Release of Abdul Qadeer Khan in Pakistan

The release of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan from house arrest has triggered concern in the international community. Hailed in Pakistan as the father of its nuclear programme, Khan was the kingpin in an international nuclear proliferation racket that saw nuclear weapon technology being transferred to Libya, Iran and North Korea. Khan was put under house arrest in 2004. But with a secret agreement reached between Khan and the Pakistani government, the Islamabad High Court declared Khan a tree citizen in Feb. Details of the agreement remain under wraps. His release has evoked concern abroad that he will misuse his freedom to resume his nuclear proliferation activities and reactivate the old proliferation network.
The court order has led to interesting comments by the media, unlike what the government in Islamabad might have expected. Some of the English language dailies have expressed the view that the Pakistan government has only added to its problems by reaching a secret agreement with the irresponsible nuclear scientist. But the government is believed to have taken the step as part of a political gameplan. A~ Daily Times points out, "One can say that today two deposed personalities, Dr Khan and Chief Justice Ifrikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, ride the crest of public acclaim; and the government may have 'freed' Dr Khan to reduce the pressure Justice Chaudhry may bring on it with his Long March."
By releasing Khan, Pakistan has indicated yet again its contempt for the international community's concerns over global security. But this is not an isolated act of defiance by the Pakistani government. Despite international concern over religious extremism and terrorist activity emanating in Pakistan, its government is allowing them to operate openly again. It is likely that the release of Khan, is a fallout of the ongoing power struggle between Pakistan's civilian governmem and the military. Khan was no doubt a key player in the nuclear proliferation network but he carried out his activities with the full knowledge of the military.
Besides, there were hundreds of individuals and entities in Pakistan and abroad who knew of the trade and participated in it. Khan and a few others took the rap while the others got away. Is Khan's release a move by the civilian government to embarrass the military and score points with the Pakistani public, even as it seeks to put pressure on the US and others?
Successive administrations in Washington did look the other way while Pakistan proliferated nuclear technology. The US' concern with Khan's release could have more to do with the possibilityof the scientist revealing its role in his proliferation activities rather than with the threat his release poses to global security, Pakistan could be using the release of Khan to pressure the US at a time when Pakistan-US relations have nosedived. But things might not work according to Islamabad's gameplan. Khan could reveal the role of successive civilian governments in the proliferation racket, including that of former prime minster Benazir Bhutto. And that could sting the civilian government badly.

Pakistan admits its complicity in 26/11

Pakistan has taken a step forward by accepting the role of some of its citizens and organisations based in that country in planning and execution of the Mumbai terrorist attack in Nov. It has also claimed to have a taken a follow-up action by registering cases against eight suspects. Six of them have been taken into custody. If the indications are right, the country's legal process will be set in motion against them to bring them to justice. In the background of a series of denials, flip-flops, evasive postures and demands for clarifications and more evidence, the steps taken by Islamabad are welcome. They will go some way in meeting India's call for taking action against those involved in the attack.
India's sustained efforts and the pressure of the international community have helped to take matters this far. The govt deserves credit for the systematic collection and presentation of evidence and the diplomatic offensive of the last several weeks. Whether US president Barack Obama's recent phone calls to Zardari had anything to do with Pakistan's sudden uolte foee is not immediately known. But it is clear that sustained pressure by the US administration has worked. This is because there is hardly a precedent in India-Pakistan relations wherein Pakistan has made such a concession to an Indian demand. It must have been embarrassing to it and is not likely to be acceptable to the entire Pakistani establishment.
That said, the Pakistani response falls short offul! co-operation. It still bristles with ifs and buts and demands for clarifications and more information. It has accepted that the conspiracy was only 'partly of Pakisrani origin' and wants to poin t fingers at a presumed Indian connection and the global jihadi network. It is shy of exploring any possible links for the action in Pakistan's establishment and would admit to the involvemen t of only non-state actors.
While cases have been registered against eight people, all of them have not been arrested. At least two are in the protective custody of the ISI, whose stand on the civilian govt's action is anybody's guess. It is not even clear that the entire civilian establishment has endorsed the decision, which is considered to have been made by President Zardari's office. Action in the Mumbai case does not also mean that Pakistan is ready to dismantle its terrorist infrastructure. The argument that it is also a victim of terrorism does not wash, because the terrorists, whose victim it is, are not the same as those who plot and act against India with official patronage. India has welcomed Pakistan's announcement as positive and has expressed its readiness to share more information it wants for investigation. The efforts to make Pakistan go the full hog in acting on India's demands should continue. Terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a serious threat to peace and progress not only in South Asia but also the rest of the world. India, being the biggest sufferer of Pakistan emerging as the epicentre of terrorism, cannot keep quiet until the problem is banished from the region.

Interesting Philatelic Facts

• The first postage stamp of the world: Penny Black
• Date of issue of the first stamp : May 1, 1840
• The first stamp was available for sale to the public on : May 6,1840
• The first stamp of India : Scine Dawk.
• The year India's first stamp appeared : 1852
• The year of issueof the first postcard: 1869
• The first country to Issue the postcard : Austria
• The date of issue of the first stamp of travancore : October 16,1888
• The date of issue of the first stamp of cochin : April 1, 1892
• The man who was responsable for the first stamp of the world : Sir Rowland Hill
• The personality depicted on penny Black: Queen Victoria of England
• What is the study of post cards called ?: Deltiology
• The date of issue of independent India's first stamps: November21,1947
• The price of the first stamp of india with the state emblem,the Ashokan Capital: 1.5 annas
• Whose birth centenary had a commemorative stamp on july 23,1956 ? : Bal Gangadhar Tilak
• The First Person depcted on free India's stamp : Mahatma Gandhi(1948)
• The first women to appear on an Indian stamp : MeeraBai
• The world's costliest stamp: British Guiana,1 cent,1856
• The disciple of jesus Christ on Whom a Commemorative stamp was issued : St Thomas
• The inscription on Indian stamps until 1882: East India Postage
• The country with the largest number of post offices: India
• The slogan used for stamping the mail on the first Independence Day : Jai Hind
• The oldest postal services in the world : in China, 4000 B.C.
• The oldest state post of modern times permitting the circulation of private correspondence: France, 1464
• The only countries to grant their citizens free postage: Andorra and Greenland
• The first stamp issued outside the UK: New York City, Feb 1, 1842
• The first Stamp In Asia : Scinde Dawk Of India.
• The first African stamp: Cape of Good Hope triangulars, Sept.1, 1853
• The first government issue of stamps outside the U.K.:Zurich,Switzerland (March 1, 1843)
• Beginning of Post Office savings bank in India: 1882
• The introduction of postal index number (PIN) in India: August 15, 1972
• The year India achieved the world record of one lakh post offices: 1968
• The year inland letter card was introduced : 1950
• The first international philatelic exhibition was held in : Frankfurt (1887)

The global Crisis : Recession Fears

The failures of large financial institutions in the US rapidly evolved into a global crisis in 2008,resulting in a number of Europeonbank failures and declines in various stock indexes,and significant reductions in the market- Value of equities qnd comodities worldwide.Three of the big Five of Wall Street disappeared. Lehman Brothers went broke. MerryLynch was absorbed by bank of America. Bear Stearns was taken over by J.P.Morgan.Freddie MAc and Fennie Mae, The two largest home mortgage institutions of the US were rescuedfrom bankruptcy by their effective takeover by the government.80% of the Insurance giant AIG was also similarly taken over.
Major banks and other financial institutions around the world had reported losses of $ 435 billion as of july.The crisis lead to a liquidity problem and the de-leveraging of financial Institutions espesially in the US and Europe,which further accelerated the liquidity crisis. World political leaders and national ministers of finance and central bank directors coordinated their efforts to reduce fears but the crisiswas continuing.Leaders from the EU's 27 countries in october vowed to overhaul the global financial system and protect the continent's Industry.
IndiaOn Oct.24, fIIs shed a record quantity of indian stocks sending the sensex pluging 11 p.c. The index collapsed to 2005 levels,breaching the 9000-mark.Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbaroa said on oct.25 that India's growth story will continue despight a slight decleration,but there would be no recessions as in some advanced countries.