[sacw] SACW | 30 August 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 30 August 2002

__________________________

#1. Double Standards Make Enemies (Salman Rushdie)
#2. Pakistan: Asma seeks inquiry into farmers' killings
#3. Press Release - Pakistani Dam project displaces thousands=20
Kashmiris in Mirpur
#4. India - Gujarat: Politics without Principles (Najid Hussain)
#5. India: Prejudice, not pride (Edit., Economic Times)
#6. India: Other Ways... A camp for young people (October 28 - 30,=20
2002, Panchgani)
#7. Book Review : Paradise Lost In Kashmir (Joanna Slater)
#8. 2 reports on the upcoming elections in Kashmir:
- Cynicism, the dominant sentiment (Kalpana Sharma )
- Bread-butter replace bullet-blood as issues (Muzamil Jaleel)

__________________________

#1.

The Washington Post
Wednesday, August 28, 2002; Page A23

Double Standards Make Enemies

By Salman Rushdie

On Sept. 5 and 6 the State Department will host a high-powered=20
conference on anti-Americanism, an unusual step indicating the depth=20
of American concern about this increasingly globalized phenomenon.=20
Anti-Americanism can be mere shallow name-calling. A recent article=20
in Britain's Guardian newspaper described Americans as having "a bug=20
up their collective arse the size of Manhattan" and suggested that "=20
'American' is a type of personality which is intense, humourless,=20
partial to psychobabble and utterly convinced of its own importance."=20
More seriously, anti-Americanism can be contradictory: When the=20
United States failed to intervene in Bosnia, that was considered=20
wrong, but when it did subsequently intervene in Kosovo, that was=20
wrong too. Anti-Americanism can be hypocritical: wearing blue jeans=20
or Donna Karan, eating fast food or Alice Waters-style cuisine, their=20
heads full of American music, movies, poetry and literature, the=20
apparatchiks of the international cultural commissariat decry the=20
baleful influence of the American culture that nobody is forcing them=20
to consume. It can be misguided; the logical implication of the=20
Western-liberal opposition to America's Afghan war is that it would=20
be better if the Taliban were still in power. And it can be ugly; the=20
post-Sept. 11 crowing of the serves-you-right brigade was certainly=20
that.

However, during the past year the Bush administration has made a=20
string of foreign policy miscalculations, and the State Department=20
conference must acknowledge this. After the brief flirtation with=20
consensus-building during the Afghan operation, the United States'=20
brazen return to unilateralism has angered even its natural allies.=20
The Republican grandee James Baker has warned President Bush not to=20
go it alone, at least in the little matter of effecting a "regime=20
change" in Iraq.

In the year's major crisis zones, the Bushies have been getting=20
things badly wrong. According to a Security Council source, the=20
reason for the United Nations' lamentable inaction during the recent=20
Kashmir crisis was that the United States (with Russian backing)=20
blocked all attempts by member states to mandate the United Nations=20
to act. But if the United Nations is not to be allowed to intervene=20
in a bitter dispute between two member states, both nuclear powers of=20
growing political volatility, in an attempt to defuse the danger of=20
nuclear war, then what on Earth is it for? Many observers of the=20
problems of the region will also be wondering how long=20
Pakistani-backed terrorism in Kashmir will be winked at by America=20
because of Pakistan's support for the "war against terror" on its=20
other frontier. Many Kashmiris will be angry that their long-standing=20
desire for an autonomous state is being ignored for the sake of U.S.=20
realpolitik. And as the Pakistani dictator Pervez Musharraf seizes=20
more and more power and does more and more damage to his country's=20
constitution, the U.S. government's decision to go on hailing him as=20
a champion of democracy does more damage to America's already=20
shredded regional credibility.

Nor is Kashmir the only South Asian grievance. The massacres in the=20
Indian state of Gujarat, mostly of Indian Muslims by fundamentalist=20
Hindu mobs, have been shown to be the result of planned attacks led=20
by Hindu political organizations. But in spite of testimony presented=20
to a congressional commission, the U.S. administration has done=20
nothing to investigate U.S.-based organizations that are funding=20
these groups, such as the World Hindu Council. Just as American Irish=20
fundraisers once bankrolled the terrorists of the Provisional IRA,=20
so, now, shadowy bodies across America are helping to pay for mass=20
murder in India, while the U.S. government turns a blind eye. Once=20
again, the supposedly high-principled rhetoric of the "war against=20
terror" is being made to look like a smoke screen for a highly=20
selective pursuit of American vendettas.

Apparently Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are terrorists who=20
matter; Hindu fanatics and Kashmiri killers aren't. This double=20
standard makes enemies.

In the heat of the dispute over Iraq strategy, South Asia has become=20
a sideshow. (America's short attention span creates enemies, too.)=20
And it is in Iraq that George W. Bush may be about to make his=20
biggest mistake, and to unleash a generation-long plague of=20
anti-Americanism that could make the present epidemic look like a=20
time of rude good health.

Inevitably, the reasons lie in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Like=20
it or not, much of the world thinks of Israel as the 51st state,=20
America's client and surrogate, and Bush's obvious rapport with Ariel=20
Sharon does nothing to change the world's mind. Of course the suicide=20
bombings are vile, but until America persuades Israel to make a=20
lasting settlement with the Palestinians, anti-American feeling will=20
continue to rise; and if, in the present highly charged atmosphere,=20
the United States does embark on the huge, risky military operation=20
suggested Monday by Vice President Dick Cheney, then the result may=20
very well be the creation of that united Islamic force that was bin=20
Laden's dream. Saudi Arabia would almost certainly feel obliged to=20
expel U.S. forces from its soil (thus capitulating to one of bin=20
Laden's main demands). Iran -- which so recently fought a long,=20
brutal war against Iraq -- would surely support its erstwhile enemy,=20
and might even come into the conflict on the Iraqi side.

The entire Arab world would be radicalized and destabilized. What a=20
disastrous twist of fate it would be if the feared Islamic jihad were=20
brought into being not by the al Qaeda gang but by the president of=20
the United States and his close advisers.

Do those close advisers include Colin Powell, who clearly prefers=20
diplomacy to war? Or is the State Department's foregrounding of the=20
issue of anti-Americanism a means of providing hard evidence to=20
support the Powell line and undermining the positions of the hawks to=20
whom Bush listens most closely? It seems possible. Paradoxically, a=20
sober look at the case against America may serve American interests=20
better than the patriotic "let's roll" arguments that are being=20
trumpeted on every side.

Salman Rushdie is the author of "Fury" and other novels.

=A9 2002 The Washington Post Company

____

#2.

DAWN
29 August 2002

Asma seeks inquiry into farmers' killings
By Our Staff Reporter

LAHORE, Aug 28: The government should hold an impartial and=20
independent inquiry into the last week's killings of tenants of the=20
Okara military farms to bring the perpetrators to justice.
This has been urged by Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur of the=20
United Nations on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, in=20
her statement issued here on Wednesday.
She also urged the government to ensure that no further violence is=20
carried out by the Rangers, and the peasants not harassed and=20
intimidated through illegal means.
The statement said: "The special rapporteur is aghast at the planned=20
killings of three farmers by the Rangers in Okara. The farmers were=20
tenants of army-occupied farms and were being coerced by the Rangers=20
to negotiate a lease for seven years with them or to vacate the farms.
"The tenants had been living and tilling the farms for generations,=20
almost for the last 100 years. In a similar situation in Khanewal,=20
the Rangers have been threatening the farmers with violence. Hundreds=20
of families faced forced evacuations and were therefore protesting=20
against the highhandedness of the authorities only to be further=20
threatened, and in another previous occasion one person was killed by=20
the Rangers.
The special rapporteur received reports that the electricity of the=20
farms was disconnected to punish the tenants. When the farmers=20
refused to negotiate with the authorities under pressure, the Rangers=20
deliberately opened fire on them. Women and children were amongst the=20
crowd when fire was opened. The special rapporteur is also concerned=20
as the act was malicious since the government had publicly announced=20
ownership rights to the landless farmers who have been sitting on the=20
government lands for decades.
"The events of the army-controlled lands were being closely followed=20
by the special rapporteur. She has also received credible reports=20
that the injured peasants are chained to hospital beds and being=20
charged with terrorism. The special rapporteur warns the=20
international community that misuse of punishing marginalized=20
sections of society in the name of terror will marginalize the=20
prevailing war on terrorism itself. She is fearful for the lives of=20
hundreds of peasants living on the army-controlled lands who are=20
being threatened and harassed by the Rangers."

_____

#3.

PRESS RELEASE

For further information please contact Shams Rehman 12
Newport St. Tel: 0161 621 0831
Or 0797 6293845

Pakistani Authorities' Dam project displaces thousands
Kashmiris in Mirpur

Kashmiris from across the north west towns, including
Oldham, are staging a protest demonstration outside of
the Pakistani consulate, Dickinson road Manchester, to
support the Anti Mangla Dam Extension Campaign in
Mirpur, town of origin of over one hundred thousand
Kashmiris in the Northwest of Britain.
Pakistani Water and Power Authority is forcing an
extension plan to raise the level of Mangla Dam by 50
feet. This will displace over 100,000 Kashmiris in the
Mirpur district submerging 20,000 acres of land with
catastrophic affects on the economy and environment of
the district.
Najeeb Afsar a Kashmiri busnissman from Birmingham who
is liasoning between the Kashmir and Britain anti dam
extension committtees and attended the launch of the
committtee in Mirpur will speak as the main speaker in
manchester demo.

Background
Mangla Dam was constructed on the Jhelum River of
Kashmir in 1960s. A massive campaign was launched
against the project but was crushed by Pakistan using
sate forces. The construction submerged the whole of
ancient town of Mirpur, 265 surrounding villages and
about 67,000 acres land. Over 100,000 peoples were
displaced almost half of those ended up in Britain.
Pakistani government ehas even not acknowledged this
sacrifice of the Kashmiri people and since shows
Mangla Dam in the Punjab Province of Pakistan in its
official maps and documents.
Mangla, the third largest earth filled dam meets the
bulk of power and water needs of Pakistan but not a
single penny has ever given to the Azad Kashmir
government. On the contrary electricity is sold to
this puppet government at commercial rates.
The new Mirpur town was built on a near by location
and has become one of the most prosperous town in the
Azad Kashmir region mainly due to the migrant
population from Middle East, Britain and Europe.
Now four decades later the New Mirpur is threatened to
be flooded by the Mangla Dam Upraising Plan which is
although opposed by the whole population of Mirpur,
but Pakistani rulers which miss no opportunity to
criticise India for human rights abuses in the Kashmir
Velley are set to go head with the plans of raising
the dam height by 50 feet.

Couple of weeks ago Kashmiris in Mirpur have launched
Anti Mangla Dam Extension Campaign which was attended
by over 10,000 people and was addressed by all
Kashmiri political parties. A solidarity committee is
also formed in Britain and protest demonstration are
being organised across Britain with a national demo in
London out side of the Pakistani High Commission in
few weeks.

_____

#4.

Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2002 19:45:20 -0400 (EDT)
-------------------------------------------------------------

Politics without Principles

By Najid Hussain

I had just arrived at the Ahmedabad airport on my way to Gandhinagar to
help my mother-in-law and other family members and friends from Gulberg
Society who had escaped the carnage three days ago in which dozens of
Muslims including my father-in-law and the former Member of Parliament
Ahsan Jafri was killed. I was warned that taxis were not safe. Just two
days ago, two boys who had given their names as Ashish and Rajesh, were
pulled out of a taxi and killed when somebody in the crowd recognized
Rajesh as Shabbir, the software consultant, who had been working in
Hydrabad since a year. Taxis at the airport refused to take the 20 km
drive with me to Gandhinagar. I had to wait for six hours before
arrangements were made by my friends at Gandhinagar to get me picked up
with police escort.

Having lived in Gujarat for several years during my studies and having
known Gujarati people for their generosity, commerce, custom, kindness,
compassion and humor, what I saw that day was unbelievable, even
frightening. As we drove through the city, I saw dozens of burnt and
destroyed shops, houses and mosques. A few were still burning. Three
weeks that I spent in Gujarat in March 2002 have been the most troubling
days of my life. Everyday I had felt that could be my last day.

I was wondering where has this land of Mahatma Gandhi gone wrong in just
ten years of my leaving Gujarat? At the risk of trivializing the apparent
deviation of Gujarat and the Gujaratis from those Gandhian values, one may
say that it is the vote bank politics of today that is mostly responsible
for the communal polarization of the state. Politicians in their passion
for power are playing the game of Adivide and rule@-... a legacy of the
British Raj which we passionately condemn and yet continue to practice.
That divide and rule mantra seems to have assumed new proportions and
significance in Gujarat. I remembered Gandhiji's teachings where he had
laid down seven mistakes those invariably lead to violence - wealth
without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character,
commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without
sacrifice and politics without principles. What we see today in Gujarat
is a naked display of such unprincipled politics. Gujarat tragedy was not
a result of religious intolerance between Hindus and Muslims, but it was a
result of extremism, which is a religion in itself. When extremists
control the government, tragedies like the Holocaust, Rwanda, Bosnia and
Gujarat occur.

However, mere criticism of a political ideology or the opportunity that
exists in exploiting the religious sentiments of the people for power,
however repugnant, however hurtful and harmful for the nation, is not
going to stop those who will continue to use it for their narrow interests
and petty gains. We will have to do much more than just criticize.
Indian intellectuals will have to start a serious campaign at the
grassroots in educating our people. Hindus and Muslims and all other
races will have to work together to save our country from falling into the
hands of extremists who may rapidly take it down into the abyss of
irrelevancy in today=3Ds competitive world which otherwise can offer global
markets, global opportunities and global reach in return for peace,
security and democracy. Gujarat has already lost more than 10,000 crore
rupees worth of businesses and properties. Further loss in terms of time,
lost opportunities, destroyed businesses and pulled out investments will
add thousands of crores more. Anyone who thinks all this loss can be
easily made up despite keeping the communal polarization in order, or even
enhance it, is under a delusion. I hope Advaniji is listening. And as
for taking the initiative to build the bridge and a proposal to work
together, I personally feel it would be better if it came from the Muslim
leadership.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, "If you board the wrong train, it's no use
running along the corridor in the opposite direction". Before second
World War, Japan was not just arrogant but also extremely powerful. But
in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and the USA dropping nuclear bomb on
Japan, its leadership quickly realized what will work for Japan's further
interests. Going against the Japanese sentiments and the feelings of
pride, Hirohito, the head of the Japanese Royal Family, unilaterally
declared on August 14, 1945, "We have resolved to pave the way for a
ground peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable
and suffering what is insufferable". That admission led Japan put its
bitterness of the war and defeat behind it and helped Japanese move
forward. Today, Japan is the world powerhouse, not militarily because it
does not need that, but economically. There is a lesson here for our Hindu
and Muslim leadership. Bite the bullet, put the past behind and move
forward as a union, with strength. In this world only those succeed who
instead of railing against defeats show magnanimity and accept it with a
view to do something positive. Our unique social mix and talent pool,
diverse cultural value system, and the world recognized ancient wisdom
provide us a powerful pedigree and the apparatus to succeed. Now let us
put that to work for us.

Stating an important psychological reality derived from the Biblical story
of Abel and Cain - the two sons of Adam - Maulana Waheeduddin Khan says,
"When revenge crosses all limits, it transforms itself into regret; when
anger is given a full play, it ultimately turns to acknowledgment; after
showing its most cruel face, animality reverts to humanity". In Gujarat
we have seen one of the worst human tragedies in terms of revenge, anger
and ultimate animality. It is time not just to acknowledge and regret
those acts and behavior, but come together to pledge and more importantly
work together never to let that tragedy repeat again. Only then we will
realize the vision of our forefathers and the dreams of our children.

_____

#5.

The Economic Times
[ Monday, August 26, 2002 12:42:43 am ]
EDITORIAL

Prejudice, not pride

Where ordinary folk find fear, loathing and carnage, Narendra Modi=20
beholds 'gaurav' or pride. The chief minister of Gujarat wants to=20
take out a procession, ostensibly to highlight Gujarat's 'historic=20
achievements'.
But the rath yatra is supposed to begin in Kheda, whose 'historic'=20
achievement dates back to March 2002, when it became the=20
worst-affected district in communal riots which targeted Muslims.
Is this what Modi wants to glory in? From March to May, thousands=20
were killed, many more were driven out of their homes, their lives=20
and livelihood shattered.
Evidence suggests the Modi administration connived in the riots, that=20
politicians belonging to the ruling BJP were active in the violence=20
and local police and administration did little to stop the pogrom for=20
two months.
The Election Commission, which toured Gujarat in August, discovered=20
to its horror that the regime was covering up for rioters and apart=20
from issuing goody-goody statements doing nothing to aid victims.
The EC also found that statements of victims were not recorded,=20
'prominent persons' named by victims were never booked and goons=20
roamed free threatening survivors to make them withdraw their=20
complaints.
Modi says this is a conspiracy to malign his regime, hatched by a=20
Christian chief election commissioner.
What will he say about the findings of another statutory=20
organisation, the National Human Rights Commission, which till July,=20
has written three reports on human rights abuses in Gujarat and the=20
administration's apparent reluctance to aid predominantly Muslim=20
victims? In July when Modi first floated the idea of his gaurav=20
yatras, an alarmed NHRC said that, 'There is widespread apprehension=20
within sections of the administration and among members of the public=20
that this could re-ignite communal violence in the state.'
Indeed there is. We don't buy the cynical view of BJP president=20
Venkaiah Naidu that the Gujarat gaurav yatra is a legitimate vehicle=20
for political mobilisation.
We fear that the yatra is planned precisely to fan communal tension=20
and that it could spark off another pogrom. By taking out his rath=20
yatra, Modi wants to provoke yet another riot, create more fear, and=20
hope that he will ride back to power whenever elections are held. We=20
condemn this strategy.
Modi has no right to remain in charge any more. He should be=20
dismissed and the yatra stopped.

_____

#6.

Other Ways...
A camp for young people

organized by : Phase Five

October 28 to 30, 2002
at Asia Plateau, Panchgani

Our world is changing and our futures seem vague and uncertain. With
globalization and the new world order, we are presented with both
challenges and opportunities. The phenomenon of global fundamentalism
is now forcing us to question and rethink our identities.

Democracies of the world have
floundered both at the level of governments and peoples. This failure
is directly linked with inexperience in functioning positively as
groups. Conventional education, with its emphasis on competition and
individual achievements, ignores the precious art of group work.

Where do we go?

Phase Five invites you for an experience that every young person
today needs and we hope, desires, to be part of a world on their own
terms - a cleaner world where:
- negotiation and reconciliation replace conflict and war
- social responsibility, the entrepreneurial spirit and young
leadership cure apathy and fatalism
- care for the earth stops damage to our environment for short term gains
- democratic decision making supersedes autocratic control
- respect for dissent and a celebration of diversity answer
fundamentalism and violence

It is our conviction that development of these skills will help
individuals of any vocation or career develop a more integrated
approach and take charge of their own futures, making a difference to
life at the same time.

Content
- Following One's Heart: enabling the self
- Living with People: Understanding community, democracy, identity,
individualism, individuation & fundamentalism
- Looking at the World: understanding nature, environment,
development, human history and paradigms
- Making it Work: turning ideas to action

Opportunities
- to develop and hone skills of interaction
- to take time off from the rat-race to reflect
- to be refreshed by nature
- to dream and dare to make it happen
- to connect with a team of one's own

Methodology: Games, Simulations, Creative Activities, Presentations,
Films, Debates, Music, Skits, Plays, Nature Walks, Outdoor Sessions

Phase Five is an initiative of four young people to promote practical
and relevant education by developing avenues of learning which go
beyond academics to give youth a feel and competence for the real
world.

Conventional formal education appears to have studiously avoided
dealing with core issues of living. Phase Five offers young people,
encounters with a world that is not compartmentalized into
water-tight academic boxes. It is this integrated approach which can
awaken the spirit of enterprise, involvement, responsibility,
creativity and concern.

Phase Five works on issues of human development by generating
awareness and appropriate action. Focussing on young people, it seeks
to promote a culture of independent thinking, cherishing diversity
and living democratically and ecologically.

Venue: Nested at a height of 1300 metres in the Western Ghats at
Panchgani, Asia Plateau is the International Conference Centre for
Initiatives of Change. It offers a unique combination of excellent
conference and residential facilities with an environment that
includes a natural forest, gardens, farm and very picturesque
surroundings.

Travel: The nearest town is Pune from where state transport buses and
shared taxis are available. Booking from Mumbai to Panchgani by
direct bus will be arranged by us for confirmed participants on
request.

Duration: Participants will be registered between 9:00 am & 10:00am
on the 28th, however, participants may check-in to their rooms the
previous night. The course will end on the 30th after dinner.

Age Group: 18 to 35

Course Fee: Rs. 2000=3D00
This covers the cost of the camp including food & accommodation but
does not include the cost of travel to & from Panchgani.

Registration: Please fill out the registration form attached and send
it to the address given below along with the course fees by D.D. or
local (Mumbai) cheque in favour of "Phase Five". Participation is
limited to 35 so do register as early as possible and definitely
before October 5, 2002.

Contact Information:
Phase Five
#600, Hillview, 2nd flr, Shiravane,
Sector 1, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400 706
Telephones: 6149193 - Leslie Nazareth
7714317 - Vinod Sreedhar
Email: phasefive@r...

Registration Form

Name:
Age: Sex: M/F
Address:
Tel:
Email:
D.D./Cheque Details: (The cheque should be payable to: Phase Five)
No: Date: Amount:
Bank:
Date: Signature:

_____

#.7

Far Eastern Economic Review
Issue cover-dated September 05, 2002
INREVIEW: BOOKS

Paradise Lost In Kashmir
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Joanna Slater
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tiger Ladies, by Sudha Koul. Beacon Press. $24

Speaking Peace: Women's Voices From Kashmir, edited by Urvashi=20
Butalia. Kali for Women. 350 rupees ($7.20)

THE TIGER LADIES opens with a description of childhood in Kashmir so=20
vivid the reader can almost taste it. It is a time of icy winter=20
wells and fried brook trout, shawl peddlers and slow-cooked lamb,=20
crushed mint and hookah pipes. In the cocoon of the author's extended=20
family, the talk is of arranged marriages and old myths passed from=20
generation to generation. Thoughts of leaving their valley of=20
mountains and fruit trees do not occur.

It is almost too idyllic--partly because we know what happens next.=20
In Sudha Koul's poetic description of her childhood, the reader can=20
hear the low rumble of disaster. A human catastrophe is in the making=20
for Muslims and Hindus alike, even as they live together as=20
neighbours.

Both The Tiger Ladies and Speaking Peace: Women's Voices from=20
Kashmir, a recent compilation of writings about the insurgency in=20
Kashmir, illustrate the heavy price women have paid since violence=20
became a way of life in the Himalayan region claimed by both India=20
and Pakistan. One is a literary memoir, the other a collection of=20
dispatches from activists and journalists, but at times I had the=20
strange feeling of reading the same story: How intolerance and=20
bloodshed can destroy a unique culture, leaving little but despair.

Koul was born in Srinagar in 1947 into a family that is part of a=20
community of Kashmiri Hindus (Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime=20
minister, was also a "Kashmiri Pandit," as such Hindus are known).=20
They eat the same food, speak the same language, and worship the same=20
saints--including the most famous, a woman named Lal Ded--as Kashmiri=20
Muslims. Koul describes how the two communities intermingled at all=20
levels, except in marriage and in the kitchen.

Beneath the surface, though, there is resentment of India. At age 10,=20
a bewildered Koul sees a friend's cousins burning an effigy of Nehru=20
in their backyard. What begins with rumours of militants in the=20
countryside becomes disturbances in the city and finally bursts into=20
violence closer to home: the son of the family's fishmonger, a=20
Muslim, is arrested for the murder of a Hindu student.

Around the same time, Koul's grandfather, a respected professor of=20
literature, resigns his post at an Islamic college because the=20
students warned the Hindu teachers to quit--or else. His older Muslim=20
colleagues are apologetic but helpless: "'This is the new crop,' they=20
said. 'We don't know who planted these seeds.'"

Koul's lovely and melancholy memoir is about family and the=20
dislocation of exile. It is split into three sections--grandmothers,=20
mothers, and daughters--and follows a three-part journey: home,=20
exile, and new world. In circumstances that are unclear--one of the=20
book's minor shortcomings--Koul's family moves to New Delhi, as did=20
many other Kashmiri Pandit refugees. Koul marries and leaves for the=20
United States.

"I did not want to leave my valley," she writes. "But now that I have=20
left Srinagar, any place in the world is good enough for me." Her=20
story is infused with a deep sense of nostalgia and loss. She is not=20
just unable to go home, but the home she remembers is no longer there.

Speaking Peace focuses much more on women's experiences during the=20
current insurgency, which began in 1989 and has claimed at least=20
35,000 lives (some assert the true figure is double that). With its=20
multitude of voices--16-plus contributors and more interviewees--the=20
book can feel disjointed at times. Still, it's worth the effort.

One of the book's strengths is to show the particular trials faced by=20
women over the past 13 years of violence. For example, they face=20
severe harassment or worse at the hands of the Indian security=20
forces. One report details a visit to the village of Kunan Poshpora,=20
where Indian soldiers raped 30 women in 1991.

Kashmiris have always practised a moderate form of Islam, but=20
militancy brought with it more extremist Islamic views, most of them=20
targeting women's behaviour. Over the past decade, militant groups=20
have issued calls to wear the burqa, to shut down beauty parlours,=20
and to stop abortions.

By and large, though, Kashmiri women have not complied--ever the=20
"tiger ladies" of Koul's memoir.

____

#8.

The Hindu
Friday, Aug 30, 2002

Cynicism, the dominant sentiment
By Kalpana Sharma
http://www.hindu.com/stories/2002083003911300.htm

o o o

The Indian Express
Thursday, August 29, 2002
=09=20
Bread-butter replace bullet-blood as issues
By Muzamil Jaleel
http://www.indian-express.com/full_story.php?content_id=3D8447

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necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
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