[sacw] SACW | 8 Feb. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire - Dispatch | 8 February 2002

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

#1. Pakistan: Venue & Date Change For Basant Amn Mela (Karachi, Feb 11)
#2. USA / India: Update on Patwardhan's films at AMNH: Act Now!
#3. Bangladesh: Rumpus over Shahriar's reception
#4. Bangladeshi Journalist Targeted in Bomb Attack
#5. India: Show the bullies their place
#6. India: Bharat's Good Sons (by Ibrahim 'Ashq')
#7. The great Indian ostrich trick (Praful Bidwai)
#8. Ways towards the Ecological Society : Film fest in Bombay
#9. Pakistan, India, Kashmir : A new discourse of hope (B.G. Verghese)
#10. India: The 'sangh-lagangs' go marching in (Rajeev Dhavan)
#11. The February 2002 issue of the-south-asian is now on the net

________________________

#1.

Subject: URGENT: VENUE & DATE CHANGE
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 00:16:17 +0500

VENUE & DATE CHANGE FOR
BASANT AMN MELA

Despite the government's avowed liberalism, the local government is=20
refusing the use of the Frere Hall for any activity involving music,=20
or the use of the word 'basant'.

The Basant Amn Mela will now be held Feb 11, (MONDAY) 2002
2.00 pm onwards at ARTS COUNCIL (unfortunately it is not free on weekends)

Joint Action Committee has held four peace vigils since Dec 31st=20
2001. The Basant Amn Mela is a continuation of the message of these=20
vigils: India and Pakistan should resolve their problems through=20
peaceful dialogue, withdraw forces from the border, and work out=20
mechanisms to de-nuclearise. The people of the region want peace.=20
Along with this message, we want to provide an opportunity for=20
people, particularly the youth, to have fun.

The Peace Art Workshop for children (2.00-5.30 pm) will be conducted=20
by the prominent children's illustrator Romana Hussain and cartoonist=20
Feica, along with artists Abro, Moeen Faruqi and others. Children=20
should bring their own waterbottles and paints, crayons or markers;=20
these will be provided to participants from low income areas like=20
Landhi, Lyari, Orangi & Korangi.
Volunteers from among older students to help conduct the activity=20
will be appreciated.

One group will learn to make paper cranes, in memory of Sadako=20
Sasaki, the courageous 11 year old Japanese school girl who died of=20
cancer several years after being exposed to radiation from the=20
nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. Paper cranes strung together will be=20
sent to the Indian and Pakistani government heads as a symbol of the=20
destruction that nuclear weapons cause, and a plea from Pakistani=20
children for peace.

The evening programme, starting at 5.30 pm, includes dhol walas, a=20
slide show, extract from a film by Pervez Hoodbhoy, peace poems,=20
music, songs and renderings by Fehmida Riaz, Latif Kapadia, Momin=20
Khan, and others; introduction by M.B. Naqvi and Anis Haroon.=20
Audience participation welcome.

Please come, join in a celebration of peace, bring friends,=20
relatives, colleagues, and have some fun.

Joint Action Committee for Peace
Karachi

(ends)

______

#2.

Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2002 16:05:27 -0800 (PST)

dear friends,

Patwardhan's films originally scheduled to be screened on
Feb 9 at American Museum of Natural History(AMNH) are being
rescheduled(or banished) to a venue outside AMNH, due to
threats of violence by religious fanatics. More details and
latest developments are available in:
http://www.ektaonline.org/patwardhan/petition/index.htm

This is an assault on free speech and we must urge the
museum not to give in to such threats and fundamentalism
and we must insist on screening of the films at AMNH at the
earliest.I am enclosing a sample letter with contact
addresses, please email/fax/call the museum at the earliest.
Your inputs can make a difference on the museum's decision.

if you have not yet signed, please sign the petition at:
http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/783684768

cheers
Akhila Raman

---------------------SAMPLE LETTER---------------------

Ms. Elaine Charnov
Director, Public Programs and Artistic Director
Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival
79th Street at Central Park West
New York, NY 10024, USA
Phone: 212-769-5173
Fax: 212-769-5329
Email: Charnov@a...

Ms. Melonie Kent
Managing Director
Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival
79th Street at Central Park West
New York, NY 10024, USA
Phone: 212-769-5305
Fax: 212-769-5329
Email: kent@a...

Ms. Laurel Kendall
Curator of Hinduism Exhibit
Anthropology Dept.
American Museum of Natural History
79th St. at Central Park West
New York, NY 10024 USA
Tel. 212-769-5892
Fax: 212-769-5334
E-Mail: LKendall@a...

Subject: Disappointment at Rescheduling and Change of Venue of
Patwardhan's films due to threats of violence; Request
for screening inside AMNH premises at the earliest.

Dear Ms. Charnov, Ms. Kent & Ms. Kendall,

We are extremely disappointed about the decision of the museum
to reschedule the screening of Anand Patwardhan's films
"We are Not Your Monkeys" & "In the Name of God" originally
scheduled for Feb 9th in the museum, to a venue outside the
museum. Giving in to threats of violence by religious fanatics
would mean giving in to terrorism and fundamentalism. Such
fanatics are misguided people who feel guilty for having
deserted the "motherland" for more comfortable surroundings
and try to assuage this guilt by becoming the defenders of
"religion" and "nation".

We request a well publicized and well protected screening of
the above mentioned films at the same venue, at the earliest.
We believe that these films serve a valuable function in
fostering public scrutiny and debate regarding communal politics
and the rise of Hindu fundamentalism in India; and therefore
deserve to be screened at the same venue.

We hope that the museum will take a strong stand against such
fanatics and screen these films inside the museum at the earliest.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

______

#3.

The Daily Star
7 February 2002
Editorial

Rumpus over Shahriar's reception
Political polarisation taking an ugly turn

Ameeting organised by Shahriar Kabir's supporters was violently=20
resisted by another group, which had denounced him as pro-Indian and=20
condemned the activities of the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee. The=20
supporters of Kabir, mostly drawn from AL circles have declared that=20
the opponents were all supporters of the ruling coalition. Bombs and=20
guns have both been used and an innocent has already died. The issue=20
seems to be emerging as a new frontier in our domestic politics. And=20
party lines have also been duly drawn. It adds another bad news to=20
the way of managing national politics.

There is some feeling in most quarters that Bangladeshi politics=20
exists in isolation. Yet, much of the incidents that seem to be=20
driving our politics appear to be influenced otherwise. Being=20
pro-Indian and pro-Taliban is no longer confined to slogans. In this=20
highly charged inter-connected world, the neutral space is the only=20
one that we should occupy.

That translates into not being dogged ideologues and camp followers=20
but focusing on balance. However, there appears to be a tendency to=20
ride horses of proxy politics and use international politics for=20
local gains. In the post-electoral scene, Awami League's criticism of=20
the US and then its attempt to tag the Taliban brand on the ruling=20
party are glaring features of the same.

In the same vein, the anti-Indian lobby is trying to play a dangerous=20
game. There has been an image problem on the communal harmony front=20
lately; so why stoke it further by pushing anti-Indianism to the=20
point of generating hysteria and violence as it happened in=20
Chittagong?

While a part of the ruling alliance may have an ideological agenda,=20
the major part of BNP would do well to remember that the party was=20
put together on what was billed as "politics of balance" by President=20
Zia. That meant no tilt towards any camp and forging a framework of=20
working with all.
The arrest of Shahriar Kabir should remain an issue of freedom of=20
minorities and freedom of expression rather than one of party or=20
national politics. Right now it's becoming another fresh agenda on=20
the menu. The original concerns may even be lost because of this.

Bangladesh will have to be smarter and stronger to survive in the=20
volatile world of international politics and trade. It can't be=20
irresponsible within and expect the international community not to=20
react. We can't use international politics and not be affected. But=20
the incidents show we haven't learnt that lesson.
Partisan politics seems more evident everyday across the board.

______

#4.

***NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS***

CPJ Contact: Kavita Menon, Asia Program Coordinator
Tel: 212-465-1004 x140; asia@c...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Bangladeshi Journalist Targeted in Bomb Attack

New York, February 7, 2002-On February 5, explosions from several homemade
bombs rocked the area surrounding the Chittagong Press Club, where
journalist Shahriar Kabir was attending a reception to celebrate his releas=
e
on bail. One bystander was killed in the attack, and several others were
injured. Kabir was not harmed.

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 on November 22 for
"anti-state activities on the basis of intelligence reports and at the
instruction of higher authorities," according to a police report. He was
released on bail on January 20, 2002.

"CPJ condemns this senseless act of violence," said CPJ executive director
Ann Cooper. "Bangladeshi authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigat=
e
this incident and apprehend those responsible. Kabir and all Bangladeshi
journalists must be allowed to live and work in safety."

About 300 members of a newly formed group called the Action Committee to
Resist a Traitor held demonstrations outside the press club during the
reception, according to local and international press reports. The group ha=
d
earlier declared that Kabir was not welcome in Chittagong. Kabir has been a
long-time opponent of Muslim fundamentalism.

On November 22, police at Dhaka's Zia International Airport arrested Kabir
when he returned to Bangladesh from India, where he had interviewed minorit=
y
Bangladeshi Hindus who fled there following attacks against their community
after the October 1 parliamentary elections.

On December 8, the government charged Kabir with treason. His detention was
later extended by another three months.

On January 12, 2002, in response to a habeas corpus petition, a High Court
bench declared the extension of Kabir's detention illegal and ordered the
journalist's release.

However, Kabir continued to be held on the treason charge. On January 19, a
separate High Court bench ordered Kabir released on interim bail for six
months, pending his treason trial. The High Court also issued a "show cause=
"
notice to the government asking prosecutors to demonstrate why Kabir should
not be granted bail.

On January 20, authorities released Kabir from Dhaka Central Jail, where he
was greeted by hundreds of colleagues, relatives, and other supporters. The
treason charge against Kabir has not yet been dropped.

*************************
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 Seventh Avenue, 12th floor
New York, NY 10001
Tel: 212-465-1004
Fax: 212-465-9568
E-mail: asia@c...
Web: www.cpj.org

_____

#5.

The Hindustan Times
Thursday, February 7, 2002
Editorial

Show the bullies their place

The presumption of organisations like the Shiv Sena, and many others=20
of the saffron brotherhood like the VHP and Bajrang Dal, that they=20
can wreak violence and disrupt social life with impunity in the name=20
of defending Indian or Hindu culture, has at last been legally=20
challenged.

>From forcing dress codes of their choice on female students to=20
picketing cinemas showing films they do not like, preventing the=20
shooting of films whose message makes them insecure, threatening with=20
dire consequences greeting card companies selling good-natured=20
Valentine Day gifts and cards, and digging up cricket pitches to stop=20
India playing Pakistan, the self-styled moral police or goon squads=20
of the Hindutva fold have done it all.

Fearing the worst once again on the eve of Valentine's Day which=20
falls next week, Archies Greetings and Gifts Ltd have petitioned=20
Delhi High Court for a permanent injunction to restrain the fanatics=20
from holding society to ransom. While Archies deserves our sympathy,=20
as well as appreciation for showing boldness, it is far from clear if=20
the bullies who take shelter in the name of the greater glory of=20
Hinduism will necessarily submit themselves to a court's ruling. In=20
the Ayodhya case, they have shown themselves to be no respecters of=20
judicial pronouncements. Who knows, with UP elections round the=20
corner, they may well try to wear their pseudo-patriotic credentials=20
on their sleeves in an effort to consolidate the so-called=20
'rashtravadi' votes.

Indeed, this is what the din created by the VHP by imposing deadlines=20
for the building of a Ram temple is all about. While the Archies=20
matter is before the high court, the civil society should make its=20
voice heard emphatically and let the self-appointed guardians of=20
Indian values know in no uncertain terms that their shenanigans will=20
get them nowhere.

_____

#6.

From: "I. K. Shukla"
Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002

Bharat's Good Sons (by Ibrahim 'Ashq')
Trans. by I.K.Shukla
-------------------
(For BJP Chief Bangru and George Fernandes)

Don't rebuke them, please.
They make Bharat's true sons' gang
They shot Gandhi dead with a bang
They play Holi with the blood of the poor
Their work:(spill)hatred,their religion:(swallow)bribes
The land of Bharat is only their mother
They are so good sons they sell the mother
Don't rebuke them, please.
They are idealists, for the sake of votes
They play politics with the name of Ram
Openly they sell Ram, don't rebuke them.
They love riots, they are the source of conflicts
They have the right to make women dance on shards of glass
They have the right to stab innocent children
They have the right to despoil the honor of sisters
They have the right to burn people alive
Don't rebuke them, they are the most truthful
Don't rebuke them, they are the best
They are very loyal to the nation
Their loyalty is such that they sell the nation
Don't rebuke them, please.
Whatever they do is their law
Whatever they do is their justice
Whatever they do is their civilization
Whatever they do is their culture
Whatever they do is their ideal
They are rulers, very resourceful, with no shame
They alone are loyal to this nation
If someone finds fault with them
If someone call him a traitor
They alone are loyal to the nation.
Don't rebuke them, don't rebuke them, please.

o o o

[Original in Hindustani]

Bharat Ke Saput
--------------
Ibrahim "Ashq"

(For BJP President Bangru Laxman and George Fernandes)

Inhe kuchh na kahiye
Ye Bhart ke sacche saputon ki toli
Chalaate hain Gandhi ke seene pe goli
Lahu se gharibon ke khelen ye holi
Karam inka nafrat, dharam inka rishwat
Ye Bharat ki dharti to ma hai inheen ki
Saput hain ye aise ki ma bechte hain
Inhen kuchh na kahiye-
Ye adarshwale hain, voton ki khatir
Chalate hain ye Ram ke nam par rajniti
Sare aam ye Ram ko bechte hain, inhen kuchh na kahiye-
Ye dangon ke aashiq, fasadon ki jad hain.
Inhen haq hai, shishe ke tukdon pe aurat ko nanga nachaayen
Inhen haq hai, masum bachchon pe khanzar chalaayen
Inhen haq hai, bahnon ki asmat ye luten
Inhen haq hai, logon ko zinda jalaayen
Inhen kuchh na kahiye ye hain sab se sachche
Inhen kuchh na kahiye ye hain sab se achhe
Watan ke bade hi wafadar hain ye
Wafa inki aisi watan bechte hain, inhen kuchh na kahiye-
Ye jo bhi karen wo hai qaanun inka
Ye jo bhi karen wo hai insaaf inka
Ye jo bhi karen sabhyata hai ye inki
Ye jo bhi karen sanskriti hai ye inki
Ye jo bhi karen wo hai aadarsh inka
Yahi raj wale, bade kaj wale, nahin laj wale
Yahi to wafadar hain is watan ke
Agar in pe koi ungli uthaayega koi
Range haath inko jo pakdega koi
Use hi ye ghaddar kahne lagenge
Watan ke wafadar to bah yehi hain
Inhen kuchh na kahiye, inhen kuchh na kahiye.
(Transcription by I.K.Shukla)

_____

#7.

The Hindustan Times, Feb. 7, 2002, EDIT PAGE

http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/070202/detpla01.asp

The great Indian ostrich trick
Praful Bidwai

Just when the world has been seismically shaken by the Enron mega-scandal,
we are being treated to sermons on the virtues of boundless privatisation
and deregulation.

As globalising corporates drool at the mouth, the government has announced
the first real =EBbig-ticket=ED sale =F3 not just of public sector hotels, =
but of
perfectly well-managed, robustly healthy, =EBcore=EDinfrastructure companie=
s.

Enron isn=EDt just the greatest bankruptcy in American history. It
concentrates all that is
sleazy, greedy and unethical in the business world. Potentially, it is
global capital=EDs Watergate. As MIT economist Paul Krugman says, =ECEnron,=
not
September 11, will come to be seen as the greater turning point in US
society.=EE

Enron flourished on the deregulation of the energy sector, bribed its way t=
o
dizzying
heights, cooked its books to pump up its image, and yet failed disastrously=
.
Enron wasn=EDt just No. 7 in the Fortune-500 list, with a turnover equallin=
g
almost a third of India=EDs GDP. It became a global =EBNew Economy=ED icon,=
its
managers glorified as =ECmagicians of the free-market age=EE.

Enron isn=EDt just there. It is here too, the promoter and 65 per cent
shareholder of Dabhol Power Company, our largest foreign-investment project=
,
our own electrical White Elephant which has all but bankrupted one of our
richest electricity boards.

DPC=EDs gold-plated power, blessed by an obnoxious purchase agreement
violative of =EBmarket principles=ED, and by the Centre=EDs
=EBsovereign guarantee=ED, is also a story of corporate greed, shameless
bribery, and years of lobbying by the White House and the National Security
Council =F3 reduced at one point, says The Washington Post, to a =ECconcier=
ge
service=EE between Kenneth Lay and Brajesh Mishra.

More than 15 different committees in the US are investigating Enron. Many o=
f
the 250-plus Senators and Congressmen, who received Enron=ED=
s
=EBdonations=ED, are returning them. Surely, we need at least one Parliamen=
tary
Committee to investigate just how the DPC contract was signed, and
guaranteed =F3 during the 1996 13-day Vajpayee government =F3 without
competitive bidding, in violation of statutory clearances, and with an
unconscionable (31 to 52 per cent) rate of return
mocking at all norms of =EBefficiency=ED.

Our policy-shaping elite, with its ostrich-like attitude, just won=EDt admi=
t
that the public
has been defrauded by Enron and DPC; that accountability, even market logic=
,
has been violated; that the DPC power purchase contract is ba=
d
in law and must be thoroughly, radically renegotiated. This attitude,
coupled with deviousness and duplicity, is now evolving into the Great
Indian Ostrich Trick.

Take the issue of extradition of wanted criminals. To have 20 of them hande=
d
over by Pakistan, India has prepared massively for war, mobilising seven
lakh troops at a cost that will total Rs 4,000 crore in three weeks. But th=
e
principal accused wanted for 18 years in the world=EDs worst case of corpor=
ate
negligence, Warren Anderson, hasn=EDt even been served a warrant. The Bhopa=
l
gas
disaster has killed some 12,000 innocent people, and maimed 100,000 for
life =F3 numbers
that bear comparison with terrorism=EDs toll.

The government has failed to honour the Supreme Court=EDs directive to brin=
g
Anderson to trial. But it has honoured Keshub Mahindra, =EBAccused Number T=
wo=ED
in the Bhopal criminal case, with a Padma Bhushan. Mahindra, chairman of
Union Carbide=EDs Indian subsidiary, was charged with culpable
homicide not amounting to murder. The Padma Bhushan grievously insults
public decency.

The Ostrich Trick allows our elite to censor whatever is unpalatable, so
long as it concerns them =F3 people whose homes are demolished to build
shopping malls and McDonald=EDs, who are displaced for =EBdevelopment=ED =
=F3 a total
of 35 million since Independence =F3 and who are forced to sell their kidne=
ys
or eat mango-kernels to survive.

Take the Narmada Sardar Sarovar dam, whose once-frozen construction was
permitted by the Supreme Court beyond the height of 90 metres. The court=ED=
s
judgment has been widely criticised for evading key issues: human rights of
the displaced, and the environment. But it at least mandates strict
adherence to the rehabilitation and resettlement norms of the Narmada
Tribunal award: further
construction can take place only after the R&R is complete six months prior
to the raising of the height and submergence.

Now Madhya Pradesh, where the oustees would be settled, has repeatedly swor=
n
affidavits that there=EDs no land for R&R; it doesn=EDt exist. But suddenly=
,
Chief Minister Digvijay Singh on January
24 assured Vajpayee and Gujarat=EDs Narendra Modi that enough land would be
made available.

The land hasn=EDt materialised. A political deal has. Modi must contest a
byelection to remain CM. Raising the dam=EDs height to 95 and
then 100 metres will be declared a =EBtriumph=ED for his rich farmer
constituency which has been misled into believing that Sardar Sarovar is a
magic wand, the key to unbounded prosperity. Singh will take 35,000
vulnerable people in the Narmada Valley for a rough ride. Meanwhile, 3,200
families, already displaced at 90 m height, are yet to
be resettled.

In return for the non-existent land, Singh will receive Gujarat=EDs clearan=
ce
for a pipeline to the Bina refinery, which passes through a wildlife
sanctuary. So much for the environment =F3 and the people! Yet the Narmada
Control Authority=EDs R&R and environment sub-groups are set to approve the
displacement.

This kind of =EBdevelopment=ED, like Enron=EDs Dabhol, or Argentina=EDs =EB=
free market
=ED paradigm, spells destruction, destitution and economic servitude for va=
st
numbers. Whatever it might do for the top one-twentieth of the population,
it is incompatible with political democracy and public welfare.
______

#8.

Humans and the Environment
W a y s t o w a r d s t h e E c o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y=
=20=20

Thu. Feb 7 18:30

Gandhi's Heiress directed by Walter Tauber

Gandhi's Heiress shows the struggle of the people's organisation=20
Narmada Bachao Andolan against the Narmada Development Project and=20
the Sardar Sarovar Dam. In an interview with Medha Patkar, she=20
explains the rationale behind the movement. The film also shows the=20
life of Nimad farmers living on the banks of the Narmada who will=20
lose all if the project is completed and their fields are flooded. It=20
shows the fate of displaced people who live miserably in resettlement=20
camps, as well as the life of Domkhedi villagers who are doomed to=20
lose all if the waters rise any further. This will be the first=20
screening of Gandhi's Heiress in India.

WALTER TAUBER, born in 1948, graduated from the University of Geneva=20
with a "Licence in Contemporary History" in 1975. From 1975 - 79, he=20
worked as freelance journalist in Spain and Central America for=20
various Swiss, Dutch and German publications and thereafter with Der=20
Spiegel in Hamburg, first on the Latin American desk and then as=20
correspondent for Spain and Portugal in Madrid. Since 1993, he is a=20
freelance journalist and film director based in Spain.

In addition to Gandhi's Heiress, Walter Tauber has made films on a=20
variety of issues such as drug smuggling, terrorism, the first=20
double-blind test of Dr. Manuel Patarroyo's Malaria vaccine in=20
Africa, new urbanism, ethnobotany, winter depression and=20
chronobiology etc.

Followed by discussion led by Mr. Josef Sartorius, =D6komedia Institute=20
of Media Work in Freiburg, Germany, and Indian Environmental=20
Journalist Darryl D'Monte.

Schedule of Film screenings
Feb. 8 - 10 from 16:30 onwards at BNHS [Bombay, India]
Fri. Feb 8
Time Produced in Name Min.=20
Director
17:00 France 2001 Scratched (animation film)=20
4 min. Geoffroy de Cr=E9cy
USA 1999 Protest (animation film)=20
3 min. Steve Katz
17:15 Germany 2001 The wettest desert on earth=20
52 min. Joost de Haas
18:30 Germany 1995 Solar Architecture for Europe 45=20
min. Carl-A. Fechner, Jo Angerer &
=20
Astrid Schneider
19:30 Germany 2001 Thirsting for war=20
50 min. Christopher Mitchell

Sat. Feb 9
Time Produced in Name Min.=20
Director
17:00 France 2001 Scratched (animation film)=20
4 min. Geoffroy de Cr=E9cy
USA 1999 Protest (animation film)=20
3 min. Steve Katz
17:15 Germany 1994 Islands of Hope in the Brazilian=20
55 min. Rainer Osnowski
Rain-forest
18:30 Germany 1993 Tukang Sampah - Master of Waste 45=20
min. Boris Terpinc & Franziska Strobusch
19:30 Indonesia 1991 Air dan Romi (Romi and the Water)=20
28 min. Garin Nugroho
20:15 Switzerland 1996 Rice for the World=20
34 min. Gabriela Neuhaus

Sun. Feb. 10
Time Produced in Name Min.=20
Director
17:00 France 2001 Scratched (animation film)=20
4 min. Geoffroy de Cr=E9cy
USA 1999 Protest (animation film)=20
3 min. Steve Katz
17:15 Germany 2001 Killing Seeds 45=20
min. Kai Kr=FCger, Bertram Verhaag
18:15 Germany 1994 Scene of a Tropical Crime: Searching=20
55 min. Thomas Weidenbach & Gerd Weiss
for Green Gold
19:30 Switzerland 2001 The risk of science=20
52 min. G. Neuhaus, A. Scudeletti

______

#9.

The Hindustan Times
8 February 2002
=20=20=09=20
A new discourse of hope
by B.G. Verghese

Pervez Musharraf's seminal address to his people on January 12 marks=20
a commitment to domestic reform that could transform Pakistan if=20
truly implemented. This aspect merits as much attention as his=20
reference to India in the context of Kashmir.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/080202/detide01.asp

______

#10.

The Hindu
Friday, Feb 08, 2002

The 'sants' go marching in
By Rajeev Dhavan

A political shadow-boxing persists between the VHP and the Prime=20
Minister on the Ayodhya issue. No one is fooled by this.

INDIA CANNOT posture secularism in Kashmir and communalism in Uttar=20
Pradesh. Apart from the legalities of accession, India's case on=20
Kashmir is founded on its secularism's innate capacity to be fair and=20
just to all Muslims. In Kashmir, India combats political Muslim=20
miscreants. India's case on Ayodhya cannot ignore the barbaric=20
demolition of a mosque; and hand over the site to political Hindu=20
miscreants. The BJP's White Paper of 1993 was defiantly unrepentant=20
on the destruction of the mosque on December 6, 1992. The BJP's=20
electoral successes were temple based. Today if the BJP plays down=20
the temple issue in the 2002 elections in Uttar Pradesh, it does so=20
in the confidence that the VHP and other allies have made it an issue.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002020800040800.htm

______

#11.

The February 2002 issue of the-south-asian is now on the net. (URL=20
<http://www.the-south-asian.com>www.the-south-asian.com)
Contents include articles/features on Ageing; Secrets of Longevity -=20
shared by BC Sanyal, Khushwant Singh, HD Shourie, Raunaq Singh, MS=20
Oberoi; New Age women writers; Know your leaders (Part I) - profiles=20
of some of the leaders; Kuchipudi family of Reddys; South Asians in=20
news in 2001; Mango- the King of Fruits; Abdul Sattar Edhi - the=20
social worker from Pakistan; Sunita Sharma - India's first woman=20
cricket coach; Chapter II of Joseph Harris' unpublished book on his=20
stay in India on U.S. army duty in 1944; Vasundhara Das - the bride=20
of 'Monsoon Wedding'; and others.

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--=20