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The Naresh Chandra Chat:
Unanswered Questions

al (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:28 IST)
Jai (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:39 IST)
Hello Mr Chandra, welcome and accept my congratulations on the great show last night on CNN.

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:41 IST)
Mr Chandra: Let me ask you a personal question: What was your rank in the IAS exam?

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:47 IST)
Mr Chandra -- I saw you presenting India's side of the story on CNN -- a job well done. What is the immediate reaction of the West (read US) to this incident?

Shahezadi (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:48 IST)
Hello Mr Chandra... hello room

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 6:59 IST)
Jai hind Mr Ambassador. Was there a considerable delay before you could be properly briefed by the Indian government before yesterday's interview on CNN?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:2 IST)
I felt that someone should have also given the facts on the aircraft. It is for maritime surveillance (spy plane) according to Jane's.

BP Thomas (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:5 IST)
What is the lesson India has learnt from the Kargil Crisis?

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:5 IST)
Mr Ambassador - how come the Pakistan ambassador (on CNN yesterday) claimed that the plane was a propeller one when Indian reports clearly state it was a surveillance/reconnaissance one?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:6 IST)
voice.. It was a propeller driven aircraft (not a jet aircraft) but used for surveillance.

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:7 IST)
Mr Ambassador: wrong reports are one side of the matter. Don't you think the Pakistan govt/media will turn this to their benefit as opposed to the Kargil situation? What was the reaction of the US (and the West) to this incident? And Pakistan is briefing the ambassadors of quite a few countries on the incident -- what is India doing to counter their propaganda machine?

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:7 IST)
Why would Pakistan risk the lives of 16 people? If they had hostile attitude, why would the plane carry 16 people on board?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:8 IST)
voice> I think Pakistan did this intrusion on purpose to get some Western sympathy ...

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:9 IST)
guru> Yes ... but that Paki dude made it sound like a World War II relic ... Said it wasn't a B-52 bomber. Was that supposed to imply that the plane was a harmless bird in the sky out for some fresh air?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:9 IST)
Good morning Ambassador. What is the perception on the Capitol about the India-Pakistan conflict now? Are the two dangerously close to war?

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:9 IST)
Sir : Now that the Pakistani Americans calling themselves as Americans for Justice retained the counsel of Lanny Davis to propagate Mis/Disinformation against India and INDIANS -- what steps are you taking to counter them? In which way the INDO-AMERICANS will be taken into confidence and chalk out a programme to pre-empt the evil moves by Pakistan and Pakistanis in America?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:9 IST)
hegde> According to Jane's, the aircraft has a flying crew of 4 and 6-8 operatives (which means 12 people). But then you probably need more people to do the job of 12 in Pakistan ;¬)

punku (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:9 IST)
Mr Chandra, what is the US perception about this latest Indo-Pak crisis? Do they believe that the Pakistani plane was in Indian territory when it was shot down?

Amandeep Sidhu (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:10 IST)
Why haven't the eight remaining police officers who kidnapped and murdered Jaswant Singh Khalra been brought to justice as the courts ordered that they must be?

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:11 IST)
guru> nice one ... lol@12 == 16

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:11 IST)
Voice>> U know the math these days ... Is as corrupt as the establishment itself in some places ... *grin*

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:12 IST)
Pakistani information minister Mushahid Hussain and Sartaj Aziz have been proven to be big-time liars throughout the Kargil crisis. In fact, during the HardTalk program both these people had to face extreme humiliation at the hand of Tim Sebastian, the host. In the same program Mr Jaswant Singh came across very well. He successfully portrayed the justness of India's stand vis-a-vis Kargil. Mr Chandra, in your opinion, how has been Jaswant Singh's leadership as a foreign affairs minister? What are his strong points?

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:12 IST)
guru> Well, now pakistan has certainly something to talk about -- and try turning the tide to their favour ... so to speak.

BP Thomas (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:13 IST)
American audience is deprived of the benefit of listening/watching the CNN interviews of the Ambassador many a time. What steps is the Indian Embassy taking in this direction?

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:14 IST)
Amnesty International recently reported that India is holding thousands of political prisoners without charge or trial. 29 Members of the US Congress recently wrote a letter demanding the release of India's political prisoners. Why does a democracy have political prisoners?

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:14 IST)
Mr Jaswant Singh was great (in terms of delivery and reasoning) on PBS last year. Mr Singh is the BEST foreign minister India ever had, I think. Mr Singh is the natural successor to Atal as our PM.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:15 IST)
CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, and BBC reported that during the Kargil conflict the Indian Army fired chemical weapons into Pakistan. India conducted the first nuclear tests in South Asia, introducing the nuclear threat into the region. Why is India seeking to destabilize the subcontinent?

Amandeep Sidhu (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:15 IST)
Mr Ambassador, since you obviously do not want to address the questions regarding human rights violations in Kashmir, Punjab and Nagaland, please respond to this: CNN, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the BBC reported that during the Kargil conflict the Indian Army fired chemical weapons into Pakistan. India conducted the first nuclear tests in South Asia, introducing nuclear threat into the region. Why is India seeking to destabilize the subcontinent?

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:15 IST)
guru> Did the ambassador answer your question about being briefed by the Indian govt before the CNN interview? I didn't see any response ... He didn't pm you with the answer did he? *grin*

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:16 IST)
g s dhillon> When will u guys grow up

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:16 IST)
Mr Ambassador, you seem to be avoiding human-rights questions.

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:17 IST)
Mr Ambassador and designated chat moderator: Will the Ambassador be answering all questions, or only the ones which he feels "comfortable" addressing?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:17 IST)
Not yet voice ...But we do have some self-styled Amnesty guys here...

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:17 IST)
When Gurcharan Singh Tohra was in America, he was asked why he does not support Khalistan. He said if he did, he would be arrested. Yet the Indian Supreme Court has said that speaking for Khalistan is not a crime. How can a democratic country put people in jail for speech?

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:18 IST)
Doc, Why are you trying to destabilise INDIA and other democracies? Are you a fundamentalist and supporter of religious apartheid or Pakistan Theocracy?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:19 IST)
Ambassador, the Russian interior ministry has said that there are foreign mercenaries, including PAKIS, in Dagestan as well. Doesn't this bode ill for the region? Isn't it a clear indication that the Pakis are out to spread fundamentalism and strife in central and south Asia? Shouldn't that be a matter of concern for India as well? What is the perception in the American government of these issues?

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:19 IST)
Mr Ambassador, could you please address the recent murder by burning of a Catholic missionary and his two children, by a Hindu mob?

Andrew Ball (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:20 IST)
I have many Sikh friends and know enough about the Sikh religion to know that the Indian government is oppressing a fun-loving people against their will. Why don't you listen to their concerns and allow Khalistan for the Sikh nation?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:20 IST)
Ball> That's no criterion. Wasn't the US in league with Pinochet, Noriega, Marcos et al?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:20 IST)
Gurpreet Singh Dillon: Could you please address the murder of a Canadian journalist by Khalistan militants?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:22 IST)
Andrew BAll: I have many Sikh relatives, and certainly none support the creation of a sectarian state, based on religion, like the Sikh Supremacist Khalistan.

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:22 IST)
Ball> Have you ever been to India? The Sikhs are one of the more prosperous and progressive communities here. It's those bastards out there in the West who have forsaken their motherland and are demanding a separate nation just to get rid of their guilt.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:22 IST)
I think India has no right to ask a third party to declare Pakistan a terrorist state as we still have diplomatic relations with them.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:23 IST)
Andrew Ball: Why did the US arm and create Osama bin Laden, and the Taliban, which it now complains about? Are you trying to project hypocrisy? Don't run away, Andrew. Get on the "Ball", buddy.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:23 IST)
In relation to Gurpreet Singh Dhillon's question, I understand that the two children of the Catholic missionary who were burned to death along with their father were 8 and 10. A few years ago, some police killed a three-year-old Sikh boy, his father, and his uncle and collected a CASH BOUNTY for these killings. The police who killed the 3-year old represent the forces of the government and the mob that burned the 8 and 10 year old boys are reported to have been members of the VHP, which like the BJP is an arm of the RSS. That means that they were allies of the government. Why are atrocities like this tolerated? Why is no one ever punished?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:24 IST)
Ambassador, Just yesterday I was reading on Rediff an interview with Yusuf Bodansky about the Paki support to terrorism across the world. Bodansky is connected with Congress. Then despite Congress being aware of these activities, why are they fighting shy of taking on the Pakis like they got after Gaddafi. Now there is no Soviet Union either.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:25 IST)
Mr ambassador... Are you satisfied with the speed and quality of your briefings by South Block?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:25 IST)
Doc, why is it that Great Britain bans IRA and Sein Finn spokesmen from being quoted directly on BBC? Trying to project hypocrisy? Selective conscience? Hypocrisy is what it is.

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:25 IST)
guru> Paki's foreign sec did ask the West to declare *India* an terrorist state in right if the (alleged) human right violations in Kashmir ... lol

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:25 IST)
The RCMP found that the murder of Sikh journalist Mr Hayer was a personal dispute. How long are you going to repeat the lie that it had anything to do with Khalistan? Can't you base your arguments on facts?

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:26 IST)
Gurpreet : Will you please explain to the world why the Khalistani terrorists murdered some 30000 innocent Indians? Are you a religious apartheid fundamentalist where you are determined to carry out your ethnic cleansing on all other religious people except yours?

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:26 IST)
It is a sad day for India, if Pakistan is declared a terrorist state. Does anybody here would like to live next to a prison (full of convicted criminals). India should help in leading Pakistan away from terror and towards civilized behaviour.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:26 IST)
Doc, Andrew Ball, and Gurpreet Singh Dillon: How do you feel about the recent murder of a Canadian journalist, in Surrey , BC? Care to comment? C'mon, "humanitarians", I'm waiting.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:27 IST)
Applause for your response on human rights

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:27 IST)
I will address your question. First of all, it's Dhillon. Secondly, no true Khalistani would ever murder in the name of Khalistan. This would be contrary to the principles of Sikhism, and no one claiming to be a "Khalistani militant" should be acting in such a manner. This is yet another attempt to tarnish the image of a just and legitimate movement to free the Sikh nation from Indian tyranny. The Khalistan movement is a peaceful, democratic, NON-Violent movement. Unfortunately, the same adjectives can hardly be used to describe the Indian government's reaction to this, and all 17 other independence movements currently taking place in India.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:27 IST)
Hegde: Pakistan should surely be declared a terrorist state. It is indulging in rampant terrorism.

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:28 IST)
doc> That's a good question. I tell you, we are all REALLY keen for an answer to it. But I don't think separatism is that answer. The answer, probably, lies in the mentality of people on the Indian subcontinent.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:28 IST)
When will the people of Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and the other minority nations within India's borders be allowed to exercise their right of self-determination in a free and fair vote, the democratic way? America is a democracy that allows Puerto Rico to vote on whether to stay with the United States. Canada is a democracy that allows Quebec to vote on whether to stay within Canada. When will India follow their democratic example?

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:28 IST)
I would urge all of you to try to maintain some discipline in this chat session. The Staines murder was not committed by any body associated with VHP. Sikhs have a valid reason to be angry at the Operation Bluestar, and all the people of India understand their pain. Please do not forget that Sikhism was created only 300 years back to fight the Muslim invaders.

Chris Johnson (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:28 IST)
Siddhartha: Who are the "bastards in the West" that you so fondly refer to in the response to Andy's question?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:28 IST)
Doc> U seem to have forgotten the Kanishka tragedy ...329 human lives lost ...Becoz of a Khalistani bomb... So stop preaching us!

Nawaj (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:29 IST)
Why does Pakistan think it is the spokesman for the Muslims in Kashmir? Are there not more Muslims in India than in Pakistan? If religion was the only way to define a nation, how come Bangladesh wanted and got independence from Pakistan? Do people in Pakistan really think that the Kashmiris are fools that they do not see how the other non-Punjabi Muslims are being treated in Pakistan? Pakistan will have to put its own house in order, before really dreaming of adding Kashmir. As if, annexation of Kashmir would end all its self made trouble. What would you say, Ambassador Chandra? In fact this question should be better addressed to the Pakistani ambassador.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:29 IST)
Doc: How do you justify the recent murder of a Canadian journalist in Surrey, BC, by the Khalistan movement? Wasn't he simply engaging in freedom of speech? Shouldn't he have had the right to express his opinion, without being murdered by Khalistani terrorists?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:29 IST)
Dhillon... Really? Were you ever with the CIA or KGB? You seem to be a master at disinformation. No Khalistani ever killed? That would have been a laugh if it had not been at the expense of 20,000 innocents butchered by the terrorists.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:30 IST)
"guru": Read 'Soft Target', an excellent book by two Canadian journalists. It clearly shows that the Indian government bombed its own airliner to set up another pretext to blame and kill Sikhs.

Rakesh (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:30 IST)
Good evening

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:31 IST)
Chris Johnson: Hey, "humanitarian" -- care to answer my question? How is it that your concern for free speech doesn't apply to those criticizing the Khalistan movement, such as the journalist in Surrey, BC, who was recently murdered in his home? Care to comment, "humanitarian"? No? I didn't think so.

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:31 IST)
Sanjai K -- You got an answer. Now here's one for you: How do you feel about the murder of over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984 by the Indian paramilitary? Waiting for your answer. Also, it might be nice if the ambassador would respond to some of these questions, instead of the puppet gallery currently answering.

Chris Johnson (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:31 IST)
Deepak: As per the research I have conducted, the Sikhs essentially saved many Hindus from oppression by Moghul rule. How do you explain the attempts by the Indian government to "wash out" the Sikh religion over the course of the last 50 years?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:32 IST)
Doc: 'Soft Target' was written by an activist from the Kashmiri separatist movement. I have read the book, have you? Do you know the name of the author? I do -- do you?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:32 IST)
Doc.. Rad 'Soft Target'? Why not news reports from BBC CNN etc? They lie ? Come on get real ..

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:33 IST)
Sanjai: It's been asked and answered. The murder of Mr Hayer had nothing to do with Khalistan. It was a personal dispute. That is the finding of the Canadian government. Try to learn the facts before you spout your fundamentalist propaganda.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:33 IST)
Personal Khalistani dispute ...

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:33 IST)
Doc: Puerto Rico was never a state of USA , Quebec has not terrorist organization. You don't talk to someone who carries a gun around shooting people at random. India is more democratic than US and Canada -- just look at the number of political parties and representation by people of all walks of life. Not in USA or Canada.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:34 IST)
Chris Johnson: "Research"? How do you explain that Sikhs are one of the most economically prosperous ethnic groups in India? Do you know that they have the highest rate of employment in the civil services, in all of India? How do you explain that the new "research" has coincided with the rise of rampant fanaticism associated with the Khalistan movement?

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:34 IST)
Siddartha

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:35 IST)
The book 'Soft Target' was co-authored by Zuhair Kashmeri, a journalist with the prestigious 'Toronto Globe' and 'Mail', and Brian McAndrew, a journalist with the 'Toronto Star'. These are journalists, not activists. The book shows that the bombing was a setup.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:36 IST)
Doc: What personal dispute resulted in the murder of Sikh journalist, Mr Hayer? What "finding" was conclusively announced? I noticed that when Khalistanis kill people, they like to falsely project these killings as the result of "personal disputes" and like to cite false information.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:36 IST)
Doc... Every journalist is an activist. Otherwise there can be no passion in your writings...

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:36 IST)
Mr Ambassador, perhaps you missed the quotation marks around "world's largest democracay". FYI, this implies "alleged", "purported" democracy. In no way would I ever credit India with being a democracy.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:37 IST)
Shorter replies, to the point, please?

Chris Johnson (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:37 IST)
Sanaji: Who are you? Does you mother no that you are on the Internet?

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:37 IST)
Mr Ambassador, how can you consider Punjab, Khalistan an integral part of India when no Sikh representative has signed the Indian Constitution? The case of the War Between the States is entirely different. America had, and has, a much more unified culture. India is a polyglot.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:38 IST)
Too late Mr Dhillon

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:38 IST)
Ambassador Chandra: If the US has the right to fire Cruise missiles into Pakistani airspace in retaliation against terrorist acts, then why should India be admonished for military retaliation against terrorist bases on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control?

jacks (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:38 IST)
Hi Mr Naresh Chandra, I have a question . How's Bill Clinton seeing Indo-Pak relations?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:38 IST)
Chris Johnson > Does Sanjai's question get uncomfortable to you?

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:39 IST)
Chris, This is absolutely false. Sikhs are respected throughout the India, and are also one of the most prosperous community. In the 300 hundred year old Sikh history, Sikhs and Sikhism have always been treated with respect by the Indian society. Operation Bluestar was a short sighted action by the Indira Gandhi govt., and the Indian society acknowledges the unjustness of it.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:39 IST)
Ahh hha!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:39 IST)
Doc: How do you consider the population of Punjab to be purely represented by Sikhs? Since when is America more unified than India? American cultures originate from a far wider spread across the globe than in India's case.

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:39 IST)
Chris Johnson: You are totally wrong. Sikh religion born out of Hindu religion and every INDIAn considers Sikhism is a part of Hindu family. There is no second opinion on that. A few fundamentalist Khalistanis are infested with religious virus and they are following the path of Fundamentalist terrorist Muslims. Like Muslims, now Sikhs are issuing "fatwas". In their scheme of things there is no place in their world except for people belonging to their religion. This is the case with majority of Muslim countries.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:40 IST)
Chris Johnson: What does my mother have to do with this discussion? Is that all that the Khalistanis have to reply with? Jibes against people's mothers? I think this reveals your case as the hollow mirage that it is.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:40 IST)
Mr Ambassador, in November 1994 the Indian newspaper 'Hitvada' reported that the Indian government paid the late Governor of Punjab, Surendra Nath, the equivalent of $1.5 billion to foment terrorism in Punjab and in Kashmir. I have never seen the Indian government's response to this. Why would a democratic country pay an official to organize and support terrorism?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
doc> They have all sworn on the Constitution every time they have been elected to the assembly and Parliament

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
Gurpreet Singh Dhillon: you are a hopeless minority with corrupt views. Look at how many people take part in Indian democratic exercise.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
In the recent Kargil conflict ..I thought the Indians who represented the defence & foreign affairs were Sikhs .. We have had 1 Sikh President, at least 2 Muslim Presidents

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
doc> Why, indeed! your questions are getting more and more incredulous!!!

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
Mr. Ambassador, If there is no demand for Sikh Independence within India, then why have over 250,000 Sikhs inside Punjab, Khalistan been murdered by the Indian government since 1984?

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:41 IST)
Dharmatma: To say that the Sikh religion was born out of Hinduism is to say that Christians are Jews. You don't believe that, do you?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:42 IST)
Gurpreet Singh Dillon: Could we ever credit the Khalistanis with having even the smallest democratic or liberal tendencies? They're fighting for a sectarian theocracy, for crying out loud!

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:42 IST)
Mr. Ambassador ...I asked a question about the briefings you get from New Delhi ...

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:43 IST)
Sidhartha, incredulous?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:43 IST)
Hegde> You are absolutely right. These buggers stay outside India and preach to people back home.

Rajan Ninan (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:43 IST)
Congratulations on the sterling performance during three last three years as Ambassador, especially the period post-Pokhran. Keep it up? Any message for we, NRIs?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:43 IST)
Thanks Mr Ambassador

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:43 IST)
aslimog: Why do you think the IFS has no role to play?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:44 IST)
I mean, Thanks Mr Ambassador *grin @ the typo*

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:44 IST)
Doc: Many Christians point out that Christ was a Jew. I'm just an atheist, but the fact is that "Hindu" merely refers to one who is "an inhabitant of the Indus river region". (In bygone days, the Indus river was referred to by visitors as the "Shindu" river, and thus came the word "Hindu", as coined by outsiders)

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:44 IST)
250,000 Sikhs have been murdered, mainly by their own Sikh brethren. Some were wearing uniforms, some weren't. Punjabis, Sikhs or otherwise, fight all the time anyway!!!

Chris Johnson (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:44 IST)
Dharmatma: Where did you get that info? Sikhism is in no way a part of the "Hindu family", whatever that means. Sikhs are a separate people and seek no allegiance to the Hindu majority that would LIKE TO SEE SIKHISM ABSORBED BY HINDUISM. It's not going to happen.

voice (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:45 IST)
guru> finally !!!

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:45 IST)
Mr Ambassador, please answer Gurpreet's question. If there is no demand for Khalistan, then why not simply hold a plebiscite and prove that claim? And why not allow self-determination for the Kashmiris, the Nagas, and the other people of South Asia as well?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:45 IST)
Hye, Khalistanis, don't run away. You only expose the pathetically false nature of your cause. Come on, stand your ground, if you really have any convictions. (And I know you don't!)

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:45 IST)
Doc> Do you know ...that in India ..lots of people fight injustice by legal methods ...not terrorism and intimidation?

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:46 IST)
Hegde: I think the true Ambassadors of the country abroad are the people. The IFS types have low credibility and that is a known fact. Compare how other countries' diplomats try to help their citizens in India with how the Indian IFS screws Indians abroad. The only role the IFS has is to keep the colonial and feudal habits going, so is that a role we need ?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:46 IST)
Indeed! Now the Pakis claim that Indian soldiers crossed the border (in the marshy and treacherous Rann of Kutch), picked up the wreckage, and ran back across with it. Can anything be more ridiculous? Were they sleeping when the Indian soldiers crossed the border? Maybe G S Dhillon can get jobs with the Pakis. They are both more incredulous than the other. Then again, maybe he already has one!

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:46 IST)
LOL @ the antacids

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:47 IST)
Hedge, that's just fine. Keep considering Sikhs a hopeless a minority. Very revealing.

L Mathew (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:47 IST)
We are glad there is a government in India that works and we have an Ambassador who means business. Congrats ! How can we be of any help to our bothers in India?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:47 IST)
Doc: Surely you're aware that plebiscites are an extra-constitutional process, that are totally in contradiction with existing Indian constitutional requirements. The ignorance boggles the mind!

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:47 IST)
Doc> The Punjab is having an election next month, if you didn't know.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:48 IST)
L mathew> Take care of Dan Burton likes in the US ..

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:48 IST)
Mr Ambassador, in July 1997, Narinder Singh, a spokesman for the Golden Temple in Amritsar, gave an interview to America's National Public Radio. He said, "The Indian government all the time they say they are democratic, they say they are secular. They have nothing to do with a democracy, nothing to do with a secularism. They just kill Sikhs to please the majority." Your response, please, Mr Ambassador?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:49 IST)
Gurpreet Singh Dhillon: Why are you so obsessed with the majority-minority fashion? Why don't you support the civilized concept of the Melting Pot? Isn't that what the US has? All the countries with the best human rights conditions, achieved them thru the Melting Pot. Why don't you support this idea?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:49 IST)
Dhillon> There you go again! Hegde said you, not Sikhs, are a hopeless minority. You may be a master at disinformation, but at least let some time pass before you try fooling people.

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:49 IST)
Chris Johnson : You are wrong again. Khalsa was initiated to fight the Muslim invaders and the recruiters are from the Hindu families. You know this fact ? There is 99 pc commonality of Sikhism with Hindu religion.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:49 IST)
Wah ustad! Kyaa jawab hai Your plenipotentiariness. Antacid is OK, and being an expert on civil servants does not require much more than the daily humdrum existence in India, but you haven't yet answered any questions except to display your flatulence! How about another question, then: When the MEA took over Akbar hotel it was one of the best buildings in town. Have you been there recently? Can you smell it, the soosoo and the shit, from a kilometre away? That is the great IFS antacid acting, or what? I invite anybody in Delhi to visit the Akbar Bhavan ex-hotel and take a look at who is dipping into government provided, in bulk . . .) antacids!!!

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:49 IST)
Mr. Ambassador> I recently read that India has hired a PR firm in the US to help boost it's image. Is this true? Why do we need others to do our job?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:50 IST)
Doc> The only person who can speak for the Golden Temple is the head granthi, not any johnny on the street.

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:50 IST)
aslimog: you have no clue what IFS does for India and Indians. One thing is sure- you think it is fashionable to ridicule IFS types. You are an ignorant but pathetically stupid person.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:50 IST)
Mr. Ambassador, the meeting between the Defence Minister and the Ambassadors of many tyrannical countries -- China, Cuba, Iraq, Russia, Serbia, Libya -- was reported in The Indian Express. The article said the meeting was "to stop the US" and that the Foreign Minister called America "vulgarly arrogant." Why should America support a country like that?

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:51 IST)
Apply apply no reply . . .

George Varghese (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:51 IST)
NRIs do not get appropriate feedback from the Embassy on the latest situation in India. Your website needs to be updated on a continuous basis and publicity for the same should be given through print and other visual media

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:52 IST)
When will the plainclothesmen be withdrawn from the Golden Temple?

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:52 IST)
Yes, L Mathew, you could be of great help to the multitude of minorities and lower caste Hindus who suffer daily the repression of the Indian government. You could start by writing to your Congressmen, senators, asking them to push the Indian government to allow Amnesty International into India to investigate the plight of the hundreds of thousands of political prisoners locked in Indian jails, some for over 15 years, without any semblance of due process.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:52 IST)
I agree. The Indian embassy website must be updated daily with important news

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:52 IST)
Why hasn't India kept its commitment to the United Nations to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir?

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:53 IST)
Hegde: I have every knowledge of what the IFS does. Would you like to start with a little bit of public knowledge-go to the CBI site and find out about how funds get pocketed by IFS types, and the punishments as well as successful prosecutions therein? It may take some effort to work thru the links but once there, you'll get it!!!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:53 IST)
Ambassador Chandra: How unbiased and impartial are the American press, when they selectively turn a blind eye to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, and yet jingoistically harp on the smallest case of violence in countries out of favour with the US?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
Doc> Pakistan has not withdrawn its forces from Kashmir yet...

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
Mr. Ambassador, the Indian Supreme Court described the situation in Punjab as "worse than a genocide." If there have not been massive human-rights violations that go unpunished, why would the Supreme Court say this?

Hegde (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
Gurpreet Singh Dhillon : I would not call Sikhs hopeless minority. I have some best friends who are Sikhs. You are a hopeless minority. I admire average Sikhs for what they have done to themselves and others in many parts of the world -- especially in India.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
Doc: Why are you lying? Surely you know that the plebiscite was conditional upon a total Pakistani withdrawal. Why lie about that fact? Is this the Khalistani way?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
Doc> Because Pakistan hasn't kept its promise to withdraw from occupied Kashmir prior to the plebiscite. And anyway, that resolution is dead now, as is the UN.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:54 IST)
And furthermore, dear Hegde, your lack of diplomatic skills are showing!!! Shall I tell you where we get info on the IFS types from? Right from the aircraft crew to the cleaners, the telephone companies and the laundromat attendant . . . the works!!!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:55 IST)
Doc: They were referring to the massacres committed by the Khalistanis.

Ranbir Singh Chawla (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:55 IST)
Dharmatma's comments seem to illustrate the warped sense of reality that most Hindus operate under. Do Sikhs believe in a caste system? No. Do Sikhs believe in hundreds of different Gods? No. Do Sikhs believe in Sati? No. The list goes on.... Please look at the myriad differences between the two faiths before you make comments that do not give the Sikh faith it's place in this world. Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, not a sub-sect of the Hindu faith. Sikhs have full respect for the individuality of the Hindu faith, please have the same respect for us.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:56 IST)
Doc: Why do you support the Congress party, with your rantings? I notice you are using precisely the same arguments and terminology that the Congress Party uses.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:56 IST)
Very soon, with the help of the more open society in India, we won't need these pompous asses in their embassies anymore . . .

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:56 IST)
Doc> The Supreme Court was referring to the terrorist display there.

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:56 IST)
Ambassador Chandra, As asked by George Verghese, I agree that your office should spend some more efforts to polish up your website. Also, I would like to request Indian government to provide email addresses of various ministers and officials at the MEA website so that we may be able to write about our concerns to them. FYI, US govt officials and departments provide such services on their website.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:57 IST)
SanjaiK: They were making specific reference to the mass cremation policy that Mr Khalra exposed and Mr Kumar's investigation recently confirmed. Would anyone care to defend this policy?

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:57 IST)
Doc and Gurpreet: First allow self-determination in your family, can you do that? I am sure your wife and your sons and daughters will not agree with on 90 pc of issues. Take this self-determination test every Year.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:57 IST)
Dear Deepak: Forget it!!!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:57 IST)
Doc: Why haven't Khalistanis condemned Inderjit Singh Reyat for his mass murder of 329 Canadians just because of their ethnicity? Why did the Khalistanis honour him with an award?

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:58 IST)
Sanjai K. Have I once stated or implied that I do not support the idea of the melting pot? If the Indian form of "democracy" even remotely resembled a melting pot, perhaps there would not be so many efforts to attain true freedom, outside the yoke of Indian government subjugation.

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:58 IST)
Ranbir... I agree. But please do bear in mind that many Hindus also do not support the caste system, Sati, etc. Please don't bracket all of us with the obscurantists. You have them in your midst too, guys who refuse to eat on tables, allow their women to wear helmets, etc.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:58 IST)
Doc: If militants are killing others, what do you see as wrong with destroying them like any military target? Are you saying that they have the right to attack and kill others with impunity?

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:59 IST)
Actually, a true Indian diplomat should use Isabgol!

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 7:59 IST)
Dear Gurpreet Singh Dhillon: Go away, Punjab rules OK without you chumps as of now!!! Ludhiana is brighter and livelier than Barnaby, see?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
Doc: Do you claim the Khalistan movement to be an humanitarian one? Do you claim that they are a liberal democratic movement? Do you claim that they abide by any conventions on human rights? Why is it that they have killed so many Sikhs, not to mention other Indians?

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
aslimog> Old lightening wit strikes again

Ranbir Singh Chawla (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
It seems that the majority of the interaction is between the guests on this site. It would be nice to see some more interaction from the ambassador. Please address some of "Doc" and "GS Dhillon's" questions.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
Or Brighton

Gurpreet Singh Dhillon (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
Dharmatma: I will take your suggestion if you kindly address the issue instead of hiding behind personalization of the discussion.

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
Ranbir Singh Chawala, Your answer to Dharmatma's question lacks objectivity. Please don't start comparing religions. Sikhs are very much revered by Hindu's. Many Hindus in fact consider Sikhism to be part of it? In my home we pray to Guru Nanak Deo, and Gautama Budhha, as we do for other Hindu gods.

SC (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
Dear Ambassador Chandra: Regarding the current conflict in Kargil, does the US administration acknowledge its own role in the arming and training of fundamentalist forces in the region? What are they doing about it? And how can they reign in their former protege Pakistan whose misdeeds they used to previously look upon with avuncular indulgence?

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:0 IST)
guru = Goonda?

Dharmatma (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:1 IST)
Right now we (Indians) are fortunate that long last we have the best Foreign Minister (INDIA ever HAD) in Jaswant Singh and the best Ambassador to US in Sri NARESH CHANDRA. GOD BLESS INDIA, ie, BHARATMATA.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:1 IST)
Mr Ambassador, these questions have been asked repeatedly but not answered. When will the people of Khalistan, Kashmir, Nagaland, and the other minority nations within India's borders be allowed to exercise their right of self-determination in a free and fair vote, the democratic way?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:1 IST)
Doc: How did India conduct the first nuclear tests in the region? Didn't you know that China tested nuclear weapons in 1965?? Surely you're not going to ignorantly claim that China is in an entirely different region that India is, when the 2 countries share a massive border!

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:1 IST)
DOC > They also carried the report that this has been unsubstantiated. You probably have only selected memory like a partial doc(torate)

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:2 IST)
Correction on that meeting. It was the Defence Minister who met with the tyrannical, anti-American countries.

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:2 IST)
aslimog> Close but no cigar

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:2 IST)
The American Ambassador to India drives his own plain little Toyota when he comes out on personal work. Do you, Ambassador of a Third World Country, do so in say DC?

Nawaj (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:2 IST)
aslimog: You have not asked one sensible question. Except for spouting inanities and cynicism. I do know that IFS represents India and conducts official business for India with the host countries. I do not know if you wrote the UPSC civil service exam. Is it a case of "sour grapes" for you. from your dialogue one can make out that is good you did not get that job. Your assumed name and the Internet provides you anonymity, and the liberty to just waste every ones time. If you have nothing positive to contribute, would it not be better that you just listen to more serious people. And please let us visit the CBI site together to find out the list of people that they maintain. Do not make outlandish statements.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:3 IST)
Why did the government try to prevent the Punjab People's Commission from meeting?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:3 IST)
Doc: You have not answered my questions. When will Khalistanis acknowledge that other ethnic groups exist within Punjab, and not just Sikhs? Why have Khalistanis attacked and killed other Sikhs just for not practising religion in the same way -- such as Nirankaris?

Deepak (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:3 IST)
I am signing off. Thanks Mr Chandra for doing such a good work. Best regards, Deepak

guru (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:4 IST)
thanks Mr Ambassador, Jai Hind!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:4 IST)
Doc: Why have Nirankari Sikhs been subjected to violent attack by Khalistan supporters? Where is the human rights concern, "Mr Humanitarian"?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:4 IST)
Good day, ambassador. Bye folks

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:5 IST)
Thank you, Ambassador Chandra. A pleasure talking to. I enjoyed this conversation immensely.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:6 IST)
Sikhs are two-thirds of the population in Punjab. WE never claimed that everyone was Sik, but a clear majority is. You keep accusing Khalistanis of murdering people without bringing any evidence to support the charge. Why do you just blindly repeat this propaganda?

aseem (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:6 IST)
Mr Ambassador, keep up the good work... I think this is the first time that an India-Pak war was fought and won on the Web and in diplomatic circles as much as it was on the ground. Bharat Mata ki Jai!

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:6 IST)
Doc: Are you claiming that the Khalistan movement is something other than a fanatical and intolerant sectarian movement that has always used violence as a first resort?

Nawaj (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:6 IST)
doc: You must be naive to believe that India led to the arms race. You must also believe that in the ensuing 15 days, Pakistan learnt nuclear science, prepared the bombs and tested. And proudly claimed that India has tested five so we do six. Have you seen American reports which in the beginning of 1990 confirmed nukes with Pak, which led to sanctions? Or is it that you only know about India, and love to mouth propaganda?

Ranbir Singh Chawla (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:7 IST)
Sikhism, unlike Hinduism, does not allow for there to be various sects of the faith. Nirankaris are NOT Sikhs. Sikhism is not the undefined amoeba that Hinduism seems to be.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:7 IST)
Nawaj: No, I did not sit for the UPSC. Yes, my anonymity protects me as does the colonial structure of the civil service protect you. No, I do not wish to go to the CBI site with you. Yes, I am doing very well in life outside and inside India in spite of the IFS babus. Enough? Or let me ask you another one:- why do you guys take Limos and taxis to World bank and other begging bowl destinations when I, and I am on the other side now Jacko, have no problems taking the tube? Hmmmmm?

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:7 IST)
Doc: You know perfectly well that the Khalistan movement is a fanatical fundamentalist movement, which has no liberal democratic principles whatsoever, and which has repeatedly initiated brutal violence as a first resort.

Nawaj (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:8 IST)
asimlog: All ambassador's when on leave in their own countries drive what ever they own. Some even walk. May be Amb Chandra drives an Ambassador car.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:9 IST)
Nawaj: The Information Times reported that 2 Indian scientists admitted that India had conducted nuclear tests in 1974. Further, India conducted the first tests last year. Then L K Advani got up on the floor of Parliament and laughed at Pakistan for not having the capacity to reply -- just as the Pakistani tests were being conducted. Pakistan has said it will sign the CTBT if India does. India has flatly ruled it out.

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:9 IST)
Ranbir Singh Chawla: Your comments that Sikhism does not permit religious diversity within its ranks is only a glaring example of your own intolerance towards religious diversity. Amazing hypocrisy.

Ranbir Singh Chawla (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:9 IST)
Deepak....SIKHISM IS NOT PART OF HINDUISM. End of story.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:9 IST)
Yeah, the war on the Net was won no thanks to the IFS, that is for sure! Can you imagine if they had tried to do it? With instructions awaited, sahib is out for meeting / lunch / tea / escorting MP saheb, hah!

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:10 IST)
I am not talking about what they drive on leave. I am talking about what they ride around in when posted outside . . .

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:10 IST)
You are talking about "minorities" and yet you won't even show tolerance towards Nirankaris? How ethically consistent does that make you? Extremely hypocritical. Just like the way Pakistan outlaws Ahmadia Muslims from calling themselves Muslims. Intolerance again.

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:10 IST)
forget it, gone to antacid heaven . . .

aslimog (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:11 IST)
victory for Indians, keep the government out. Operation Vijay will only succeed at Vijay Chowk, see what Ganesh/IAf had to say . . .

Sanjai K (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:11 IST)
Why are you so intolerant toward Nirankaris? Where are your liberal tolerant values, Ranbir and "Doc"?

Ranbir Singh Chawla (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:11 IST)
Sanjai, Sikhs respect ALL the faiths of this world EQUALLY. But, my point was simply to let it be known for those who believe otherwise that Nirankaris were not and never will be SIKHS. It was not meant to illustrate intolerance for other faiths... Your comments to me are absurd and unfounded.

Doc (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:11 IST)
Sanjai K: You know perfectly well that the Khalistani leadership has explicitly said over and over again that it is a peaceful, democratic, nonviolent movement. We have explicitly criticized terrorism. We have explicitly said that terrorism is wrong. How does that constitute a "fanatical fundamentalist movement, which has no liberal democratic principles whatsoever, and which has repeatedly initiated brutal violence as a first resort?" Please be real.

Nawaj (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:12 IST)
doc: I did not think India's test of 1974 was a secret. Thanks for reminding of the revelation of the scientist. Did you know that China was arming Pakistan? And Pakistan's nuclear programme is an extension of that of China?

siddhartha (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:12 IST)
Sanjai K. Their liberalism is meant for the rest of India. As for themselves, they are true KHALI-stanis, thank you.

Ramandeep (Wed Aug 11 1999 8:12 IST)
Tolerance towards minorities is something that Sikhs practise, however Nirankari's call themselves Sikhs, and they are portraying the wrong message of our religion.