HOME WHY IS PARRIKAR AFRAID? -------------------------------------------------- |
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STRAY THOUGHTS By Rajan Narayan EMBITTERED BABUSH NOW PLANS TO TAKE OVER UGDP -------------------------------------------------- |
IN FOCUS IS 'MIRA' THE ONLY ONE? By A Special Correspondent -------------------------------------------------- |
IN PERSPECTIVE |
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK By Aravind Bhatikar PARRITLER'S TRAVAILS STRATEGIES IN THREE PACKAGES -------------------------------------------------- |
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EATING IS FUN A variety food column By Tara Narayan SHRAVAN FASTING HOME & HEARTH ALL YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THE COCONUT TREE By Tara Narayan -------------------------------------------------- |
HEALTH HEART DISEASE. . . A FALLOUT OF LIFESTYLE By A Special Correspondent -------------------------------------------------- |
TEACHER’S DAY TO SIR WITH LOVE By Carmen De Sa E Rodrigues -------------------------------------------------- |
TRUCIAL TAKES DISTANT DREAMS, GLORIOUS LAURELS By Armen -------------------------------------------------- |
SPORTSTRACK By Irineu Gonsalves CRICKET CRAZY INDIA NEEDS TO WAKE UP -------------------------------------------------- |
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From a very efficient intelligence network and one of the lowest crime rates in the world, Dubai has also been in the news for striking gold at the Athens Olympics. By ARMEN. THE PAST WEEKS saw two noteworthy developments taking place in Dubai: the first brought into the open, an alarming link with larger global fears and the other gave cause for celebration. In early August, security forces in Dubai nabbed a senior operative of the dreaded Al Qaeda terrorist outfit, Qari Saifullah Akhtar and secretly packed him off to Lahore in Pakistan. There was hardly any mention of the arrest in the local media and authorities here did not volunteer any information on Akhtar’s activities in the emirate. Instead the news broke out from Pakistan, where the militant is believed to have had a hand in planning two assassination bids against President Pervez Musharraf. In hiding since the 2001 US assault on the Taliban, Akhtar reportedly trained thousands for combat at a camp in Rishkhor, south of Kabul and had links with Muslim fundamentalist outfits in Kashmir and the Balkans. In the absence of an official disclosure, how and when he landed in Dubai and how long he’s been hiding in its liberal environs, is anybody’s guess. What is more worrisome is the very real possibility of more of his ilk still hiding somewhere around, plotting yet another disaster that might just catch the authorities unawares. The UAE reportedly has a very efficient intelligence network. It has so far been spared any terrorist antics and continues to be blessed with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Unlike other restrictive societies in the region, children here move about freely, women work late shifts, taxis ply through the night, theft is rare, and as long as the rent is paid, expatriates are free to dress and party and live as they choose.
But then, thousands drawn largely from Asian countries and neighbouring Arab states, enter the UAE illegally every year, by sea and road, or stay on illegally, attracted by job opportunities and the Emirati’s accommodating and tolerant attitude towards people of other climes. During the general amnesty offered last year, nearly one lakh illegal immigrants out of an estimated four lakh, voluntarily quit the country while more than 40,000 were arrested. This, in a country of barely three million people (twice that of Goa), of whom nationals account for hardly 15 per cent! Authorities admit that lax laws and gaps in coastal security make it easy for people to cross the boundaries without requisite papers. Residents are not required to carry identity cards nor is there a practice of constant and random police checks on people, as is done for instance in the Gulf state of Kuwait, which has managed to maintain a high level of security and avoid an unwanted influx of immigrants, despite the ongoing conflict raging across its border in neighbouring Iraq. Going a step further, Kuwait this month admitted extremism and terrorism had reached a ‘dangerous level’ and has set up teams of experts and clerics to ‘safeguard youth and families from dangerous extremist ideologies’. Such openness is yet to be seen in the UAE. Figures released by the interior ministry this month reveal that an additional 27,000 foreigners were deported (Pakistanis and Afghans accounted for half of these) and another 5,150 were jailed last year for visa violations. The grounds cited were ‘security offences, drug trafficking and illegal entry’. Another 3,670 were briefly detained. Now Akhtar’s arrest signals a reassuring seriousness in the UAE’s approach towards militant elements as well. Moves are afoot to tighten things up. Expensive iris scanners have been installed at airports to thwart re-entry of those deported earlier. A proposal for issuing identity cards to all residents is under study. Coastal patrolling has been stepped up, installation of more radars and surveillance centres has been mooted. A freeze on the assets of several organisations and individuals with suspected links to shady, terrorist outfits is in place. And above all, an anti-terrorism decree has been issued lately by the President Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, a move hailed by all who cherish the country’s freedoms and economic progress. The law comprehensively defines terrorist actions, stipulates harsh punishments including death, life imprisonment and steep fines of up to 500,000 dirhams (Rs 50 lakh approx) for even those with links to terrorist bodies and individuals and provides for an anti-terrorism national committee with powers to legislate and co-ordinate its efforts with regional and international bodies working against terror. Religious orthodoxy coupled with the suppression of political rights over the decades, across most of the Middle East have fuelled militant, fundamentalist tendencies and brought on ethnic strife that in turn have led to the decline in some of the region’s once popular, prosperous and progressive cities—Kabul, Teheran, Baghdad, Basra, Cairo, Beirut, Aden. After three decades of aggressively pursuing liberal policies, Dubai has emerged as the hub of all economic and cultural activities, a link between South Asia and Europe. Leading companies are shifting their regional headquarters to its multicultural environment. It’s a preferred venue for major sports events, concerts and contests, a celebrity holiday destination. The likes of David Beckham have put their felous in its booming real estate. Dubai hopes, in due course, to become one of the world’s leading cities. It’s an aspiration that frustrated zealots with a blinkered world view cannot be allowed to crush under the weight of their prejudices. The Emiratis’ competitive spirit lives on. At least that’s what Shaikh Ahmad Mohammad Hasher Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s ruling clan, proved to everybody’s utter delight here. After a disappointing loss of the trap bronze two days earlier, UAE’s ace shooter walked off with the gold medal at the Olympics in Athens in the double trap competition—the first gold for his proud country and till the time of writing this, the only medal gained so far. Dubai plans to name a street after the shooter to honour this ‘glorious achievement’. Triumph came at 40, but the years preceding that saw Shaikh Ahmad putting in dedicated effort backed by his family, but with very little support coming from the country’s sports officials. That seems to be the plight too of India’s Rajyavardhan Rathore, who the ebullient, straight-talking sheikh beat by ten points for the gold, and who he later hugged, thus epitomizing the historic ties between the two peoples. And in Dubai, Indians celebrated both their first individual silver and the UAE’s maiden gold. Hip hip hurray! |
