Bauer Media Ltd, a large media company, has this week apologised and expressed regret to UNITED SIKHS for any offence felt by any member of the Sikh community by the publication of an article and photograph of a Nihang Sikh in their porn magazine in January this year, which is published from Perth in Australia.
This apology was expressed in an agreement mediated by the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), following a complaint filed by UNITED SIKHS.
“We filed a complaint with the AHRC after we were notified by a Sikh from Queensland about this offensive article titled ’Turban Legend’ that was published in the 30th January 2013 issue of Bauer Media’s magazine, ‘The Picture’”, said Sukhwant Singh, Director – National Legal Affairs, UNITED SIKHS (Australia), who negotiated the agreement on behalf of UNITED SIKHS .
“Sikhs had found the article racially offensive as it showed a photograph of a Nihang Sikh amongst objectionable photographs in the porn magazine,” he added.
At a conciliation conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission, which was accepted by UNITED SIKHS on 15 May 2013, the following was agreed:
1. Bauer Media agreed to settle the complaint, without formal admission of liability;
2. Bauer Media expressed regret that any member of the Sikh community of Australia who was offended by publication of the article was offended by publication of the article;
3. Bauer Media stated that it was not the intention of “The Picture” to upset any member of the Sikh community of Australia;
4. Bauer Media stated that it is sorry that any member of the Sikh community of Australia who was offended by publication of the article was offended by publication of the article;
5. Bauer Media undertook not to republish the article.
Harjit Singh, National Director, UNITED SIKHS (Australia) said. “This case exemplifies how the Sikh community can work, within the laws of Australia, with the media to protect the interests of Sikhs. UNITED SIKHS thanks the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Bauer Media Group for their cooperation and assistance in respecting the concerns of the Sikh community”.
A US court in Wisconsin has reserved its decision in the alleged human rights violation case against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal after completing hearing in the matter. The district court had taken up a petition
filed by New York-based rights body ‘Sikh for Justice’, which had alleged that Badal committed “grave human rights violations” against the community in India.
Attorneys appearing for Badal have argued that he never received any summons from the court, whereas Sikh for Justice claims that its authorized person served the court summons. ‘Sikh for Justice’ in a statement said that it would now approach the recently created American Sikh Congressional Caucus seeking their help in asking the State Department to withdraw its support to Badal, and will demand a Congressional hearing to discuss ban on the entry Shiromani Akali Dal leaders to US.
Notably, the recently formed Caucus has said it will only raise domestic issues related to Sikhs and not foreign issues. Members of ‘Sikh for Justice’ were present on the occasion of announcement of the Caucus in Washington in April.
According to pollsters and political pundits, NDP were supposed to win these Provincial Elections and in Surrey and elsewhere South Asian candidates in the fray were supposed to do well. But even that did not happen.
In all, only three South Asian candidates won — Harry Bains (Surrey-Newton), Amrik Virk (Surrey-Tynehead) and Raj Chouhan (Burnaby-Edmonds).
In some ridings it was a direct contest between two South Asian candidates. In Surrey-Newton NDP’s Harry Bains won easily against Liberal Sukminder Singh. And in Surrey-Tynehead it was again a direct contest between two South Asian candidates in which Liberal Amrik Virk beat NDP’s Avtar Bains.
At other places, NDP’s Jagrup Brar lost to Liberal candidate Peter Fassbender in Surrey-Fleetwood. In Surrey-Panorma, NDP’s Amrik Mahil lost to Liberal Marvin Hunt. In Surrey-Green Timbers, Liberal Amrik Tung lost to NDP’s Sue Hammell.
Even in Abbotsford, South Asian candidates Lakhwinder Jhaj, Preet Rai and Sukhi Dhammi lost. In Surrey-Cloverdale another South Asian candidate NDP’s Harry Kooner lost to Liberal Stephanie Cadieux.
Apart from Bains and Virk, the other South Asian candidate to win was NDP’s Raj Chouhan in Burnaby.
Raj Chouhan retained Burnaby-Edmonds by polling 7,897 votes, his fellow partyman Harry Lali lost in Fraser-Nicola to Jackie Tegart of Liberal Party. Lali got 4,785 votes as against 5,539 polled by Tegart.
In Surrey-Whalley Liberal candidate Kuljeet Kaur lost to NDP’s Bruce Ralston.
For the Liberals, experienced MLAs Stephanie Cadieux and Gordon Hogg as well as big-name newcomers like Marvin Hunt and Fassbender carried the party to victory in Surrey.
Hunt, a veteran Surrey councillor clinched a resounding victory for the Liberals in Surrey-Panorama.
Cadieux, who holds the portfolio for Children and Family Development, won 58 per cent of the vote in Surrey-Cloverdale — a hefty lead over contender Harry Kooner of the NDP party, who got 30 per cent.
Before election day, Surrey was split down the middle with both the Liberals and New Democrats holding four seats each.
Cadieux had moved to the riding of Surrey-Cloverdale vacated by former cabinet minister Kevin Falcon.
In Surrey-Fleetwood, it was a tight race between NDP incumbent Jagrup Brar and city of Langley mayor Peter Fassbender, with Fassbender winning by less than 300 votes.
In Surrey-Tynehead, newcomer Amrik Virk secured a seat, with 50 per cent of the vote compared to his nearest rival NDP Avtar Bains, with 37 per cent, with less than 20 ballot boxes remaining.
Virk, a Langley RCMP inspector who has a 26-year career in policing, took a three-month leave without pay from the force to run for political office.
He takes over from former Liberal MLA Dave Hayer, who won in 2009 by a slim majority of about 1,500 votes but decided not to run this year.
NDP’s Amrik Mahil who lost to Hunt in Surrey-Panorama told the Voice, “This is quite unexpected,” he said of the defeat. “I can’t understand my riding. I really don’t know what happened.”
Both Surrey-Green Timbers and Surrey Whalley — two ridings which overwhelmingly voted to boot out the Liberal-introduced HST— stayed with NDP with MLAs Sue Hammell and Bruce Ralston respectively retaining their seats.
In Delta North, Tinku Parmar of the Conservative Party got just 902 votes
In Vancouver ridings, barring one all Indo-Canadian candidates fared badly.
In Vancouver-Kingsway, Gurjit Dhillon (6,090 votes) of the Liberal Party was beaten by NDP leader Adrian Dix (9,376 votes).
In Vancouver-Kensington, Raj Gupta of the Conservative Party polled a mere 519 votes.
In Vancouver-Langara, Gurjidner Bains of the same party bagged just 607 votes.
Barinder Hans of the Green Party came third in Vancouver-Point Grey by getting 2,180 votes.
Gian Sahota (5,542 votes) of the NDP lost to the Liberal Party’s Linda Ried (10,725 votes) in Richmond East.
In the Abbotsford-Mission region where Indo-Canadians make up about one-fifth of the population, no candidate from the community could win.
In Abbotsford-Mission, Preet Rai (4,939 votes) of the NDP was trounced by Simon Gibson (9,565 votes) of the Liberal Party.
In Abbotsford South, Lakhvinder Jhaj (3,745 votes) of the NDP lost to Darryl Plecas (8,811 votes) of the Liberal Party.
In Abbotsford West, Sukhi Dhami (4,978 votes) of the NDP was defeated by Michael de Jong (8,645) of the Liberal Party. Another Indo-Canadian Moe Gill, who contested as an independent, polled 973 votes.
In Saanich South, Rishi Sharma (8,473 votes) of the Liberal Party lost to Lana Popham (10,824 votes ) of the NDP.
The BC Liberals defied the pundits, the pollsters, and even the odds themselves to win another majority government.
Liberals won their fourth consecutive majority government by taking 50 seats. NDP got 33, while BC Greens got one and one was won by an independent in South Delta.
The only sour point for BC Liberals was the fact that Christy Clark lost in her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.
“That was easy!” quipped Leader Christy Clark to open her party acceptance speech.
She went on to talk about being “humbled” by the win and then came back to the values passed down to her by her late father, who would have turned 85 on Election Day.
“The values include leaving this province better than we found it, values that include making sure that we look after those who loved us the way that they looked after us.”
She told the victory rally in Vancouver that the voters have presented the Liberals with a “tremendous obligation” and pledged that the party will honour the responsibility they’ve been given.
Clark also thanked all of the candidates from all of the parties.
“In every democratic process, it requires all kinds of people, from all different walks of life and all different communities, to decide that they want to step up and make a difference. Putting your name on a ballot isn’t something that anyone takes lightly.”
She also admitted she will have to work hard to win over those who didn’t vote for her and that she will make the environment a priority.
Former Finance Minister Colin Hansen has a theory on how the party pulled off a win. “The undecided voters in the last week of the campaign really decided that the economy was the number one issue.”
Backroom-boy Brad Bennett has another. “Campaigns really matter and people start paying attention when the writ’s dropped and they pay more attention as the campaign starts to run its course.”
Clark herself lost in her riding of Vancouver-Point Grey; she has been neck-and-neck with the NDP’s David Eby all night. Eby ended up winning by 785 votes.
Clark narrowly won the riding in a 2011 by-election by just 564 votes over Eby.
NEW DELHI: Twenty seven items – including a copy of holy Quran – belonging to the dead Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah will be sent back to Pakistan along with his body.
Jammu jail authorities have sent these items — a Jai Nimaz (prayer rug) and daily use items like his slippers, comb, brush and clothes – through special messenger to Chandigarh from where Sanaullah body would be flown to Pakistan.
Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, “The body of Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah will be handed over to Pakistan. The MEA is coordinating with Pakistani authorities to complete the formalities to send his body back home. Once the formalities are done, we will hand over the body”.
Since Pakistan is arranging an aircraft to fly his body back home, officials here said, if Pakistani authorities arrange a non-military registered plane, the clearance from Indian side would be prompt making it possible to send the body as early as possible.
Officials in the home ministry, meanwhile, said that the Centre had already issued its advisory to all states twice asking them to step up security of their respective jails where Pakistani prisoners are lodged.
Twenty of the Pakistani prisoners are currently lodged in the high security Tihar Jail in the Capital whereas remaining others are in prisons located in Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Twelve out of 20 in Tihar Jail are convicted Pakistani prisoners whereas remaining are under-trails. Most of the Pakistani prisoners were arrested on charges of terrorism and drug peddling.
