[sacw] SACW #2 (6 Dec. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | Dispatch #2.
6 December 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

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

#1. Upcoming International Peace Mission to Afghanistan
#2. Pakistan: General in command has allowed his roadmap to democracy=20
to fall behind the schedule (M.B. Naqvi)
#3. Pakistan's Painter-turned-pacifist
#4. Meena Nanji's work in progress, "Women and War" (a documentary=20
film on Afghan women)
#5. Pakistan: 1st Degree Show of the MA (Hons.) Visual Art, National=20
College of Arts Lahore
#6. India: Our Diary 2002 unfolds the movement story ...
#7. Caste and social structure - I (Satish Deshpande)
________________________

#1.

From: A. H. Nayyar [is a member of the Pakistan Peace Coalition]
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2001 10:36 PM

International Peace Mission to Afghanistan
The recently formed Asian Peace Alliance (APA), of which Pakistan=20
Peace Coalition is a member, proposes to take a Peace Mission to=20
Afghanistan.

In late October 2001, a new Asia Peace Alliance (APA) was formed in=20
Hong Kong. Bringing together organizations and individuals from=20
around Asia, the group is dedicated to working for global peace and=20
justice, focusing on the Asian region in particular. The immediate=20
priority for the APA is to stop the Anglo-American military=20
retaliation for the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US.=20
Another key immediate aim is to try and mobilize support to address=20
the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and among Afghan=20
refugees. At the same time, the APA will highlight that long-term=20
peace and reconstruction will only occur when Afghan men and women=20
shape their own future.

The focus of the mission will be on political, social and economic=20
reconstruction. That is, it will look critically at efforts to create=20
a stable situation in Afghanistan, including the establishment of a=20
new government, and bring about economic recovery. Based on=20
interviews with Afghans in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, and=20
including the possibility of 'Open Forums' in which Afghans could=20
express their hopes for the future, the mission will articulate what=20
would be an appropriate process of re-establishing peace and=20
security, creating a new government, and revitalizing the economy.=20
The mission will also look -- although not primarily-- at the human=20
rights situation, the refugee situation, and the condition of women.

The mission is proposed to consist of some 6 to 10 eminent citizens=20
of the world, some of them Nobel laureates, accompanied by the APA=20
leadership. Diversity, including gender balance, will be an important=20
criterion. Special efforts will be made to invite eminent persons who=20
have experience in conflict and post-conflict situations. Some names=20
proposed so far are: (* denotes a Nobel Laureate)

Adm. Ramdas, India
Alejandro Bendana, Nicaragua
Alice Walker, US
Amatya Sen, India *
Arundhati Roy, India
Barbara Ehrenreich, US
Bernard Cassen, Le Monde Diplomatique
Bishop Desmond Tutu, RSA*
Carolyn Forche, US
Danny Glover, US
Dr. Chatsuman, Thailand
Evelyn Serrano, Phillipines
Graca Machel, Mozambique
Im Syu Kyung, Korea
James Ferton, UK
Jodie William, US*
Kosovo Muslim
Medha Paktar, India
Mennonites
Palestinian and Israeli youth
Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemala*
Roland Simbulan, Philippines
Ron Delems, US
Sulak Sivaraksa, Thailand
Surin Pitsuwan, Thailand
Susan Sontag, US
Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnam (France)
Vittorio Agusletto, Italy
Wahid (Gus Dur), Indonesia
Xanana Gusmao, East Timor
Asma Jahangir (Pakistan)
I. A. Rahman (Pakistan)
Abdus Sattar Edhi (Pakistan)

Objectives

a.. To advocate building sustainable peace in Afghanistan;
b.. To advocate a participatory framework for a future political=20
set up in Afghanistan;
c.. To create international support for immediate and long-term=20
economic restoration in Afghanistan;
d.. To emphasize the urgency for expanded humanitarian assistance=20
to Afghanistan;
e.. To highlight these issues through international and regional=20
media coverage of the peace delegation during the mission.
Additional objectives:

a.. To examine the root causes of conflict in Afghanistan in the=20
context of security in South Asia and other regions where inequitable=20
economic and social conditions foster fundamentalism and instability;
b.. To encourage an open forum for broad participation in=20
identifying the needs and desires of Afghani people in achieving=20
sustainable peace in order to rebuild the economic and political=20
future of their nation;
c.. To advocate the inclusion of Afghan women in the restructuring=20
of the nation and to ensure the fundamental rights of women and=20
children including access to employment, public health and education=20
are restored;
d.. To underline the urgency of expanded delivery of humanitarian=20
assistance to refugees in Pakistan and border areas and to internally=20
displaced families in Afghanistan
Outcome of the delegation

To draft recommendations by the mission for protracted economic=20
restoration and political stability in Afghanistan to be submitted to=20
the United Nations, European Union, Congress of the United States and=20
Organization of Islamic Conference for review and for lobbying of=20
national and international bodies.

Implementation:

The Peace Mission hopes to achieve the above objectives through

a.. A mass "village meeting" in a refugee camp as a forum of=20
exchange between the peace delegation and the people of Afghanistan=20
directly affected by the crisis;
b.. Interaction with key leaders in the transitory authority in=20
Kabul and elsewhere, if necessary;
c.. Meeting with government officials of Pakistan to discuss=20
regional security and the rebuilding of Afghanistan;
d.. Interaction with the leaders of civil society organizations,=20
academics and political activists with expertise in Afghanistan and=20
regional security issues (For example, through an open forum convened=20
at Quaid-I-Azam University in collaboration with the Institute of=20
Strategic Studies in Islamabad);
e.. Briefing key international agencies working in Afghanistan;
f.. Meeting with a cross sectoral group representing both=20
professional and other women of Afghanistan.

The APA would like a local Pakistani team to undertake the following=20
responsibilities, to be completed by the end of December:

1.. To conduct preliminary research in Pakistan and Afghanistan to=20
assess the feasibility of organizing a Peace Mission in February=20
2002. To be completed by the end of December, and to submit a report=20
to an APA Coordination team for the final planning of the mission.
2.. To submit draft versions of a working itinerary for the APA=20
Peace Mission.
3.. To conduct high-level meetings with government officials of=20
Pakistan to gain approval and political and logistical support for=20
the Peace Mission.
4.. To conduct meetings with key international agencies working in=20
Afghanistan and Pakistan to assess current and long-term humanitarian=20
concerns and to gain support for the mission.
5.. To contact key players in the transitional authority of=20
Afghanistan to gain support for the mission and to seek appointments=20
for meeting the mission.
6.. To contact representatives of women's organizations of=20
Afghanistan to explain objective of the mission and to organize venue=20
and framework for a meeting with the mission.
7.. To meet with civil society groups in Pak to get input on the mission
8.. To build a database of contacts in Pakistan and Afghanistan who=20
will take part in the mission through meetings with or logistical=20
support for the mission.
9.. To organize location and logistics for the "mass village=20
meeting" in a refugee camp outside of Quetta and /or Peshawar, and to=20
obtain all necessary security clearance for it in advance;
10.. To coordinate all necessary security clearance, operations and=20
logistics for all ground and internal travel within Pakistan and=20
Afghanistan.
11.. To help the organizer of the APA Peace Mission, Focus on the=20
Global South, in its correspondence with Pakistani government=20
officials, transitional authority in Afghanistan, relevant UN and=20
other international agencies
12.. To organize public forum and press conferences in Pakistan
13.. To liaise with Pakistani and international media
14.. To liaise with Pakistani authorities for visa and travel=20
arrangements for the Mission delegates;
15.. To arrange hotel bookings, ground transportation, translators,=20
domestic travel bookings and Pakistan-Afghanistan travel arrangements
16.. To ensure TV coverage of the entire mission
17.. To research and compile source material from media and=20
internal sources for briefing material
18.. To liaise with individual team members, with the Focus, with=20
APA, and with Pakistan government officials for planning and=20
implementation
19.. To write weekly summary reports on the progress of the work.

______

#2.

Pakistan: General in command has allowed his famous roadmap to=20
democracy to fall behind the schedule

M B Naqvi
Karachi Dec 5:

Most Pakistanis remain fascinated with developments in Afghanistan and
up to a point on their fallout on this country. For the rest, the
reactions to the fall of Taliban=92s powers are diverse and merely confirm
the basic and inadequately defined polarisation between religious
lobbies --- internally splintered but united on the support to religious
parties=92 bid for power a la Taliban=92s --- and an assorted crowd of the
quasi or even quarter secular-minded. The good news for the latter is
that all the religiously oriented parties are in a state of shock and
are largely confused and quiet. Their protest campaign has more or less
petered out.

Natural as the preoccupation with external issues is, it has taken away
the focus from vital questions of domestic politics. On Pakistanis
mental horizon, apart from the preoccupation with the Afghanistan war,
there is the Kashmir imbroglio and the overall role of the US with whom
friendship has been renewed by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. There is
the growth of Indo-US co-operation which is widely seen as an ill omen
for Pakistan because successive governments have treated it as a zero
sum game. Moreover, the Americans have been the most unpopular
foreigners in this country for decades.

Under cover of this political darkness, the General in command has
allowed his famous roadmap to democracy to fall behind the schedule. He
is supposedly bound to hold elections by October next year, only 10
months away. But the amount of work and time required for it cannot be
completed. The polls therefore cannot be completed by October 12, 2002.
Why? because there are many unresolved issues and unavoidable steps that
have to be taken.

Let=92s take the steps required urgently. The Election Commission needs to
be reconstituted; the conduct of the previous four polls has left many
to wonder about its competence to effectively check the powerful
executive from influencing the results. It needs to be strengthened
further both through a statute making it more powerful vis-=E0-vis the
administration, especially its secret agencies, and by selecting the
Commissioner and CEC from persons of unimpeachable integrity, competence
and mastery over bureaucracy=92s possible modus operandi. A new CEC=92s slo=
t
has in any case to be filled.

Then, in short order, there is the question of delimitation of
constituencies anew --- especially after a new Census. Its procedure
takes anything from one year to year and a half. A new electoral rolls
have also to be prepared for the same reason. It too takes in all about
a year. No work has yet been undertaken. Then there are other issues:
the number of seats on the National and Provincial Assemblies has to be
brought in consonance with the findings of the 1998 Census. There is
also the question of special women=92s seats and the method of filling
them. Old arrangement had expired and the Assemblies that were suspended
by Gen. Musharraf had no women=92s seats but were said to be contemplating
constitutional measures to restore women=92s seats.

This question of reconstituting or adjusting the electoral system in
accordance with the new Census includes refixing the number of seats in
the Assemblies. It includes the red-hot issue of each province=92s seats
in the NA. To begin with, nobody in Sindh trusts that the much-delayed
1998 Census was honestly conducted. Punjab is said to stand to lose some
seats in the NA while Sindh stands to gain some. The state of
relationship between the two provinces is all but hostile. Let alone the
politicians, the Central bureaucracy, with Punjab government=92s babus
siding with the Centre, is at war with Sindh bureaucracy even under the
canopy of a military regime. On the division of the pool of taxes and
river Indus=92 waters, treatment of Sindh by the Centre are matters on
which passions are running high all the time.

There is the question of Army=92s frequent takeovers. A military regime is
about the most centralised one, with one man making all the decisions.
People in Sindh, NWFP and Baluchistan see a military regime as a resolve
of the Punjabis to go on riding roughshod over the rights of smaller
provinces because the Army is 75 to 80 per cent Punjabi as is the
central bureaucracy. It is doubly unacceptable to the smaller provinces.
Now all the steps, including to accord indemnity to the generals,
require constitutional amendment that one man will make, though he is at
his wits end over the spirited fight that smaller provinces=92
bureaucracies are putting up to the Central one.

Whatever amendments he makes are sure to be widely criticised. In view
of many analysts they may make all the existing polarisations worse:
Provincial autonomy, Islam=92s place in politics and the usually unspoken
one between the rich and the poor as abject poverty=92s advances continue
beyond 40 pre cent of population.

Inter provincial rivalries have been the main issue of Pakistan politics
and the country suffered dismemberment on the very issue. The same mind
sets are still at work: strong Centre in the name of Islamic brotherhood
overriding =93petty provincialism=94, tailoring foreign policy to the needs
of the US in exchange for a foreign aid that makes the narrow ruling
elites richer. No one in authority is prepared to accord recognition to
the explosiveness of this polarisation in which the disadvantaged cannot
bear injustices quietly for long. The elites=92 only recourse is to go on
uttering Islamic rhetoric that is quite unrelated to facts. The louder
these empty slogans get, the more relevance is acquired by the religious
lobby which correctly argues that if Islam is the guiding principle,
then it has to be implemented in full --- and we will tell you what
Islam requires: a dispensation that looks uncommonly like Taliban=92s rule
in Afghanistan. People meanwhile are left alone to stew in their own
juice and react the way they can to coming events under the continued
military government.

______

#3.

DAWN 5 December 2001
Painter-turned-pacifist

By Hafizur Rahman

Sometimes artists, performers, cultural persons are inspired by=20
events or an impulse to take to works of social betterment. They then=20
acquire such fame in that field that, as time passes, it becomes=20
difficult to decide whether they are more committed to their art or=20
to the service of their fellowmen.
Offhand I can cite two examples, although there are many. There is=20
Shabana Azmi who is deeply involved in human rights, and there is=20
Brigitte Bardot who is an untiring campaigner for protection of=20
animals. Although I suppose in her case you can't categorise animals=20
as fellowmen.
This piece is devoted to a very dear friend who, after making a name=20
for himself as a painter, has branched off into social welfare. This=20
is Jimmy Engineer, formerly of Lahore and now settled in Karachi,=20
who, among other things, has probably led more walks for good causes=20
than anyone else in Pakistan. At the moment he is off on a solo peace=20
walk from Islamabad to New Delhi. It will take him many months to=20
reach his destination, but he is not bothered about time, for he is=20
determined to talk to as many people as he can on the way, both in=20
Pakistan and India.
I have known Jimmy for the last twenty years. We met when he was busy=20
painting his three large murals on the horrors of the partition and=20
the plight of the refugees, probably the only artist in Pakistan to=20
have done this kind of work, and that too with so much concern and=20
sympathy. You get an idea of his mindset when you consider that by=20
faith he is a Parsee. (A Muslim artist trying his hand at this=20
subject would be no big deal). Like the late, and great, Jamshed=20
Nusserwanji, about whom I wrote in this column some weeks ago,=20
people's religion does not matter to Jimmy Engineer. A true man of=20
God.
In those early days in Lahore I often asked Jimmy what made him paint=20
those graphic pictures of suffering refugees during Partition. He=20
used to say that the holocaust spread over the months before and=20
after August 1947 was the most poignant part of Pakistan's history,=20
and when he noticed that no one had recorded anything of the kind on=20
canvas he felt the urge to go ahead. They remind me of Bengali artist=20
Zainul Abedin's sketches of the Bengal famine of 1943 although they=20
were nowhere near being as large in extent and coverage as Jimmy's=20
murals.
In Lahore another unique work by Jimmy Engineer, though on an=20
entirely different plane, was illustration of Allama Iqbal's Javid=20
Namah through some fifty paintings portraying the poet's imaginary=20
journey through the heavens where he meets famous personalities of=20
human history. This was done for the poet's son, Dr Javed Iqbal, and=20
the work is installed in the reception area of his house. So far as I=20
know this is the only attempt so far to picturize the verses from=20
that famous book.
That day in Islamabad we met after nearly five years (except for=20
occasional telephone conversations) so I did not get a chance to ask=20
Jimmy how he became fascinated with social work to help mankind. But=20
then I answered my own question: it must have been an urge again, for=20
what is an artist if he or she does not respond to impulse and=20
inspiration? Look at novelist Arundhati Roy going mad about saving=20
the people to be affected by the giant Narbada Dam in Central India,=20
Jimmy does not get that publicity, for his work is less flamboyant,=20
but in his field he is doing much more for the deprived in Pakistan.
I was sorry to see the attitude of some of the pressmen at his news=20
conference that day. Ether they take everyone to be a politician in=20
disguise and suspect their motives, or they had no idea what a peace=20
walk may stand for. Jimmy is no politician, not even a diplomat, but=20
I was glad to see him edge out of replying to such leading and wholly=20
unnecessary questions like, "Since you call this a peace walk, who do=20
you think is responsible for the warlike conditions in the=20
subcontinent?" and "Who is to blame for the absence of peace between=20
India and Pakistan?" Thank God none of them mentioned Kashmir, for=20
once!
Jimmy is being followed by a van on this solo peace walk to New=20
Delhi, to cater to his urgent personal needs, though he will be=20
walking all the time. A firm called Tricon in India and Pizza Hut in=20
Pakistan are jointly looking after the arrangements. They still do=20
not have the special visa which will authorise Jimmy to foot it to=20
his destination from the Wagah border. But they have a less=20
impressive alternative in mind. Jimmy was full of praise for help=20
from Manzar Riaz who, I'm told, is known as the Guru of Franchising=20
in Pakistan, and whose enthusiasm for the project is boundless.
Exhibitions of Jimmy Engineer's paintings have been too numerous to=20
mention. Anyway today I am writing about him for his services as a=20
social crusader. His very first walk, in aid of a Karachi hospital,=20
was a marathon, covering 700 miles from Karachi to the Khyber. We=20
were left astounded by the feat. This was in January 1994. Since then=20
he has led 25 more for a variety of causes. For example, for health=20
problems, the need for more schools and hospitals, aid for the blind,=20
the deaf and dumb and handicapped children, for Imran Khan's cancer=20
hospital, creating awareness for peace, population planning,=20
anti-smoking, leprosy, child labour and human rights, and various=20
others.
Jimmy's one significant success has been in collecting funds for the=20
construction of a judicial complex outside Karachi Central Jail to=20
enable speedy trials of women, youthful offenders and other inmates,=20
in view of lack of proper facilities with the authorities to take=20
them to courts in the city. He has provided numerous widows and=20
orphans with financial and material assistance from his own pocket.
I shall close here with a prayer for this remarkable man. May the=20
Almighty bless his peace walk. If it can convince even a few thousand=20
Pakistanis and Indians of the need for peace in the subcontinent it=20
will have been a success.

_____

#4.

Meena Nanji's work in progress, "Women and War" (a documentary film
on Afghan women), at <http://www.womenandwar.com/> or
<http://www.womenandwar.com/WW_page01.html>.

Synopsis (at <http://www.womenandwar.com/WW_page02.html>):

WOMEN AND WAR is a documentary film that will follow the stories of
three extraordinary Afghan women who are actively resisting their
oppression. The film profiles a teacher forced into prostitution, a
poet/activist, and a female doctor, all of whom have been widowed by
past wars and are once again facing further destruction. Their lives
have been very directly affected by the geopolitical gamings that
were and still are being played out in their land. While facing the
day-to-day challenges of putting together the shattered pieces of
their lives, they are also organizing to rebuild, restructure and
educate for their future. They are teaching children, providing
medical help and training, and caring for orphans, simple tasks but
performed in utmost secrecy and at the risk of their lives.

The film will take the viewer into the back alleys of war, into the
private places where the women nurture hope and work actively to make
dreams of peace a reality. Amidst the terror and death, there are
extraordinary spaces where lives are being inspired and rebuilt.
WOMEN AND WAR will give an intimate and complex portrayal of these
women and their heroic struggle for self-determination and survival,
exposing the connection between their personal stories and the global
events that affect them.

Too often, the public debate of the Sept. 11th attacks and their
aftermath have been polarized into "us" vs. "them," between good and
evil, the West/modernity and the Middle East/medieval regimes. This
film dares listen to the women, who speak beyond polar opposites and
politics, in a worldwide cry for human rights and democracy.

With Afghan women central to the story, WOMEN AND WAR offers a
wrenchingly powerful portrayal of women who are, against all odds,
taking the fate of their future into their own hands. As recent
events have made clear, it is a future that affects not only the
reconstruction of Afghanistan, but one in which we all have a stake.

Contacts:

_Women and War_ is a work in progress: There is a team of women in
Pakistan refugee camps now, shooting. We need your ideas, your
feedback, your [financial] support. Help us get the voices of Afghan
women heard!

To help Meena Nanji complete _Women and War_, send donations to DSG
PRODUCTIONS:

DSG PRODUCTIONS
10839 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232

For more info, e-mail Amie S. Williams at <amie@w...> or
Libby Horne at <libby@w...> or call (310) 202-8704.

____

#5.

ARTISTS

Masooma Syed
Hamra Abbas
Mohammad Ali Talpur

The Principal
National College of Arts
Invites you to the

1st Degree Show of the MA (Hons.) Visual Art

at the NATIONAL COLLEGE OF ARTS
4 Shahrah - e - Quaid - e - Azam, Lahore [Pakistan]

Dec 10th - 15th, 2001
9 am to 5 pm

The MA (Hons.) Visual Art at NCA proudly presents the work of its=20
first graduating class of the two year programme.

The MA has provided a unique opportunity to its students to extend=20
beyond the boundaries of art education methodologies available in=20
Pakistan.

Through a visual and theoretical infrastructure, the students=20
developed critical discourse in the context of local art practice=20
within the broader context of South Asia and the world.

Their work exhibits a multidisciplinary approach which has broken=20
down the barriers between disciplines and developed a=20
non-isolationist view. The study of politico-historical realities=20
concurrent with contemporary issues in art has provided them a basis=20
to challenge existing hierarchies in visual art locally and globally.

Lala Rukh,
Director, MA (Hons.) Visual Art

_____

#6.

Our Diary 2002

Be part of the journey of movement
of people and life with ...
...as it takes you throught the insights and experiences
of people's movements in India and across the Globe.

Our Diary 2002 unfolds the movement story ...
unheard voices, unknown faces, unseen struggles
Silent Valley, Baliapal, Koel Karo, Chilika and more...
and the access and control over
natural resources, information...

Order form: Our Diary 2002
For orgns/ individuals: Rs 100.00

POSTAGE COSTS IN DELHI ALL OVER INDIA
Single copy Rs 10.00 Rs 25.00
Multiple copies Rs 7.00 per copy Rs 15.00 per copy

Note: For orders by 15th December 2001 please mark a 10% discount.=20
The total amount should include postage costs as mentioned above.
E.g. 100.00 - 10% =3D 90.00 + 10.00 (postage) =3D 100.00

Name:
Organisation:
Address:
No. of copies:
Amount (including postage):
Bank and Branch:
Cheque/ demand draft no.:
Date:
The cheque/ draft should be drawn in the name of 'KRITI' payable at New Del=
hi.
Post this form, with the amount to:
Team member: Information Place
KRITI: a development praxis and communication team
S-35 Tara Apartments, Alaknanda, New Delhi 110 019
Telefax: 011-6477845 Email: <kritidpc@d...>

_____

#7.

The Hindu
Thursday, Dec 06, 2001
Opinion
Caste and social structure - I
By Satish Deshpande

AS A social group, the Indian intelligentsia has always been=20
embarrassed by caste. This embarrassment runs much deeper than any=20
uneasiness about unearned privilege that an overwhelmingly=20
upper-caste group might be expected to feel. For, though it is=20
similarly privileged in class terms - hardly can any of its members=20
claim to be poor - the intelligentsia is not in the least embarrassed=20
by poverty. Thus, rational discussion and debate on poverty has not=20
only been legitimate, it has been almost an obsession. In sharp=20
contrast, the thinking classes preferred not to discuss caste=20
inequality, and were curiously defensive when forced to deal with it.=20
With rare exceptions, intellectuals in Nehruvian India firmly=20
believed that Gandhi, Ambedkar, and the Constitution had effected a=20
permanent settlement of the caste question.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2001120600501000.htm

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

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
message to: <act-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>
________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.

--=20