[sacw] SACW #2 (27 Nov. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

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

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

#1. Taliban find safe haven in Pakistan's Wild West (Sultan Shahin)
#2. India: POTO: What Exactly is A Citizen? (Shankar Gopalakrishnan)
#3. Bangladesh: Arrest of Shahriar Kabir condemned
#4. Bangladesh: Is Shariar Kabir's arrest a b=EAte noire? (A.H. Jaffor Ulla=
h)
#5. India: Textbook censors accused of acting like Taleban (Maseeh Rahman)
#6. India: National Hinduism and its Random Access Memory Rituals
#7. Kabul Dispatch (Elizabeth Rubin)
#8. The World's Love-Hate Relationship with the U.S.A. (Richard Reeves)
#9. India: Brutal baton charge in village Chotta Badada on peaceful protest=
ors
#10. India: New Books from Permanent Black

________________________

#1.

Asia Times | November 27, 2001

Taliban find safe haven in Pakistan's Wild West
By Sultan Shahin
NEW DELHI - Pakistan's tribal areas in the North West Frontier=20
Province (NWFP) region hold the key to the eventual success of the=20
United States-led coalition's war against terrorism.
Dominated by fiercely independent Pashtuns, the same ethnic group as=20
the Taliban across the Durand Line in Afghanistan that sets out the=20
border between the two countries, these areas are known as FATA=20
(Federally Administered Tribal Areas). The FATA will constitute an=20
almost impregnable stronghold for the fleeing Taliban and their=20
leaders. They can run a long war against civilization from there=20
unless the area is quickly deweaponized and brought under government=20
control - which of course is easier said than done.
The Pakistan government has historically had little control over this=20
semi-autonomous Pashtun territory, which is divided into zones called=20
"agencies", dominated by rival clans where no taxes are collected and=20
disputes are settled with guns and axes. The government writ simply=20
does not run in this region.
Already there are reports coming from Peshawar of Taliban fighters=20
creeping into these tribal zones. Fighters from the Taliban army=20
beaten in Afghanistan are taking refuge in FATA, taking more than=20
their guns, according to Afghan opposition officials. Indeed Osama=20
bin Laden himself and the Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar, too,=20
are said to be already hiding there, though no-one really knows their=20
whereabouts.
Pakistan began to deploy 1,000 extra troops last week along this=20
sensitive stretch of its border with Afghanistan amid fears Taliban=20
fighters might try to sneak into the country. The reinforcements will=20
be backed by six tanks sent to the area around Chaman - the main=20
border crossing close to the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.
But Abdul Samad Momand, one of the mujahideen commanders who took=20
part in the seizing of four provinces in eastern Afghanistan from the=20
Taliban, said that supporters of the ousted Taliban regime had=20
managed to cross the frontier. He accused the governor of Nangarhar=20
province in eastern Afghanistan of taking refuge in Pakistan with=20
money from the local state bank. "The Taliban, the Pakistanis and the=20
Arabs have left the area and they have entered Pakistan," said the=20
commander in the Pakistani border city of Peshawar. "It is difficult=20
to give the exact figure. They are coming in small groups," he added.
FATA offers an easy opportunity for the jihadi militia fighters to=20
get away from the troubles in Afghanistan. The tribes are mainly=20
Sunni Muslim ethnic Pashtuns who support the Taliban, which is=20
dominated by Afghan Pashtuns. Several thousand tribesmen are said to=20
have crossed the border to help the Taliban in recent weeks.
The tribal agencies are in rugged mountain districts where foreigners=20
are not welcome, and even the Pakistan government has only limited=20
access. The main crossing is through the renowned Khyber Pass. There=20
are some places one can only get to by helicopter. The agencies are=20
known collectively as the ilaqa ghair - the land without laws -=20
because, to keep the peace with the fiercely independent people, the=20
government has been forced to follow the example of the former=20
British empire in giving them a unique form of autonomy.
FATA are frequently the final destination of the vehicles stolen from=20
all over the country. The tribal people demand funds for development,=20
but do not want to pay taxes and are opposed to the integration of=20
the tribal belt with the settled areas of NWFP.
They also do not allow the introduction in FATA of the judicial=20
system prevailing in the rest of the country. Women rights activists=20
complain about discrimination to which female members of the tribal=20
society are subjected.
Commenting on the fallout of the Afghan war, senior Pakistani=20
journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai, a tribal himself, pointed out that=20
tribal, ethnic and sectarian disputes are part of life in Pakistan=20
even though some of them turn out to be rather brutal. But the use of=20
heavy and sophisticated weapons, as witnessed recently in the Orakzai=20
tribal agency killings in the NWFP to settle scores is a new=20
phenomenon. In fact, it is one of the many fallouts of the Afghan=20
war. Most Pakistanis by now know something about the Kalashnikov, the=20
AK-47 assault rifle named after a Russian army officer who was its=20
inventor, because most crime stories in newspapers are incomplete=20
without it being mentioned.
Even the Kalashnikov was unknown in our part of the world, says=20
Yusufzai, until it was introduced in Afghanistan, first by the Red=20
Army troops who invaded the country in December 1979 and then by the=20
US-led "Free World", which armed and equipped the Afghan mujahideen.=20
The Americans, as well as the Saudis and Pakistanis, endeavoring to=20
keep their military assistance to the mujahideen discreet, provided=20
copies of the Russian-made Kalashnikovs manufactured in China, Egypt=20
and Czechoslovakia to the mujahideen.
However, the US's Central Investigation Bureau and Pakistan's=20
Inter-Services Intelligence operations remained hardly a secret after=20
a while as more lethal and sophisticated weapons, among them the=20
US-manufactured shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missile, were=20
made available to the mujahideen.
There was bound to be misuse and pilferage of such a huge quantity of=20
weapons, more so in an unstable country like Pakistan which, under=20
military dictator General Zia ul-Haq had agreed to become the=20
"frontline" state to fight the capitalist West's war against=20
communism in Afghanistan.
The arms and ammunition used to be stored in Pakistan before being=20
smuggled into Afghanistan across the long and porous border. The=20
deadly explosions in the ammunition dumps in the Pakistani towns of=20
Ojheri and Nowshera are still fresh in the memory of those who became=20
victims. It was hardly surprising that the weapons meant to be used=20
in Afghanistan started finding their way to Pakistan, where the=20
society had become highly militarized due to the Afghan and Kashmir=20
wars in the neighborhood and the demand for better-quality arms was=20
on the rise. Before long, most of these weapons were being used with=20
devastating effects in tribal warfare in the areas bordering=20
Afghanistan.
Tribesmen familiar with single and double barrel rifles were now able=20
to acquire the deadly Kalashnikov and other automatic guns. The=20
Kalashnikov and 20-bore TT pistol, also Russian-made, became status=20
symbols, but the more resourceful in the tribal belt procured=20
mortars, rocket-launchers and missiles. Militant groups, including=20
those involved in sectarian battles, and tribes confronted with=20
tribal disputes over ownership of land, forests and hills, considered=20
it a good investment to buy whatever was on sale to deter their=20
opponents and shore up their defenses.
The Russia-manufactured Dachaka and Zikoyak heavy guns are now=20
familiar names in the FATA because they are often used in tribal=20
wars. Mortars of various sizes are widely available, and so are=20
rocket-launchers and missiles. Some tribesmen claimed that SAKR-20=20
missiles, also made in Russia, too, were used in the recent sectarian=20
fighting in Orakzai agency, which continued for four days and caused=20
significant human and material losses.
These missiles were made famous when used by mujahideen groups to=20
pound communist-held Kabul in the early 1990s. The Kabulis who=20
abandoned the Afghan capital during this period and migrated to=20
Pakistan were also contemptuously referred to as the "SAKR-20=20
refugees" by the pro-mujahideen Afghans who had sought refuge in the=20
region earlier. Besides, landmines and shells and cartridges of every=20
mortar and gun sold in Pakistani tribal arms markets are in abundance=20
and cheaply available.
Landmines, both anti-personnel and anti-tank, have taken a heavy toll=20
of life and limb in the tribal areas. Bajaur tribal agency is=20
probably the most affected with Kurram agency a close second. The=20
Peshawar-based Pakistan Campaign to Ban Landmines has been=20
documenting the landmine explosions and the data and pictures of=20
victims produced by it are both alarming and heart-wrenching.
The international community has done well to focus on clearing the=20
deadly landmines that litter Afghanistan, even if the funding for=20
this humanitarian cause is inadequate, but few people have bothered=20
to remember the victims of these mines in Pakistan's tribal areas. As=20
usual, Pakistanis have suffered and are still suffering from the=20
fallout of a war which served the West's purpose and left Pakistan to=20
bear its consequences, complains Yusufzai.
Besides live ammunition and ready-to-use guns, Pakistan also became a=20
big market for the scrap metal from the Afghan war. Tanks that were=20
hit and broken down, armored personnel carriers, artillery pieces,=20
mortars and military vehicles, each and every weapon and equipment=20
used by the combatants in Afghanistan, was dismantled and sold as=20
junk and taken to Pakistan. Some of this scrap contained live shells,=20
which have killed and maimed a large number of Afghans and=20
Pakistanis, especially children. Some of the scrap continues to=20
explode and kill, the latest incident happening in a Charsadda=20
village where a man lost three of his children playing with a shell=20
they thought was used.
Yusufzai recalls how scores of damaged Russian-made military aircraft=20
captured by the mujahideen when they took Khost city in 1990 vanished=20
in the course of a month after being cut into pieces and sold as=20
scrap. The Afghans and their Pakistani business partners could have=20
even brought whole tanks and armored personnel carriers for sale to=20
Pakistan if they weren't too big to be smuggled across the Durand=20
Line border.
The move to force an economic blockade of the tribes, which refuse to=20
give up heavy and sophisticated weapons and surrender wanted men is a=20
legitimate tactic, continues Yusufzai, and suggests it ought to be=20
taken to a logical conclusion, even if criticized by human rights=20
groups. The possession of such deadly weapons by groups and=20
individuals is undesirable and a threat to public peace. The example=20
of Afghanistan, where ownership of such weapons during mujahideen=20
rule by non-state actors created lawlessness and paved the way for=20
the emergence of the Taliban, is a lesson that should be learned.
In the past, half-hearted efforts have been made in the Frontier to=20
seize the heavy and sophisticated weapons. Only a few pieces of arms=20
were surrendered, or so it was claimed, by certain tribesmen. The=20
result was that tribal combatants began using them more frequently,=20
causing far more death and destruction than the Kalashnikovs or=20
pistols could ever cause. Afghans, who fought the Soviets or among=20
themselves, were easily available to handle the mortars and=20
rocket-launchers for a fee in case the Pakistani tribesmen needed a=20
trained hand. These weapons were also available on rent if someone=20
couldn't afford to buy them.
The absence of an arms act in FATA is no excuse to own such deadly=20
weapons as this right of the tribals ought to be restricted to=20
smaller arms only. Until a determined effort is made to rid the=20
Frontier of the heavy and sophisticated weapons, observers are not=20
prepared to believe the oft-repeated government announcements=20
regarding plans to recover illegal and prohibited bore arms.

_____

#2.
thehoot.org

POTO: What Exactly is A Citizen?
By Shankar Gopalakrishnan

In the growing firestorm around the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance=20
(POTO), there has been much discussion about the rights of=20
journalists and access to sources. Despite some claims by Law=20
Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister for Disinvestment Arun Shourie,=20
few outside the government seem to accept that POTO will not be a=20
serious blow to journalism and freedom of the press. Undoubtedly, as=20
Outlook magazine put it, the ordinance has already created a 'fear=20
psychosis' among presspersons.

The response to these fears has been simple: conservatives and the=20
government argue that 'journalists do not have any more rights than=20
ordinary citizens.' As such, since POTO applies to everybody, why=20
should journalists be an exception? Parts of the media answered,=20
justifiably enough, that journalists play a critical role in society=20
and freedom of the press is a central plank of any democratic=20
government. In other words, journalists are not 'ordinary citizens.'

But the problem with this response is that it accepts the=20
government's notion of an 'ordinary citizen'. Thereby, it misses the=20
most powerful reason to reject POTO: no one in a democratic society -=20
journalist or not - should be subject to such a law. After all, POTO=20
allows for three months of police custody for essentially no reason,=20
preventive detention for inordinate amounts of time, and justifies=20
police brutality and torture by making confessions to police=20
admissible in court. It breaks rules of jurisprudence by placing the=20
burden of proof on the accused (when asking for bail) and allowing=20
for in camera trials. It criminalizes most speech in support of any=20
organization that the government chooses to designate as 'terrorist.'=20
In the meantime, human rights groups have been crying themselves=20
hoarse about the fact that under TADA - the inspiration for POTO -=20
less than one percent of those arrested were ever found guilty. Many=20
spent years on end suffering in jail for no reason other than=20
indiscriminate police investigations or an official's spite.

In addition, a little history suffices to indicate what priorities=20
governments use when designating 'terrorist' organizations. Nelson=20
Mandela's African National Congress was labeled a terrorist=20
organization by the apartheid government (as well as the United=20
States). Israel considers every Palestinian resister, from suicide=20
bomber to stone-throwing eleven year old, to be a terrorist. In=20
India, on the other hand, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front,=20
which renounced violence in 1996, is still considered a 'terrorist'=20
group. Its leaders claim that the security forces have killed 600 of=20
its members since 1996, in their opinion for no apparent reason. As=20
for the brutality of militant organizations such as the=20
Lashkar-e-Toiba, the government has yet to explain how it has=20
consistently failed to show any evidence of a victory against them=20
despite 12 years of war, including many 'internal security' laws like=20
POTO. There are many, however, who would argue that it is precisely=20
such indiscriminate laws - and the government highhandedness and=20
brutality that they encourage - that generates sympathy and cadres=20
for the militants where none existed before.

One of the foundations of democracy is the fact that citizens are not=20
servants of the government but critically thinking individuals. Such=20
critical thought requires opportunities to understand the=20
complexities of politics, including 'terrorism', and to be aware of=20
the views and reasons cited by those who turn to violence. It also=20
implies being able to protest and act without fear of imminent state=20
harassment or brutality. POTO significantly reduces the space=20
available for both options. In order to avoid attracting notice to=20
this, the government tries to distract attention from the notion of=20
the citizen itself.
Thus, when sections of the media accept a debate about whether or not=20
journalists are 'ordinary citizens', the government's task becomes=20
that much easier. These media outlets place themselves in the awkward=20
position of sounding elitist ('what do you mean, journalists aren't=20
citizens?') while potentially cutting themselves off from the=20
groundswell against POTO by human rights groups and political=20
parties. Meanwhile, for those who opportunistically wish to walk the=20
middle line, this is an excellent position - some political parties=20
(notably the TDP) have already announced that they will accept POTO=20
if the sections pertaining to journalists are removed. With the=20
opposition to POTO dividing itself into various camps, the government=20
is presumably chuckling to itself.

In a way, Arun Jaitley is right - the media really are 'ordinary=20
citizens', and freedom of the press is a subset of the right to=20
freedom of speech. In other words, when freedom of the press is being=20
restricted, it is likely that freedom of speech is suffering as well.=20
Rather than cutting the media off from 'ordinary citizens', a better=20
strategy may be to oppose POTO as a whole, in the name not just of=20
freedom of the press but of freedom itself. Many acts considered=20
'terrorist' are horrifying demonstrations of human brutality, but=20
government cruelty is neither an effective nor an acceptable response.

Contact: sg584@b...

Copyright =A9 2000 Media Foundation
_____

#3.

News from Bangladesh

Arrest of Shahriar Kabir condemned

Different organisations yesterday condemned the arrest of Shahriar=20
Kabir, a journalist-turned writer, and demanded his immediate=20
unconditional release.

The Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA), in a written=20
statement signed by its President Prof AIM Aminur Rashid and General=20
Secretary Sharif Ullah Bhuiyan, said the arrest of Shahriar Kabir,=20
also a freedom fighter, who was engaged in collecting information=20
about the post-election attacks and tortures on the religious=20
minorities, is part of the insidious activities.

President of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Bangladesh (CPJB)=20
Ataus Samad and General Secretary Shaukat Mahmud expressed concern at=20
the arrest of Shahriar and demanded his immediate release.
The way he was arrested without any complaint and sent to jail after=20
harassment indicates that the freedom of people and speech is in=20
danger, the CPJB said in a written statement.

The Ain O Salish Kendro in a press release said that without any=20
information and proof, the arrest of Shahriar was a gross violation=20
of legal and human rights.

It is a great concern that he was arrested for his stance against=20
attacks and tortures on the Hindus, the press release added. "It will=20
hamper the progress of our democratic process."

It is unfortunate that Shahriar Kabir, an organiser of different=20
cultural and democratic movements, including the liberation war, was=20
arrested on charge of "anti-state activities", the press release=20
continued.
The Projanmo Ekattur also condemned the arrest and demanded his=20
immediate release.

Shahriar Kabir is a freedom fighter and always protested the=20
anti-liberation activities by the war criminals. His arrest is part=20
of a blueprint, said a press release of the organisation. (The Daily=20
Star )

_____

#4.
News from Bangladesh
Is Shariar Kabir's arrest a b=EAte noire?
By A.H. Jaffor Ullah

"The worst government is the most moral. One composed of cynics is=20
often very tolerant and humane. But when fanatics are on top there is=20
no limit to oppression." - H. L. Mencken in 'Notebooks'

Is Bangladesh rapidly becoming a police state? The news of political=20
activist Shahriar Kabir's arrest at the International Airport while=20
he returned from Kolkata indicates that this nascent democracy of 130=20
million folks is most certainly moving fast in that direction. To say=20
the least, it is an alarming development.
The members of the civil society of Bangladesh should make sure that=20
the present government does not teeter on gross civil rights=20
violation of activists to muzzle their voice. Indubitably, the=20
government has erred a big time by arresting Mr. Kabir.

In a democratic society, people are endowed with personal freedom=20
because of which they may express their opinion in whatever way they=20
feel provided they do not end up misusing it by spreading innuendoes=20
or by fabricating news only to humiliate or defame a person. In a=20
pluralistic society, the freedom of speech to express one's thought=20
is the cornerstone of democracy.

The government should protect these basic rights of a citizen.=20
Therefore, a person should not be incarcerated for speaking up no=20
matter how distasteful it may sound from the perspective of the=20
ruling administration.
The way Mr. Shahriar Kabir was arrested upon his arrival from Kolkata=20
is extremely repugnant. Mr. Kabir was not entering a foreign nation,=20
was he? For heaven's sake, he was returning to his ancestral=20
homeland. If the government has a valid case against him, which he=20
very doubtful because the way the authorities have acted thus far,=20
then they should have come up with a valid arrest warrant and get him=20
from his home.

If it is deemed absolutely essential to incarcerate him, then the=20
government should first bring specific charges against him and at the=20
same time show some evidence to the effect that Mr. Kabir may elude=20
the law and authority people in Bangladesh. Like all of us, the=20
government also knows that Mr. Kabir is a known figure in Bangladesh=20
society. Therefore, he should not be treated as a fugitive.

There was no reason for the authorities to act brazenly. If Mr. Kabir=20
had broken any law while he was at the airport or if he brought some=20
contraband item, then we it is justified for the law and authority to=20
held him at the airport. However, it is a different matter altogether=20
to arrest someone at the airport without any specific charge. In a=20
democratic society, no one should be arrested for one's opinion or=20
even talking to foreign press such as BBC or VOA.

It has been widely reported in both national and foreign press that=20
the minorities in Bangladesh had to endure a great deal of=20
humiliation and pain because they were at the receiving end of=20
getting intimidation, physical threats and in some occasion physical=20
abuse since October 1 election results were declared. If Mr. Kabir as=20
a citizen of Bangladesh visits Kolkata to figure out what did exactly=20
happened to some minorities who have migrated to Bangladesh's=20
neighbor after receiving maltreatment in the hands of some=20
miscreants, then has he broken some existing laws of the nation? If=20
however the answer is an unequivocal no, then, why was Mr. Kabir=20
detained at the airport?

The Special Branch of Bangladesh police should have the charge=20
against Mr. Kabir a priori. This is a gross miscarriage of justice to=20
hold someone at the airport without having any charge against that=20
person. This could only happen in an autocratic society or under=20
Martial Law where draconian measures are taken to muzzle a voice.=20
However, if this happens in a democracy, then there is a reason for=20
concern. That is precisely why this scribe is writing this article to=20
voice his concern.

It was reported in the newspaper on November 24 (Saturday) that the=20
government brought a serious charge of anti state activities against=20
Mr. Kabir. Therefore, the onus is now on government to spell the=20
charge in some details so that Bangladesh's civil society knows for=20
what specific activity Mr. Kabir had to be incarcerated. In the last=20
one decade, Mr. Kabir had been in the forefront of a movement to=20
bring Razakar, and other Fifth Columnists to the court of justice for=20
their involvement to thwart Bangladesh's freedom struggle in 1971.
Besides that, Mr. Kabir is also known for his cultural activism and=20
for speaking out against the civil rights of Bangladesh's minorities.=20
Therefore, the government will be pressured by various groups to=20
release Mr. Kabir from the Central Jail. Come to think of it, the=20
government is poised to earn many bad reputations to the "plaudits"=20
of their political opponents.

In democracy, the government should never put a dissident into jail=20
because his or hers opinion run contrary to the government's. In the=20
1960s, Gen. Ayub's government used to routinely arrest Sheikh Mujib=20
and put him into jail for prolong period. We know what happened then.=20
In our neighboring India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi also abused the=20
country's law to put dissident politicians into jail in the 1970s.=20
That caused her to lose one parliamentary election in mid 1970s.

Therefore, the present government of Bangladesh should better watch=20
out of exercising their unrestricted power to lockup dissidents. If=20
it turns out that Mr. Kabir had not participated in any anti state=20
activity, then the government is bound to receive a lot of bad=20
publicity.
To use law judiciously by the government takes much restraint, but to=20
abuse it is rather easy. From Mr. Kabir's maltreatment in the hand of=20
the Khaleda Zia Administration, it follows that the government has=20
chosen an easier path.

A.H. Jaffor Ullah writes from New Orleans. Comments should be=20
directed at - <mailto:Jaffor@n...>Jaffor@n...

_____

#5.

South China Morning Post | November 26, 2001
INDIA
Textbook censors accused of acting like Taleban

MASEEH RAHMAN in New Delhi

Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's Government has attracted=20
charges of "Talebanising" the country's education system through=20
blatant censorship of school history books that question conventional=20
religious ideology.
The upper house of Parliament had to be adjourned on Friday amid=20
tumultuous scenes after opposition Congress leaders accused the=20
Education Ministry of aping the Taleban by passing edicts against the=20
work of internationally renowned historians of ancient and medieval=20
India.
"You have made a mess of everything and Talebanised the system,"=20
senior Congress politician Arjun Singh said.
The immediate provocation for the uproar was an order issued to high=20
schools across the country by the Central Board of Secondary=20
Education to delete, with immediate effect, portions from textbooks=20
that refer to controversial issues such as the Hindu caste system,=20
the archaeological evidence relating to gods such as Ram and Krishna,=20
and the consumption of beef in pre-historic times.
The authorities have also commissioned textbooks to replace existing=20
ones written before Mr Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came=20
to power in 1998.

Hindus, who constitute the majority of India's population, today=20
regard the cow as a sacred animal and its slaughter is banned in most=20
provinces.
The meteoric rise of the BJP during the past decade owes a lot to its=20
espousal of Hindu causes
In recent years, Hindu nationalists have taken over several national=20
research and educational bodies, introduced university courses on=20
quaint subjects such as astrology and Vedic (ancient Hindu=20
mathematics), and are now censoring history books.
Heading the list of censored historians is Romila Thapar, a world=20
authority on ancient India whose book of the period is part of the=20
best-selling Pelican History of India.
In her textbook for Class VI students, Thapar examines the status of=20
cows in village households in ancient India and mentions that "beef=20
was served as a mark of honour to special guests" and that "in later=20
centuries, Brahmans were forbidden to eat beef".
The Government has ordered schools not only to delete this topic, but=20
to ensure that it is never discussed in the classroom.

Copyright =A9 2001. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights res=
erved.

_____

#6.

The Times of India
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2001

VHP rath seeks the Hindu pledge
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
LUCKNOW: The VHP started its campaign for construction of Ram Mandir=20
on Saturday. A Ram rath got rolling on the streets of Lucknow,=20
distributing Tulsi mala and asking people to take a sankalp (pledge)=20
to start Ram Naam Jaap from November 26.

The rath went to different localities, urging people to join the=20
yagya to construct the temple.
"We are preparing people for the D-Day," VHP in-charge of UP and=20
Uttaranchal Purshottam Narain Singh said. "Such programmes are=20
continuing all over the state," he added.
The pujari on the rath asked the people to take a sankalp to start=20
the jaap from Monday. Many came forward, took the sankalp, paid Rs 11=20
and went moved on with a tulsi mala and Ram pataka (a saffron flag).
The sankalp mantra, which starts with Vishnu puja ends with the=20
resolve to build a strong nation and construct Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
According to the programme, each individual who takes take the=20
sankalp will have to perform Ram Naam Jaap everyday for 65 days=20
without a break.
"We are also supplying them a form in which a person can jot down the=20
number of jaaps he has done, said Singh. this way, he will not lose=20
count, he added.
Besides, Ram Sevaks will keep an eye on the people who had taken the=20
sankalp. "He will keep the morale of the people high and tell them=20
about the virtues of the Ram Naam Jaap," said Singh.
Also, in Lucknow small groups of people are going around different=20
localities, singing hymns and Ram Bhajan exhorting people to join in=20
the holy yagya, said BN Shukla, in-charge of Lucknow area and=20
vice-president of Ram Naam Jaap Committee.

_____

#7.

The New Republic
Post date 11.21.01 | Issue date 12.03.01

KABUL DISPATCH
Bad Memory
by Elizabeth Rubin
At a Northern Alliance checkpoint just north of Kabul, I bumped into=20
Allah Mohammad and his rowdy soldiers, whom I'd last seen manning the=20
front lines around the bombed-out cinema near the Bagram airport=20
shortly before the attack on the capital. On one side of the road was=20
a red container. Inside, in front of a stack of Dubai sacks of sugar,=20
sat a Taliban prisoner in a baby-blue salwar kameez, the ubiquitous=20
traditional regional dress, with his arms wrapped around his legs. On=20
the other side of the road, another young prisoner was cowering=20
inside a shaggy lean-to rigged up out of old tarp, coats, and tree=20
branches. Allah Mohammad and his soldiers were charged up from their=20
victory, bragging about how many foreign terrorists they'd each=20
killed last week. They were eager to show off their prisoners, and=20
aggressively hauled one of the Taliban men out into the road, as if=20
they were going to beat or kill him for sport.
[...] [ Full Text at: http://www.thenewrepublic.com/120301/rubin120301.ht=
ml ]

_____

#8.

Op/Ed - Richard Reeves
Monday November 26 10:49 AM EST
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cm/ucrr/?u

THE WORLD'S LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S.A.
By Richard Reeves
PARIS -- Both my wife and I have lived in Pakistan and worked in=20
Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Afghan refugee camps. I wrote a=20
book about that part of our lives in the early 1980s, titled "Passage=20
to Peshawar." Because of that, a couple of friends, one an=20
Afghan-American woman, the other a writer and former government=20
minister in Pakistan, sent letters about the new world in which we=20
are now joined.

Both have stories and ideas Americans should hear. Nasrine Gross,=20
founder of NEGAR (Support of Women in Afghanistan), tells the story=20
of what she saw in a guesthouse in Khoja Bahauddin on Sept. 9, in the=20
room next to where Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern=20
Alliance, was murdered by terrorists posing as a television news=20
crew. [...]

Full text at:=20
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ucrr/20011126/cm/the_world_s_love-hate_relatio=
nship_with_the_u_s_a__1.html

_______

#9.

PRESS NOTE 25 NOV 2001
BADWANI

BRUTAL LATHI CHARGE IN VILLAGE CHOTTA BADADA ON PEACEFUL PROTESTORS: OVER
15 HOSPITALISED: TWO BYSTANDERS ALSO BRUTALLY BEATEN, ONE STILL
SEMI-CONSCIOUS : M.P. GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTS FORCIBLE SURVEYS WITHOUT
ANSWERING PEOPLE'S FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS

The M.P. Government continued its spree of police repression in the Narmada
valley as it brutally lathi charged, without any warning peaceful
protestors in the village Chotta Badada (Dist. Badwani, M.P.) badly
injuring more than 15 people who have been under arrest, and admitted in
the hospital at Badwani. In a demonstration of utter callousness and
brutality, the police also let lose their wrath on some innocent bystanders
who had come to the village for cremation of a deceased relative. Two of
these visitors are also admitted to the hospital and one of them is as yet
semi-conscious.

Since last 2 months or so, the M.P. Government has been trying to carry out
surveys in the villages affected by Sardar Sarovar Narmada Valley in an
attempt to prove that they are doing something to resettle the people.
However, the people of the valley have been opposing these surveys as
they are saying that the Government has no readiness to resettle the
people, the arrangements for resettlement are not in place and there is no
land available for the same. Given this, the people are saying that these
surveys are merely being undertaken for covering up the total failure of
the Government in resettlement. These surveys are being carried out only to
make a show that some work is being done on resettlement.

Given this, the people have continuously raised the issue that the
Government should first answer their fundamental questions and only then
carry out the survey. However, the Government has totally refused to do
this, and in village after village, has been carrying out the surveys with
police force and threat. In the last couple of months, the police have
carried out similar lathi charge in several villages and have arrested
large number of peaceful protestors.

The people had also said, to demonstrate their most reasonable attitude,
that even after this, if there were people in the villages who wanted to
get their property surveyed voluntarily, the officials were free to do so,
but they should not carry out the survey of those who had fundamental
issues.

Today (25 Nov. 2001), the SDM Shri Tikam called some representatives of the
village Chotta Badada in the morning and told them that the Government
wanted to do surveys in the village. The villagers reminded him that last
time he had come along with the officials for survey in last week of Sept.
2001, he had carried out a brutal lathi charge and many people had been
injured and hospitalised. Later, he had promised that he would answer the
people's questions before doing any further surveys. Today, he told the
people that he would do nothing of that kind, that he was concerned only
with carrying out the survey. The people told him that if there were people
in the village who wanted to voluntarily get surveyed, the Government could
carry out these surveys. He too agreed to this, and assured that the survey
would be carried out only in case of those volunteering for it, and in case
of those challenging it, the officials would not carry out the survey.

In the village, the people then closed their doors, put up black flags on
their houses and slogans saying they were opposed to these surveys which
were merely a show.

However, when the team with large number of police and the officials
entered the village in the afternoon, the very first survey was begun on
the lands of a person who was opposing it. As a few people gathered to ask
the SDM as to how this was being done in spite of his assurance, he abused
them and the ordered the police to take them away. The police pounced on
these people and started immediately beating them up. Then they let loose
terror on whosoever was around. The depths to which the police went can be
gauged from the fact that some visitors to the village too were not spared
in spite of their pleadings to the officers that they had just come for the
cremation of a relative. One of these persons is so badly beaten that he
is still semi-conscious (as of late night). More that 15 people were badly
injured, some who are suspected to have suffered fractures also.

The police cruelty can be seen from the fact that after this beating also,
they did not admit the people to the hospital but took them to Badwani jail
(20 kms from Badada), where too they were kept waiting outside for an hour.
It is only after the people vehemently protested that they were finally
admitted to the hospital, where even till late night many of them were
still awaiting to get their x-rays done or the results of tests.

The survey continued in the village even after this.

It may be mentioned here that just three days ago, on 22 Nov. 2001, the
police had similarly lathi charged and beaten up people in village Pipri,
without any warning. 16 people were arrested and were in jail in for three
days and let off only after executing personal bonds. A few weeks ago,
police had arrested at 2.30 am, active workers of the NBA in village
Ekalbara in the night before they carried out the survey in the village.
Later during the day, many others were arrested and beaten up and were in
jail for 6 days.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan condemns this attitude and approach of the
Government of M.P. which is clearly doing all this in a bid a somehow crush
the legitimate issues raised by the people and make a show that it is
carrying out the work of the rehabilitation of the oustees.

It maybe recollected that unless this work of resettlement is carried out,
the height of the dam cannot be raised. Since more than a year after the
Supreme Court judgement in the Sardar Sarovar Case of 18 Oct. 2000, the
Governments have not been able to raise the height of the dam more than 2
meters that had been permitted by the Court. This clearly shows the total
failure of the rehabilitation and indeed exposes the fundamental problems
in the process, and shows that rehabilitation of the affected people is
impossible.

Gitanjali
Dr. Gajendra Patidar
For Narmada Bachao Andolan

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
62, Mahatma Gandhi Marg
Badwani, Madhya Pradesh 451551 [ India]
Tel: 07290-22464

_______

#10.

Date: Mon, 26 Nov 2001 13:16:27 +0530

TWO NEW PAPERBACKS JUST PUBLISHED BY
PERMANENT BLACK
Distributed by Orient Longman
http://www.orientlongman.com

Also available through
Bookpoint <thebookpoint@h...>
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Rudrangshu Mukherjee
AWADH IN REVOLT 1857-1858
A Study of Popular Resistance
Updated Edition with a New Introduction
ISBN 81-7824-0270 / Rs 295

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'... through careful research and focus on the joint actions of the=20
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our understanding of the events of 1857 in Awadh.'-Michael H. Fisher,=20
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Rudrangshu Mukherjee has taught in Calcutta University and held=20
visiting appointments at Princeton University, Manchester University,=20
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AND

VIJAY TENDULKAR
THE LAST DAYS OF SARDAR PATEL and THE MIME PLAYERS
With an essay on the playwright, 'Breakfast With Evil' by Ashis Nandy
ISBN 81-7824-018-1 / Rs 275

Vijay Tendulkar is renowned as one of India's most adventurous and=20
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The Last Days of Sardar Patel is the original film script for Ketan=20
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'Readers of this volume should be warned that Tendulkar never=20
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VIJAY TENDULKAR has written twenty-eight full-length plays, twenty=20
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EARLIER PUBLISHED

Nayanjot Lahiri, editor
The Decline and Fall of the Indus Civilization

Partha Chatterjee and Pradeep Jeganathan, editors
Subaltern Studies XI: Community, Gender and Violence

Ramachandra Guha
An Anthropologist Among the Marxists and Other Essays

Sumit Guha
Health and Population in South Asia From Earliest Times to the Present

Sunil Sharma
Persian Poetry at the Indian Frontier: Masud Sa'd Salman of Lahore

Mahesh Rangarajan
India's Wildlife History: An Introduction

Veena Naregal
Language Politics, Elites, and the Public Sphere: Western India=20
Under Colonialism

Suvir Kaul, editor
The Partition of Memories: The Afterlife of the Division of India

Tanika Sarkar
Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation: Community, Religion and Cultural Nationalism

Francis Robinson
The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia

Madhav Gadgil
Environmental Journeys: The Science and Politics of Conservation in India

Monica Juneja, editor
Architecture in Medieval India: Forms, Contexts, Histories

SUREST WAY TO CONTACT US IS EMAIL: <perblack@n...>

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