World This Week : Modi is what India needs – PKI

The High Command of the Panun Kashmir International (PKI) announced its decision to endorse and support Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister of India on April 17, in Roseburg, USA. It has appealed to all the Kashmiri, and patriotic organisations throughout the country to consolidate their ranks behind Modi and vote and support him. It also stated that the  considering the circumstances through which the Hindu community of Kashmir is sailing, and the uncertain, chaotic and corrupt conditions prevailing in India, this would be the most patriotic thing to do, as Modi is what India needs today.

 Narendra Modi and his team gives us new hope, confidence and trust for regaining our homeland from where we were driven out by the Islamist terrorists who were supported by Pakistan and the “Kingpin of Islamic Terrorism”, “Osama bin Laden”.When the central and Jammu & Kashmir governments rubbed cold shoulders, it was the Modi Government in Gujarat that actively supported the Kashmiri Hindus to get justice and helped the youth with education and employment opportunities.

Modi’s initiative for demanding a public dialogue, discussion and debate about the merits and demerits of the Sec. 370 of the Indian Constitution and the gains and losses generated by it, has been highly appreciated by the PKI. The High Command of PKI said that actually this is a constitutional provision; but it had become instrumental in building a wall of separation between the state and the rest of the country. And the Islamists, mischief makers, opportunists and separatists, who became the ruling elite of the state, abused this law to the hilt to destroy the internal harmony, tranquility and jeopardized the national security.  Today we are extremely glad to note that BJP leadership is committed to abrogate this divisive article of the Indian Constitution.  

BJP manifesto declaring that “Kashmir was, is and shall remain an integral part of India and that territorial integrity of India is inviolable” has been welcomed by the PKI. For the past decade the NC+NC (National Congress and National Conference) regimes, have maintained deliberate silence on this aspect of the Indo-Kashmir relationship. And have remained reluctant to make such a categorical declaration. Hence, the people of Kashmir welcome the bold stand taken by the BJP leadership. 

Ofsted takes charge of ‘Trojan Horse’ probe

Birmingham launched a probe into an alleged hard-line Muslim plot to take control of schools, which is called ‘Trojan Horse’ allegations, on April 14. The number of schools being investigated in the alleged hard-line Muslim plot to force out governors and head teachers has now broadened to 25.

The Office for Standard in Education, Children’s service and Skills (Ofsted), a non-ministerial government department has announced to take a “personal lead” in the watchdog's investigation into the allegations of a hardline Muslim plot that is operational in a number of Birmingham schools. Ofsted has assessed more than a dozen schools in previous weeks in the wake of the so-called “Trojan Horse” allegations and findings are expected to be published in early weeks of May. Ofsted chief, Sir Michael Wilshaw, is ready to take personal charge of the investigation into claims that Muslim hardliners have taken over a number of schools in Birmingham and have begun segregating boys and girls in class.

The alleged ‘Trojan Horse’ plot claims that a small group of Muslims, with strongly held religious beliefs, had co-ordinated takeovers at schools in Birmingham in order to impose a more Islamic style of teaching.

Earlier Department of Education (DoE) had appointed anti-Terror chief Peter Clarke to oversee the investigation ‘Trojan Horse’. Clarke is the person who was leading the investigation of July7 London bombings in 2005.

 In a recent development, Prime Minister David Cameroon has backed Ofsted and said that he would not accept any school promoting extremist views. And said, Ofsted has all the powers it needs, and both he and the education secretary Michael Gove would not accept extremism in any guise.

Career on hold

Promising career of many black and Asian doctors is on hold after, the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), which took the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and the General Medical Council (GMC) to court for racial discrimination, failed to convince the judge. Earlier in 2010, an Indian-origin heart surgeon was also dismissed by National Health Service (NHS) Trust after he raised concerns about patient safety. In 2001, he had exposed the cases of two patients who had died in crowded bays at Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry.

In earlier hearing, Judge at the Royal Courts of Justice ruled that the BAPIO, representing the Indian doctors, was right to bring the case as it would benefit the medical profession and the general public in the end. “It may not be a legal success but can be seen as a moral one,” the judge said.

 BAPIO had brought the judicial review against the RCGP and GMC over claims that the college's membership exam (MRCGP) discriminated against minority ethnic candidates.   

According to the GMC’s figure, white candidates are four times more likely to pass the exam first time than minority ethnic candidates trained in the UK, and 14 times more likely than candidates trained overseas. Nearly one in four doctors registered in the UK do not come from EU- One fifth of doctors are of Asian or Asian British ethnicity and 3 per cent of doctors are black or black British.

Dr Ramesh Mehta, president of BAPIO, said the Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) had become a block for hundreds of doctors who had received no complaints in three years of training before the final exam. We do not want to compromise the quality of doctors who pass this exam; we want to make sure the best professionals are providing the best professional care. But the system of assessment is extremely unfair and has nothing to do with patient care. These doctors taking the CSA have already been in training for at least three years, in which time they will have seen at least 3,000 patients. In that time they have regular assessment from trainers, and have passed other examinations, and the only block is the CSA.

“We intend to appeal and we feel that though we may have lost this battle, we have won the war. The RCGP must now take action to ensure no discrimination takes place as even the judge has accepted there is evidence of differential treatment,” Dr Mehta added.

BAPIO is currently supporting 25 east London doctors in employment tribunals related to the exam. Hundreds more are understood to be waiting for the outcome of the judicial review. This could leave the RCGP exposed to damages claims totaling hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Sikhism honoured in Uganda

It’s a great honour for the Sikhs around the world that the Uganda postal service, Posta Uganda commemorated 100 years of Sikh presence in the country by issuing four postage stamps  by releasing a book titled 'The Human Rights of Women in Sikhism', by Justice AS Choudry, in a function held at Resort Beach Hotel, in  Entebbe, recently.

The four stamps depict the Gurdwaras, on the Sikh Road in Kampala, the Khand, the Nishan Sahib and the Golden Temple in Amritsar. This is the first time that a country has issued four triangular stamps in recognition of the contribution of the Sikh community.

The stamps were released jointly by Posta Uganda and invited members of the Sikh community, with high court judge Lady Justice Catherine Bagumeriere presiding as the chief guest.

Lady Justice Catherine described the Sikhs as a “meek, humble and peaceful” community, which has existed alongside Ugandans without any conflict, adding that their character should be emulated by all foreigners in Uganda.

The names of nearly 40 people were announced as winners of the Sikh Centenary Gold medals, which would be awarded at a function at the end of this year.

Earlier, Kenya and Canada  had also recognised the contribution of Sikhs to their society and country.

-(Nishant Kumar Azad with inputs from agencies)