Plea to wipe out terror

Plea to wipe out terror
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 27
Dubbing the monster of terrorism as a global phenomenon and a threat to the democratic system and freedom of expression, Mr H.K. Dua, Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune has exhorted the countrymen to fight the menace unitedly at the both physical as well as intellectual levels.

Echoing similar sentiments, Pakistan-based eminent novelist Begum Bushra Rehman asserted that no religion allowed terrorism and the basic philosophy of Islam was totally against killing of humans and other living beings.

They were speaking at the 94th function of the Shahid Parivar Fund, instituted by the Punjab Kesri group of newspapers, for disbursal of financial aid of Rs 22. 50 lakh among 150 terrorist victims here today.

Mr Dua said, “The question before us today is that are we ready to accept the rule of gun?”

“We should be thankful to the Hind Samachar Group of Newspapers for two reasons. Firstly, it has initiated a fund for helping victims of terrorists and that of natural calamities and , secondly, for standing up against terrorism at a time when no other paper dared to do so. The family had not only lost two of its members — Lala Jagat Narain and Ramesh Chander Ji — but the newspaper lost 62 of its agents, hawkers, sub-editors and senior-sub editors. It is a remarkable contribution toward the country and in the interest of freedom of expression,” said Mr Dua, who also recalled his frequent interactions with Lala Jagat Narain and late Ramesh Chander Ji in Delhi.

Begum Bushra Rehman, who had come all the way from Pakistan, said, We, the people of India and Pakistan should understand that we have similar needs and we have to fight another world, for which, we should help each other.”

She narrated how Mr Vijay Kumar Chopra, Editor-in Chief of Punjab Kesri, encouraged her relationship with the paper by serializing her novel “Lagan” about 23 years back.

Mr Justice N.K. Sud of the Punjab and Haryana High Court said the newspaper family lit a lamp of hope in 1980s when terrorism had spread darkness all around Punjab and neighbouring states.

Describing Mr Vijay Kumar Chopra as a role model for youngsters, Mr Randeep Surjewala, Haryana minister and senior Congress leader, recalled how the Chopra family and their newspaper made allout efforts to condemn terrorism at a time when uttering a single word against of terrorists was an impossible task in Jalandhar and other parts of Punjab.

Mr Avtaar Singh Makkar, newly elected chief of the SGPC said Mr Vijay Chopra had inherited the sense of serving the humanity.

Baba Kashmira Singh, Chairman of the Jalandhar-based SGL Charitable Trust, urged people to work for maintaining unity and integrity of the country.

Paying his tributes to Lala Jagat Narain, Mr Vallabh Bhai Kathiria, a former union minister, advised the media and judiciary to come forward to expose growing nefarious activities of unscrupulous elements among opticians and bureaucracy.

Mr Partap G. Pawar, Managing Director of Pune-based “Shakal Papers Limited,” who is known for reviving the dying cooperative movement in Maharashtra, said he had come to the function as a common India and was inspired from the way Chopra family contributed toward safeguarding interests of the country.

Welcoming the increasing warmth between India and Pakistan, Sardar Anjum, a renowned poet, rendered a couplet, “Baat nikli hai agar, to baat bahut achhi hai. Dil se dil ki yeh mulaqaat bahut achhi hai..,” He said there was no difference between people of the two countries.