Radio Pakistan, now a patron of Dalits in India

Amritsar, Oct.21 : The Punjabi Durbar programme of Radio Pakistan has been having a staple diet talking about the status of Sikhs in India. Now the radio has a new object to patronize - the Dalits in India.

In broadcasts directed to the border areas in Punjab, the Punjabi Durbar programme has blamed the Government of India for neglecting the Dalit community, including the scheduled casts and tribes.

This has provoked anger among the scheduled castes and tribes in the border areas.

Inderrjit Singh Basrke, the General Secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress and a Dalit leader, pointed out that soon after independence India had provided for reservation to schedule and backward classes in educational institutions and government jobs.

Inderjit Singh said: "The reservation provision had enabled many Dalits to become civil servants and officers in Indian Police Services, Provincial Civil Services ministers. We even had a Dalit Chief Minister.

Basrkre said: "It is a well-known fact that Pakistan hates India. It has always tried to create divisions in India. The terror activities in Punjab were the handiwork of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence." He pointed out that agencies in Pakistan have started supplying drugs to the youth in Punjab and has been pumping in fake currency.

Inderjit Singh is of the view that India should ignore these allegations and try to promote good relations with Pakistan. Pakistan, on its part, should realize that it has not been achieve economic progress and improve the lot of its people. It is high time Pakistan Government makes effort to promote mutual trade, which would benefit the people in both countries.

One hopes producers of programmes in Punjab Radio are aware of the confidence building measures being initiated by India and Pakistan.

ANI