[sacw] SACW #1 (18 Oct. 01)

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Thu, 18 Oct 2001 03:27:10 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | Dispatch #1.
18 October 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

------------------------------------------

#1. Bangladesh: a) Amnesty International: Fear for safety of=20
Religious minorities
b) Religious minorities in panic as ruling party men run riot=20
(Morshed Ali Khan)
#2. Walk Softly in Nuclear South Asia (Zia Mian)
#3. Pakistan Demo by Citizen Peace Alliance for end of war & against=20
the religious fanaticism.
#4. War Poem: A Two-Pronged approach to the Afghan People
#5. 'All we are saying ...' say Asian activists (Satya Sivaraman)
#6. India: Stirring the communal cauldron (Pratap Bhanu Mehta)
#7. India: Hindu Taliban & their Ayodhya Temple Troops March In
#8. New issue of Akhbar, your window on south Asia, is online
#9. India Pakistan Arms Race & Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 51 |=20
17 October 2001
#10. Pakistan: Book release - 'Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Are=
a'

________________________

#1.

a)

PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 13/005/2001

UA 258/01 Fear for safety 15 October 2001
BANGLADESH Religious minorities

Since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a large majority in=20
the general election on 1 October, its supporters have allegedly been=20
attacking Hindus and other religious minorities because of their=20
perceived support for the rival Awami League party. Police have=20
apparently taken no action.

Groups closely linked to the BNP have reportedly driven hundreds of=20
people off their land, and burned their houses. The victims allegedly=20
include women who have been gang-raped. The police have apparently=20
done nothing to stop the attacks or protect the victims.

According to Bangladeshi news reports, the guard of a Hindu temple at=20
Deobhogh has been kidnapped by armed men, who fired shots as they=20
left. Several Hindu doctors from Dhaka Medical College Hospital and=20
Mitford Hospital were also attacked.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The BNP, formerly Bangladesh's main opposition party, formed an=20
alliance with three other parties and won more than two thirds of the=20
seats in the 1 October election. BNP leader Begum Khaleda Zia was=20
sworn in as Prime Minister on 10 October. In the run-up to the=20
elections there were violent clashes between supporters of Khaleda=20
Zia and her main rival, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina. About 150=20
people were killed and thousands were injured.

The population of Bangladesh is approximately 87 percent Muslim. The=20
rest are predominantly Hindu.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as=20
possible, in English or your own language:
- expressing concern at reports that Hindus and other religious=20
minorities have been violently attacked since the general election,=20
allegedly by supporters of the BNP;
- urging the authorities to take immediate action to stop any attacks=20
on religious minorities, and to provide the victims of these attacks=20
with adequate and durable protection;
- urging the Inspector General of Police to ensure that his officers=20
take appropriate action on complaints against the alleged attackers;
- asking the Prime Minister to set up an impartial and independent=20
commission of enquiry to investigate the alleged attacks, identify=20
the attackers and any police officers who have failed in their duty=20
to stop them, and bring those responsible to justice.

APPEALS TO:
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia
Office of the Prime Minister
Gona Bhaban
Sher-e Bangla Nagar
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Telegrams: Prime Minister Zia, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Fax: + 880 2 811 3243
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
Mr. Nurul Huda
Inspector-General of Police
Police Headquarter
Fulbaria
Dhaka
Bangladesh
Telegrams: Inspector-General Huda, Fulbaria, Dhaka, Banglad=
esh
Fax: + 880 2 956 3362
Salutation: Dear Sir

COPIES TO:
to diplomatic representatives of Bangladesh accredited to your country.

PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International=20
Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 26=20
November 2001.

o o o o o o

b)

The Daily Star, 18 October 2001

New faces of terrorists-2
Religious minorities in panic as ruling party men run riot
by Morshed Ali Khan

http://www.dailystarnews.com/200110/18/n1101801.htm#BODY7

c)

The Daily Star, 18 October 2001

Attack on the minorities: Victims of communalism or political intolerance?
by Afsan Chowdhury
http://www.dailystarnews.com/200110/18/n1101802.htm#BODY3

______

#2.

Source: commondreams.org
Published on Wednesday, October 17, 2001

Walk Softly in Nuclear South Asia
by Zia Mian

Before September 11, South Asia's problems were legion: over a=20
billion people, most of them desperately poor; a history of war and=20
violent conflicts; rising religious militancy; hard-line Hindu=20
nationalists in power in India, the army in charge in Pakistan; newly=20
tested nuclear weapons and a get-tough mood. Now, it is also the=20
frontline of the US war against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.=20
South Asia may not be able to take the strain. The US needs to ensure=20
it does nothing to worsen the many crises in South Asia and that it=20
thinks long-term, not short term, about its policies in the region.

The greatest concern is Pakistan. General Pervez Musharraf justified=20
the October 1999 coup that brought him to power by citing the=20
prevailing sense that Pakistan's economy, government, and society=20
were on the verge of collapse. The fall has been swift; about one in=20
three Pakistanis now live below the poverty line, double what it was=20
a decade ago. There have been eight governments in this time. All of=20
them have become wary of setting-off the widespread public resentment=20
and anger at the hopelessness of everyday life. They have struggled=20
to not provide political opportunities to the radical Islamist groups=20
that have emerged and feed off the misery. Too often, they chose to=20
make concessions to radical Islam. The military is in the same fix.

The US bombing campaign against Afghanistan in response to the=20
terrible attacks of September 11 has opened wide the door for=20
Islamist groups, with their history of anti-Americanism and strong=20
ties to the Taliban. They have taken to the streets challenging=20
Musharraf and his decision to support the U.S. The longer the U.S.=20
bombs Afghanistan, the more civilians get killed, the greater the=20
humanitarian and refugee crisis, and the more organized and angry the=20
Islamists' challenge. Musharraf and the army may hold the line, but=20
the Islamists will come out politically strengthened. Musharraf may=20
win this battle but lose the war.

The US should heed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and suspend=20
its bombing campaign to allow relief supplies to reach the more than=20
seven million Afghans in direst need. Calling in the UN=20
Secretary-General and newest Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan,=20
showing him the evidence and asking him to mediate with the Taliban=20
for a hand-over of Osama bin Laden for trial would acknowledge the=20
vital role of the UN. Both would strengthen the hand of Pakistan's=20
government against the militants.

Pakistan is also trapped by its conflict with India. Reflecting the=20
intensity and depth of this battle, India and Pakistan have each=20
sought to take advantage of the situation after September 11. India=20
immediately offered political and military support to the United=20
States in its conflict with the Taliban and urged it to include=20
Pakistani-supported Islamic militants fighting in Kashmir as targets=20
of the US assault on terrorism. Pakistan, under enormous pressure=20
from the US, eventually decided to turn a liability into an asset and=20
sought to cash in on its location and its leverage over the Taliban.

Seeing Pakistan win the US over to its side, and with the militants=20
continuing their attacks in Kashmir, India is now trying another more=20
dangerous gambit. It has threatened to follow the US example and=20
attack militant training camps and bases in Pakistan. In an ominous=20
development, India has ended a 10-month long effective cease-fire and=20
started shelling Pakistani forces across the border that divides=20
Kashmir.

The US must press Pakistan to end its support for the militants,=20
restrain India from actions that may trigger a South Asian war, and=20
get serious in working with the international community to resolve=20
the more than fifty year old Kashmir dispute. For this effort to be=20
taken seriously, the US must show by word and deed that unilateral=20
military action is not the order of the day.

A longer term danger is that of nuclear weapons in South Asia. The=20
May 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan put the world on watch.=20
The US and the international community used sanctions to pressure=20
both countries to exercise restraint, and to signal a refusal to=20
accept new nuclear weapons states. But, in its search for support in=20
the region, the Bush administration has let go the already waning US=20
hopes to reverse the nuclearization of South Asia. The US is lifting=20
all its sanctions against India, most if not (yet) all sanctions=20
against Pakistan, and economic and military assistance is being=20
offered to both.

India and Pakistan may return with renewed vigour to their=20
conventional and nuclear arms race. India seeks US arms to add to its=20
$4 billion arms deal with Russia and $2 billion deal with Israel.=20
Pakistan's limited funds have stalled its military purchases. With=20
the army in charge, any resources freed by a blanket lifting of=20
sanctions may go to catching up with India. With political and=20
economic pressures eased, both sides may speed deployment of their=20
nuclear warheads. South Asia may escape the frying pan of terrorism=20
only to fall into the nuclear fire.

Also long term is democracy. General Musharraf's new status as ally=20
in the war against Afghanistan and the man most likely to hold=20
Pakistan together may lead to the lifting of the US sanctions levied=20
after his coup. But, concern about Pakistan's stability should not=20
translate into abandoning democracy and Musharraf should not be=20
allowed or encouraged to stay in power. The two previous Pakistani=20
generals who seized power each kept it for the better part of a=20
decade. Civil society withered both times.

Musharraf should hold to his promise of elections and restoring=20
democracy by next October. Elections may be just what it takes to=20
mobilise the majority of Pakistanis in the battle against radical=20
Islam. Whenever they have been allowed to choose who should govern=20
them in the past, Pakistanis have decisively rejected Islamic=20
political parties. They would do so again now. The small crowds on=20
the streets supporting the Islamist groups are testament to that. Ten=20
years without democracy may change their minds.

Dr. Zia Mian researches South Asian security issues with the Program=20
on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public=20
and International Affairs, Princeton University. He has taught at=20
Princeton, Yale, and Quaid-i-Azam University (Islamabad, Pakistan).=20
He is the co-editor of "Out of The Nuclear Shadow", a collection of=20
the best South Asian writing on nuclear disarmament.
______

#3.

Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001
Subject: More Peace rallies in Pakistan

Dear friends,

Today on 17th October, over 500 demonstrated on the main Mall Road of Lahor=
e
to demand an immediate end of war and against the religious fanaticism. The
peace rally was organised by Citizen Peace Alliance. There were many
different organisations participating in the demo, the peasants=20
organisations, trade
union activists civil society organisations and activists of Labour Party
Pakistan. The demonstrators were raising slogans like down with American
imperialism, we are with Afghan people, An immidiete end to war,=20
American gangsters
go back, We want bread, instead of bomb, we want peace, instead of war, Eas=
t
is red, Struggle is our path, revolution is our goal, he who is terrorist i=
s
not a Muslim. There was a lot of entheusism among the participants. This wa=
s
the raod where LPP demo on 15th could not come as this was stopped by the
police. There were a lot of police at the road but did not stop the demo.

Speaking on the occasion, Irfan Mufti of South Asia Partnership (SAP)
explained the reasons for this demo. He said we want no Americans on=20
this part of
the world. We are totally opposed to the imperialist aggression and are in
solidarity with Afghan people. He said we are opposed to the religious
fundamentalists and our demo has nothing to do with the demonstrations of t=
he
fundamentalists.

Farooq Tariq, general secretary Labour Party Pakistan, told the
demonstrators that we condemn the imperialist aggression. They are=20
responsible to harbour
the religious fundamentalism in this area. Criticising the leader of
Jammaat-i-Islami, he said, for them, Clinton was a guest of honour=20
last year, now
they are opposing Americans. They have no principals. He said the Socialist
forces of Pakistan has always opposed to the religious fundamentalism and
imperialism. He said there is no question of any alliance with the=20
religious forces
who are calling for a Jihad. He said religious fundamentalists are new type=
to
fascist but are more dangerous than the original ones.

Assim Akhtar, Shafeeq Ahmed and Rubina Jameel also spoke on the occasion.

In an other historic development for peace movement, civil society
organisations, Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights (LPP is part=20
of JAC) in one
day consultation meeting at Lahore decided to organise a national peace dem=
o on
6th November in Islamabad. It was decided to mobilise thousands for this
demo. 85 representatives of different organisation took part in this meetin=
g.

Organisations from the North West Frontier Province described how their
offices and housesd have been burned down by the supporters of=20
Talbaan. They also
told that government has totally failed to protect the civil society
organisations. Salik Foundation of Takht Bhai told the meeting that the
fundamentlists have totally brunt down their office, ambulance and=20
his personal house.
hey wanted to burn down him as well but he was able to escape. A total of 7
million Rupees loss is estimated in this incident.
It was agreed to go for demonstration on the slogan of No to war, No to
Imperialist aggression, No to religious fundamentlism and no alliance with =
the
fundamentalists.

Now the peace agenda of Pakistan is

4rd November, a peace rally at Hyderabad organised by LPP
6th November Peace rally in Islamabad organised by Citizen Peace ASlliance
13th November, peace rally at Karachi organised by LPP

Fraternally,
Rizwan Atta,
secretary, Lahore Peace Forum

______

#4.

From: "Sanjib Baruah"
Subject: A war poem
Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 05:10:23 -0400

A Two-Pronged approach to the Afghan People

"By night our missiles rain on them,
By day we drop them bread.
They should be grateful for the food --
Unless,of course, they are dead."

By Calvin Trillin

Published in the Nation. 10/29/01
______

#5.

Asia Times, October 18, 2001

'All we are saying ...' say Asian activists
By Satya Sivaraman
CHIANG MAI, Thailand - While the US-led military strikes in=20
Afghanistan have the support of most Asian governments, they are=20
being opposed by a growing number of peace activists in the region,=20
who question the policy of combating violence with violence.
>From non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and interfaith groups to=20
green and leftist activists, there is concern that the ongoing war,=20
coming at a time of deepening economic recession, can only cause=20
widespread grief and misery in the region and increase social and=20
political tensions within their own countries.
"We do not believe that war can be a solution to terrorism. War -=20
such as what the United States and the NATO [North Atlantic Treaty=20
Organization] forces are initiating - is in fact organized terrorism=20
on a much higher scale, with a much higher casualty figure," says=20
Sonny Melencio, head of the Socialist Party of Labor, a leftist=20
organization in the Philippines.
Left-wing, church and student organizations in the Philippines have=20
led a barrage of protests outside the US embassy in Manila almost=20
every day since the September 11 attacks. They condemn terrorism but=20
also strongly oppose Washington's plans to go to war on the issue.
In South Korea on October 10, over 756 citizens groups, including the=20
powerful Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and People's Solidarity=20
for Participatory Democracy, signed a petition urging government not=20
to aid Washington's campaign against Afghanistan. In a statement the=20
groups said, "Terrorism cannot be justified in any way; neither can=20
any retaliation war be. The war killing innocent civilians of=20
Afghanistan should be stopped immediately."
There have been similar statements and protest rallies outside US=20
embassies against the war in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur,=20
New Delhi and Islamabad.
In Pakistan, where the international attention has predictably=20
focused only on hundreds of radical Muslims protesting their=20
government's support to the US military action, there have been=20
numerous rallies for peace organized by secular trade union and=20
citizen's groups.
A large number of women activists participated in a peace rally in=20
Lahore on September 25, chanting slogans against terrorism and=20
religious fundamentalism, but also warning the United States not to=20
bomb Afghan cities. The rally was organized by Women Workers Help=20
Line in collaboration with the Labor Party of Pakistan and the Joint=20
Action Committee for Peoples Rights.
Speaking at the peace rally, Asma Jahangir, the former chairperson of=20
Pakistan's Human Rights Commission, said the Pakistani people do not=20
need any advice from United States to fight terrorism. "As victims of=20
terrorism for long time, we know it very well what does it mean to=20
humanity. We have all the sympathies with the victims of the=20
September 11 victims. But we do not want more bloodshed of innocent=20
people," she said.
In neighboring India, where the Hindu fundamentalist government has=20
extended unconditional support to the US policy against Afghanistan,=20
peace groups have sprung all over the country to mobilize against the=20
war.
In Calcutta, the stronghold of the Indian left movement, thousands of=20
left-wing activists protested outside the US consulate soon after the=20
first air strikes against the Taliban regime, demanding an immediate=20
end to the war and to find a political solution to the problem of=20
terrorism. Similar rallies have been reported from all other major=20
Indian cities like Delhi, Bombay and Madras.
For many Asian civil society groups, both the terrorist attacks of=20
September 11 and the ongoing US war on terrorism are seen as a major=20
setback on a variety of fronts, particularly human rights.
"We expect our government to use terrorism as an excuse to further=20
clamp down on dissident groups of all shades apart from increasing=20
the already high militarization that prevails in the country," says=20
Rasti Delizo, a leading organizer with Sanlakas, a social activist=20
group in the Philippines.
Faced with a long running and bloody separatist rebellion in the=20
south, partly led by an extremist Islamic group, they fear that the=20
Philippines government will take the new international mood against=20
terrorism to violate the human rights of the country's minorities.
In India, too, activist groups, already campaigning against their=20
right-wing government's anti-minority bias, are bracing for more=20
severe persecution of the country's Muslim population and also a=20
clampdown on civil liberties activists. In an ominous sign of things=20
to come, five activists of the All India People's Resistance Forum=20
were arrested in the second week of October for distributing anti-war=20
pamphlets in New Delhi.
Further east in South Korea and Japan, one of the major issues that=20
anti-war activists are concerned about is the growing right-wing=20
agenda of the Japanese government. Japan has offered to send troops=20
for "humanitarian" purposes to help the United States and its allies=20
in their war against Afghanistan, raising fears of a possible attempt=20
at remilitarization of the country.
"With the United States seen to be openly and rashly endorsing a=20
military solution to what is essentially a political problem there is=20
bound to be a spurt in militarization around the region and increased=20
tensions over various issues," says Filipino activist Melencio.
For many of the anti-war activists and groups, many of whom were=20
until recently at the forefront of the anti-globalization movement,=20
the emerging scenario is fraught with great dangers as well as=20
possibilities.
If they can provide the vision and leadership for meaningful social=20
and economic change, the anti-war groups could find a receptive=20
audience among Asian citizens looking for an alternative to current=20
policies. Failure to do so could result in a long period of chaos and=20
turmoil throughout the region.
(Inter Press Service)

______

#6.

The Hindu, Thursday, October 18, 2001 | Opinion

Stirring the communal cauldron
By Pratap Bhanu Mehta

A SERIES of recent events ought to awaken all those who had been=20
lulled into complacency by the fact that the BJP appeared to have=20
been acting as if it were a moderate party at the centre of the=20
ideological spectrum. It appears that slowly but surely the BJP is=20
inching towards making communalism its central plank once again. The=20
banning of the SIMI, heightened reassertions by the VHP that a temple=20
will be built at Ayodhya, the growing power of hardliners in the=20
party in States such as Gujarat, the attempts to exclude Muslims from=20
electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh as documented by the Election=20
Commission, are all signs of the leopard revealing its spots. There=20
is palpable glee in many sections of the BJP that the attacks on the=20
World Trade Center have not only vindicated India's worries about=20
terrorism, but also given them the pretext to legitimise their own=20
clash of civilisations. With elections looming, the simple fact is=20
that the BJP has no credible strategy left other than to resort to=20
the tactics that have become staple in Indian politics since Indira=20
Gandhi: resort to communal hysteria.

Sections of the SIMI are in many ways reprehensible, and the growing=20
discontent amongst Muslim youth may take an ominous turn. Yet, if the=20
Government's true intent was to tackle links with terrorism, its=20
actions should have been above partisan suspicion. Rather than making=20
a focussed case against particular individuals, the Government has=20
arrested hundreds of students; rather than providing political spaces=20
where genuine Muslim grievances can be articulated, it is putting all=20
Muslim political expression under the taint of suspicion. The result=20
will inevitably be increased violence.

By any yardstick, organisations such as the Bajrang Dal are at least=20
as ominous as the SIMI. Mr. Advani argues that there is no credible=20
evidence against these organisations. The fact of the matter is that=20
while there may be some specific evidence against members of the=20
SIMI, most of arrests have been on the grounds of espousing opinions=20
supporting Osama bin Laden. Reprehensible as these opinions may be,=20
espousing them does not amount to a prosecutable offence. On the=20
other hand, organisations such as the VHP and the Bajrang Dal have=20
openly said they will not pay heed to the authority of Indian courts.=20
By any definition of the term fanatic, an open disavowal of the rule=20
of law in a democratic state is a more serious offence. And Bajrang=20
Dal activists getting training in arms probably contravenes more laws=20
than one could list. The rhetoric and actions of many groups, Muslim=20
and Hindu alike, is turning palpably frightening. But to be paranoid=20
about one group, and not see the ominous possibilities of another is=20
nothing but playing communal politics.

The pressures of political logic will push the BJP more towards the=20
communal card. Its centrism and moderation were premised on two=20
considerations: the necessity of striking alliances and the=20
imperatives of convincing voters that the BJP could be a governing=20
party. Both restraints are increasingly wearing thin. The BJP is no=20
longer a touch-me-not party and all its possible allies are likely to=20
sacrifice principle for opportunism. As a party claiming the mantle=20
of governance, the BJP has been a singular failure. Of course it has=20
had to work under the difficult constraint of keeping more than a=20
dozen alliance partners happy. But its poor record is largely its own=20
doing. The economy is a shambles in almost every sense of the term.=20
While the Prime Minister conveniently blames the attacks on the WTC,=20
the Government bears direct responsibility for the state of the=20
economy. Spiralling fiscal deficits, the almost complete halting of=20
the reform process, the lack of new initiatives, and a peculiar knack=20
this Government has of dampening investor confidence have contributed=20
to a gloomy scenario. The BJP came to power promising clean=20
government. While corruption is not new to India, the peculiar=20
combination of greed and venality in the scandals with which this=20
Government has been associated ought to lay to rest any illusions=20
about its moral purity. The party that promised strong national=20
defence allowed the nation to be subject to Kargil. The party that=20
wanted to place India's foreign policy on a newer footing and restore=20
it to its rightful place of power through a pragmatic realism has=20
found that India remains relatively insignificant after all. The=20
party that promised the restoration of educational institutions has=20
assaulted and undermined them. The party that promised peace and=20
prosperity has continued to lay the groundwork for disharmony and=20
inertia.

The BJP's greatest political asset, the Prime Minister, now has an=20
uncertain aura. Whether as a consequence of ill health or something=20
else, the once famously eloquent Prime Minister is a much reduced=20
figure. Rather than leading, he seems to be drifting. His response to=20
any major problem seems to be a mournful wistfulness. For a=20
politician singularly endowed with the gift of public speaking, he=20
has been an ineffective articulator of his Government's goals and=20
vision. Add to all of this the shambles the party organisation is in=20
States such as Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and one cannot but suspect=20
that the BJP is at a loss about where to go next. What does it have=20
to show for itself?

Of course its greatest political asset remains the Opposition. The=20
Congress is in serious disarray and the BJP will be hoping that those=20
disappointed in this Prime Minister will see that the alternative is=20
a Prime Minister who speaks and explains even less. If the Congress=20
cannot do the job of even functioning as a credible Opposition, it is=20
unlikely to inspire too much confidence as a governing party. The=20
so-called Third Front has pockets of strength, but whether it can=20
form a credible national electoral force remains to be seen. But the=20
BJP knows that to count simply on the disarray of the Opposition is a=20
foolhardy political strategy. The anti-incumbent mood among the=20
electorate can always give any Opposition party an edge. It appears=20
that the search has begun within the BJP for a new strategy.

It is, I think, plausible to argue that the BJP is dangerous not only=20
when it is firmly entrenched in power, but also when it sees power=20
slipping away. For, it is then that it has few options other than=20
playing the communal card. While the BJP has rightly sensed that a=20
movement to build a temple at Ayodhya may not be as effective a=20
mobilising tool as it was a decade ago, the country might be drifting=20
into a mood strangely receptive to its brand of nationalism. Hindu=20
nationalism has always thrived in moments of anxiety. The continuing=20
terrorist attacks in Kashmir, enforcement of Taliban-like=20
restrictions by groups in the area, the visible signs of an assertive=20
orthodoxy among some sections of Muslims, a weakening economy, and=20
the palpable sense that India is the target of international=20
terrorist networks are beginning to create propitious conditions for=20
the BJP's communal card. If our anxieties are turned into paranoia,=20
as the BJP is trying its best to ensure they do, it will matter=20
little that the BJP's own brand of collective narcissism is part of=20
the problem rather than the solution. While many of the circumstances=20
that are leading to the creation of a new form of communal politics=20
are not the BJP's creation, it has an investment in exacerbating=20
conflict. Patriotism may or may not be the last refuge of scoundrels.=20
But communalism described as patriotism certainly is a refuge for=20
politicians singularly bereft of creative ideas. The communal=20
cauldron is being stirred once again. The worry is that now we will=20
not even notice.

(The writer is Professor of Philosophy and of Law and Governance at=20
JNU, New Delhi.)
______

#7.

The Telegraph | 18 October 2001
AYODHYA TEMPLE TROOPS MARCH IN
FROM ANAND SOONDAS

Lucknow, Oct. 17:
Around 30 supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today stormed=20
into the disputed site at Ayodhya and performed a hurried puja,=20
sending ripples of tension across the area and bringing the chief=20
minister running.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has ordered an inquiry into the=20
incident that indicates that the Sangh parivar is set to revive the=20
Ayodhya issue for the coming Assembly elections.

Egged on by senior leaders Pravin Togadia, Purushottam Singh and=20
Sreshchand Dixit, VHP workers brushed aside securitymen at the gate=20
and barged into what they describe as the "sanctum sanctorum of the=20
Ram Mandir".

Though Ayodhya police denied that there was any case against the VHP,=20
the outfit's leaders bragged that they had managed to "do what they=20
had promised".

Purushottam said he and dozens of his colleagues entered the=20
Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site to perform puja around 10 am. "Main=20
bhi andar gaya tha aur yeh to shuruat hai (I, too, went inside. This=20
is just the beginning),'' he said. Purushottam, however, denied that=20
VHP chief Ashok Singhal had accompanied the activists and said he was=20
"too ill".

Word of a "VHP takeover'' of the site spread like wildfire,=20
triggering tension in Ayodhya. Chief minister Rajnath Singh, who was=20
in Faizabad for a meeting, rushed to the site. The drama lasted for=20
three hours till senior officials, including the district magistrate=20
and the commissioner, arrived and pulled out the VHP activists.

Faizabad DIG R.P. Singh said he was waiting for a report from the=20
CRPF personnel posted at the site and action would be taken only=20
after he has studied it. Singh, however, confirmed that some VHP=20
activists had tried to barge in and create trouble. No arrests have=20
been made so far.

According to Dixit, a former IPS officer, the VHP supporters only=20
wanted a "darshan of Ram Lalla and no controversy". Sources said when=20
Dixit was stopped at the gates, he demanded to see the papers on "the=20
ban on entry of people into the site". When the police failed to show=20
him the documents, he forced his way in.

The plan for the barge-in was hatched at a meeting in Ayodhya=20
yesterday addressed by Singhal. He demanded that the administration=20
scale down the security at the site. "Suraksha bahut zyada hai,''=20
Singhal said. "Itna zaroorat nahin hai.'' The VHP chief asked the=20
administration to leave the security to karsevaks, adding that the=20
presence of so many central forces was "an insult to Hindus".

Signalling that the VHP will try to make the mandir controversy an=20
election issue, Singhal also called for a ban on the Samajwadi Party.=20
The VHP has announced that beginning February 17, there will be a=20
100-day "poornavati yagna" at Karsevakpuram. Over 20,000 karsevaks=20
are expected to attend every day.

______

#8.

Dear Friends,

The new issue of Akhbar, your window on south Asia, is online. You=20
can access it at:
http://www.indowindow.com/akhbar/

The new issue includes:

The Resistible Rise of George and Osama:
America's Crusade for Imperialist Globalisation, a view from South Asia
Hiroshima to New York, by ND Jayaprakash
>From Wounded Knee to Afghanistan, Zoltan Grossman's guide to a=20
century of US military interventions
Fact Sheet on Afghanistan
Fact Sheet on Ariel Sharon
Responding with Terror, by Aijaz Ahmad
A Hindutva Foreign Policy, by Prakash Karat
The Algebra of Infinite Justice, by Arundhati Roy
No Blood for Oil, Mr President! by Sitaram Yechury
The Clash of Ignorance, by Edward W Said
Falling Per Capita availability of Foodgrains by Utsa Patnaik
Indian media in the wake of September 11, by Nalini Taneja
A Citizen's Voice, by Mohd. Anwarul Haque
Vocabulary in Indians Arts, by KM Shrimali
The Indian State and the Madrasa, by Yoginder Sikand
Naipaul, a crusader rewarded
Make No Mistake About It: memorable quotes from the luminaries of the=20
'civilised' world

_______

#9.

India Pakistan Arms Race & Militarisation Watch (IPARMW) # 51
17 October 2001

[information & news for peace activists on arms sales to the region,
defence budget figures, acquisitions & updgrades of weapons systems,
development and deployment of new weapons, implications of militarisation
(of the state & of non-state actors); the developments on the
Nuclearisation front and the doings of the 'intelligence' agencies.
Bringing such information to wide public knowledge is our goal here. No to
secretive & exclusive control of this information by technocrats, planners
who plot national security hidden from public scrutiny. Please help us in
the information gathering work for wide public dissemination in South Asia.
Send Information via e-mail for IPARMW series to: aiindex@m... for
inclusion in the Emailings.]

The complete IPARMW archive is available at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IPARMW/messages

______

#10.

The News International, Thursday October 18, 2001

Book on red light area culture published

KARACHI: The Oxford University Press (OUP), Pakistan, has come up=20
with a book entitled 'Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area'.=20
It has been authored by Fauzia Saeed who has done PhD in education=20
from the University of Minnesota.

The author tells the story through the lives of the people linked to=20
the Shahi Mohallah of Lahore: the females with their pimps, managers=20
and customers, as well as the musicians and others. Through their=20
stories, the book also highlights the contributions that these people=20
have made to the world of performing arts.

Speakers at the launching ceremony of the book termed the effort a=20
bold initiative of the author. The ceremony that was organised by the=20
Working Women Support Centre (WWSC) a window project of Lawyers for=20
Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) in collaboration with Majmua - The=20
art Gallery the other day.

Ghazi Salahuddin of The News while expressing his views lamented that=20
the media is not playing its due role in order to explore reality of=20
life. He said the society has not been given full rights to women and=20
lack of education is the main hurdle for the emancipation of women in=20
the country.

Director of Majmua, Mehreen Illahi, observed that the book is written=20
in a friendly language as the writer successfully portrays picture of=20
the red light area. According to her the book gave us a good overview=20
about the development of the institution of prostitution.

Khalid Ahmad, one of the pioneers of parallel theatre in Pakistan,=20
lauded efforts of the author to write such an informative book. He=20
said despite the fact that it is a very sensitive issue the writer=20
successfully portrayed the problem. He also suggested that the book=20
should be translated into Urdu language.

Dr Fauzia Saeed informed the audience that she started the book owing=20
to the fact that she had a strong personal desire to explore as to=20
why the society denigrates women whenever they wish to make a public=20
expression of their talents and interest. She stated that it was=20
learning process for her and she came to know about the morals and=20
value system of the people involved in the profession.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
South Asia Citizens Web (http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since 1996. To=20
subscribe send a blank
message to: <act-subscribe@yahoogroups.com> / To unsubscribe send a blank
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________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.

--=20