[sacw] SACW Dispatch | 30 Aug. 00

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Web Dispatch
30 August 2000
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

#1. Bangladesh withdraws Hitler book
#2. Pakistan: Devolution & Joint Electorates
#3. India: Reconversion - A Political Farce
#4. RSS forgives Vajpayee after he makes peace
#5. Anti-BJP plank gets Indian academics fighting at Canadian conference
#6. Canada: Indian envoy unrepentant
--------------------------------------------

#1.

BBC News
Tuesday, 29 August, 2000, 19:04 GMT 20:04 UK

BANGLADESH WITHDRAWS HITLER BOOK

The government of Bangladesh has withdrawn a reading list for schools
which included a biography describing the German Nazi leader Adolf
Hitler as a great leader.

The list was drawn up by experts as part of a project to buy books for
primary schools.

But a BBC correspondent in the capital, Dhaka, says it enraged education
experts and writers.

An inquiry found many irregularities in the way the books were chosen:
it said most were not suitable for schoolchildren, and some even
contained adult material.

>From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

______

#2.

PRAYER FOR THE RESTORATION OF JOINT ELECTORATES-PAKISTAN August 25, 2000

SUMMARY

Hotline Asia issued an Urgent Appeal, "Request for Restoration of Joint
Electorates System (UA000313-4)" on March 13, 2000. It echoed the request
of local religious minorities in Pakistan to their government to abolish
the "Separate Electorates System (SES)". Under the SES, citizens are not
allowed to vote for candidates outside their own religious affiliation.
That means Muslim voters can only vote for Muslim candidates while
non-Muslim voters can only vote for non-Muslim candidates contesting for a
few reserved seats. The SES produces discrimination between voters on
grounds of religion.

On the night of August 14, 2000 (the 53rd anniversary of Pakistan's
independence) General Pervez Musharraf, Chief Executive of Pakistan
unveiled the most ambitious reform of local government in his country's
history, a "Devolution Plan". He pledged to pave the way to a more healthy
democracy. He said he would set up small, elected councils across Pakistan
and hold local non- party elections from December 2000. However, this
local election would be organised with a separate electorate for
minorities. The decision has been opposed by religious minorities,
particularly the Christian community, and human rights workers, who believe
separate electorates will worsen religious tension.

Please join our Pakistani friends in their prayers, by spending a short
time praying in your own way or spending a short time in silence. The
following is a letter to all Pakistanis appealing that prayers be offered
on September 3 for the restoration of Joint Electorates:

"Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Minority communities in Pakistan have been challenged many a time to
face difficult circumstances. Today perhaps we are facing the most
difficult one. It is the issue of the Restoration of Joint Electorates in
the country. We always opposed the system in practice for past fifteen
years because it deprives all citizens of their constitutional right to be
equal. It restricts their voting choice and the right to candidature, be
they Muslims or non-Muslims.

The present government after fanfare promises of promoting national
integration and harmony has chosen to continue the religious apartheid in
the political system. In our opinion the separate electorate proposed by
the Chief Executive, on the Independence Day this year is likely to promote
discrimination and deprivation in the plan for devolution of power.

An opportunity to bring about unity in the country and eradicating
sectarianism has been lost once again by the government. However the
people of Pakistan would continue reminding the authorities, their
promises and moral duties.

I appeal to all to pray in every place of worship and homes on September
3, 2000 for the restoration of Joint Electorates, as enshrined in the
original Constitution of 1973. I appeal to all fellow Pakistanis to pray
that God may give us the courage to fight the religious apartheid
peacefully and non-violently.

May God bless you all and give you the strength to continue working for
justice and peace in Pakistan.

Bishop Bonaventure P. Paul ofm Chairperson National Commission for
Justice & Peace (CBCP)" ***Thank You for Your Continued Support

BACKGROUND

Article 25 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan clearly declares that all
citizens are equal. The Separate Electorate System (SES), however, denies
the equal status of citizenship to religious minorities as well as the
fundamental right of universal adult franchise.

Religious minorities in Pakistan have been deprived of their rights to
vote for all candidates regardless of religious affiliations under the
current SES. It was imposed by the military dictator, General Zia-Ul-Haq,
in 1985. Religious minorities can neither vote for Muslim candidates of
their constituency nor can they stand as candidates for the Muslim
electorate. This system produces discrimination between voters on grounds
of religion. It also creates and reinforces divisions among citizens. For
an Islamic country with 96 percent of the population Muslim, religious
minorities are particularly cut off from the main stream. This affects
their direct participation in national decision making processes.

There are only a few numbers of seats provided for religious minorities in
the various legislatures of the country. According to the Constitution,
207 seats are reserved for Muslim members in the National Assembly. Only
ten seats are provided for religious minorities (4 for Hindus, 4 for
Christians, 1 for Ahmadies, Parsees and 1 for other religions) out of a
total of 217 seats. Similarly the four provinces of the country only
provide 23 seats for religious minorities; out of a total of 483 seats in
all the provincial assemblies. The distribution of the number of seats
according to religious affiliation distorts the principle of representation
from the whole country. It also makes every minority member of the
respective assemblies a political rival of the other. Therefore these
so-called minority representatives could never unite even on issues that
mean life and death for their communities. The representatives whom
minorities elect effectively do not have any say in the legislation so the
minorities are effectively voiceless.

Local religious minorities believe that the SES was introduced by the
military for the purpose of representing non-Muslims in Pakistan as
"Zimmis" or second class citizens. Successive governments in Pakistan have
followed other discriminatory policies that have prevented non-Muslims from
holding key positions in the civil services and in the superior judiciary.
In fact, the SES has undermined the social fabric, resulting in religious
minorities suffering the worst social, political and economic loss.

On 23 March, General Musharraf made his proposal on the local election.
The proposal has positive aspects such as allocation of seats in village
councils to women, minorities, peasants and workers. However, his
government was still thinking whether elections would be restored to the
joint electorates system.

Recently, on August 14, 2000 (53rd anniversary of Pakistan's independence)
General Musharraf announced a "Devolution Plan". This reform will remove a
200 year-old system of appointed local officials, set up under British
rule, and divide their powers. Villagers will vote for independent
candidates to sit on small 21-seat councils, with women competing for
one-third of the seats. Those elected will in turn sit on councils
covering larger areas and will have power over local bureaucrats,
including the police. However, this local election would be organised with
a separate electorate for minorities.

The decision has been opposed by religious minorities, particularly the
Christian community, and human rights workers, who believe separate
electorates will worsen religious tension. Others have warned that the
elected candidates will still be prone to corruption and note that the
changes look all too similar to the ideas of other Pakistani military
dictators, like Ayub Khan in the 1960s and Zia-ul Haq two decades later.

Local initiative to fight peacefully and non-violently:

22 February-Catholic and Protestant Bishops and some other minority
leaders met with General Musharraf. He promised for the restoration of
joint electorates.

April-Mr. Derick Cyprian, a Federal Minister for Minorities Affairs,
Culture, Tourism and Youth, a Catholic from Lahore, told the delegates of
Franciscan International in Geneva that joint electorates will be restored=
.

June-a coalition was form under the name of Christian Organisations for
Social Action (COSAP). COSAP is composed of major Catholic and Christian
organisations. -COSAP organised press conferences, seminars, meetings,
workshops and demonstrations

10 June-20 July-COSAP collected 200,000 signatures from 180 places of
Pakistan.

20 July-Mr. Derrick Cyprian told delegates of COSAP that the joint
electorates will be restored and Christian should not start any campaign
for this cause.

30 July-The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) call for an
"All Parties Convention" which was part of NCJP campaign for the
restoration of the joint electorate system.

2 August-COSAP presented the 200,000 collected signatures to the Chief
Executive. Christians, Hindus and Muslims signed the petition in which the
demand for restoration of joint electorates was presented.

14 August-Mr. Derick Cyprian resigned from the cabinet.

Source: Asian Center for the Progress of Peoples 52 Princess Margaret
Road, 1/F, Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2712 3989 / 2714 5123 Fax: (852)
2711 3545 Email: acpp@p...

______

#3.

Free Press Journal
29th August 2000

RECONVERSION - A POLITICAL FARCE

Ram Puniyani

The news of Gharvapasi, re-conversion of the Adivasis to Hindu fold, who
have been allegedly 'forcibly' converted mainly to Christianity by the
missionaries, has become a matter of routine. Recently there were numbers
of such incidents in which through newly devised baptism techniques the
adivasis have been 'brought back' to their 'original' home, Hinduism, as
per the proclamations of the leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). This
phenomenon has been the accompaniment of the anti-Christian violence,
which is going on in full gear from last four years.

The charges, which have formed the base of anti-Christian violence are
that they have been misleading the poor, gullible Adivsis by converting
them to Christianity by fraud and allurement. BJP ideologue Govindacharya
put the matters in a very 'forthright' manner when he spelt the Sangh
Parivar (SP) line on this issue. As per him the missionaries have been
doing a Sauda (Deal) in the garb of Seva (Service). And such a service is
not a genuine service, it is a polluted service. Similar sentiments, but
in more aggressive tone are asserted by the SP activists down the line and
these have been generally accepted as the logic for legitimisation of the
'anti-Christian' violence.

Conversions in History:

It is not the first time that the issue of conversions has been dominating
the political arena. Before we come to the political role of conversion
bogey or campaign, it is necessary to point out that there is no
statistical evidence of the rise in the conversions to Christianity in
last few years or decades. The population of Christians is on the decline
1971-2.60%, 1981-2.44%, and 1991-2.32%. The Wadhva Commission of inquiry,
which investigated the murder of Pastor Graham Stains, did not find any
significant rise in the number of Christians in Manoharpur District, where
the Pastor was roasted alive along with his two minor sons on the charge
of doing forcible conversions. Christian population in the area was more
or less static in the area, in1998, 0.307%, as compared to the one in
1991,0.299%.

The conversions generally have been the response of the social suppression
of low caste. Many a times these have in turn been retaliated against by
the upper caste, Brahmincal forces at Religious, social and political
level. The first such reaction was the one of Shankar who consolidated the
Brahminism against the rise and spread of Buddhism. This ideological
onslaught was supplemented at political level by many a upper caste Kings,
one of whom King Pushyamitra Shung butchered thousands of Buddhist monks
to establish the Brahminicl rule.

The conversion of Shudras to Buddhism under the leadership of Dr. Baba
Saheb Ambedkar took place in 1956. The decade of 80's saw the conversion
of many a Dalits to Islam in Meenakshipuram. Both these conversions
brought in a cumulative counter reaction from VHP and other Hindutva
outfits giving them 'legitimacy' for the terror, which they have launched
from early 80s.

Anti-Christian Tirade:

The answer for the reason of Anti-Christian campaign does not fall in this
category. As there has been nothing particularly new done by the Christian
missionaries in last few decades or years we have to look somewhere else
for the reasons for the spurt of Anti- Christian violence and the
accompanying Gharvapasi campaign. The very bogey of forced conversions is
a manufactured myth and the myth manufacturers are the one's who have
ensured that the violence sustains itself on the social scene and that
they themselves are not visible in the process. Society is experiencing
sudden phobia about Christianisation of India. This phobia has been
preceded by another phobia, the one of Islamisation of the country.

Historical Precedents:

In the early decades of twentieth century, when Hindu and Muslim communal
politics was getting consolidated around Muslim League and Hindu
Mahasabha, there was a parallel offensive at the religious level. Arya
Samaj had started Shuddhi movement on the pretext of bringing back the low
castes who had 'drifted' and thereby had become impure by conversions to
Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. Not to be left behind Tabligh and Tanzim
movements were started to keep the hold on the Muslims. Both these ran
side by side. These types of streams, the one's basing their politics on
religion or race, always require a 'hate object'.

Post-Babri demolition, the 'anti-Muslim' appeal is not yielding as 'good'
dividends as it used to give earlier. At electoral level Hindutva party,
BJP has reached a level of stagnation and unless new grounds are made
accessible to Hindu vote bank the SP project of Hindu Rashtra cannot be
actualized. The missionary activities have the strong potential of
secularizing the remote places through education and health care. Educated
and enlightened Adivasis are a big obstacle to the unchecked sway of the
rural upper caste and the rich peasants, the social base of SP. And that's
why the brilliant discovery that the 'Christians are more dangerous than
even the Muslims'.

As far the assertion that Adivasis are Hindus least said the better. They
are proclaimed to be Hindus for political reasons by SP even when for
centuries they do not share any of the Hindu deities, holy books,
festivals, holy places and any other parameters, which define the religion
of the community. Overcoming this all to assert that they ARE Hindus is
where lies the 'genius' of Hindutva politics. And thus if Adivasis become
Christians it is 'forced conversions' brought in by the 'anti-National'
Christians but if they are converted to Hinduism, that is Ghar Vapasi, an
act of Nationalism and patriotism.

As by a clever move this type of proselytisation is projected to be
undoing a wrong perpetrated on them by 'anti-National' missionaries, so it
is undoubtedly a 'glorious service' to the Hindu Nation, proclaims the SP.
And so even while proselytising at an intense pace they can also proclaim
with the forked tongue that Hinduism is superior to other faiths as it
does not believe in conversions. One must admire such 'brilliant
concoctions', where the political contingency of proselytisation can be
projected to be Shuddhi and Gharvapasi and thereby putting the political
abusers of Hindu religion few steps higher on the ladder of spirituality
and tolerance. Surely all the practitioners of race and religion based
politics can learn and profit from such a 'brilliant' innovations from
Hindutva stable.

(Ram Puniyani is a activist of EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity))
_____

#4.

[India Network News Digest - August 29, 2000]

RSS FORGIVES VAJPAYEE AFTER HE MAKES PEACE

New Delhi, Aug. 28: The Rashtriya Swamysevak Sangh has decided to extend
full support to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. It will give a long
rope to Vajpayee before reviewing its decision after the Assembly
elections next year.

The RSS which was toying with the idea of an early election and a purist
BJP agenda regardless of power has given this up, sources said, in favour
of a stable coalition under and able leader in Vajpayee. In a recent
review the organisation has decided that its goal of absolute power can be
realised only by remaining in power and appearing to pursue a moderate
agenda.

The BJP national council has, in a swift response to the RSS decision,
wholeheartedly endorsed government polices. The new BJP president Bangaru
Laxman who is a known Vajpayee supporter, has been brought in for the top
job without any objections from the RSS.

Laxmans maiden address to the national council of the BJP at Nagpur was
full of praise for the performance of the government. He also made it
clear that the effort of the party would be to project government
policies. The BJP, sources said, has been encouraged to convert the
national council session into a no-holds-barred support for the Vajpayee
government. Laxman set the trend and Advani followed it up by singing
praises of Vajpayee and the government.

Advani, a known hardliner, is being compelled to swallow his differences
and accept the new change in policy. Vajpayee, sources said, has taken
advantage of the RSS shift in stance to further marginalise Advani whose
vocal supporters in the party have been sidelined. These include Sushma
Swaraj and leaders like Venkaiah Naidu and Govindacharya. The latter had,
at one stage, openly criticised Vajpayee as the mask. Vajpayees writ on
J&K is being allowed to run without question.

Advani has reportedly very serious reservations about Vajpayees Kashmir
policy but has not been able to influence any changes. He has occasionally
given vent to his sentiments, as when he launched a full fledged attack on
the Hurriyat Conference. This was gently countered by the PMO the very
next day.

The PMO and not the Home Ministry is handling the peace talks with Advani
being kept informed about the developments. Sources point out that Advani
had worked day and night to build up the BJP. He is the true leader of the
party as he has the support of the cadres. Vajpayee is not credited with
ever having worked singlemindedly for the party organisation. But as the
sources said, he is the man in the seat, and he is the leader who is
acceptable to the regional parties.

The RSS is reported to be very happy with the Prime Ministers US
policy. It is pointed out that RSS ideologue Golwalker had first spoken of
India and the US being natural allies and the present level of cooperation
between the two countries is being seen by RSS activists as a realisation
of Golwalkers dream.

______

#5.

ANTI-BJP PLANK GETS INDIAN ACADEMICS FIGHTING AT CANADIAN CONFERENCE

by Ajit Jain, India Abroad News Service

Toronto, Aug 29 - A roundtable session at an international conference in
Canada turned into a free for all when some of those present attacked the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindu nationalist affiliates for
cultural invasion in India.

Trouble brewed at the International Conference on African and Asian Studies=
,
organised by the University of Montreal, when a leaflet by an Indian
historian, alleging "assault on democratic institutions" by the Indian
government, was circulated among those present. The roundtable was on 'The
Re-writing of History: Intellectual Freedom and Contemporary Politics in
South Asia.'

The event saw a leaflet by K.M. Panikkar of Jawharlal Nehru University (JNU=
)
being circulated, saying after coming to power the "Indian government led b=
y
the Hindu fundamentalist party, the BJP, has started an assault on all
democratic and secular educational institutions... The BJP policy on
education has involved a major doctoring of school texts and in the states
ruled by the BJP, and there has also been a systematic and continuous attac=
k
on secular historiography, on democratic expression and on minorities ..."

This angered some of those present including Madan M. Sankdher of Delhi
University, Daya N. Tripathi of Gorakhpur University and T.D. Dwivedi of
Concordia University in Montreal. Sankdher and his colleagues met the
president of the conference, Charls LeBlanc, and suggested that such writin=
g
could not be allowed and the roundtable should be cancelled.

They followed it up by writing a formal letter to LeBlanc calling the round
table and Panikkar's leaflet part of "a vilification campaign ... against
national institutions of research and learning, such as the ICHR (Indian
Council of Historical Research), the government of India as well as
intellectuals and academics who do not subscribe to their ideology."

The letter signed jointly by Sankdher, Tripathi and Dwivedi, protested "tha=
t
such politically motivated activity ... be given scholarly respectability."
Therefore, they requested the chair "to stop this malicious propaganda and
abuse of this august body of eminent international scholars participating i=
n
this conference."

But their request was turned down and the discussion was held as scheduled.
Some
participants told IANS that roundtable moderator Keith Meadowcroft,
Department of History of Concordia University, himself launched a 40-minute
attack on the BJP and the fraternity of Hindu nationalist groups. He took
exception to reported revision of school text books in India and talked
about cultural invasion in that country, equating it with something the
Nazis would have done.

Panikkar recounted how his two volumes titled 'Towards Freedom,' submitted
to Oxford University Press were arbitrarily withdrawn by the ICHR. B.R.
Grover, chair of ICHR who is also attending the Montreal conference, tried
to explain that Panikkar's books were held up as some clarification was
being sought on certain factual information contained in those volumes.

"Why should we wash our dirty linen in public and that is sad," Sankdher
told IANS. These people here have vested interest "in these volumes on
'Towards Freedom'," Sankdher said. The roundtable "was absolutely
undesirable and uncalled for. It was developed by the Indian scholars from
JNU," he stated.

The pamphlet circulated by Panikkar and his supporters "is a malicious
propaganda against India," Dwivedi said. "It could have an adverse impact
on India-Canada relations." The roundtable discussion was "designed by JNU
scholars in collaboration with some of their camp followers in Canadian
universities," Dwivedi claimed. "They are not able to digest that the BJP
is in power today and doing a good job."

However, Panikkar contended, "The tentacles of interference with the search
for truth and academic freedom have been extended overseas and in Canada as
well." In this context he brought up the controversy surrounding the
Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute and cancellation of funding for two project=
s
for which he blamed the Indian government.

The conference concludes on September 3. There are 500 scholars from
several universities and research institutions who are attending the
conference.

______

#6.

August 29, 2000=20=20=20=20

INDIAN ENVOY UNREPENTANT

By Sharlene Azam
Toronto Star Staff Reporter

RAJANIKANTA VERMA: ''No government in its right mind, including the
Canadian government, would fund an exhibition that attacks it,'' the Indian
high commissioner says.
Says his comments about exhibition `nobody's business'

India's high commissioner in Ottawa says he's doing exactly what any
Canadian official would do in response to an art exhibit that is critical o=
f
government.

''No government in its right mind, including the Canadian government, would
fund an exhibition that attacks it,'' Rajanikanta Verma told The Star durin=
g
a lengthy and occasionally heated interview.

He was responding to claims by artists that pressure from the high
commissioner resulted in a major sponsor, the Shastri Indo-Canadian
Institute, pulling its support from an exhibition at Harbourfront's York
Quay gallery.

The Shastri Institute is a 32-year-old bilateral organization whose primary
role is to enhance understanding between Canada and India by funding
research in both countries.

It gets $400,000 in funding from the government of India and more than $1
million from the Canadian government.

This is not the first time an Indian high commissioner has been accused of
throwing his weight around in Canada.

''There has been a pattern of the Indian representatives in this country
interfering in domestic affairs,'' says Bhupinder S. Liddar, editor of the
Ottawa-based Diplomat And International Magazine.

''When Joe Clark was foreign minister, he issued a letter to all provincial
premiers asking them not to meet with certain Sikh groups. That was the
direct result of pressure from the Indian government on our foreign
minister.''

Verma's recent actions, including interference in the funding of a human
rights conference at the University of Waterloo, have raised questions abou=
t
the kind of influence a foreign government can have on freedom of expressio=
n
in Canada.

''While the high commissioner has the right to his opinion about the
exhibit, an ambassador in Canada does not have the right to get implicated
in domestic affairs,'' Foreign Affairs spokesperson Patrick Riel says.
This week, the high commissioner was unrepentant.

''Certainly, artists in India or Canada can have any kind of exhibit they
want, but when you fund an exhibit abroad that criticizes your government,
that's not freedom of speech, that's stupidity,'' he said.
Canadian artists involved with the show disagree.

The exhibit, titled Dust On The Road, is partially funded by Canadian
government agencies, which have traditionally refrained from interfering
with the content of the arts projects they fund. The exhibit is a
collaborative project between Canadian and Indian artists and includes
posters, postcards and photographs protesting the rising tide of
sectarianism and religious fundamentalism in India.

''The Canadian system is regarded as being extremely principled in the way
we award grants and in the way funding decisions are reached,'' says
Canadian multimedia artist Richard Fung, who has work in the exhibit.
''The Canadian government does not seek to influence art shows. The fact
that pressure is being applied by a foreign government on a funding agency
means that its independence and credibility are now in question.''

Riel says diplomatic protocol requires that ''if there are any concerns fro=
m
an embassy, they should get in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs=
.
There is no record of Verma having contacted us with a grievance about
anything.''

When asked about pressure applied on the Shastri Institute, Verma said, ''M=
y
comments about the exhibit are that it is devoid of any artistic, literary,
cultural merit and that it has no resemblance to reality whatsoever and
therefore is totally lacking in credibility.

''I can only call it a work of fiction, rooted in jaundiced imagination. Bu=
t
my comments to Shastri are confidential and nobody's business.''
After Shastri demanded that its name be taken off the exhibit, the
organizers returned the institute's $5,000 contribution in protest.
Shastri's executive director Lavinia Mohr acknowledged that succumbing to
pressure by the Indian government has tarnished the institute's reputation.

''Some people will make the argument that we cannot be an independent body,
but the government of India, unlike the Canadian government, takes a very
hands-on interest in the projects we fund,'' she said.

''We are right now negotiating our new agreement with them for the next fiv=
e
years, so we're in a difficult position.''

Verma has been accused of interference before in a funding decision made by
the Shastri institute.

History professor James Walker says a human rights conference he was
planning at the University of Waterloo was cancelled after ''high
commissioner Verma strongly suggested to Shastri that they cancel our
funding.''

Walker says the conference, titled Accommodating Diversity: Learning from
the Indian Canadian Experience, was a joint project between Canadian and
Indian academics and posed no threat to the Indian government.

''It's not like we were poking around the jails of Kashmir to see if
prisoners are being tortured,'' Walker says. ''We're not Amnesty
International. We're professors.''

Just days before the start of this year's Aug. 8 conference, Walker says, h=
e
received a letter from the Shastri institute's president, Hugh Johnston, wh=
o
wrote that ''because of funding negotiations between Shastri (and the
government of India) we have to abide by the government of India's decision
not to support the conference.''

Asked about his role in having the funding for the conference suspended
Verma said, ''I wouldn't call it pressure. I did not put pressure on
Shastri. All activity funded by Shastri must be approved by the Department
of Foreign Affairs and by us.

''In this instance we disapproved. If plans were made and tickets were
bought ahead of our approval for the conference, that's their bad luck.''
Although Walker sent letters of complaint regarding the loss of funding for
the University of Waterloo conference to the Canadian International
Development Agency, the foreign affairs department and Verma, he says the
only response he received was from Verma.

''He told me that this wasn't something to discuss further,'' Walker says.
Officials at CIDA could not be reached for comment.

The foreign affairs department wasn't prepared to state what action, if any=
,
it would be taking against Verma.

______________________________
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