[sacw] [ACT] sacw dispatch #3. (31 Jan 00)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch #3.
31 January 2000
____________________
#1. Pakistani Students Feel At Home In India
#2. Islamabad Seminar: Understanding history through narration
#3. India Pakistan 'Line of Control' as border is only solution: strategists
#4. N-arms race dangerous for peace: Pak. Naval chief
#5. India: Women's forum criticises U.P. Govt.
#6. India: CPI condemns attack on Deepa Mehta
#7. The International Crimes (Tribunal) Act 1973 of Bangladesh
#8. Bangladesh: Latest Issue of Meghbarta (Jan-Feb. 2000)
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#1.
The Times of India
31 January 2000

PAK STUDENTS FEEL AT HOME IN INDIA
MUMBAI: The strained relations between India and Pakistan
notwithstanding, the people of the two countries remain
friendly. This was evident at the inauguration of
the four-day international seminar on humane habitat,
organised by the Rizvi College of Architecture. Twenty-one
architecture students from Lahore arrived here on
=46riday to take part in the conference.
=46ull Story: http://www.timesofindia.com/310100/31mbom2.htm
-------------------------------

#2.
Journalists Resource Centre (Pakistan)
31 Jan 2000

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY THROUGH NARRATION =20

Islamabad: History can meaningfully be understood through grasping the
folklore of respective society. Folklore reflects the collective psyche
and the largely shared consciousness of a nation, community and its
people. We have disrespected our folklore by not making it the part of our
formal history narration. It was noted during a dialogue on "Understanding
history through folklore" organized by Journalists Resource Centre
Islamabad, last day. The dialogue was basically dedicated to Mina Kamal
Din-a ninety years old traditional story taller from a village adjacent to
Jhang. Professor Saeed Bhutta a researcher and Punjabi critic told
audience about the history of orality as a medium of narrating history in
sub-continental societies. He stressed that folklore should be taken as a
valid source material for history writing. Dr. Inaam-ul-Haq Javed, Begum
Sarfraz Iqbal, Mir Tanha Yousfi, Shaida Shadai, Abu-zar-Wsaeem, Dr. Kmaran
Saeed, Akhtar Shaikh, Rawish Nadeem, Ejaz Ahmad, Bashir Hussan Nazim,=20
Hazrat Sham and Amjad Bhatti were among others who spoke on the
occasion. Saeed Bhutta, who recorded and produced the stories of Mina
Kmal Din read one of the stories which narrated the saga of Raja Poras.
Participants appreciated the idiom, style and arrangement of historical
facts as creatively knitted by Mian Kamal Din in his orally transmitted
stories. During the discussion it was also observed that the media should
take lead to document and disseminate our cultural and folk heritage as it
can create alternative channels to revive the relics of our speedily
declining society. It was proposed that journalists should explore such
traditional artists those carry abundance of rare memory about the history.
Ends
_________

#3.

Khaleej Times
31 January 2000

India Pakistan:
LOC AS BORDER IS ONLY SOLUTION: STRATEGISTS

COLOMBO - A practical solution to the vexed Kashmir issue lies in
freezing the Line of Control (LoC) as the international border with
minor adjustments along this line as a face saving offer, say several
strategists on both sides of the divide.

While both India and Pakistan have made several efforts at avoiding a
conventional conflict through a host of military confidence building
measures (CBMS), the experts have advocated a review and additional
steps to keep a nuclear strike at bay.

At a recent workshop here, a senior Pakistani analyst agreed that it
would be in the interest of both India and Pakistan to convert the LoC
into an international border and resume a bilateral dialogue at the
earliest to resolve outstanding issues.

With nearly 55 per cent of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state already
in the hands of Pakistan and China, Indians are not ready to make
further concessions on this front and equally vehement is the popular
opposition to the right to self determination in Kashmir.

Yet, they might be willing to settle for the conversion of the LoC into
the international border with minor adjustments to straighten out the
divide as a face saving measure, said Major Gen. (retd) Ashok Krishna,
codirector of the Delhi-based Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies
(IPCS).

The entire range of CBMS needs to be reviewed taking into account the
low intensity conflict, which could flare up into a high intensity one
and result in a nuclear war, cautioned Lt. Gen. Talat Masood, who
retired as Pakistan's secretary for defence production in 1990.

Mobilising public opinion and a political will is an important
ingredient of the process, said Lt. Gen. Masood, suggesting that it
could be achieved by resuming political communication and a direct
debate between the fundamentalist organisations of India and Pakistan.

He also suggested initiating a direct dialogue between the intelligence
agencies of both countries so that their perceptions would be understood
better.

"It's essential that CBMS take into account the lines of communication
between the Mujahideen and the paramilitary forces guarding the border,"
he said.

Holding an extreme opposite view was former Indian deputy chief of army
staff Lt. Gen. (retd) Satish Nambiar, who advocated snapping diplomatic
ties with Islamabad, declaring Pakistan a terrorist state and fighting
it out to the last.

"If Pakistan considers that confrontation is the path that needs to be
followed, by all means let them have confrontation and bear the
consequences of adopting such a path," said Lt. Gen. Nambiar.

Not joining issue on this count with Lt Gen. Nambiar, whose paper was
read in absentia, Lt. Gen. Masood says the resolve for both the
countries to engage in a security dialogue as outlined in the Lahore
Declaration is crucial._

"While Pakistan may not accept the LoC as the border in isolation, CBMs
should also work towards the resolution of the Kashmir issue," he said,
adding: "Pakistan will otherwise perceive it as an instrument to
stabilise the status quo on Kashmir._" Among the additional measures to
avoid another Kargil, Lt. Gen. Masood suggested enchanced use of the
hotline between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) and
a mutual understanding on non-use of long range artillery and armoured
formations along the LoC._

He further suggested broadening of the air safety corridors along the
divide to avoid incidents like the downing of a Pakistani aircraft in
the Rann of Kutch last year._

"More stabilising would be a CBM whereby both countries agree to
immediately notify any nuclear accident that could trigger a nuclear war
in South Asia," Lt. Gen. Masood suggested._

A ray of hope is the exchange of lists of nuclear installations between
the two nations, despite the hiatus in official ties following Kargil,
the military coup in Pakistan and the Kandahar hijacking incident, said
Prof. Amitabh Mattoo of the Centre for International Policies and
Disarmament in Jawaharlal Nehru University. - PTI
_________

#4.

The Frontier Post
31 January 2000

N-ARMS RACE DANGEROUS FOR PEACE: [Pakistan] NAVAL CHIEF

HYDERABAD (APP) __ Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Abdul Aziz
Mirza has said that the demonstration of nuclear weapons' capability by
India and Pakistan had made this region more dangerous.
He said, the bone of contention between the two countries was of course
Kashmir which had plagued their relations with mistrust and economic
separation.
He was addressing a seminar held by the Institute of International
Affairs Hyderabad (HIIA) here Sunday. [...] .
___________

#5.
The Hindu News Update
31 January 2000

WOMEN'S FORUM CRITICISES U.P. GOVT.

New Delhi, Jan. 31. (PTI): The All-India Democratic Women's Association
(AIDWA) today charged the Uttar Pradesh Government with ``patronising
fascist methods to impose its narrow, homogenised Hindutva outlook'' in
stalling shooting of a short film `Water' (based on Hindu widows) in
Varanasi.

Condemning the violent assault on the crew of the film and the
destruction of the sets, AIDWA general secretary Brinda Karat said,
``through such fascist methods, encouraged by State patronage, the
ruling party seeks to impose its narrow, homogenised Hindutva outlook on
all sections of the society, including artists and intellectuals''.

AIDWA will organise a protest in Varanasi and Lucknow, Karat and
organisation's secretary Subhashini Ali said in a joint statement.

_________
#6.
The Hindu
News Update: 31 Jan 2000

CPI CONDEMNS ATTACK ON DEEPA MEHTA

New Delhi, Jan. 31. (PTI): CPI today condemned the attack by Kashi
Sanskriti Raksha Sangharsh Samiti (KSRSS) on film-maker Deepa Mehta's
latest venture Water and accused the Sangh Parivar of being "fascist and
fanatic in every aspect."

"Sangh Parivar has been indulging in such uncivilised acts of vandalism
against all creative works of art and literature...... It is bent upon
strangulating the freedom of creativity and expression," the CPI said in
a statement here.

It alleged that the Sangh Parivar carried on such "nefarious" activities
with the connivance of the Uttar Pradesh State Government. "The CPI
calls upon all democratic sections of our people to challenge these
fascist forces and resist their barbaric activities," it said.
__________

#7.

THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMES ( TRIBUNAL) ACT 1973 OF
BANGLADESH IS NOW IN INTERNET!
PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE OF BANGLA NUREMBERG:

http://www.shobak.org/bangla_nuremberg/

Background of the Act of 1973:

The Bangladesh Parliament enacted the Act of 1973 to
try and to bring before JUSTICE the alleged war
criminals of 1971. But no tribunal has been yet
established by the Government. In 1993-95, an inquiry
commissioned was set by the eminent personalities of
the Country to conduct investigation on alleged war
criminals ( Report of the Commission is also available
in the web page). In the report, the commission urged
the Government of Bangladesh to set up tribunals to
try those responsible for the war crimes of 1971.

It is note worthy that the Act of 1973 could be
consider as a model domestic implementing/
complementarity legislation (obviously with necessary
amendments )of the Genocide Convention 1948 and the
Rome Statute on the International criminal Court (ICC,
1998.

Sincerely,

Zaved Hasan Mahmood
Asian Network for ICC
_________

#8.

31 Jan. 2000
The new (January/February) bumper issue of Meghbarta is now out
(http://www.meghbarta.net/2000/january/).

Meghbarta
16 Sukrabad, Panthapath
Dhaka - 1207, Bangladesh
phone : 880 2 9129847
fax : 880 2 9115044
editor@m...

Contents of the present issue of Meghbarta (Jan-Feb. 2000)

Sayeed Ferdous looks at the appearance and evolution of consumerism in
Bangladesh over time

Ehsani Moni, Taslima Akhtar and Barkat Ullah Maruf have attempted to
take a quick look at the political events and resistance over the
century

Sayema Khatun tries to follow the hidden steps and voices of women
during the century

Anu Muhammad makes an attempt to catch the multidimensional century in
Bangladesh with reference to major events and trends in different parts
of the world

Shahidul Alam explores strength and contradictions of high-tech in a
society like Bangladesh

Mahmud Hanif summarises major changes in economy and social relations in
Bangladesh during the Century.

Mustafa Saeed selects some of the major Bangla publications from the
century stock.

Letter to the readers regarding problem in viewing Bangla by Shamim
Shahriar

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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.