[sacw] sacw dispatch (10 Jan 00 )

Harsh Kapoor act@egroups.com
Mon, 10 Jan 2000 00:00:19 +0100


South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
10 January 2000
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#1. A memorial for victims of 1947 Partition: A Petition
#2. Indian NGOs ready report against bias in school history book
#3. Hindu Right wants Indian govt to allow govt. employees to join RSS
#4. URL for text India's proposed Cyber Law
________________________
#1.
[Please circulate the following Petition widely & facilitate its
publication in newspapers across South Asia]

MEMORIAL AT WAGAH TO THE VICTIMS OF THE 1947 PARTITION OF INDIA AND PAKISTAN=
=2E
(Revised and updated on 9 January 2000)

The Partition of British India in 1947, which created the two independent
states of Pakistan and India, was followed by one of the cruellest and
bloodiest migrations and religious and ethnic cleansings in history and
resulted in the forced transfer of an estimated 14-18 million people
between the two countries. The ensuing religious animosity and communal
strife resulted in the deaths of some two million Hindus, Muslims and
Sikhs and abduction, rape and killing of countless women and children. It
was indeed one of the most inhuman manifestations of religious and
communal intolerance with few parallels in history.

Those who survived were brutalised and traumatised and still carry the
scars of their suffering which, in so many ways, have continued to dictate
the relations between the two countries for more than half a century. The
pain and suffering of the time have been the subject of many a poignant
work of prose and poetry in South Asian literature and more recently of
some touching and sensitive films.

Core Members of Pakistanis for Peace and Alternative Development (PPAD)
sincerely feel that ways ought to be found to ensure that the suffering
and humiliation of that period are neither forgotten nor allowed to occur
ever again. Rather than the Partition leaving a legacy of perpetual
animosity and conflict between Pakistan and India and between Hindus,
Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others, it ought to be assigned a wholly
different meaning and significance. It should instead represent the pain
and agony of common humanity.

We propose therefore that, as a permanent symbol of the common suffering,
an appropriate Memorial is built along the road in the no-man-land between
Pakistan and India at Wagah, with suitable provision for those crossing the
two countries to make a brief stop, and in their own way, honour the dead
and remember the surviving victims of the Partition. We also suggest that a
similar memorial is built at a suitable location along the border between
Bangladesh and India.

It is our sincere wish and hope that these Memorials will help begin a
new chapter in the history of the Sub-continent-one based on a better
understanding of the past and on mutual trust and respect in the future. We
urge all peace-loving people of the Subcontinent and of the world to join
us in persuading the governments of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh to
acknowledge the collective responsibility of their recent history and
facilitate the erection of these Memorials to mark the human tragedy of
their peoples.

STATEMENT PREPARED BY CORE MEMBERS OF PPAD:

1) Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed <Ishtiaq.Ahmed@s...> Co-ordinator PPAD
2. Ayyub Malik <malik@y...>
3. Prof. Dr Hassan Gardezi <gardezi@a...>
4. Prof. Dr Bilal Hashmi <Bhashmi@E...>
5. Dr Mohammad.Tanveer <jrc@s...>
6. Prof. Susan Akram <SAkram@g...>
7. Dr Ahmed Shibli <Ahmed@S...>,
8. Prof. Amin Mughal <Aminone@a...>,
9. Ayesha Y. Avawda" <Avawda@w...>
10. Faisal Ahmed Gilani <hdisbjj@i...>
11. Prof. Dr Riffat Hassan <riffat@L...>,
12. Shahbano Aliani <Saliani@P...>,
13. Nadeem Omar Tarar <ntarar@b...>,
14. Ejaz.Syed <Syedi@H...,
15. Dr Saghir Shaikh <Saghir@U...>
16. Saeed Ahmed Minhas <s.ahmed@l...>,
17. Dr Ghazala Anwar <baasitah@j...>
18. Amar Mahboob <Amar@S...>
19. Dr Babar Mumtaz <Ucftdbm@m...>
20. Zubair Faisal Abbasi <zubair@s...>

Signatures should be addressed to:
Dr Ishtiaq Ahmed <Ishtiaq.Ahmed@S...)
Coordinator, Pakistanis For Peace and Alternative Development (Ppad)
_____________

#2.
The Asian Age,
9 January 2000

NGOS READY REPORT AGAINST BIAS IN SCHOOL HISTORY BOOKS
By Rajiv Pathak
Ahmedabad: Is history, as it is being taught today, biased against a
community? A memorandum against biases in history textbooks in schools
will be submitted to the governor Sundar Singh Bhandari on Republic Day
this year. A signature campaign to take signatures of history teachers and
other sections of society is under way, St. Xaviers Social Service Society
director Cedric Prakash announced here on Thursday.About 60 history
teachers from schools all over the state held a meeting under the aegis of
Shanti and Khoj organisations on Thursday at the societys office. Speaking
to The Asian Age, Khoj founder Teesta Setalvad said the memorandum will
question some basic and glaring biases in todays textbooks.She said
history books in India have been prepared with a biased view right from
the beginning and this started worsening after the Eighties. She said
selected contents have been highlighted in these books while many events,
inconvenient to a group in establishment, have been deliberately excluded.
"For example, the books talk in detail about the activities of the Muslim
League while it doesnt mention the emergence of Hindu Mahasabha," she
said. "Books must not be used as a political means," Ms Setalvad
adds.According to her, history books lack creative contents, they dont
attract childrens attraction. The quality of these books are dismal and
even bibliographies are missing. One doesnt know what to read if they are
interested in further reading, she said.The history books do not dwell on
history of technology, history of numbers and womens contribution to
agriculture and trade."This time we dont want to hear the excuse about
financial problem as government is spending huge amounts on other sectors
when education should be given preference," she says.The NGOs have also
published a booklet pointing out disparities in history books. According
to the booklet, the ninth standard history book of Gujarat Board terms
Muslim, Christians and Parsis as "foreigners" in India. About Christian
religious leaders, the books say, "The religious leaders of Church
accumulated enormous wealth using magic tricks and illegal taxes. They
indulged in unethical behaviour." A book says, "Rajputs had great honour
for women" while the same book has "Birth of a girlchild was considered a
bad omen and they were killed immediately after birth."The booklet adds
that there are other discrepancies in the history books regarding place of
women in society, multiple marriage, foeticide, child-marriage and Sati
system.Father Cedric Prakash said, "We dont want that the government
adopts our suggestions but an unbiased committee should be formed to
restructure history books." He said after taking signatures of history
teachers, intellectuals, advocates and other sections of the society a
proper draft of memorandum will be prepared to present to the governor.
They have been running a campaign to create awareness about the
discrepancies for long and this is the second stage of their campaign
_____________

#3.
The Hindu
10 January 2000

RSS WANTS CENTRE TO ADOPT GUJARAT PATTERN

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD, JAN. 9. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has demanded that the
Centre adopt the Gujarat Government pattern and allow its employees to
participate in the activities of the RSS.

Talking to presspersons on the concluding day of the three-day
State-level ``Sankalp Shibir'' of the RSS here today, the organisation's
national general secretary, Mr. H. V. Seshadri, said the Government,
unfortunately, was still following the British pattern which had even
banned the Congress then for leading the freedom movement. There was no
logic in denying Ggovernment employees the freedom to join the RSS if
they so desired.

Mr. Seshadri, however, differed with the Gujarat Government on allowing
police staff below the rank of IPS to join the RSS ranks. Though the
State had allowed it, the Centre must decide on its own on withdrawing
the restriction.

While refusing to comment on the performance of the Vajpayee Government,
stating that the RSS opinion ``was the same as that of the common man,''
Mr. Seshadri, however, said India's over- dependence on the U.S. to
declare Pakistan a terrorist state was not acceptable. India should take
its own stand and prepare itself accordingly to meet any threat from
across the border. India's strength would go unrecognised if it merely
kept pleading with the U.S. to declare Pakistan a terrorist state.

The experience in the past was that none of the countries had come to
the aid of India and if anything they had sided with Pakistan. Mr
Seshadri was all praise for Indira Gandhi, who took the `bold step' to
decide the destiny of Bangladesh after she realised that no other
country was supporting India's cause in 1971.

He also had a dig at the Telugu Desam party, a partner of the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance, as well as the Congress(I). He alleged
that the two were taking the support of naxalites in Andhra Pradesh
during the elections to reach out to the rural masses. The Centre alone
would not be able to contain internal terrorism unless actively
supported by the State Governments, he felt.

Both Mr. Seshadri and the RSS Sarsanghchalak, Mr. Rajendrasinghji (Rajju
Bhaiya), expressed concern over the conversion activities of the
Christian missionaries which was ``threatening the unity'' of the
country, particularly in the north-eastern region. Asking the
missionaries to `behave' and learn to ``respect the Indian culture and
ethos,'' they said they had no objection to the missionaries working for
``religious conversions'' but opposed ``cultural conversions'' of the
Indians, ``teaching them to abuse their own country, its culture and
rich heritage.''

Demanding a ban on conversions through pressure, inducement and
allurement, the RSS leaders said this would automatically stop if the
Hindus stood united. The RSS chief criticised the `fuss' created over
the Vishwa Hindu Parishad laying the foundation stone of a Ram temple in
a south Gujarat village recently and wondered why Hindus cannot build a
temple when they had allowed the Christians to construct churches even
though the latter were in a minority.

Strongly criticising the ``foreign outlook'' of Indians, Rajju Bhaiya
expressed shock over the ``millennium'' celebrations in the country.
``It is the Christian millennium and not ours.'' He also regretted that
even 50 years after Independence, the Indian Airlines served ``British
snacks'' as if ``only the foreigners are travelling.'' Outlying the
basic principles of the RSS, the Sangh joint general secretary, Mr. K.
S. Sudarshan, attacked the ``Nehruvian policies'' of the urban-based
economy which was nothing but an ``extension of the British legacy.''

The Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, the Textile Minister, Mr.
Kashiram Rana, the Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Harin Pathak, and
the Minister of State for Railways, Mr. Bangaru Laxman, were among those
present on the concluding day of the Shibir. The Chief Minister, Mr.
Keshubhai Patel, wore the RSS uniform of khaki half-trousers. Many of
his Cabinet colleagues attended the `shibir' as ordinary members.
______________
#4.
=46ull text of the Information Technology Bill, 1999 waiting to be passed by
the Indian Parliament is available on the internet.
(BILL No. 135 OF 1999) THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BILL, 1999
http://www.doe.gov.in/bill99.htm
[Updated on 28.12.99]

__________________________________________
SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WEB DISPATCH is an informal, independent &
non-profit citizens wire service run by South Asia Citizens Web
(http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since1996.