AMBIGUOUS: Wisner's role is suspect

The popular 60 Minutes aired on CBS News launched a broadside on Enron's operations in India recently. So occurred another expose of the company's ideas of corporate governance.

Aside from featuring an Indian journalist who alleged he had been offered a million-dollar bribe, the programme focused attention on former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner. Rather than the white knight who helped revive the deal after it had fallen through following the defeat of the Congress government in Maharashtra in 1994, Wisner came across as a trifle grey. The then ambassador pressured the Indian government to back the Enron deal, saying its failure would jeopardise foreign investment in the country.

Worse, 60 Minutes points out that Wisner subsequently joined an Enron subsidiary. But Wisner, currently chairman of the United States India Business Council, maintains that he did no wrong and still believes the project was a good proposition for India. Er, conflict of interest, sir?

-Anil Padmanabhan

SOCCER MANIA
Back Him Forever

MY LEFT FOOT: Beckham

When the Sachin Tendulkar of England football, David Beckham, broke a bone in his left foot in a UEFA Champions' League match in Manchester, the whole country went into depression. As almost everybody-including perhaps Argentine midfielder Aldo Duschler of Spain's Deportivo La Coruna whose tackle left Posh Spice's husband hobbled-prayed for Beckham's foot, the question on England's mind was whether the national captain would recover in time for the World Cup. Even the team's cool coach Sven Goran Eriksson was ruffled.

But thanks to micro-current therapy, Beckham may soon be on his way to recovery. This therapy uses electric currents one-millionth of the power of a torch battery and normally treats racehorses. Right now it's the horse power Beckham and England could do with.

Ishara Bhasi

Rights Issue

VICTIMS: Pakistan's women need Amnesty

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf may wax eloquent about reforms in his country but Amnesty International has just rapped his Government for the rising incidence of violence against Pakistani women. The world-wide human rights watch body has highlighted the cases of abuses against women and the failure of the country's judicial system to protect their rights.

Feudal practices like honour killings are on the rise while the country remains a hub for trafficking of women for labour or prostitution. Honour killings are a sensitive issue in Pakistan's male-dominated society. After an intense debate on the issue of honour killings, the country's Upper House rejected a resolution moved by former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in November 1999 to condemn the practice. In April 2000, Musharraf announced that "killing in the name of honour is murder and will be treated as such".

Obviously, Amnesty thinks enough has not been done and has suggested a series of steps to improve the lot of Pakistani women. Its report said that its "recommendations are well within the powers of the Government of Pakistan to implement and do not require a huge investment of resources". Is Musharraf listening?