Sweet deal

Anybody following the domestic response to the 123 Agreement must be appalled with the criticism of the deal.

Anybody following the domestic response to the 123 Agreement must be appalled with the criticism of the deal. The gains for India out of the final deal are much more than even what Dr Manmohan Singh promised on the floor of the Parliament on July 20, 2005.

The concerns over India8217;s limited freedom in nuclear tests after the deal are self-indulgent at best. Can anyone expect the US to guarantee the supply of nuclear fuel without a reasonable assurance that it would not be used to manufacture nuclear bombs? On the contrary, India8217;s biggest victory of having gained all the benefits of a nuclear state, without having to sign the NPT, is being blatantly ignored.

Some of the opposition to the deal is motivated by an ideological hangover that has lost relevance in today8217;s India. But I want to ask my friends who are opposing the deal: if a similar deal was offered to Pakistan, would they refuse it?

Pakistan, on the other hand, has publicly complained about the deal, alongwith some handwringing about missing out on a similar deal for itself. It is also a big irony that the BJP8217;s NRI supporters in the US, who had lobbied hard for easing sanctions over India earlier, are criticising the leadership back home for opposing the deal.

After years of negotiations, Manmohan Singh has succeeded in scripting the best possible deal for the country. The political class in India should come together to acknowledge this achievement.

House of memories

A perpetual dispute over its possession cannot take away the historical significance of Jinnah8217;s house in Mumbai.

Shortly after Partition, Nehru sent the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan to Jinnah8217;s residence in Karachi to find out his views on the house he had built and abandoned in Mumbai.

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The mansion, which is prime property today, was an imposing mansion in those days. Jinnah recounted to Panditji how he had built it brick by brick. He said that it was a piece of his heart and Nehru should not break his heart. Jinnah died shortly thereafter, but Nehru respected his feelings and the then Indian government gave the house on rent to the British High Commission.

The Jinnah house was impeccably maintained by the high commission till the time of its occupancy, following which the house lay abandoned with a dispute over its ownership between India and Pakistan. Because of the dispute, the possession of the mansion passed on to the Saarc secretariat, which never bothered about maintaining it. Today, the house lies in criminal neglect.

I have always been of the opinion that the possession of Jinnah8217;s house should either be handed over to the legal heir apparent of the mansion, or the Government of India should take responsibility for its maintenance. Now, Jinnah8217;s ageing daughter Dina Wadia wants to reclaim possession of her father8217;s bungalow and spend her last days here. The Saarc secretariat should heed her demand and give her possession of the mansion, on the condition she maintains it properly, without looking for commercial gain.

The writer is Congress MP in Rajya Sabha