In the medieval era the whole population could face the prospect of starvation when foreign kings/rulers invaded their land and cut off food supplies. This is happening in the 21st century with Pakistani troops cutting off food supplies in the areas where pro-Taliban militants are mounting an uprising in a North-Western Frontier Pakistan (NWFP) valley.
“Pakistani troops have clashed with fighters led by radical Islamist cleric Maulana Fazlullah in the scenic Swat valley of North West Frontier Province for weeks. (Photo above – courtesy Stutz family – shows Swat valley children.) More than 300 people have been killed since October, nearly half of them in the last week. ‘All the checkposts set up on routes leading to militant (controlled) areas have been ordered not to allow any food items,’ said Major Amjad Iqbal, a military spokesman.
“The food blockade comes as militants continued to put up fierce resistance with rockets and mortars against a fresh military push in the adjoining districts of Swat and Shangla.”
Agreed that the situation is grim in NWFP, but to starve the entire population is a violation of human rights and against the UN and Geneva conventions. It is becoming clear that Musharraf is going to hand over (whenever he does that) a burning Pakistan to the civilian leadership.
Here’s an interesting post “Musharraf’s ‘Leap Into the Dark May Be Just That”…Read on…
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.