[sacw] SACW #1 | 10 Jan. 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire #1 | 10 January 2002

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

#1. Sri Lanka: Women's voices and peace
#2. Halt Hostilities & War-Posturing, Resume Dialogue: Demand=20
Indo-Pak Peace activists (USA)
#3. Pakistan: Clear policy on Pakistan, India ties demanded by Joint=20
Action Committee for Peace
#4. Kashmir Dispute Will Make Ground Zero Seem Like a Bonfire (Rafiq Kathwa=
ri)
#5. Persecution of Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh A critical review=20
(Human Rights Features)
#6. Indo-Pak War Crisis Continues
#7. Pakistani militants undaunted- Musharraf's Army quietly=20
sympathizes with Pakistani jihadis who claim Kashmir. (Elizabeth=20
Rubin)
#8. The Afghan Tragedy (Pankaj Mishra)
#9. Ailing Pakistani infants caught at the `line of control' (Paawana Poona=
cha)
#10. Pakistan May Be Unable to Calm Kashmir (Somini Sengupta)

________________________

#1.

The Island (Colombo)
Wednesday 09 January 2002

Women's voices and peace

CAT'S EYE along with all other individuals and organizations who have=20
struggled for peace in this country welcomes the recent unilateral=20
ceasefire declared by the LTTE and the reciprocal cessation of=20
hostilities by the government of Sri Lanka. We hope that these=20
welcome moves by both sides are a recognition of the fact that there=20
is no military solution to this conflict and that only a democratic=20
political solution based on power-sharing and the guarantee of=20
fundamental rights and freedoms will eventually lead to a peaceful=20
resolution of the ethnic conflict.

For the past two decades civilians living in the North and East, in=20
the border villages and in Colombo have had to face the brutal=20
consequences of a relentless war. The direct violence and the social=20
and economic consequences of the economic blockade has resulted in a=20
great deal of suffering. Malnutrition levels, health standards and=20
economic livelihoods have all suffered with the North and the East=20
invisible in national economic and social planning and development.=20
In the South, young men from families all over the country have given=20
up their lives in a fruitless search for military victory. The=20
militarisation of society due to the conflict has resulted in greater=20
societal violence and crimes against the community as well as against=20
women. Daily we read of cases of army deserters, paramilitaries and=20
other young men with guns engaging in criminal and anti social=20
behaviour. According to the police rape and domestic violence figures=20
have skyrocketed in the last few years. Violence has become the=20
acceptable means of resolving conflict and violent responses are=20
tolerated and sometimes encouraged. This has led to an escalating=20
culture of violence and brutality. We hope that the call to peace=20
will result in a reversal of this upward cycle of violence and=20
destruction

Women living in the North and East are painfully aware that when=20
peace processes break down, the intensity and scale of violence=20
greatly increases. It is therefore extremely necessary that the peace=20
process is based on firm foundations and that steps are taken to=20
consolidate the peace process and the cessation of hostilities. We=20
urge the government and the LTTE to enter into a permanent cessation=20
of hostilities agreement and to set up an effective monitoring=20
mechanism of independent, international observers who will ensure=20
that both sides keep to their promises. We also urge the government=20
to draw upon available international experience to secure the=20
cessation of hostilities and to begin the groundwork for long-term=20
political negotiation. In this regard, we welcome the government of=20
Sri Lanka's request to the Norwegian government to begin the process=20
of third party facilitation. The government of Norway has in the past=20
been a patient and tireless worker for peace not only in Sri Lanka=20
but in many other countries. Their experience and statesmanship are=20
welcome in this context and we hope that assisted by a competent Sri=20
Lankan team they will facilitate what will prove to be a delicate=20
process of give and take.

We urge the government and the LTTE to involve women from all sides=20
of the conflict in the peace process so that the important issues=20
related to women's experiences of war are not neglected. In recent=20
times, the United Nations General Assembly passed a detailed=20
resolution in 2000 calling upon all governments and negotiators to=20
involve women in the peace process. In Northern Ireland, Somalia,=20
Burundi and Sierra Leone, Women are playing an increasing role. Even=20
at the Bonn meeting of the Afghan negotiators women were present as=20
full participants. We hope the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE=20
will involve women in their negotiating team and in the peace process=20
generally.

Women are well aware that peace is not only about signing legal=20
agreements and making political compromises. Peace is also about=20
memory, recovery and the economic and social rehabilitation of=20
society. The costs of this war are yet to be fully ascertained. Women=20
are victims of war in different ways. They are often direct victims=20
being killed, raped or maimed in the process of conflict. These women=20
remind us that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been=20
committed in Sri Lanka during the course of this conflict and that=20
women civilians are often the victims. In the Sri Lankan war, there=20
have also been women combatants. Their welfare and reintegration into=20
society also poses serious concerns with little precedent in Sri=20
Lanka or the world on how such a process of reintegration can be=20
achieved.

Women and children are also 80% of the refugees and the internally=20
displaced often finding refuge in under resourced camps with few=20
provisions. In these camps, they find the strength and resources to=20
survive despite the high rates of domestic violence and sexual=20
harassment. They often become the empowered partner in the marriage=20
relationship, doing everything they can to sustain the lives of their=20
husbands and children. Women close to the armed conflict are often=20
widows, their menfolk having been killed in the war. As members of=20
female headed households they will have an uphill task in fighting to=20
survive and in bringing up their children. The social and=20
bureaucratic obstacles that they will face will often discourage and=20
defeat them. Women along with all others who have been exposed to=20
this conflict will carry psychological scars of trauma and depression=20
requiring medical and psychological intervention and support from the=20
community. Any negotiations for peace must also be about economic and=20
social rehabilitation and women must play a major role in the process=20
of defining and formulating a strategy for the future. The presence=20
of women's voices in the negotiations is one way to guarantee that=20
these important components of the peace process are not forgotten. We=20
urge the government and the LTTE to give women their rightful place.

_____

#2.

FRIENDS OF SOUTH ASIA - Press Release

For Immediate Release

HALT HOSTILITIES & WAR-POSTURING, RESUME DIALOGUE IMMEDIATELY: DEMAND=20
INDO-PAK PEACE DEMONSTRATORS AT INDIAN MISSION

January 8, 2002

San Francisco Bay Area, CA

A group of students, Silicon Valley professionals, scientists and=20
engineers gathered for a quiet anti-war demonstration outside the=20
Indian Consulate in San Francisco on a foggy Monday morning. Men and=20
women of Indian and Pakistani origin who had assembled outside the=20
Chancery Building were part of a loosely organized group called=20
"Friends of South Asia" (FOSA). They have been alarmed by the highly=20
volatile situation in the subcontinent in the past few weeks. The=20
group had brought with them an anti-war petition to the Indian Prime=20
Minister signed by over 100 Indians, Pakistanis and other=20
peace-loving citizens across the world and a memorandum of demands to=20
both governments to take concrete step to deescalate the present=20
crisis.

The armies of the two nuclear-armed neighbors are lined up eyeball to=20
eyeball along the Indian-Pakistani border after a terrorist attack on=20
the Indian parliament last month. India has cancelled all air, rail=20
and road travel between the two countries and scaled down diplomatic=20
relations claiming that Pakistan-based terrorist groups are behind=20
the attack. Both countries have seen the highest military buildup and=20
war-readiness along their borders in three decades. Further, the=20
Indian government, its ministers and politicians have been whipping=20
up war-hysteria and rhetoric to which the Pakistani government has=20
responded in equal measure. The past few weeks have also seen the=20
"nuclear option" being verbalized; and nuclear threats have been=20
exchanged by both countries.

The demonstrators wanted to give voice to a large section of the=20
South Asian population that is deeply troubled by the prospect of=20
war; wanted to assert that it is not unpatriotic to question your=20
government's zeal to go to war, or its unwillingness to engage in=20
peace talks; and wanted to rein in the divisive rhetoric. They also=20
wanted to impress upon the governments of India and Pakistan that=20
each of them need to take real and positive steps to deescalate the=20
tense situation.

Local Consular Representatives from India and Pakistan were recently=20
interviewed on Michael Krasny's "Forum" radio show on KQED-FM where=20
they were trying to score brownie points against each other. Usman=20
Qazi, a scientist of Pakistani origin, said of the interview: "It was=20
revolting to hear them fight like children and parrot their=20
governments' points of view," and that this prompted him to come to=20
the rally and urge the governments for a more meaningful and mature=20
dialogue for peace.

The anti-war rally itself was a peaceful affair with demonstrators=20
silently holding handmade placards reading "Indians and Pakistanis=20
for Peace", "War is Easy, Dialogue is Hard. Don't be Soft =B7 Talk!",=20
"When Governments go to War, Citizens Die!", "No one Wins a Nuclear=20
War". Many of the demonstrators talked quietly with a handful of=20
local journalists and photographers covering the rally. Curious=20
onlookers and visitors with consular business eagerly reached out for=20
copies of the memorandum prepared by the group. An interesting=20
incident happened when three truck-drivers from the sub-continent=20
stopped and asked about the event and on being informed of the=20
anti-war stance of the demonstrators promptly asked on being=20
signatories to their petition.

Meanwhile Mr. Akhilesh Sharma, the Indian Consul for Political=20
Affairs, cancelled a scheduled appointment to meet with FOSA=20
representatives. Demonstrators sent word across the police barricade=20
that all they wanted to do was to read to him a copy of their=20
memorandum and convey it to Indian government through diplomatic=20
channels. They also offered him an opportunity to address the=20
rallyists. However, Mr. Sharma refused to meet the demonstrators=20
despite their having a previously scheduled appointment, and called=20
them "misled and misdirected" when later contacted by the newspaper=20
journalists present there. This "ostrich-like obduracy [of the=20
mission] of not conversing with Indians and well-wishers [of the=20
Indian people] has to end," claimed Aniruddha Vaidya incensed by=20
cancellation of the appointment. The group has drafted two separate=20
petitions addressed to the Indian and Pakistani Prime Minister that=20
will be faxed to the respective missions and governments.

A memorandum from FOSA, also to be sent to both governments, urges=20
India and Pakistan to resolve the tension by diplomatic initiatives,=20
refrain from war and pull back the military buildup at the border. It=20
also urges both to start an unconditional and honest dialogue on=20
Kashmir, which is one of the main causes of the dispute. In addition,=20
the memorandum makes different specific requests to both countries.=20
It asks India to refrain from military strikes against Pakistan,=20
resolve the issue of terrorism in the International Court of Justice=20
by submitting evidence, reinstate full diplomatic relations with=20
Pakistan and restore air, bus and train services. The memorandum asks=20
Pakistan that it take honest measures to eradicate the long-standing=20
issue of terrorism in Kashmir and other parts of India and to stop=20
the proxy war against India by cracking down on the so-called=20
"jihadi" groups.

Fear of the conflict escalating into full-fledged war, and the=20
backdrop of the nuclear tests conducted by the two neighbors,=20
prompted Akhila Raman to mobilize people in the South Asian community=20
to draft and sign petitions and to bring together the demonstrators=20
to take these to the doorstep of the Indian and Pakistani=20
governments. She said she was motivated in community mobilization for=20
peace after seeing powerful and eye-opening films by documentary=20
film-maker Anand Patwardhan. Patwardhan's films were screened at=20
various Bay Area venues last October. Raman said both Indian and=20
Pakistani governments have to negotiate peace through dialogue and=20
plan phased cutbacks in military spending. "We are both poor=20
countries. We could put [saved military expenditure] into social=20
programs," she added, speaking about important developmental agendas=20
such as health, education and meaningful employment generation that=20
suffer in the absence of adequate funding.

The event was organized by an informal local group "Friends of South=20
Asia" that came together to build support for peaceful and diplomatic=20
resolution of the Indo-Pak conflicts and problems of the region. The=20
same group had organized a demonstration during Benazir Bhutto's=20
address at Stanford University two months ago, urging the South Asian=20
community to reject both=F7the fanatical terrorism as espoused by some=20
religious groups, as well as the "US war against terrorism" as a=20
justifiable means of annihilating it.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

High-resolution photo downloads:
All photos copyright Bhaskaran Raman and Aniruddha Vaidya.=20
(Permission granted to use photos with appropriate crediting.)
http://www.mindspring.com/~akhila_raman/_wsn/

Article in SJ Mercury news:
"South Asia gets attention of expatriates: Area residents urge peace=20
in homelands", L.A. Chung, San Jose Mercury News, Jan 8 2002.
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/columnists/chung/docs/chungpeace08.htm

Petition links:

Representation to Indian PM
http://www.petitionOnline.com/PM_nowar/petition.html

Representation to Pakistani President
http://www.petitionOnline.com/toor/petition.html

Friends of South Asia
P.O. Box 20136 Stanford, CA 94309
Email : FOSA_US@Y...

Press contacts for the rally information:
Akhila Raman: 510-649-8719
Saadia Toor: 415-643-0305

_____

#3.

DAWN
09 January 2002

Clear policy on Pakistan, India ties demanded
By Our Staff Reporter

KARACHI, Jan 8: The Joint Action Committee for Peace (JACP) urged the=20
government on Tuesday to make a clear policy regarding its relations=20
with India.
In a statement, the JACP said that on the one hand President Pervez=20
Musharraf was talking of friendship with India and on the other=20
lower-ranking government and police functionaries were harassing and=20
victimising the activists who were demonstrating for peace.
The JACP said the police and other agencies took no action when a=20
couple of days back a demonstration was held in the city in which the=20
protesters burnt the effigy of the Indian prime minister and raised=20
hatred-filled slogans against India, but the same police brutally=20
manhandled the peace activists.
The statement said that though the IG Police had apologised with the=20
JACP for the police misbehaviour and had said that action was being=20
taken against ASP Asif Ejaz, the JACP demanded that whatever action=20
was taken be made public so that the citizens knew how those=20
officials who were rude with the public were punished and that the=20
statement by their department was not just an eyewash.
The JACP said that this was not the first incident of its kind and=20
earlier the Rangers had brutally disrupted another such peace=20
demonstration and had beaten the peace activists black and blue at=20
the Wagah border.
The statement said that the law enforcement agency functionaries=20
should also be taught to be polite and how to behave when dealing=20
with the citizens, particularly when the crowd included women and=20
children and other responsible group of people like teachers,=20
lawyers, doctors, journalists etc.
It said that despite ambiguity in the government's policy regarding=20
relations with India, the JACP would continue to publicly call for=20
peace between the two countries.
The JACP also called upon both the countries to sit across the=20
negotiating table and solve all their issues through peaceful means=20
of dialogue.
The JACP said that its next meeting would be held at the office of=20
the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Jan 11 at 5.30pm and all=20
the peace-loving people, political activists, NGO workers etc who=20
believe in peace could come and attend to decide further action.

_____

#4.

Counterpunch.org

January 8, 2002

Kashmir Dispute Will Make Ground Zero Seem Like a Bonfire

By Rafiq Kathwari

When I was a teenager about 35 years ago and in my final year in=20
college in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, the movie "Battle=20
for Algiers" was a big hit. It captured my imagination as well as=20
that of my classmates, one of whom approached me a few days later and=20
asked if I would commit myself to the liberation of Kashmir. Yes, of=20
course, I said, reading a typed sheet my friend took out from his=20
coat pocket. "Bear Arms against a Sea of Troubles," I remember the=20
title said.

"This is our manifesto," my friend said as I read the aims and=20
objectives, which included blowing up bridges and the local radio and=20
telephone buildings, ambushing army convoys and killing soldiers. The=20
text said nothing about where we would get arms and ammunition, the=20
number of members in the group, how we would organize, who our leader=20
was or when we would execute our plan.

However, I remember the manifesto was long on the why, with each=20
point emphasized in the present tense: Our cause is freedom. India=20
promised us a referendum on our future, but fails to keep its=20
promise. Prime Minster Nehru, the last Englishman to rule India, has=20
kept our popular leader Sheikh Abdullah in jail for over 15 years. To=20
the extent that India denies us our fundamental rights and subverts=20
its own constitution, to that extent, India is not a democracy.

It was great stuff for my impressionable mind. My friend had=20
energized me. If the Algerians could do it, so could Kashmiris. I=20
read the typed manifesto again before signing it with a flourish.

A few weeks later that teenage flirtation landed me for 11 months in=20
Srinagar's Central Jail, where I met 12 of my classmates who had also=20
signed the manifesto. (The college Principal had been somehow alerted=20
to the plan and called the police.) Subsequently, India announced=20
that it had cracked a dangerous gang of terrorists trained in=20
Pakistan. There was no trial. We were just locked up and forgotten,=20
until one beneficent pro-India sycophant in Kashmir was replaced by=20
another, who ordered an amnesty. Soon after, I fled to the future of=20
other continents.

The passage of 35 years hasn't dimmed my memory. My passion for=20
Kashmir's freedom is undiminished, despite the horror of the last ten=20
years during which anywhere from 35,000 to 80,000 mostly civilians=20
have been killed. Maddened by merciless Hinduization of Kashmir's=20
Muslim culture, the lack of career opportunities and India's repeated=20
betrayals during the past 50 years, a rag tag army of young Kashmiri=20
men took on the third largest army in the world.

To obtains arms, those young men crossed the Line of Control that=20
divides Indian from Pakistani- administered Kashmir, rode in buses to=20
Kabul, where armaments supplied by the CIA to the Mujahideen were=20
readily available after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. India=20
calls those Kashmiri youth "cross border terrorists" and blames=20
Pakistan for supporting them. Pakistan, which has competing claims on=20
Kashmir, calls them freedom fighters. Many Kashmiris I know simply=20
say, a plague on all your houses, which, of course, includes my=20
adopted home-I know it's politically incorrect to say it- the United=20
States.

Many young native Kashmiri men who took up arms against a sea of=20
troubles are dead or languishing in India's jails. The fighting now=20
is being mostly done by foreign mercenaries, recruited by the elusive=20
Mr. bin Laden, whose so-called martyrs have changed the tenor of=20
Kashmir's legitimate struggle to that of an Islamic Jihad against=20
Hindu India.

"See, we told you so," India is screaming, "Kashmiris are=20
terrorists." India has fueled Western fears of resurgent Islam,=20
propagandizing the militancy as fundamentalist, which in turn enables=20
India to flout all international codes of conduct in Kashmir. If all=20
Kashmiris are terrorists and must be smoked out of the Himalayas by=20
500,000 Indian troops stationed there, then let us at the very least=20
agree on a working definition of terrorism which must include both=20
the unofficial and official variety.

But, wait. Let's be honest. Prior to the militancy, India portrayed=20
Kashmir as the model for secularism in India, as the warp of her=20
pluralist democracy. What has propelled Kashmiri society seemingly=20
overnight from a model of secularism to deranged fanaticism?

Under the present ultra right wing regime, Indian society is becoming=20
increasingly intolerant and absolutist. There is a profound=20
disturbance within Mother India. Many Indians I know think of India=20
as a super power next only to the United States. I will believe that=20
when Kashmir, the source of five great rivers, gets a basic=20
sanitation system and an unrestricted flow of electricity the Kashmir=20
valley itself generates.

Kashmiris have been enslaved for generations. The West is finally=20
taking note of the fact that regional conflicts have a global reach.=20
Nothing is remote anymore. It never was. Now we must do whatever is=20
necessary to win the hearts and minds of alienated peoples such as=20
the Kashmiris. Restore their dignity. Fulfill longstanding promises,=20
and watch how swiftly Kashmiris sign a manifesto to honor democracy=20
in a world that has changed literally overnight after nine eleven=20
zero one. Indifference will make Ground Zero seem like a Boy Scout's=20
bonfire gone awry.

_____

#5.

The Daily Star (Bangladesh)
January 06, 2002

Persecution of Hindu Minorities in Bangladesh A critical review
Human Rights Features

IN the weeks following the 1 October general elections, Bangladesh=20
witnessed an outburst of systematic attacks on the minority Hindu=20
community across the country, in addition to attacks on activists of=20
the freshly ousted Awami League. By 8 October 2001, at least 30=20
people had been killed and more than 1,000 others injured. Their=20
houses were torched, ransacked and in many cases seized, women were=20
raped, and temples were desecrated. The Hindu-dominated areas in=20
Barisal, Bhola, Pirojpur, Satkhira, Jessore, Khulna, Kushtia,=20
Jhenidah, Bagerhat, Feni, Tangail, Noakhali, Natore, Bogra,=20
Sirajganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, Gazipur=20
and Chittagong were the worst hit. Many Hindu families have=20
reportedly fled their homes and sought refuge in areas considered=20
'safe'. The Bangladesh Observer reported that at least 10,000 people=20
of the minority community from Barisal district ran away from their=20
homes following attacks by activists of the fundamentalist=20
Jamaat-i-Islami party and took shelter in neighbouring Gopalganj=20
district, the electorate of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.=20
Many others fled to the Indian State of Tripura and West Bengal.

Impaired face of humanity

In one incident on 4 October 2001 at Panchaboti in Narayanganj=20
district, activists of the newly-elected Bangladesh National Party=20
attacked the house of schoolteacher Dilip Mondol. They assaulted=20
Mondol's ailing 60 year old father and his four month old daugher;=20
they attacked and tried to strip the teacher's two sisters and mother=20
when they came to the father's defence.

The new Government took a lame duck approach to the violence. The=20
Government's sensitivity to any scrutiny of its treatment of=20
minorities is indicated by the recent detention of Shariar Kabir, an=20
independent documentary filmmaker, under the Special Powers Act,=20
1974. Kabir, who was returning from Calcutta after investigating the=20
condition of Bangladeshi refugees in India, was detained for being=20
"in possession of documents which can endanger the stability of the=20
country." Kabir told the BBC that his group, the South Asian=20
Coalition Against Fundamentalism, had collected evidence from the=20
victims who had fled the country, and would publish its findings=20
soon. Despite a demonstration in Dhaka to demand Kabir's release as=20
well as appeals from rights groups, the journalist is still in=20
detention under the SPA law that provides for detention for up to 90=20
days.

Meanwhile, on 27 November 2001 the High Court, in response to a=20
petition filed by a rights organisation, ordered the Government to=20
investigate the incidents and submit a report by 15 January 2002. It=20
issued notice to the government as to why it was not tackling those=20
responsible for attacking minorities. Earlier, on 24 November, the=20
Court had ordered the Government to explain why it had not taken=20
steps to stop post-election attacks and harassment of minorities.

The attacks on Hindu minorities drew the attention of the Indian=20
Government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. Another right-wing ally=20
of the BJP, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, sought New Delhi's=20
intervention. The Indian Prime Minister's Principal Secretary and=20
National Security Advisor Mr Brajesh Mishra subsequently visited=20
Dhaka reportedly to convey India's concern over the attacks on=20
minorities, in addition to parleying on security issues generally.=20
The issue was also raised in the Indian Parliament.

Attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh are not a new phenomenon. The=20
community has suffered discrimination and harassment since the 1947=20
Partition of India. In 1965, following the IndoPakistan war, the then=20
Pakistan Government introduced the Enemy Property (Custody and=20
Registration) Order II of 1965. The Defence of Pakistan Rules=20
identified the minority Hindus in then East Pakistan as enemies and=20
dispossessed them of their properties.

After independence from Pakistan, the President of Bangladesh, Sheikh=20
Mujibur Rahman in his Order No. 29 of 1972 changed the nomenclature=20
from Enemy Properties Act (EPA) to 'Vested Property Act' (VPA). The=20
repression of minorities however did not end this, in spite of the=20
fact that Bangladesh's liberation war was an antithesis of the 1947=20
Partition that took place on religious lines. Linguistic and cultural=20
similarities also do not seem to have induced efforts to ensure equal=20
treatment of the country's Hindu minority.

Rather Clause 2 of the Order stated, "Nothing contained in this Order=20
shall be called in question in any court." In fact, one of the=20
reasons for Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's continuation of the VPA was the=20
forcible takeover of Hindu-owned lands by Awami League leaders during=20
the Pakistani regime, and opposition to the repeal of the EPA.

The consequences of the continuation of the VPA have been=20
devastating. The Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD),=20
a Dhaka-based NGO, estimates that a total of 10,48,390 Hindu=20
households have been affected by the Vested Properties Act, and=20
estimates that 1.05 million acres of land have been dispossessed.=20
About 30 percent of the Hindu households (including those that are=20
categorised as missing households) or 10 out of every 34 Hindu=20
households are the victims of the VPA/EPA. These estimates, although=20
based on various plausible assumptions, should be considered as=20
sufficiently indicative of the gravity of the situation.

The Hindu minority suffers under Governments of both the Awami League=20
and the Bangladesh National Party. The Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a=20
Bangladeshi NGO, in its report 'Power, Safety and the 'Minorities': A=20
Brief Report" states, "In 1999, about 29 cases of forceful occupation=20
of land and property of the Hindu community have been reported in=20
different newspapers =8A

In the Sunamgonj district out of 21,000 acres of vested property land=20
16,000 acres have been illegally occupied; likewise in the Mymensingh=20
district out of 29,722 acres of vested property land, 28,000 acres of=20
land and 300 houses (vested property) have been occupied by one=20
influential person=8A

It matters little if the party is in power or in opposition. In 1995,=20
72 per cent of all vested property was acquired by members of (the)=20
Bangladesh National Party (BNP); and in 1998, 44 per cent was=20
acquired by the Awami League and 32 per cent by the BNP."

Because of such atrocities, hundreds of thousands of Hindus have fled=20
from Bangladesh and have taken shelter in neighbouring States of=20
India. According to ALRD, "the implementation of Enemy Property=20
Act\Vested Property Act has accelerated the process of mass=20
outmigration of Hindu population from mid 1960s onward. The estimated=20
size of such outmigration (missing Hindu population) during 19641991=20
was 5.3 million, or 538 persons each day since 1964, with as high as=20
703 persons per day during 19641971. If the above estimates are close=20
to reality, then it would not be an exaggeration to conclude that the=20
Enemy/Vested Property Acts acted as an effective tool for the=20
extermination of Hindu minorities."

Human Rights Features is an independent, objective and analytical=20
attempt to look comprehensively at issues behind the headlines from a=20
human rights perspective.

______

#6.

Indo-Pak War Crisis Continues
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jan2002/ind-j09.shtml

______

#7.

The Christian Science Monitor
January 09, 2002 edition
MASKED SUPPORT: Members of Jamaat-I-Islami, like the one here,=20
condemn Pakistan's arrest of their leader.
AZIZ HAIDARI/REUTERS
Pakistani militants undaunted
Musharraf's Army quietly sympathizes with Pakistani jihadis who claim Kashm=
ir.
By Elizabeth Rubin | Special to The Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0109/p1s2-wosc.html

______

#8.

The New York Review of Books
January 17, 2002
Feature

The Afghan Tragedy

By Pankaj Mishra

1.
In Afghanistan in 1996 the Taliban inherited a profoundly damaged=20
country; and five years later, the tasks of reconstruction and=20
healing were more urgent, even before the US bombing began. The=20
Taliban government's budget for the last year of their regime=20
amounted to $82 million-and the meagerness of this sum for a country=20
geographically bigger than France only tells part of the story. More=20
than half of the income was expected to come from the=20
semi-extortionate toll taxes imposed by their Mujahideen predecessors=20
and continued by the Taliban; and more than half of those revenues=20
were swallowed by the contingency fund to support the wars against=20
the Tajiks in northern Afghanistan, formerly headed by Ahmed Shah=20
Massoud, and against the Shiite Hazaras in the central highlands. The=20
outlay for development was only $343,000, while the ministry that=20
looked after the madrasas, religious schools, received $14 million,=20
which in turn was five times more than the allocation for the=20
Ministry of Health.[1]
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/15113

______

#9.

The Times of India
JANUARY 10, 2002

Ailing Pak infants caught at the `line of control'
PAAWANA POONACHA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 09, 2002 11:13:12 PM ]
ANGALORE: These little hearts have nothing to do with politics or the=20
Indo-Pak tension. But they are paying the price for residing on the=20
other side of the border.
The heart of the matter: Six Pakistani infants with serious heart=20
ailments await Indian visas for their scheduled operation in=20
Bangalore. But the cruelty of realpolitik prevents them from crossing=20
the `line of control.'
The distressed parents hope the Indian government will have a change=20
of heart and allow them to visit Bangalore. But as yet there is no=20
word from this side of the border. And the anxious wait continues.
At the Narayana Hrudayalaya, noted heart surgeon Dr Devi Shetty=20
throws up his hands and says: ``Why should these precious lives be=20
sacrificed if the two countries are out to settle scores politically?=20
We are all individuals living in the two countries and we have=20
nothing against each other.''
Narayana Hrudayalaya that operates upon at least one child a week=20
from the neighbouring countries can reel out its list of Pakistani=20
infants awaiting corrective surgeries at their hospital. And visiting=20
India is much reasonable than other advanced countries.
``Each of these infants is suffering from complex heart problems and=20
need to be treated immediately,'' Dr Devi Shetty, director of=20
Narayana Hrudayalaya, explains.
Three-month-old Shabeer Hussain has to undergo an arterial switch --=20
a complex procedure which is done only in about 20 centres worldwide.=20
Six-month-old Aslam Mohammed Hasheem needs an ``obstructed total=20
anomalous pulmonary drainage''. In this case, the blood does not flow=20
from the lungs to the heart.
Such are also the cases with one-year-old Abdulla Amir,=20
eight-month-old Isha and Ijaz Iqbal Raja.
``The last heard from these families was two weeks ago, when one of=20
the parents said, `Indian Embassy is not giving us visas until=20
further notice. It's hard to get through them','' laments Dr Shetty.
Crossing the borders to reach Indian doctors hadn't been easy even=20
two months ago. ``Parents of a four-day-old Pakistani baby that=20
required an immediate heart surgery were arrested in Delhi suspecting=20
terrorism. They were released after we had a word with the=20
authorities in Delhi. The baby is hale and hearty back in Pakistan,''=20
says Dr Shetty.
Dr Shetty suggests that the public come forward and shoot off letters=20
to the Ministry of External Affairs to revoke the ``nasty rule''.
Peace between the two countries will one day be restored but what=20
matters for now is to treat these innocent babies and send them back=20
in good health.

______

#10.

The New York Times
January 9, 2002

Pakistan May Be Unable to Calm Kashmir
By SOMINI SENGUPTA

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/09/international/asia/09KASH.html

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