Close ties

It is not often that two relatives from the same family occupy ambassador-level positions in the neighbourhood

It is not often that two relatives from the same family occupy ambassador-level positions in the neighbourhood. While Amar Sinha took charge as Indian ambassador to Afghanistan last week,his cousin Y K Sinha presented his credentials to Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Indian envoy to Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Y K Sinha,son of former Jamp;K Governor S K Sinha,was handling the high-profile position of joint secretary Afghanistan,Pakistan and Iran in the MEA. Obviously,the Sinhas will be talking to each other on the secure phones to help each other out in their new and challenging roles.

New governors,L-Gs

THE corridors of power are abuzz with talks about invisible hands behind the latest round of appointments of Governors and Lieutenant Governors. For instance,former Southern Army Commander Lt General retd A K Singh,who was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Andaman amp; Nicobar Islands,is no stranger to the Nehru-Gandhi family. His sister Meera Shankar,the former Indian ambassador to the US,was Director in Rajiv Gandhis PMO and said to have enjoyed a good rapport with Sonia Gandhi. Newly appointed Meghalaya Governor K K Paul,husband of President Pranab Mukherjees Secretary Omita Paul,was earlier tipped to replace Tejendra Khanna as Lieutenant Governor of Delhi but was ultimately shifted to the grand Raj Bhavan in Shillong due to reservations in the ruling establishment in Delhi about appointing a former Delhi police commissioner as Lieutenant Governor of the same state.

TOP PRIORITY

WHILE Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde refrained from giving out any explanation to MPs over the Ishrat Jahan encounter case during the consultative committee meeting held on Tuesday,the Home Minister did give an assurance to them that within 15 days his ministry will provide written replies to all the queries and explanation they have sought. In response,the Home Ministry has now sought a reply from all the concerned divisions citing Shindes verbal assurance. So much so that the ministry has asked officers to give first priority to these written replies and only then prepare the minutes of the consultative committee meet.

Following the Maoists

FORMER Central Reserve Police Force CRPF Director General K Vijay Kumar is back in Delhi as an adviser on Naxal operations to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Kumar who retired in August last year was appointed to oversee the Naxal management operations in Delhi but within days he was sent to Jharkhand as an adviser to the Governor following the imposition of the Presidents Rule in the state. After the Chhattisgarh massacre last month,the government decided to call Kumar to Delhi where he will be working closely with the anti-Naxal wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs.