Opinion Palestine and the UN

Rashtriya Sahara writes in an editorial on September 25 that the US attitude “reveals” the truth about the Obama administration,“pulling the veil off the show of friendship towards Palestine… It has also shown how Obama is identical to Bush,despite calling himself a friend of the Muslim world.”

The daily Inquilab,published from Mumbai,Delhi,Lucknow,Kanpur and Bareilly,in its September 23 editorial,writes:

“Undoubtedly,Palestine’s inclusion in the United Nations as a ‘non-member’ will also be considered a success for the Palestinian people,to some extent. This will not only open the door for a full membership,Palestine’s access to certain international organisations would also be possible. But the question is: why not full membership? There is no weakness in Palestine’s case,according to the requirements of UN membership. It is a peace-loving country,has its own territory and leaders. If Israel gives up its aggression and expansionist designs,the Palestinian people have no fascination for launching rockets.”

Pakistan-US relations

In its editorial on September 25,Rashtriya Sahara writes: “The rulers of Pakistan have lost sleep over the serious allegations levelled by senior US functionaries about Pakistan’s involvement in recent terrorist acts in Afghanistan.” The paper adds: “Pakistan’s difficulties seem to have considerably increased. The US Senate,by making its aid subject to action taken against the Haqqani network,Quetta Shura and other terrorist organisations,has put Pakistan in a Catch-22 situation. The Pakistan government and the army may have forcefully denied the government agencies’ role in the recent terrorist acts in Afghanistan. Maybe they are right. But no responsible person of the Pakistani government or army can claim that there has never been any contact between any of their agencies with Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani,who is active in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas… If Pakistan decides to act against this group for American aid or other compulsions,there is a likelihood of a new era of suicide attacks and bomb explosions in Pakistan. And if they refuse to act against these so-called terrorist organisations,operations like drone attacks may be intensified in Pakistan.”

On September 29,Hyderabad and Bangalore daily Siasat and Delhi-based Hamara Samaj have played up Pakistan’s apparent threat to the US,in case the US attacks Pakistan. Siasat writes that the US may have to face “retaliation”,whereas Hamara Samaj says that in such a scenario,“the US may end up losing a close ally.”

Measuring poverty

Munsif,in an editorial titled,‘Planning Commission ka bhonda mazaaq’ (Planning Commission’s poor joke),criticises the recent poverty line affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court: “As even the poorest person has to spend at least Rs 50 to 60 per day to support a family of four,and our leaders are aware of this fact,what meaning these figures have?”

Inquilab,in its editorial titled ‘Zehni ghurbat’ (intellectual poverty) on September 24,writes: “The Planning Commission’s affidavit not only makes fun of the poor,it is snatching away their identity. They will be deprived of the government’s sympathy,the schemes through which an unsuccessful effort is made to stitch a patch on their torn clothes… One does not understand whether the Planning Commission has,through these facts and figures,revealed its wisdom and tried to ignore a majority of the poor,or proven its intellectual bankruptcy.”