 World Cup.
• In the Valley, these days it’s not much on fear as it is about faith. Weeks after initiating its first ever dialogue with the Centre at the Deputy PM level, the All Party Hurriyat Conference is rocked by dissidence. People’s Conference, founded by late Hurriyat stalwart Abdul Ghani Lone, is dragged to a vertical split as brothers Sajjad and Bilal Lone ‘‘expel’’ each other. A day later, Fazal Haq Qureshi of People’s Political Front (PPF) and a Hizbul interlocutor during the Ramzan ceasefire of 2000, walks out of the dialogue process.
• If Burail’s here, can Tihar be far behind? Sher Singh Rana, main accused in the Phoolan Devi murder, walks out of the high security prison with a little help from his friend dressed in Delhi Armed Police uniform.
• With Presidential hopeful John Kerry throwing his weight behind the anti-outsourcing chorus, the race seems on in the US for who’s the most protectionist. In the latest, Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd introduces a legislation to ban the use of federal funds to buy goods and services produced by overseas workers.
