[sacw] SACW #1 (28 Nov. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

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

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

#1. Statement from concluding session of South Asians for Human=20
Rights Conference in Delhi
#2. Eqbal Ahmad Website Launched
#3. Fears rise as alliance presses for Kabul talks Summit (Ahmed=20
Rashid in Kabul & Tim Johnston)
#4. Women's freedom march banned in Kabul
#5. CPJ letter to Bangladesh Prime Ministe on rimprisonment of Shahriar Kab=
ir
#6. Pakistan: An obituary of the 'Talibs' (Imtiaz Alam)
#7. Pakistan: The "rent-a-son agencies" (Hassan Abbas)
#8. The increasing communalisation of Bangladesh polity lies behind=20
the countrywide attacks on its Hindu minority immediately after the=20
Jamaat-e-Islami backed Begum Khaleda Zia's return to power
(Mahfuzur Rahman)
#9. Sri Lankan election unlikely to give peace a chance (Feizal Samath)
#10. Pakistan: TNSM threatens to target non-Pashtun refugees
#11. India: Rajasthan : Serious attempts at a replication of the=20
BJP's Gujarat model of 'Hindu rashtra' are afoot in the neighbouring,=20
Congress-ruled state. (Teesta Setalvad)
#12. India: Survivors of the December '84 Union Carbide disaster in=20
Bhopal along with
leaders of their organizations and other supporters today celebrated their
recent victory (November 15, 2001) in the US Second Circuit Court Of=20
Appeals with a simple
feast.

________________________

#1.

Mainstream 28 November 2001

Statement of SAHR Conference

The first general Conference of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR)=20
on the theme "Including the Excluded : A South Asian Vision" took=20
place in New Delhi on November 11 and 12, 2001 and was attended by=20
about 500 participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and=20
Sri Lanka. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Mary=20
Robinson, delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session=20
which was jointly presided over by I.K. Gujral (India) and Ms Asma=20
Jahangir (Pakistan). The plenary session on the second day heard a=20
keynote speech by Prof Amartya Sen, the Nobel Laureate, on 'Exclusion=20
and Inclusion'. The issues discussed at the Conference were: Crisis=20
of the State, Conflict and Peace, Integrity of Women. There was also=20
a Workshop on UN Mechanisms and Procedures. The Conference adopted a=20
Statement at the concluding session. It also elected a 19-member=20
Bureau and a five-member Membership Committee to determine the=20
criteria of SAHR membership. [...] -Editor

The first general Conference of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR),=20
compromising delegates from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and=20
Sri Lanka, held in New Delhi on November 11-12, 2001, endorses the=20
Neemrana Declaration of July 22, 2000, and rededicates itself to an=20
unremitting struggle against poverty, illiteracy, inequality,=20
militarism, communalism, acts of terrorism and repression, and to the=20
promotion of an order in South Asia based on respect for the human=20
rights of its entire population without any discrimination.

Meeting at a time when the events, triggered by September 11, 2001,=20
are casting omnious shadows on the future of a large part of=20
humankind, especially in South Asia, the Conference condemns,=20
unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms this act of=20
terrorism and war in any form by any party anywhere, as such acts=20
constitute unacceptable attacks on democracy and human values. At the=20
same time, response to acts of terrorism must be measured,=20
proportional, consistent with international legality, and must not=20
bypass the norms and processes defined by the United Nations. The war=20
in Afghanistan is of direct concern to all people in South Asia=20
because, historically and culturally, Afghanistan has for ages been=20
part of this region. Even otherwise, humanitarian law and human=20
rights standards do not permit blinking at the unimaginable misery of=20
a people who were less responsible for fostering the Taliban regime=20
than their more powerful patrons. Nor is it possible to ignore the=20
danger of several hundred thousand people, especially children, women=20
and the sick and the wounded, dying of hunger and cold and for want=20
of medical aid. The participants of the Conference, therefore, call=20
for an immediate halt to indiscriminate bombing of Afghanistan.=20
Further, the people of that country, already ravaged beyond=20
recognition by two decades of blood-letting, pestilence and a=20
succession of oppressive regimes, must be afforded their fundamental=20
rights to determine their future political structure. No outside=20
power has any moral or legal ground for playing with the integrity of=20
their state or for choosing the form and composition of its authority.

The Conference notes with concern that besides the strains caused by=20
poverty and the challenges presented by globalisation, South Asia=20
faces the added repressions of the post-September situation. Threats=20
to national security, real or imagined, have often been exploited in=20
the past in this part of the world to justify authoritarianism or=20
derogation of rule of law and human rights. Any resort to such=20
measures will aggravate the plight of the South Asian community for,=20
neither peace nor prosperity can be achieved without guaranteeing=20
fullest possible respect for democracy, rule of law and human rights.=20
At the same time the challenges confronting the South Asian states,=20
collectively as well as severally, can only be met by speedily moving=20
towards a peaceful resolution of both intra-state and inter-state=20
conflicts and disagreements and ushering in a new era of meaningful=20
regional concord and cooperation. The Conference calls upon the=20
leaders of all South Asian countries, especially of India and=20
Pakistan, to hold urgent consultations to resolve their differences=20
peacefully and evolve common strategies to protect South Asia's=20
shared interests.

The Conference further calls upon all states in the region to outlaw=20
war and threats of war, stop wasting scarce resources on weapons of=20
mass destruction, eliminate violence from their societies, and=20
withdraw all legislation, policies and measures that curtail civil=20
liberties and fundamental rights and divide the people on the basis=20
of belief, ethnicity, gender or social status. It also urges the=20
people of the region, especially their civil society institutions and=20
organisations, to reject the fate of passive victims of circumstances=20
and to actively assume their responsibility in guiding their=20
communities towards freedom from injustice, wants and squaldor. The=20
task may not prove easy, at least in the short-term, but it is a task=20
worthy of pursuit with the utmost sincerity and vigour.

The Conference reiterates SAHR's commitment to its objectives, and in=20
particular to:

o bringing Maldives and Bhutan within the SAHR family at the earliest;
o conducting a sustained campaign for democracy, human security and a=20
life of dignity for all;
o defending the rights of the various communities, ethnic groups,=20
indigenous people and socially and economically exploited and=20
disadvantaged sections of society;
o fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, secularism and pluralism;
o ensuring adherence to humanitarian norms in all conflict situations;
o facilitating women's realisation of their rights to equality,=20
independence and justice;
o enabling children to enjoy all their rights; and o promising=20
understanding among the states and peoples of South Asia on the basis=20
of peace, mutual respect and shared ideals of human rights and=20
dignity.

On a priority basis the Conference recommends to the Bureau to=20
consider setting up working groups:
1. To enable the civil society in Afghanistan to contribute to its=20
rehabilitation and realisation of the Afghan people's basic human=20
rights;
2. To suggest practical means of resolving intra-state and=20
inter-state conflicts; and
3. To develop a South Asian action plan for achieving women's rights=20
to equality, economic and social independence and justice.

_____

#2.

Please visit the Eqbal Ahmad website, launched on 24th of November, 2001.
http://www.bitsonline.net/eqbal

Questions, Comments, Feedback, Suggestions:
<sabeen@b...>

_____

#3.

The Daily Telegraph November 26, 2001

Fears rise as alliance presses for Kabul talks Summit

By Ahmed Rashid in Kabul and Tim Johnston

The anti-Taliban Northern Alliance has said tomorrow's Afghan peace
conference in Bonn is unlikely to produce any concrete solutions. It has
revived a proposal for a second round of talks in Kabul.

The suggestion was made during an interview with The Daily Telegraph by
Younus Qanouni, the interior minister and leader of the alliance delegation
to peace talks. Representatives of the competing Afghan factions are due to
meet in a hotel outside Bonn to discuss the formation of a broad-based
government for the country. The 11-member alliance delegation is to include
two women.
Mr Qanouni said progress is unlikely before new leaders emerge from
Afghanistan's ethnic Pathan heartland, which is still dominated by the
Taliban.

He said there would have to be a second round of negotiations which "must b=
e
held in Kabul".
The United Nations and Western diplomats have sought a neutral site for the
meeting, fearing that if Kabul were the venue the alliance might use its
military might to pressure other parties.

Mr Qanouni's attempt to resurrect the idea will cause widespread irritation
and revive fears that the alliance is seeking to exploit its position as th=
e
strongest military force in Afghanistan.

"We are hoping that the Bonn meeting will lead to a transitional government
and a transfer of power, but everyone must be aware that the Pathans don't
have clear leaders at the moment, so it will be difficult to come to
definite conclusions," Mr Qanouni said.

His comments will anger anti-Taliban Pathan groups, particularly supporters
of the former king, who see themselves as the rightful successors of the
Taliban and as the voice of Afghanistan's Pathan majority. These Pathan
groups met in Pakistan recently and called for an increased role for
international forces in Afghanistan, partly as a counter-balance to the
power the non-Pathan ethnic groups have acquired by their recent advances.

Mr Qanouni also gave warning that if the Bonn meeting failed, it would blun=
t
some of the momentum of the alliance's advance. "The Taliban are using the
tactics of fighting and talking because they want to buy time for
themselves. If the Bonn meeting fails, then the Taliban will be encouraged.=
"

Burhanuddin Rabbani, political leader of one of the alliance parties and
titular president of Afghanistan, has said he would accept former members o=
f
the Taliban in any future government, but that the movement itself would no=
t
be allowed to play a role.
There is little trust between the parties that make up the alliance; almost
all have fought against each other at one point or another. Kabul is
controlled by just one party: Jamiat-i-Islami, which is predominantly drawn
from the ethnic Tajik minority.
Jamiat-i-Islami was forced to back down from a previous suggestion that the
talks should be held in Kabul after other groups said they would not attend=
.

Kabul is the undisputed capital of Afghanistan, and neither the
international coalition nor other members of the alliance are keen to
bolster Jamiat-i-Islami's claims to legitimacy.
Mr Qanouni reiterated his support for the ideal of a broad-based government=
.

He said: "We want to build the future unity of Afghanistan not on ethnic
lines, but on national lines . . . We want a government that will do away
with extremism in religion and extremism in national affairs.
"We have to remove the tiny tents that the various parties have set up and
bring everyone into a big tent which represents the Afghan nation."
_____

#4.

THE TIMES OF INDIA
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2001

Women's freedom march banned in Kabul
KABUL: A planned women's freedom march through the streets of Kabul=20
on Tuesday was banned on the orders of Northern Alliance interior=20
minister Younis Qanooni, organiser Soraya Parlika said.
"They said it was for security but that is just a pretext... they=20
don't want women to improve," she said.
Parlika said Qanooni personally rang her two days ago, before leaving=20
for the Afghan talks outside Bonn, Germany, and said the march was=20
not to go ahead.
"He said we should wait for an unspecified time."
As women began gathering at her home early on Tuesday, hopeful the=20
decision would be reversed, Parlika received a follow-up call from an=20
interior ministry official again refusing the march.
It was the second time in a week the women had been refused=20
permission to walk from Parlika's suburban home to the main United=20
Nations compound, with security given as the reason both times.
"I don't believe that. There would not be a problem, we have no need=20
for security," Parlika said.
About 50 members of the newly formed Union of Women in Afghanistan=20
were packed into her apartment, many of them wearing light=20
head-scarves instead of the much-hated burqa, the all-encompassing=20
garment covering the face and body which women were forced to wear=20
after the Taliban captured Kabul in 1996. They were among the first=20
to show their faces outdoors in the capital after the Northern=20
Alliance retook the city on November 13.
Although the Northern Alliance, not as hardline as the Taliban, has=20
told women they were free, the statement was received with=20
scepticism. "They announced that women are free, but it is not=20
freedom to throw off our veils. That is not the liberty we want,"=20
said a disappointed Nafeesa, 17. "Right now the situation in Kabul is=20
not good. It is not what we wanted."
( AFP )
_____

#5.

November 26, 2001

Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue -- 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001

Her Excellency Khaleda Zia
Prime Minister, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Via facsimile: 011-88-02-811-3244

Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply disturbed by the
imprisonment and prosecution of Shahriar Kabir, a well-known journalist,
author, and human rights activist.

Authorities arrested Kabir on the evening of November 22, when he returned
to Bangladesh from India after interviewing minority Bangladeshi Hindus who
had fled there following attacks against their community in the wake of the
October 1 parliamentary elections.
Kabir--a documentary filmmaker, regular contributor to the national
Bengali-language daily Janakantha, and author of several books about
Bangladesh's war for independence--was arrested for "anti-state activities
on the basis of intelligence reports and at the instruction of higher
authorities," according to a police report.

After detaining Kabir at the Dhaka International Airport, intelligence
agents confiscated his camera, film, videotapes, and audiotapes. A statemen=
t
issued by the Home Ministry said Kabir was "involved in a heinous bid to
tarnish the image of Bangladesh and its government."
During a November 25 hearing at the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court i=
n
Dhaka, the court inspector argued that Kabir's reporting in India threatene=
d
to "destroy communal harmony and worsen the country's law and order
situation," according to a report published today by the Daily Star, a
leading national newspaper.

On November 26, prison authorities at Dhaka Central Jail told journalists
they had received authorization from the Home Ministry to detain Kabir for
up to 30 days under the provisions of Bangladesh's Special Powers Act.
Authorities frequently abuse this act, which allows for the arbitrary arres=
t
and detention of any citizen suspected of engaging in activities that
threaten national security.

As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our colleague=
s
around the world, CPJ urges your government to drop all charges against
Shahriar Kabir immediately, and we call for his prompt and unconditional
release.

We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and await your
response.

Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director

[...] .

=3D=3D=3D=3D
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue -- 12th floor
New York, NY 10001
phone: 212-465-1004
fax: 212-465-9568
e-mail: info@c...
http://www.cpj.org

_____

#6.

The News
November 26, 2001,

"An obituary of the 'Talibs'"
by Imtiaz Alam
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2001-daily/26-11-2001/oped/o3.htm

[ ..the fall of the Taliban has offered Pakistan's democratic forces an
opportunity to "capture the centre-stage and win over the people to the
side of a democratic Pakistan."]

_____

#7.

The News International, Pakistan
November 28, 2001

The "rent-a-son agencies"

Hassan Abbas

Western media, especially that of the United States, is=20
"entertaining" its audience these days with intriguing anecdotes=20
about Madrassas in Pakistan. It seems as if the western journalist=20
community languishing in Pakistan presently is mostly filing negative=20
stories about the land and its people to their respective news=20
outlets, in order to outweigh each other. Not that these are=20
concocted or false, but one feels that most of such reports lack in=20
depth analysis. The transformation of Pakistani Madrassas from=20
non-violent religious seminaries to "rent-a-son-agencies" needs to be=20
probed objectively.

Briefly, in the context of Islamic history, Madrassas were the major=20
source of religious and scientific learning especially between the=20
7th and 11th century, producing luminaries like Alberuni, Ibne-Sina,=20
Al-Khawarizmi and Jabir ibne-Hayan to name a few. Anyone in doubt=20
should glance through George Sarton's Introduction to the History of=20
Science or Charles Stanton's Higher Education in Islam: The Classic=20
Period AD 700-1300. The curriculum included astronomy, logic and=20
physical sciences besides religious education. Schools in Damascus=20
and Baghdad were like MIT, Harvard or Oxford of those days. But when=20
the degeneration set in, these very institutions became the graveyard=20
of knowledge and scholarship.

In the Indian subcontinent, Madrassas played a role but only in the=20
sphere of religious education. When British devised a new education=20
system, these though relegated into the background, survived as a=20
parallel system of education. The Firangi Mahal (Lucknow) and Madaris=20
in Deoband, Nadwa and Bareilly produced some eminent religious=20
scholars and orators but at the same time were instrumental in=20
bifurcating the religious thought between different disciplines and=20
in narrowing the vision of many who passed through their portals.

In 1947, Pakistan was home only to about 250 such religious schools.=20
Now these are estimated to be around 50,000. However, the curriculum=20
and the textbooks in these institutions are almost identical to the=20
Dars-e-Nizami devised in the 18th century. Also, contrary to Holy=20
Qur'aan's emphasis on reflection and contemplation, the students are=20
only taught how to rote and learn the verses of the book. They are=20
not exposed to its meaning because that is counter-productive for the=20
mullah. Jessica Stern of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government=20
in her recent (September 20) testimony before the US House of=20
Representatives while referring to her visit to a Madrassah in=20
Pakistan incisively maintained, "In a school that purportedly offered=20
a broad curriculum, a teacher I questioned could not multiply seven=20
times eight."

It is interesting to note that uptil 1979, these institutions though=20
orthodox and backward were not militant by any means. More so, these=20
were not more than a couple of thousand. It was Pakistan's=20
involvement in the Afghan resistance movement against the Soviet=20
invasion that had a massive impact on the growth and mushrooming of=20
these Madrassas. The freedom fighters, courtesy the CIA-ISI=20
brainstorming, soon became Mujahids.

That was not all. It had another implication for which Pakistan is=20
paying through its nose to this day. Lt Gen (r) Kamal Matinuddin in=20
his book The Taliban Phenomenon maintains that General Ziaul Haq=20
"established a chain of Madaris along the Afghan-Pakistan border...in=20
order to create a belt of religiously-oriented students who would=20
assist the Afghan Mujahideen" and "also to satisfy the mullahs who he=20
was building up as his own constituency for political ends." He based=20
this statement on his interview with a person no less than General=20
Mirza Aslam Baig!

What happened since then is an open secret. The Taliban, to a great=20
extent, "were" one crowning achievement of these institutions.=20
Sectarian killings in Pakistan, yet another. Teaching bigotry and=20
intolerance has been their hallmark. And last but not the least, some=20
Madrassas got into the business of renting the sons of poor and=20
impoverished in the name of Jihad. The insiders who orchestrated such=20
activity were disloyal to this land, and the outsiders who primarily=20
funded these did a disservice to the religion.

The interior minister is on record having said, "the brand of Islam=20
they are teaching is not good for Pakistan.... Some, in the garb of=20
religious training, are busy fanning sectarian violence, poisoning=20
people's minds." For him the remedy of the malady lied in=20
"requesting" Madrassas to register with the government, expand their=20
curricula, disclose their financial resources, seek permission for=20
admitting foreign students, and stop sending students to militant=20
training camps. Only 4,350 complied and that too only as far as the=20
registration requirement was concerned. The revered chancellor of=20
Darul Uloom Haqqania objected to what he called the government's=20
attempt to "destroy the spirit of the Madrassas under the cover of=20
broadening their curriculum." From his perspective, there is no room=20
for an open discussion, for a pluralist discourse, or for a=20
philosophical argument in these bodies.

The poor in the rural areas send their kids to these places either=20
because of abject poverty or as a sacrifice in the name of God by=20
donating their children to the cause of Allah, not knowing what will=20
they be taught. In some cases their sons soon become "martyrs" making=20
parents overnight celebrities, encouraging others in the village to=20
send theirs too. To a great extent, it happens because the=20
alternatives for the poor are very few. The elite, military,=20
bureaucrat and industrialist, have enough "prestigious" schools for=20
their kids so why should they bother?

It is estimated that there are only 15-20 percent of Madrassas=20
involved in militancy related activities, but most of what even 90=20
percent of the rest are teaching is not only contrary to the spirit=20
of Islam but is far from enlightenment which is the purpose of all=20
education. What needs to be done? The only way out is reformation=20
through an educational revolution, even if it means closure of the=20
decadent Madrassas. But that can only happen when we will value=20
schools more than F-16s and submarines.

The writer is a police officer from Pakistan, and is presently a=20
Master's candidate at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts=20
University. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Pearson=20
Peacekeeping Center, Canada

_____

#8.

Communalism Combat
November 2001

Hindu trauma

The increasing communalisation of Bangladesh polity lies behind the=20
countrywide attacks on its Hindu minority immediately after the=20
Jamaat-e-Islami backed Begum Khaleda Zia's return to power

BY MAHFUZUR RAHMAN

I happen to know a Hindu Bangalee family in Dhaka. Voting over on=20
election day, the lady of the house asked her Muslim maid whom she=20
voted for. "I voted for the BNP," the maid intoned. Curious, her=20
mistress asked why. "Because the Awami League is a Hindu party",=20
answered the maid.

There have been many analyses of the results of the last general=20
election. And rightly so, even though I do not understand why they=20
have sometimes been so morbidly called "post-mortems". The gloom=20
implied in that term should in fact have been reserved for another=20
phenomenon that the elections brought to the fore: communalism.=20
Unlike the results of the elections, the nature of that phenomenon=20
has scarcely been examined.

Press reports of the ugly resurgence of communalism have been=20
numerous enough. They suggest an unprecedented number of incidents of=20
violence against Hindu Bangalees all over the country. Public memory=20
is notoriously short. But one must still remember the extent of=20
violence against the community that erupted in the aftermath of the=20
destruction of the Babri Mosque by Hindu bigots in India in 1992.=20
Hindus were attacked and temples were destroyed or damaged by Muslim=20
zealots in Bangladesh in mindless retaliation. This time around,=20
there was no incident of provocation. Yet, by all accounts, the=20
violence against the community surpassed even its Babri Mosque=20
level.[...].

Full text at : http://www.sabrang.com/cc/current/nebor.htm

_____

#9.

Asia Times
November 28, 2001

Sri Lankan election unlikely to give peace a chance
By Feizal Samath
COLOMBO - Uruwarige Wanniaththo, the chief of Sri Lanka's indigenous=20
Veddah community, has a simple message for his country's election=20
campaigning politicians: "Leave us alone."
Wanniaththo is not impressed with the record of this island nation's=20
political class. He is determined to stay away from them, a fact=20
highlighted by how Wanniaththo and the 2,500-odd Veddahs under his=20
wing retreated into a jungle in northeastern Sri Lanka this month to=20
avoid being the subject of the "empty" promises of politicians. "It=20
is better to cultivate the land without wasting time listening to=20
false promises," he said. "Politicians are interested in only getting=20
our votes. They will make all types of promises like parents who=20
offer sweets to crying children to pacify them."
While Wanniaththo's disenchantment with Sri Lankan politicians is=20
shared by others, it is one of many views emerging in the countdown=20
to the country's second general election in a year, scheduled for=20
December 5. Close to 50 political parties and independent groups are=20
vying for the 225 seats in parliament. Unlike the December 2000=20
election, where the ruling People's Alliance (PA) had the edge, the=20
current campaign is evenly poised or slightly in favor of the main=20
opposition United National Party (UNP). But either side may find it=20
difficult to form a majority government.
For their part, the country's peace activists perceive the election=20
quite unlike Wanniaththo. They are imploring voters to support=20
candidates who are for peace and want an end to the ongoing ethnic=20
conflict, in which more than 60,000 people have been killed since=20
1983. "We need to bring the peace issue back on track as this matter=20
has been sidetracked at the elections," said a spokeswoman for=20
SriLankaFirst, a peace group promoted by the business community.=20
"Peace is the biggest problem this country is facing, Unfortunately=20
this is not the main issue at the elections."
The rights of women have also emerged as a pivotal issue in the=20
campaign. This marks a far cry from the provincial election in early=20
2000, when some women were stripped naked in public by ruling party=20
supporters, an incident that horrified the public but drew little=20
reaction from government leaders, including President Chandrika=20
Kumaratunga, a woman.
UNP candidate Milinda Moragoda, who is running a modest campaign=20
without posters or public rallies, is concerned about the country's=20
"mothers, wives and sisters", saying that "politics is the strongest=20
force that can change their lot". He has promised to find solutions=20
to a range of issues like violence, participation of women in all=20
levels of politics, laws against sexual harassment, alcoholism and=20
drug abuse among family members, the provision of day-care facilities=20
for children of working mothers and other common problems facing=20
women. "I don't believe that we have to move heaven and earth to help=20
our women," he said in a newspaper advertisement. 'Most of the laws=20
and regulations needed to better their lives are in place. All that=20
we need is the political will and commitment to enforce them."
The election campaign, however, has been bloodied with violent=20
incidents. Candidates are going for the jugular of their opponents=20
instead of discussing the problems and needs of voters and the=20
economic crisis, say political analysts. The local media has to share=20
the blame, they add, given the election coverage that highlights=20
violence and political rage instead of the party policies and views=20
on pressing national issues.
Since the polls campaign began, there have been four election-related=20
deaths and close to 800 other election-related acts of violence. This=20
undermines the promises made by the government and contesting=20
political parties to run non-violent campaigns.
A week ago, shots were fired at the home of UNP candidate Sajit=20
Premadasa, son of slain president Ranasinghe Premadasa, in a=20
southeastern province, He was not home at the time, but his wife=20
narrowly escaped being shot and ducked for cover, helped by=20
bodyguards. Apart from police inaction over the incident, the=20
region's ruling party leader has publicly denied that any sort of=20
shooting took place. Mahinda Rajapakse, a senior government minister,=20
said the situation is "a joke".

[...] .
(Inter Press Service)

_____

#10.

The News International, Pakistan
Saturday November 24, 2001
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/nov2001-daily/24-11-2001/main/main4.htm

TNSM threatens to target non-Pashtun refugees

MINGORA: The Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammedi Friday threatened=20
to target Afghan refugees from Northern Alliance areas if its=20
supporters are executed by the alliance in Kunduz.

The siege of Kunduz by the Northern Alliance has raised concern here=20
in an area of Pakistan, dominated by ethnic Pashtun tribes. The=20
tribes sent volunteers to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban,=20
most of whom are also Pashtun. Many of them are feared trapped in=20
Kunduz, which is surrounded by the Northern Alliance.

Tribes here are threatening to take revenge on non-Pashtun Afghan=20
refugees from ethnic groups which form the core of the US-backed=20
Northern Alliance. "People are angry and will target Afghan refugees=20
belonging to Northern Alliance areas if our people are executed or=20
treatedunfairly," said Maulvi Muhammed Khalid Khan, a leader of the=20
Tehrik Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammedi.

The group sent more than 10,000 volunteers to Afghanistan last month=20
to wage jihad (holy war) alongside the Taliban. After the rapid=20
collapse of the Taliban, thousands of volunteers have returned to=20
Pakistan. But hundreds are still stranded in Kunduz and scores have=20
been arrested or executed by the alliance, following the capture of=20
Mazar-e-Sharif and Kabul.

Khan said he didn't have any estimates on the number of Pakistanis=20
killed in Afghanistan. However, he said, at least 1,300 Pakistani=20
tribesmen were in Kunduz along with Arabs, Chechens and other=20
foreigners.

[...] .

_____

#11.
Communalism Combat November 2001
Cover Story

Rajasthan

Serious attempts at a replication of the BJP's Gujarat model of=20
'Hindu rashtra' are afoot in the neighbouring, Congress-ruled state.=20
The most ominous is the Bajrang Dal's 'Trishul Diksha Samarohs'=20
through which 'trishuls' - carefully disguised Rampuri knives that=20
can kill - are being distributed in lakhs=20

BY TEESTA SETALVAD

In Rajasthan today, government agencies, the administration and the=20
police are under severe strain due to concentrated actions and=20
campaigns being con ducted by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),=20
the Shiv Sena - a new and visible presence in this region - the=20
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal (BD), aided and=20
abetted by the parliamentary wing of the Hindu extremists - the=20
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

http://www.sabrang.com/cc/current/cover.htm

_____

#12.

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan
Gas Peedit Nirashrit Morcha, Bhopal
Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh, Bhopal
Bhopal Group for Information and Action

Press Release

November 27, 2001

Survivors of the December '84 Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal along with
leaders of their organizations and other supporters today celebrated their
recent victory in the US Second Circuit Court Of Appeals with a simple
feast. The decision passed on November 15, 2001 by the appellate court has
reversed nearly half of the decisions taken by Judge Mr. Keenan of the
Southern District Court in New York when he dismissed the class action suit
by the survivors last year. The decision that affirms the environmental
damage claims of the survivors is likely to have far reaching consequences
for Dow Chemical Company that took over Union Carbide in February this year=
.

The suit was filed by seven individual victims and five survivors and
activist organizations in November 1999 against Union Carbide, USA and its
former chairman Mr. Warren Anderson. Opposing the suit, Union Carbide had
called for dismissal of the case through a summary judgement.
Interestingly, Mr. Anderson, who has been absconding from Indian courts for
the last several years submitted himself to the judiciary in the course of
hearing on the suit. The suit was dismissed by Mr. Keenan in August last
year and the survivors had moved an appeal before a 3 judge bench of the
Second Circuit Court Of Appeals.

In his congratulatory letter to the survivors and their supporters,
attorney Mr. Himanshu Rajan Sharma of McCallion & Associates LLP, the law
firm that argued the suit, calls the decision "an unqualified victory with
regard to seven out of fifteen complaints". He expects that the Nov 15,
2001 decision would make it possible to access corporate documents of Union
Carbide regarding its control and environmental safety guidelines with
regard to the factory in Bhopal.

In his letter, Mr. Sharma, who is representing the survivors and their
support organizations for the last three years expresses satisfaction that
the Appellate Court in USA "has actually recognized that there is 'at least
some evidence' to support the claim that Anderson was personally, indeed
'directly,' involved in the direct management of the Bhopal plant,
including its safety features.

In their complaint before the US courts survivors had questioned the
legality of the Bhopal Hospital Trust that was set up with funds from the
sale of confiscated shares of Union Carbide. Quoting from the 33-page
decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals Mr. Sharma in his letter
points out that the US court has concluded " that the sale of shares to
fund the Trust was a fraudulent conveyance designed principally to avoid
prosecution".

As a consequence of the decision of the Appellate Court Union Carbide and
Warren Anderson are now answerable to charges of contaminating the ground
water and soil in and around the Bhopal factory premises and causing health
damage to thousands of people. The international environmental organization
has called the abandoned factory site a "global toxic hotspot".

Convenor of Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan [BGPMUS], Mr Abdul
Jabbar said that though the Appelate Court has denied the eight claims
relating to the disaster itself, it has affirmed that Union Carbide and
Anderson are still answerable to criminal charges in India. "In fact", says
Mr. Jabbar "the US court has suggested that the Indian government could
use the Indo-US extradition treaty to compel Carbide and Anderson to appear
before the Bhopal District Court".

Signuficantly, since February 6, 2001, Union Carbide has become a wholly
owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company the Midland, Michigan based
chemical multinational. Mr. Balkrishna Namdeo, President of another
survivors' organization- Gas Peedit Nirashrit Morcha, Bhopal, said "now it
will be possible to make Dow Chemical answer charges of poisoning thousands
of people residing in the neighbourhood of the abandoned factory". Mr.
Namdeo's organization has been actively campaigning for Dow Chemical to
accept the long-term medical, social and environmental liabilities of Bhopa=
l.

Mrs. Champa Devi Shukla Secretary of Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari
Sangh, Bhopal the third survivors' organization in the class action suit,
underlines that the appeals court has, in its decision, invited the Indian
government to take legal action and has suggested that such action would be
met favorably by the U.S. courts. "If the central and the state
government", says Mrs. Shukla, "have any concern for their international
image, they will apply themselves to the task of apprehending Anderson and
punishing the guilty of Bhopal".

Speaking for some of the individual plaintiffs in the class action suit Mr.
Sandeep Sharma, a Bhopal based lawyer expressed satisfaction at the
affirmation of the environmental damage claims by the US Appellate court.
He said that these damages come under the purview of Directive Principles
of the Indian constitution and the government can not ignore the immense
and persistent environmental damage caused by Union Carbide. "These
liabilities have now to be borne by Dow Chemical ", he said.

An obviously pleased Satinath Sarangi, member of Bhopal Group for
Information and Action a Bhopal based support organization behind the class
action suit, said "In a very real sense, we can say that the US court
rejected Union Carbide's claim that "Bhopal is history" and that it can
escape from the legacy of its wrongful conduct in Bhopal altogether".
"Given that Dow Chemical has substantial assets and planned investments in
this country" he says, "the goal of securing justice in Bhopal now seems
more real".

Champa Devi Shukla
Secretary
Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh Balkrishna Namdeo
Convenor, Gas Peedit Nirashrit Sangharsh Morcha, Bhopal Abdul Jabbar
Convenor Bhopal
Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan Satinath Sarangi Member=20
Bhopal Group for
Information and Action

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

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--=20