[sacw] SACW #2 (23 Nov. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

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

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

#1. A Man, A Plan, Afghanistan ( Ahmed Rashid)
#2. Bangladesh and the Bin Laden cult (Alistair Lawson)
#3. Searching For Jihad, Pakistanis Found Jail (Pamela Constable)
#4. UN plan for Afghanistan A conversation with Francesc Vendrell,=20
the United Nations special envoy to Afghanistan. (Scott Peterson)
#5.India: Malegaon and manipulation (Jyoti Punwani )
#6. India: NCERT censors history textbooks: move gives impetus to=20
Hindu fundamentalism's project to alter the content of syllabi in=20
India's schools
#7. Pakistan: Cops checking Nikahnama (marriage certificates) warned

________________________

#1.

Far Eastern Economic Review (Hong Kong)
November 29, 2001

AFGHANISTAN
A Man, A Plan, Afghanistan
It won't be easy for the many Afghan factions to form a new=20
government, even with the help of the UN's Lakhdar Brahimi. But=20
without progress, all alliances could sink back into war
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Ahmed Rashid / ISLAMABAD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AS UNITED NATIONS officials negotiated with Afghan warlords and=20
commanders to arrange an urgent conference which could help establish=20
a transitional government in Kabul, predictions of the outcome all=20
seemed to include the Islamic invocation inshallah--God willing. The=20
most optimistic goal: to transport some 25 Afghan leaders to=20
Berlin--where talks are scheduled to begin on November 26--closet=20
them with UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and his deputy Francesc Vendrell,=20
and hammer out an agreement on how to proceed. Inshallah.

In fact, everyone is going to need some help from God. Despite their=20
conquest of northern Afghanistan and the capital Kabul, the United=20
Front, also known as the Northern Alliance, faces rivalries in its=20
own ranks and with other groups. The ethnic Pashtuns in the south=20
have largely liberated themselves from the Taliban, but as far as=20
coherent leadership in the south is concerned the entire region is=20
hopelessly fragmented. Meanwhile, as United States forces search for=20
Osama bin Laden, the Taliban hard core is still holding out in=20
Kandahar in the south and Kunduz in the north, near the Tajikistan=20
border.

The challenge to the international community is to form a government=20
in Kabul before all potentially constructive alliances dissolve into=20
murderous civil war. The UN envoy Vendrell has started the process,=20
arriving in the capital on November 17 and plunging into meetings=20
with the United Front. Vendrell launched a successful effort to=20
convince them to withdraw their demand that the conference should be=20
held in Kabul, under their auspices--a demand that had already been=20
rejected by the southern Pashtuns. The United Front is made up=20
predominantly of ethnic groups who inhabit northern=20
Afghanistan--Uzbek, Tajik and Hazara--and only a few Pashtuns from=20
the south.

"We have made it clear to everyone that territorial control or=20
further conquest does not legitimize any faction's right to claim to=20
rule over Afghanistan," says Vendrell. "Everyone has to work together=20
to build a new, broad-based, multi-ethnic government."

The UN plans to call five groups to Berlin: the United Front; former=20
King Zahir Shah, who heads the Rome peace process; the pro-Iranian=20
Afghan =E9migr=E9s who support the Iranian-backed Cyprus process; the=20
pro-king Pashtun movement Loya Pakhtia; and the Pakistan-backed=20
Peshawar process, composed of =E9migr=E9 Pashtuns and headed by the=20
moderate religious leader Pir Sayed Gailani. Brahimi says all groups=20
must include Afghan women and =E9migr=E9 technocrats.

The United Front, who have conquered half the country, are reluctant=20
to be seen as equal partners with the other groups, who neither hold=20
territory nor have any physical presence inside Afghanistan. Nor does=20
the UN know which of the myriad Pashtun commanders in the south can=20
be represented in the conference.

At the same time, tensions between ethnic groups and the commanders=20
who represent them make the United Front both fragile and volatile,=20
especially now that the primary factor uniting them in the past--a=20
need to dislodge the Taliban--no longer has such influence.

The northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif and six provinces were captured=20
by three United Front commanders, who are still at loggerheads over=20
how to run the city. UN aid officials who want to begin humanitarian=20
relief in northern Afghanistan say they are still unable to enter=20
Mazar-e-Sharif from Uzbekistan because of the lack of security in the=20
city.

In the nearby city of Kunduz, as the REVIEW went to press the Taliban=20
were under siege and their leaders were negotiating surrender--most=20
likely at the expense of the thousands of non-Afghans fighting with=20
them.

In western Afghanistan, United Front commander Gen. Ismael Khan has=20
set up unified control over three provinces and is the unacknowledged=20
leader of the region. But he has differences with United Front=20
leaders in Kabul. Last week Khan's forces advanced towards Kandahar=20
but halted halfway, at Dilaram: Khan, a Persian-speaking native of=20
Herat, was persuaded by U.S. special forces and other United Front=20
leaders to allow Kandahar to fall to anti-Taliban Pushtun forces in=20
order to avoid ethnic friction. But Khan told reporters in Herat on=20
November 19 that "if the terrorists don't leave Kandahar, we will=20
have to push them out."

Kabul has been occupied mainly by the Tajik faction of the United=20
Front, which is loyal to the vision of their late leader, Ahmad Shah=20
Masud, who was assassinated in September. Masud created the most=20
disciplined and organized military force in the country. Because=20
Masud encouraged a younger generation of educated and competent=20
Afghans to emerge under his shadow, his is the only faction whose=20
strategy is run by politicians rather than warlords.

WHO'S IN POWER IN KABUL
Three Tajik leaders have replaced Masud: Interior Minister Younis=20
Qanuni, who is now organizing Kabul's security; the urbane=20
English-speaking Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah; and the army=20
chief, Gen. Mohammed Fahim. Together with a fourth leader, the Shia=20
Gen. Sayed Husain Anwari, they make up the most moderate and=20
accommodating faction of the United Front. All four stress they are=20
committed to a broad-based government.

However they face several internal challenges. The first and=20
trickiest comes from their own nominal leader Burhanuddin Rabbani,=20
who is recognized by the UN as the president of the Islamic State of=20
Afghanistan. The faction tried their best to keep Rabbani from coming=20
to Kabul, fearing he would declare himself president and destroy=20
their hopes of reaching a compromise with the Pashtuns in=20
establishing a new government.

Rabbani came anyway, and has not ruled himself out as a possible=20
leader despite the urging of moderate United Front leaders. Instead,=20
he appears to be playing a waiting game. If the conference collapses,=20
Rabbani--who has the support of Russia and Iran--could force the=20
moderates to declare him president.

The other challenge to the moderates occupying Kabul comes from the=20
Shia Hazara fighters of the Hizb-i-Wahadat party, which is a member=20
of the United Front. The party is demanding that they be allowed to=20
set up a Hazara security force in the capital that is separate from=20
the 4,000-strong, predominantly Tajik security force already in the=20
city. If the Hazaras did so, it would divide the city into ethnic=20
zones--a throwback to the start of the 1992 civil war.

The United Front moderates are also worried about political=20
embarrassment from the arrival of foreign troops. They objected to=20
the arrival of the 100 British Special Forces who now occupy the air=20
base at Bagram, outside Kabul, and have protested against plans for=20
French and Jordanian forces now in Uzbekistan to enter Mazar-e-Sharif.

The differences within the United Front pale when compared to the=20
problems in the south, where cities and provinces have been captured=20
by a wide array of anti-Taliban warlords, commanders and mullahs.=20
There is no umbrella political grouping in the south, nor is it=20
certain to whom these new commanders are loyal. Many would express=20
loyalty to Zahir Shah if the former king were to return home. His=20
aides in Rome say the king, now 87, will only return to Afghanistan=20
"when there is a proper mechanism for creating a new government."=20
That may be too late to prevent the Pashtun belt falling into=20
factional fighting and chaos. And as long as the Taliban continue to=20
hold Kandahar, they will still exercise influence among the Pashtuns.

The lack of leadership in the Pashtun belt creates major problems for=20
the UN. Dozens of commanders will claim to be candidates for the=20
Berlin meeting, but only a few will be accommodated. UN officials=20
hope that by December 7 the Berlin meeting will choose a small=20
leadership council which will then call for a larger meeting in Kabul=20
of all the factions and local leaders. The larger meeting could=20
endorse a new transitional government and interim head of state and=20
cabinet.

The international community is depending on the UN coming up with a=20
solution, including the newly appointed U.S. and British envoys who=20
have expressed support for the UN process. But domestic participation=20
must also account for a growing regional power play. Iran, Russia and=20
Turkey, who support the United Front, are rushing to open embassies=20
in Kabul and consulates in Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat.

Pakistan, which wants a majority Pashtun government in Kabul, appears=20
to have no visible proxies in the south but is desperately trying to=20
create some. The United Front has a deep hatred for Pakistan, which=20
Islamabad has reciprocated. Now, for the first time in 20 years,=20
Pakistan faces problems in the south. While the Taliban considered=20
Pakistan's policy reversal to support the U.S. after September 11 as=20
an unforgivable betrayal, Pakistan's constant interference in Afghan=20
affairs has also angered the majority of moderate Pashtuns who want=20
to avoid being seen as Islamabad's proxies.

As winter worsens so does the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The=20
lack of a coherent government in Kabul is delaying the delivery of=20
relief aid. Although the suffering Afghans and the international=20
community are putting their trust in the UN to deliver that=20
government, at the end of the day it will be up to the Afghan=20
warlords to bury their differences and save their own people.

Copyright =A92001 Review Publishing Company Limited, Hong Kong. All=20
rights reserved.

______

#2.

BBC News (UK)
Wednesday, 21 November, 2001, 18:35 GMT

Bangladesh and the Bin Laden cult
Most Bin Laden support comes from Islamic parties - for now

By the BBC's Alistair Lawson in Dhaka

Ever since the attack on the World Trade Centre in September,=20
demonstrations in support of Osama Bin laden by Muslim hardliners=20
have been held in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka.

Bin Laden's supporters all over Bangladesh are noisy and not afraid=20
to make their feelings felt
The protests even have some measure of official support because of=20
the presence in the coalition government of two hardline Islamic=20
parties strongly critical of American and British military action in=20
Afghanistan.

Osama Bin Laden is now acquiring a personality cult in Bangladesh and=20
children sing his praises.

There has been a surge of support for him among some in Bangladesh=20
since the fighting in Afghanistan began.

Fazlul Haq Amini is a member of parliament for the Islamic Unity Alliance.

"Osama Bin Laden is loved by the Bangladeshi people. Everyone=20
respects him and considers him to be a leader of Muslims." he says.

Demand huge

Osama Bin Laden merchandise is big business.

His poster can be bought everywhere.

Youthful enthusiam after Friday prayers

Demand for books and audio tapes of his speeches often outstrips supply.

Bin Laden's supporters all over Bangladesh are noisy and not afraid=20
to make their feelings felt.

They take to the streets after Friday prayers.

The protesters say that it is America and Britain who are the=20
terrorists because they have bombed and killed Muslims in Afghanistan.

The expectations are that the longer the American action in=20
Afghanistan continues, the louder the protests will become.

Bangladeshi newspapers argue that there is a clear distinction=20
between those in the majority who are uneasy about the fighting and=20
the small minority who revere Bin Laden.

"Osama Bin Laden is becoming someone who stands up to a very=20
important and powerful enemy," says Afhsan Chowdhury, senior=20
assistant editor on the Daily Star newspaper.

"Right now the support is more from the traditionally Islamic=20
parties, but I think that kine of support is spilling over now to the=20
mainstream, the middle class." Some radical Muslim clerics urge the=20
faithful to join anti-American demonstrations.

The government knows it must now try and balance their demands=20
against its decision to fully support America's war against terrorism.

_____

#3.

The Washington Post (USA)
Thursday, November 22, 2001; Page A20

Searching For Jihad, Pakistanis Found Jail
Taliban Fled Before Recruits Could Fight

By Pamela Constable
Washington Post Foreign Service

KHEWA, Afghanistan, Nov. 21 -- The 160 prisoners lay in two tightly=20
packed rows on the floor of a farm storehouse today, huddled under=20
blankets and squinting against the shafts of afternoon sun that=20
filtered through slits in the mud walls.

They were the lost legionnaires of a holy war that never happened:=20
young Pakistani Muslims who answered the call of radical Islamic=20
leaders there to come to Afghanistan, fight alongside Taliban troops=20
and defend their faith against an expected U.S. invasion.

Once across the border, however, these would-be warriors discovered=20
that Taliban forces were already in flight or did not want their=20
help. Many found themselves wandering weaponless and hungry until=20
they were picked up by the anti-Taliban militias that now control=20
eastern Afghanistan.

"We wanted to destroy America. Our leaders said we should go, so we=20
came to sacrifice ourselves for the cause of Allah," said Torki=20
Hamad, a prisoner from Karachi who said he crossed into Afghanistan=20
alone in September. "But we never got a chance to fight the American=20
soldiers because they never came."

Gulab, a 30-year-old farmer from Waziristan, a tribal area along the=20
Pakistani border with Afghanistan, said he had spent a month looking=20
for the war but never came in contact with Taliban forces, let alone=20
a foreign enemy. Ultimately he was captured while walking to Kabul,=20
the Afghan capital, carrying his Kalashnikov rifle.

"Now I just want to go home, and trust in Allah's help," he said,=20
smiling but glancing nervously at his comrades in the rudimentary=20
prison 20 miles north of Jalalabad.

Militiamen from the security force in Jalalabad, established this=20
week after Taliban troops withdrew from the area Nov. 14, escorted a=20
group of journalists today to the makeshift prison, where they were=20
briefly allowed to interview and photograph the detainees.

The men, mostly from Punjab province or from the tribal areas of=20
northwestern Pakistan, said they had not been mistreated. A doctor=20
was visiting the prison today, and officials said they plan to send=20
the Pakistanis home soon.

The men guarding the prisoners, also members of regional anti-Taliban=20
militias, said they felt somewhat sympathetic to them as fellow=20
Muslims, but they expressed annoyance and confusion over why they had=20
come to Afghanistan.

"We found one group walking along the highway, and they were afraid=20
they were going to be killed," said Sayed Afzal, 25, who was standing=20
outside the barracks with a Kalashnikov. "We said we would keep them=20
for some time and let them go. We gave them water and fruit and=20
brought them here."

Sher Afzal, 35, another guard, said he had detained several other=20
Pakistanis this week who claimed they wanted to fight against U.S.=20
troops. "There are no American troops here," he said. "If they wanted=20
a holy war, why didn't they go to Kashmir instead?"

Some of the detainees were members of radical Islamic groups in=20
Pakistan that have regularly sent fighters into Indian Kashmir to=20
participate in the 11-year guerrilla war between Muslim separatist=20
groups and Indian troops in the turbulent border region that is=20
claimed by both India and Pakistan.

After the U.S.-led coalition began bombing Afghanistan last month,=20
these Pakistani groups exhorted their members to shift focus and=20
fight for the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic movement that then=20
ruled most of Afghanistan, as it had since 1996. Although the border=20
was closed, several thousand were reported to have slipped across.

The men in the Khewa prison were luckier than some of their fellow=20
"jihadis," or holy warriors. More than 100 members of armed Pakistani=20
Islamic groups have been reported killed in bombing or fighting=20
during the past six weeks. Hundreds more have attempted to return=20
home, only to be detained by Pakistani authorities at the border.

The lenient treatment being given these prisoners is symptomatic of=20
efforts being made by the new security force leaders here to=20
establish an orderly and humane policy toward former foes.=20
Loudspeaker trucks have been moving through Jalalabad this week,=20
ordering militiamen to detain but not execute any captives.

Hazrat Ali, the veteran militia leader named regional security chief=20
last week, said today he had begun to crack down on abuses by his own=20
men and other fighters, who have been stealing trucks and equipment=20
from international aid offices in Jalalabad. He said 50 men were=20
arrested for theft Tuesday, and that an inventory was being made of=20
all missing vehicles and equipment.

"A lot of the soldiers are illiterate and do illegal acts. We are=20
trying to make them understand and prevent mishap," Ali told=20
journalists in Jalalabad today. "We are in an emergency situation.=20
This is only our fifth day. We have no police or judicial system,=20
only my warriors with guns."

Ali said he plans to gradually disarm the thousands of militia=20
members who have been roaming the city in armed groups and sleeping=20
in commandeered buildings, and to create a regular security force of=20
about 6,000 men.

After displaying the Pakistani prisoners today, Ali's aides led=20
journalists to the mountain village of Shundar, which until last week=20
was under Taliban control, with 300 to 500 Taliban, Pakistani and=20
Arab fighters living there. Now, villagers who had spent years in the=20
mountains fighting these occupying forces are moving back to reclaim=20
their homes and land.

Hajji Noor Beg, 50, a village elder, said he returned four days ago=20
to find a sign on his house declaring it a Taliban military base.

"For us the worst time was the Taliban time," said Beg, who fought=20
occupying Soviet troops in the 1980s, fled to Pakistan during the=20
civil war that followed and then sent his sons back into Afghanistan=20
to fight against the Taliban.

"In the Russian war, we were fighting infidels with religious zeal,"=20
he said. "With the Taliban, there was confusion about Islam. We=20
couldn't tell who was a Muslim and who was a foreigner." He surveyed=20
the village, its farmyards and rooftops littered with abandoned=20
artillery pieces and bazookas. "Now my home has finally been=20
liberated, and I'm back," he said.

=A9 2001 The Washington Post Company

______

#4.

The Christian Science Monitor (USA)
November 23, 2001 edition

UN action plan for Afghanistan
A conversation with Francesc Vendrell, the United Nations special=20
envoy to Afghanistan.
By Scott Peterson | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1123/p6s1-wosc.html

______

#5.

The Hindu (India)
22 November 2001

Malegaon and manipulation

By Jyoti Punwani

MARATHI-SPEAKING HINDU and Urdu- speaking Muslim school children in=20
Malegaon, Maharashtra, may soon become `pen friends'. This was=20
actually suggested at a peace march organised by Gandhians and the=20
local teachers' federation a fortnight after Hindu-Muslim riots there=20
claimed 13 lives.

Yet, this is the town where the relationship between the majority=20
Muslims and the minority Hindus is described as being as interwoven=20
as the strands on the powerlooms which give Malegaon its identity.=20
The Hindu traders and Muslim weavers here cannot do without each=20
other, and their dealings are based on trust rather than official=20
bank transactions.

>From Mumbai, the statistics of the Malegaon riots which began on=20
October 26 and lasted almost a week, seem a disturbing reminder of=20
the post-Babri Masjid Mumbai riots of December 92-January 93. In a=20
Muslim-majority town, mobs killed four Muslims and one Hindu; yet,=20
the eight who died in police firing were all Muslim. Three masjids=20
and two temples were attacked. What else can explain these figures=20
but that the police and the Hindu rioters worked hand-in-hand as in=20
January 93 in Mumbai?

But in Malegaon, the pattern doesn't seem to fit quite so neatly.=20
True, there seems to be no explanation other than communal bias for=20
the police not preventing Hindu mobs from torching an entire=20
powerloom complex and killing a popular former Congress leader as he=20
prayed in the complex's masjid at night. Similarly, the main water=20
pipeline was systematically damaged at almost a dozen places by Hindu=20
mobs, affecting the town's water supply, but no one died in police=20
firing there.

However, other factors contradict the `police-backed-Hindu- rioters'=20
theory. For one, the first police firing took place a full hour after=20
the scuffle outside the town's main mosque between Muslim boys and=20
the SRP, which is seen to have sparked off the riots. Secondly, in a=20
horrific incident, a Shiv Sena `social worker' was stabbed repeatedly=20
and then thrown into a bonfire, but the Muslim mob who did this=20
encountered no police firing. Third, the police remained unavailable=20
to both communities as violence raged through the night of October 26.

Indeed, the specifics of the Malegaon riots do not fit into any=20
pattern, except one which has dominated our life since 1985 - the=20
cynical manipulation of religion for votes. In Malegaon, the 70 per=20
cent Muslim population is largely illiterate, poor and increasingly=20
unemployed as the powerloom sector declines. The man desperate to=20
claim its loyalty is an irreligious Muslim brought up on Lohia's=20
teachings, who wears khadi and has spent most of his political life=20
with Socialist stalwarts such as Mr. George Fernandes, Mr. Madhu=20
Dandawate and Mr. Mrinal Gore.

Mr. Nihal Ahmed has been elected MLA six times from Malegaon and was=20
Minister once, yet few Hindus - and not a few Muslims - have a good=20
word for him except those in his party. Even among them, all six=20
Hindu corporators are contemplating leaving the party to be able to=20
face their largely Hindu electorate again.

Mr. Ahmed's repeated election from a backward, Muslim-dominated=20
township could have proved an exciting experiment - a non- Congress,=20
progressive Muslim leader practising secular politics, working for=20
the advancement of his hometown. Malegaon could have become a=20
trend-setting, riot-free, modern, Muslim-majority town.

Instead, the majority community in this frequently riot-hit town is=20
poorer and more uneducated, while the minority shares economic power=20
equally with it. By his own admission, Mr. Ahmed's main achievement=20
has been regularising the slums in which his mostly migrant Muslim=20
voters live in abysmal conditions.

Had he used his hold over the community on October 26, by rushing to=20
pacify the Muslim youths outside the mosque who turned aggressive=20
after the SRP prevented them from distributing `Be Indian Buy Indian'=20
Urdu pamphlets, he may have salvaged his loss of face in 1999, when=20
he lost his Assembly seat to his own protege, a Congress Muslim=20
backed by the entire Opposition against Mr. Ahmed. Indeed, he could=20
have vindicated his entire political career. Instead, Mr. Ahmed chose=20
to stay away, knowing he would be the biggest beneficiary of the=20
Muslims' rage against the police.

A week before the riots, he himself had fuelled his community's=20
simmering anger by organising a rally of Muslims against the United=20
States' bombing of Afghanistan. Mindful of the TV cameras, he had led=20
the rally, flanked by a handful of youths holding Osama bin Laden=20
portraits. It was easy therefore for the 70-plus out-of-power=20
politician to sit back during the riots and reap the fall-out of the=20
explosive pro-Osama, anti-police, anti-ruling party and eventually=20
anti-Hindu hysteria that swept his deprived community. The municipal=20
elections were then less than two months away (they have now been=20
postponed).

``I have to re-build my base,'' explains Mr. Ahmed frankly. Much the=20
same way, the Shiv Sena and other communal organisations are re-=20
building their bases in the villages of Maharashtra. Two months=20
before Mr. Ahmed's rally, members of these organisations had attacked=20
Muslims and their mosque in a village near Malegaon, turning a=20
private dispute between two families there into a Hindu-Muslim=20
affair. Mr. Ahmed had spread the flames of this incident to Malegaon=20
by addressing a public meeting in the town.

Significantly, the villagers, who had never seen a riot before,=20
offered to repair the mosque, but their offer was turned down by the=20
village's Muslims on the instructions of ``Malegaon's maulanas''. It=20
is these ``maulanas'' who have indirectly helped the Hindu communal=20
parties in their aim of uniting Hindus against Muslims in=20
Maharashtra's villages, which have no history of communal conflict.=20
Bearded preachers of the Tableeghi-Jamaat who have for long toured=20
villages teaching Muslims the `true' path, the ``maulanas'' have now=20
begun to make a dent in the villages' composite culture.

Over the last three months, renovated mosques in Maharashtra's=20
villages have been levelled in a series of communal incidents. Within=20
a day of riots breaking out in Malegaon, Muslims, who have lived in=20
its surrounding villages peacefully for generations, became a special=20
target of ``outsiders''. Three Tableeghi members were beaten badly, a=20
peshimam burnt alive and a woman gang-raped by her neighbours as wild=20
rumours of Hindu women having been raped in Malegaon spread to the=20
villages. The former Chief Minister and current leader of the=20
Opposition, Mr. Narayan Rane of the Shiv Sena, gave a specific figure=20
to this rumour: 20, at a press conference in Malegaon 10 days after=20
the riots. Neither during the riots, nor after, did the=20
administration try to reassure people that no such incident had taken=20
place.

As Mr. Nihal Ahmed and the Sena reap the harvest of their labours=20
over the last six months, Muslims in Maharashtra are wondering why=20
riots take place every time the Congress is in power. In Malegaon,=20
Hindu Congressmen are increasingly talking like Sena members,=20
provoked by the way they have been ignored by their local Muslim MLA=20
after the riots. Even the grant of compensation to those who died in=20
the riots has become a communal issue.

Why didn't the Democratic Front Government pay heed to the build- up=20
and instruct its police to be both stricter and more sensitive? It is=20
a grave provocation to march through the main road with Osama's=20
portraits, but it's not a crime to distribute swadeshi pamphlets,=20
even if they are in Urdu and are distributed outside a mosque. But=20
the police allowed the former and forbade the latter. The army was=20
called in, but not told to control the situation, even though the=20
police were clearly outnumbered. Arresting Mr. Nihal Ahmed may make=20
him a hero, but he has not even been removed from the post of=20
convenor of the co-ordination committee of coalition parties=20
supporting the Government. And Saamna continues to report exaggerated=20
and incendiary reports from Malegaon.

______

#6.

Hindustan Times (India)
23 November 2001

NCERT censors history textbooks

Amitabh Shukla
(New Delhi, November 22)

Saffron censorship is alive and doing well. The National Council of=20
Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has ordered the deletion of=20
a number of passages from history books written for it. Among those=20
whose books have suffered are Romila Thapar and Ram Sharan Sharma,=20
two of the most eminent historians on ancient India.

The books that have been targeted are Ancient India (class VI) by=20
Romila Thapar, Modern India (class VII) by Arjun Dev and Indira Arjun=20
Dev, Ancient India (class XI) by Ram Sharan Sharma and Medieval India=20
(class XI) by Satish Chandra.

In a circular issued to the heads of schools affiliated to the=20
Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) by the board's director=20
(academic) G. Balasubramanian, the schools have been asked not to=20
teach the offending passages. "These portions and statements are not=20
to be taught =8A or discussed in the classroom," the circular says,=20
attaching a list of 'objectionable' paragraphs.

The CBSE circular says the decision was taken following an NCERT=20
notification. NCERT controls curriculums of schools affiliated to the=20
CBSE.

"This is part of a much larger design and they are trying to twist=20
history to suit certain sections and ideology," Thapar said.

Thapar also said that she was not consulted by the NCERT and the move=20
to delete some passages was arbitrary. She added that this censorship=20
aims at promoting a view of Indian history that a few individuals=20
perceive to be 'correct', which has not been arrived at after=20
thorough research.

R.S. Sharma, whose book suffered the most, was not available for=20
comment. His characterisation of Aryans before their Hinduisation as=20
nomadic, pastoral and tribal apparently did not go down too well with=20
proponents of Hindutva.

Reacting sharply, Chandra said that the NCERT's move would push the=20
country towards Hindu fundamentalism. "They are trying to make=20
history an instrument of backward and obscurantist forces," he said.

Chandra said the move would stunt historical debate by making=20
Hindu-versus-Muslim stereotypes dominant. "All the years of research=20
and study (will have been) in vain," he added.

Notice to Sonia

A Delhi court has issued a notice to Congress president Sonia Gandhi=20
and 20 other AICC members for allegedly defaming RSS outfit Vidya=20
Bharti through a resolution adopted at the Bangalore plenary session=20
in March last.

_____

#7.

The News International (Pakistan)
23 November 2001

IGP warns cops checking Nikahnama

By our correspondent

KARACHI: The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Sindh, Syed Kamal,=20
Shah has firmly warned the force that the police have no right to=20
force passers-by, motorists, and pedestrian couples to show their=20
"Nikah Nama", the sources from the Central Police Head Offices (CPO)=20
claimed Thursday.

Sources said that the provincial commander of the police force warned=20
the force officials when a delegation of Supreme Council of Pakistan=20
Transporters raised the issue during a meeting with IGP at his=20
offices.

The IGP, sources added, further said that if any police official was=20
reported involved in such act like demanding Nikah Nama, he would be=20
facing the strict departmental and legal actions. Syed Kamal Shah, on=20
the occasion, said that written orders had been issued to ensure=20
immediate registration of FIR and no evasive tactics in this regard=20
would be tolerated.

The IGP said that to uproot crimes from the province, kiosks had been=20
established in different areas and special police force deputed who=20
were equipped with wireless sets and latest arms along with new=20
vehicles. He further said that if needed, a police convoy would be=20
provided guard and escorts the vehicles on both the highways from=20
both ends.

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