Government versus its soldiers

Here is one more shocker about how the govt treats its soldiers. Officers holding the rank of Capt to Brig as on 01-01-1986 suffered significant cumulative losses in pay/pension since successive pay commissions had used wrong data for fixing the pay scales. This issue had been going on in courts for some years. Recently the Supreme Court granted relief to all such officers, with 6 % interest on arrears. Having read this news, we were very sure that now we will get our dues. However, it shocked us to be told that the govt has gone in for appeal against the SC order.
Were we too naive to assume that the govt should have no problems in paying us our dues, particularly when the highest court has okayed its legality? Actually, good governments should be finding ways to pay their soldiers well irrespective of the legal position but here the opposite is true.
Would this leave soldiers with a high regard for their government? You judge.
I am quite clear that I am not proud of my government.

Op GreenHunt - Right or Wrong?

Anything wrong with the government's decision to launch op Greenhunt to combat Naxalism? Yes and No. Of course, use of force is the only way. To that extent, it is a bold decision that only Congress led government could have taken. BJP, which is crying hoarse with their 'half a battle' remark mobilised the whole army after the Parliament attack but called it off after several months without a shot being fired. So, well done, UPA.
However, the problem is that the HM has not been able to assess the battle worthiness of his para military forces before tasking them. It has been quite like Mr Nehru saying before the 62 war that ' I have ordered the army to throw out the Chinese'. Para military forces are poorly led, poorly trained and poorly kitted. It is easy to blame units for violating the SOPs. However, SOPs regarding not visiting villages are implementable only if the units are so well administered that they do not have to depend on villages for day to day survival. That is far from being the case. Not only the para military, we have seen even the army men having to enter combat without full authorized equipment.
Our men are as valiant as any in the world, only our leadership is not worthy of them.

Crime committed but no criminals

Why are some of us so amazed that some radio active pencils have been lost by Delhi University and no one has been able to trace then till now. Or that the killers of Arushi have still not been caught.
Ours is a country where thousand of Sikhs could be massacred over several days, hundreds of muslims could be torched and a masjid could be brought down in full view of hundreds of policemen and a few dozen senior officers. That these things happened is not so detestable - human beings will be cruel. What is being pointed out is that when perpetrators of crimes of this magnitude, carried out in broad daylight over several days can not be traced for several decades, should expect anything better this time?

Hang only Kasab? Great mistake.

The overwhelming desire of the Indian people to see Kasab hanged is understandable. What is not, however, is their indifference towards inaction by the state against those who helped Kasab succeed. I am referring to the policemen who ran away from CST, senior officers who for years did nothing to improve the capabilities of the police and NSG force and national leaders who did nothing after the parliament and other previous attacks on India. All of them helped Kasab succeed more than those who trained him. Hanging Kasab alone will as good as ensure we have another such incident pretty soon. In acting only against Kasab, we will behave as our own worst enemy.
This reminds me of something I read somewhere long ago. It seems that the culprit of the great train robbery ( England ) was being escorted by policemen to court. In the same area, Lord Balaclava ( the person who ordered the unprofessional 'charge of the light brigade' resulting in hundreds of needless deaths, but was romanticized by media ) was being garlanded. Seeing this the train robber sighed,'This is luck. I am being incarcerated for merely stealing some money. But the guy who caused a few hundred deaths is being honoured. Alas'.