[sacw] SACW | 26 August 02

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Mon, 26 Aug 2002 07:41:34 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | 26 August 2002

__________________________

#1. Pakistan: Urgent Support Needed For Landless Tenants Movement
#2. India-Pakistan: Time for a thaw? (Beena Sarwar)
#3. India: Press Note: 25.08.2002 (Narmada Bachao Andolan )
#4. Gujarat saw genocide, not riots: Noted poet
#5. USA: Maitri's Fifth Performance Fundraiser
#6. India: Violated, by indifference (Kalpana Sharma)
#7. India: BJP Vs BJP (Saba Naqvi Bhaumik)
#8. India: Interview with Fr.Cedric Prakash (Yoginder Sikand)
#9. Kashmir: Sangh's triple-speak + Trifurcation Tangle

__________________________

#1.

People's Rights Movement (PRM)
PD-1154B Irum Plaza, Shahrah Stadium Rd, Rawalpindi
Ph: 2278134 Fax: 2278135

URGENT SUPPORT NEEDED FOR LANDLESS TENANTS
MOVEMENT

Today, August 24th 2002, a massive contingent of law-enforcement
authorities including the police, paramilitary forces (Rangers) and army
brigades launched a completely unprovoked operation against the unarmed
landless tenants of Okara military farms, in the central part of Punjab
province in Pakistan. In a move that shocked even those expecting the
worst, thousands of tenants were fired upon, shelled with tear gas, and
beaten with batons.

As things stand now, more than 10 villages of Okara military farms are
besieged by thousands of police,military and paramilitary forces. In
village (chak) 4-4/L, where most of the firing and shelling took place,
there are at least 3 tenants dead, including one woman. There are
numerous tenants injured. However, none of the dead or injured can be
attended to as the forces surrounding the village have completely closed
off entry and exit. The tenants have been taken prisoner in their own
homes, by those who are supposed to be protecting them.

Meanwhile in neighboring Renala State military farms, electricity and
water connections in four villages have been severed. Harassment of the
worst kind is taking place: government employees of these villages are
being issued show-cause notices threatening termination of services
unless they compel the tenants to give up their demand for ownership
rights. The activists of Anjuman Mazarain Punjab are all being hunted
down. Already at least 8 activists have been in jail for months.

Similar violence was unleashed on other farms in previous months,
including in Khanewal in June/July. The tenants have emerged from all of
this harassment with their movement stronger than before. However, the
sheer magnitude of the atrocities committed today in Okara have left all
who have been involved in this movement stunned. Government officials
have been non-committal and have claimed a lack of knowledge of the
events that have taken place. As general elections approach, it seems
the military has decided to consummate its authority through a
demonstration of force so obscene that all challengers might be
intimidated into silence.

We request your help once again in demanding justice for the tenants.
The one million tenants represented by Anjuman Mazarain Punjab reside on
68,000 acres of land across 10 districts in Punjab. They have been
promised ownership rights repeatedly by General Musharraf and other
cabinet ministers. It is high time that the government follows through
on its promises.

Thank you.
In solidarity,
People's Rights Movement (PRM)

PRM is a confederation of social movements across Pakistan. Anjuman
Mazarain Punjab is a constituent member of PRM.

Write to:

General Pervez Musharraf
President of Pakistan
CE Secretariat, Islamabad
Email: ce@p...
Fax: 92-51-9201051

Khalid Maqbool
Governor Punjab
Governor House, Lahore
Fax: 92-42-9200077

Moinuddin Haider
Minister for the Interior
'R' Block
Pak Secretariat, Islamabad
Fax: 92-51-9202642

Dr. Khalid Ranjha
Minister for Law, Justice, Human Rights, and Parliamentary Affairs
'S' Block
Pak Secretariat, Islamabad
Fax: 92-51-9202628
Email: molaw1@c...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

_____

#2.

The News on Sunday
Aug 25 2002

India-Pakistan: Time for a thaw?

Beena Sarwar

"If I had prior knowledge that India was preparing to send a
nuclear missile towards Pakistan," said Arundhati Roy, ending
her talk in Karachi, "I would be here to receive it."

As the two thousand strong audience at the seminar broke into
applause she turned back towards the podium and
added, "Because as the citizen of a democracy, I have a
responsibility. And I would die rather than let nuclear
weapons be used against any country."

The celebrated author's literary claim to fame has been
overshadowed by her political stands since India's BJP
government decided to go nuclear in 1998. Roy was then a
recent celebrity thanks to the 1997 Booker Prize awarded for
her first novel 'The God of Small Things'. The prize combined
with her impish glamour or charisma -- call it what you will,
that elusive star quality that is some just have - led to
tremendous media attention, and when she spoke out against
the nuclear explosions of Pokharan, it made the news. It also
strengthened India's vocal community of peaceniks, and their
counterparts in Pakistan.

But as Ms Roy said at the seminar (Peace and Freedom in South
Asia, organized by daily The Times), "When the governments
talk of war, the people are forced to talk of peace, to
react, they are forced to digress from the fight for social
justice that they are engaged in, many of them on a full-time
basis" - the fight against big dams and evictions, the fight
for the rights of landless peasants, the fight for equality
and human dignity.

The rise of the religious right in India has been an obstacle
to peace, as has the rise of the extremists in Pakistan,
notes senior journalist N. Ram, Editor of The Hindu daily
newspaper and a long-time friend of Arundhati Roy, who was
part of the three-member delegation from India, along with Ms
Roy and Shekhar Gupta, Editor of The Indian Express.

All three have long supported the fight for social justice
and denounce the BJP government's agenda of hijacking India
for the cause of Hindu nationalism. But the media attention
Arundhati Roy gained after the Booker prize has enabled her
to use her celebrity status to further the cause in any way
possible - which she does unhesitatingly, provoking nasty
remarks about 'self-projection' and 'glamourisation'.

A petite, self-effacing, soft-spoken figure, she is used to
such taunts and shrugs them off with characteristic puckish
humour. "People would come up to me and say we're so proud of
you. And I would think yes, proud of the prize I won, not of
the book I wrote." And she makes it a point of pointing out
that she is not alone in espousing the causes that she holds
dear. "I want you to know that there are many, many people
who are fighting this fight out there with all they've got."

She herself picked up the cudgel after the nuclear tests of
1998. As she says in her famous essay 'The End of
Imagination', it is humiliating for a fiction writer to have
to venture into a field (anti-nuclearism) that has been taken
up with such conviction and knowledge for so long, by so many
committed people. Never mind. As she wrote, she is prepared
to humiliate herself, to grovel, if it can in any way
contribute to this cause.

While using the media in any way she can to make her point,
she minces no words in criticizing them when the need arises.
As she said in her talk in Karachi, the media in India has
been shamelessly stateist in its reporting about Kashmir -
while at the same time, sections of the media have been in
the forefront of reporting the atrocities in Gujarat.

Her outspokenness earns her enemies back home. "I am
denounced by the right wing there. they are such close
brothers with your extremists here," she said. "Religious
bigots anywhere are more interested in bigotry than
religion."

On a satirical note, she pointed out that you never know if
they are talking about Viagra or the bomb. "Both made their
appearance simultaneously, and as I watched the bigots in
both our countrie/ s upping the ante, and heard their
rhetoric against women, I thought, 'you don't know what
you're missing, boys'."

She is also criticized for being anti-national, but this, she
adds, does not mean she is "pro" any other nation. In fact,
she confesses to being "very suspicious of nationalism, which
is the cause of the most genocide. "Why can't we love a land
instead of patrolling territories?" she asked. "Governments
never lose wars, and people never win them." Certainly,
governments in power reap great dividends by raising the
nationalism hype. A most recent example is that of Gujarat -
"it was to distract the world's attention from the
atrocities there that the Indian government began the talk of
war against Pakistan," she said.

Regarding India and Pakistan relations, she made a passionate
plea for bridging the gap. Speaking for herself personally
she said that she avoids addressing seminars and keynote
speeches.. "I get a rash just thinking about it, but when the
invitation came from Pakistan, I said, yes, anything, I'll
come. And I never thought I would get the kind of love and
warmth that I've received here. We need to start a 'sarak
kholo andolan', open the gates, let people visit each other.
You can keep your dams and your bombs and your fights, just
let us meet each other. That is how we will get to know each
other's stories, our jokes, our 'galis', our shared history,
our great civilization. That is how we can get to know each
other again. And then we can talk about the more difficult
things. But let the people of Pakistan and India meet each
other."

A hostile and charged up young man during the discussion
session at the end of the seminar fulminated against the
limited audience it was reaching. "This is just an
intellectual orgasm. What about the thousands of people who
can't be here?"

Ms Roy responded to the belligerence with a twinkle in her
eyes and a mischievous, "Personally, I have nothing against
orgasms." When the roar of laughter that went up died down,
she added gently, "I can just see your cousins in India
asking the same kind of question with the same kind of
aggression. About the audience that is here, for me, it was
not a choice between addressing the masses of Pakistan and
this audience. It was either this audience, or not coming at
all. I chose to be here, and I'm glad. And as for the two
thousand or so people that are here, you can each take the
message to dozens more, and they can take it forward, and
that is how it can spread."

(ends)

_____

#3.

NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
62, Gandhi Marg, Badwani-451 551.
(Phone: 07290 22464.
Email: medha@n..., badwani@n...)

Press Note: 25.08.2002

HEAVY RAINS IN THE CATCHMENT AREA ILLEGAL SUBMERGENCE EXPECTED=20
ANYTIME SATYAGRAHIS AND VILLAGERS DETERMINED TO FACE WATER

Due to heavy and intermittent rains in the catchment area and=20
upstream of Sardar Sarovar Project the water level in Narmada,=20
which was receding slowly, has started rising once again in an=20
alarming rate. This time it may cause more devastation than ever=20
before. The determined Satyagrahis, activists, supporters and=20
villagers, including Medha Patkar, Karuna, Shashank, Geethanjali,=20
Gabriele, Rama, Narayanbhai, Luharia, etc. are firm on their stand=20
to face the rising water. Also the release 36000 cusecs of water=20
from Tawa, a dam in the upstream in Narmada will add to the furry.

SATYAGRAHIS CONFRONTED RISING WATER LARGE SCALE DEVASTATION

It may be noted that recent submergence due to the Sardar Sarovar dam=20
(SSP), in the Narmada Valley has caused enormous devastation and=20
destruction of the houses and crops of the tribal families in the=20
Narmada Valley. The people in the valley dared the submergence in=20
Jalsindhi, Domkhedi and other villages, and are prepared to face=20
the unjust submergence once again. It is only before two days,=20
the unjust submergence have devastated large tracts of standing=20
crop in Mokhadi, Antras, Gadher, Turkheda and Hapheshwar, etc in=20
Gujarat, Manibeli, Sikka, Bharad, Domkhedi, etc in Maharashtra and=20
Jalsindhi, Chikhalda, Bada Amba, Dubkheda, etc of Alirajpur tehsil=20
of Madhya Pradesh. The ancient temple in Hapheshwar is already half=20
submerged. Many houses in Domkhedi (including the centres of=20
Satyagraha and NBA office) have been submerged and one house flew=20
away in Sikka. In Jalsindhi, Luhariabhai's house went under water,=20
together with the Satyagraha house.

The submergence has occurred under the scandalous indifferences of=20
the Madhya Pradesh government to the fate of the tribals, where=20
thousands of families are still to be rehabilitated. In Jalsindhi,=20
Luhariabhai and his wife from the first house with the youngest=20
child on her arms, braved rising waters till the waters rose to=20
their necks. In Domkhedi, Boliyabai, Dedlibai, Khiyali, stood in=20
the Satyagraha house supported by adivasi activists Jayanti,=20
Shobha, Tukharam as well as Suhas Kolhekar, Pratibha Shinde, Pravin=20
Shivshankar and Jojo John. They offered resistance by facing the=20
rising waters of Narmada in Satyagraha house till late night on 20th,=20
when the villagers broke open the walls of Satyagraha house and moved=20
them out of the neck deep water to the next house. The district=20
administration intervened with about 200 strong police force,=20
arrested 20 people and were sentenced for 15 days judicial custody.

SATYAGRAHIS ARRESTED STILL NOT RELEASED

Meanwhile, Maharashtra government released only 10 out of 20 people,=20
who were arrested and kept under judicial custody on 21st,=20
yesterday night. It may take one/two days to get the bail of other=20
Satyagrahis as they were charged with a lot of false sections of=20
IPC. The Collector, Nandurbar imposed unwanted charges without=20
bothering even to listen to the Satyagrahis.

SUBMERGENCE WATER MAY ENTER NIMAD AREA THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES YET TO=20
BE REHABILITATED

This time the water may rise even more as there are heavy rains in=20
the submergence area as well as in the upstream of Narmada. The=20
level at dam site at present is 101 meters decreased from 104=20
meters which caused the unjust submergence. But as the monsoon=20
brings heavy rainfall in the catchment area, there is every=20
possibility of more submergence and devastation including the Nimad=20
villages. About 6500 families of 70 villages to be affected at the=20
present height of the dam in Madhya Pradesh will be affected=20
adversely. Also in Maharashtra the recently finished Task Force=20
study has categorically stated that atleast 1000 families yet to be=20
rehabilitated below 95 meters height of the dam and the number may=20
increase! Narmada Bachao Andolan condemns the callous, irresponsible=20
and inhuman attitude of all the state governments for causing=20
unjust submergence and calls upon for immediate release of water by=20
opening the gates and keep open till proper rehabilitation of all=20
the affected families.

M.K.Sukumar

_____

#4.

The Peninsula
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com

Gujarat saw genocide, not riots: Noted poet
Web posted at: 8/24/2002 3:2:39

DOHA: A noted poet and social activist from Kerala, Kadammanitta=20
Ramakrishnan, who visited the riot-hit areas of Gujarat recently has=20
said the communal situation in the state is far from becoming normal=20
and the riot-victims are still living in fear.

Kadammanitta is on a visit to Doha on the invitation of Sanskriti. He=20
attended Sanskriti's Onam celebrations held at the Al Ghazal Club=20
yesterday. A former MLA and currently president of the Progressive=20
Writers Union that owes allegiance to the CPI(M) in Kerala,=20
Kadammaniitta visited Gujarat in the beginning of this month as part=20
of a delegation from the writers group. "We wanted to know the=20
situation on the ground and see what we can do as writers to create=20
mass awareness against such inhuman acts as committed in Gujarat,"=20
Kadammanitta said.

"The Gujarat incidents were not communal riots. It was a deliberate=20
attempt of genocide. It is difficult to find parallels to the=20
cruelties and the barbarism committed in Gujarat," he said. About=20
14,800 people are still living in refugee camps. These camps were set=20
up by NGOs and volunteer organisations, not by the state government.=20
The government has done nothing to rehabilitate the victims.

"The hurry that the BJP-led state government showed was showing to=20
conduct the elections proves that the whole incident was pre-planned.=20
As the Election Commission has now postponed the elections, a=20
consensus is emerging among other parties to defeat the BJP. They may=20
support the Congress, the leading opposition party in the elections,"=20
Kadammanitta said.

The miscreants had destroyed all the schools run by the Muslim=20
community in a deliberate attempt to devastate them educationally, he=20
noted.

Kadammanitta, who once inspired the young generation in Kerala=20
through his "revolutionary" poems said, his Gujarat visit has=20
prompted him to write a few poems on the carnage. One of the poems,=20
that he recited at yesterday's function was inspired by the sight of=20
a banyan tree that was burnt along with a hapless human being who was=20
taking shelter under the tree.

Speaking about the Onam celebrations in the Gulf, Kadammanitta said=20
Keralites in the Gulf are more attached to their culture and language=20
compared to their compatriots in other foreign countries.

"This is because they know very well they will have to return back=20
home sooner or later," he noted.

He urged the Keralite community to utilise occasions like Onam to=20
interact with other cultures and communities, especially the native=20
Arab community.

He noted that the culture of Kerala has many things in common with=20
Arab culture thanks to the historical relations between the two=20
peoples.

_____

#5.

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Cast
Lillete Dubey, Vijay Crishna, Joy Sengupta and Suchitra Pillai

TIMINGS & VENUE:
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DANCE LIKE A MAN is a powerful human drama providing an insight into the
contemporary social scene in India. The story of Jairaj and Ratna is
juxtaposed with that of their daughter Lata, to reveal the darkersecrets of
family relationships and the conflicts between generations. The mode is
comic, but the concerns are serious, real, and universal.

"Experiencing acting of this quality is transforming, and, no matter how
disturbing, the play becomes sometimes, joyful --There is nothing in all th=
is
that is alien to an American audience. The personal conflicts are dramatic
and powerful" - The New York Times

=93Dattani's world seems very much like our own, and his theatrical
concerns=97the bruising fights between generations, the cruelty of art,the
many turning points that send relationships awry=97are as familiar as the
kitchen sink" - The Oregonian

"Mahesh Dattani is one of India's best and most serious contemporary
playwrights writing in English" - International Herald Tribune

Maitri is a free confidential service for South Asian women experiencing
domestic violence, cultural displacement and unresolved conflict. for
further details, contact maitri @maitri.org or call 1 888 8 MAITRI

_____

#6.

Magazine - The Hindu
Sunday, Aug 25, 2002

Violated, by indifference

KALPANA SHARMA

Mumbai's "lifeline" under a cloud

ON the night when India and Pakistan gained their independence from=20
the British 55 years ago, a drunk man on a Mumbai suburban train=20
raped a 12-year-old girl. Five grown men saw this happen, but did not=20
intervene. For the women of Mumbai, Independence Day brought with it=20
an ugly reminder of the reality of being a woman in a city that=20
breeds indifference.

The story appeared on the front page of the leading English language=20
daily in the city. A male reporter who witnessed the rape as he took=20
the last train home wrote it. He said that he shouted at the man but=20
was intimidated by the unarmed drunk. And none of the others did=20
anything. One said he looked away. The drunk man raped the girl, got=20
up and got off the train.

The reporter said they were paralysed by fear. What were they afraid=20
of? That the man would attack them, push them off the train? Could he=20
have tackled all five of the men in the compartment? Surely, as this=20
puny, completely drunk man lay on top of that poor child, any one of=20
them could have yanked him off? And why did none of them pull the=20
chain, or shout for help when the train stopped at a station en=20
route? Was it fear, or was it apathy and indifference, that turned=20
these men into zombies?

The story has led to heated debates in the city. Women, by and large,=20
insist that if five of them had been around, they would have found a=20
way to do something. Even if they could not physically take on the=20
rapist, they would have pulled the chain, shouted, called out for=20
help. Many men have said the same thing. Yet, it was men like them=20
who did nothing.

Mumbai's suburban rail network is its lifeline. Women, who have to=20
work late shifts, including many women journalists, routinely take=20
the last train home. The railways now post guards in the Ladies'=20
compartment. But rather than sitting alone in a compartment with a=20
male policeman, many women prefer to travel in a general compartment=20
which always has a sprinkling of men. These men are often drunk, they=20
always stare and incidents of some of them openly propositioning a=20
lone female are almost routine. But Mumbai's working women have=20
toughened themselves to this and continue to use public transport as=20
there really is no alternative.

The rape on the night of August 14 has shaken even these toughened=20
women. Not only the rape but also the indifference of the men who=20
could have intervened. What if I was that woman, they ask? Would=20
anyone come to my aid?

Yet Mumbai is one of the safest cities for women compared to other=20
Indian cities. Women here have inhabited the public space for far=20
longer than have women in other cities. They form a substantial=20
portion of the over 80 per cent of the city's population that uses=20
the trains and buses that ply through the day and most of the night.=20
And most of the time, when women protest about a man's behaviour,=20
others take their side. There have been many instances of bus=20
conductors forcing male molesters to disembark from the bus if a=20
woman complains. But there are also instances of these very same bus=20
conductors brushing against young women. Life is far from perfect.

But coming back to August 15, just as we were reeling with shock at=20
the news of this Independence Day rape, a worse horror story was=20
reported the next day. Ten men, who had spent August 15 celebrating=20
their "independence" by consuming large quantities of alcohol,=20
decided that this was not enough, that they must have a woman, any=20
woman. So they went to the house of some poor recent migrants to the=20
city in a northern suburb, knocked on the door, thrashed the man who=20
lived there and took turns to rape his young wife.

These two incidents bring into focus many different issues that are=20
forcing many people to think about the city, about women's lives,=20
about urban apathy. The first is the harsh reality of being poor and=20
a woman in the city. You are an easy target for every man, even those=20
given the task of maintaining the law. If we see a poor, homeless=20
woman being molested, we rarely stop and intervene even if we hear=20
her protesting.

But if the woman is more like us, we might stop, particularly if the=20
man attacking her is from a lower class. On the other hand, if her=20
tormentor appears to be from her class, we would hesitate. Perhaps it=20
is a personal matter, we think. Perhaps they will sort it out. And so=20
we move on. So although the poor woman is the most vulnerable, all=20
women are unsafe in the city.

The other aspect is the link between alcohol, violence and sex. Look=20
at our advertising. All liquor ads draw the link between sex and=20
alcohol. All of them show women, always scantily dressed, sending=20
inviting glances toward a man. Predictably, he holds a glass of the=20
particular liquor being advertised. You see the two being=20
irresistibly drawn to one another - fuelled by the alcohol, one=20
presumes? Are these ads reflecting a reality, or endorsing and=20
reinforcing it? Do they then sanction the uncontrolled urge of that=20
drunk on the Mumbai train to rape any woman, even a child as young as=20
12 years? Does it explain the insane manner in which 10 men walked=20
into a poor man's house and gang raped his wife?

And, finally, this troubling issue of selective indifference. Men are=20
indifferent to other women being raped, but men and women are equally=20
sanguine about other communities being attacked, butchered, their=20
houses burnt. Have we not seen this in Gujarat, earlier in Mumbai and=20
Delhi and other cities? How many intervened? How many stood by or=20
cheered the mob? How many turned away?

This 55th year of our indepedence should be a time of some=20
reflection, not of a populous form of empty nationalism that asks=20
everyone to "fly the flag". Waving flags, shouting slogans, singing=20
patriotic songs will not hide the ugly reality - that as a people we=20
are becoming more indifferent to the sufferings of people living next=20
to us, that our society is sanctifying the worse forms of violence=20
against women, children, minority groups. A violent and insecure=20
society can never be truly free or independent.

_____

#7.

Outlook Magazine | Sep 02, 2002=20=20=20=20

BJP Vs BJP
The undeclared war among its many leaders-in-waiting hammers the party's im=
age
SABA NAQVI BHAUMIK
http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=3D20020902&fname=3DCover+Story=
+%28F%29&sid=3D1

_____

#8.

Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 05:15:58 +0000

Fr.Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit Priest, is Director of "Prashant", a=20
human rights=92 organization based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. He has been=20
closely involved in efforts to promote communal harmony in Gujarat.=20
Here he speaks to Yoginder Sikand on the recent carnage in his state.

Q: How has Hindutva impacted on ordinary Gujarati Hindus' notions of=20
religion and identity? How would you explain the massive spread of=20
Hindutva in Gujarat?
A: To presume that there is a massive spread of Hindutva in Gujarat=20
is incorrect. From 1998 onwards, however, the "Hindutva gang" that=20
has taken control of the State and its machinery has been using=20
Gujarat as a laboratory in order to propagate the Hindutva ideology.=20
They have succeeded in polarizing a good section of Hindus in the=20
urban and semi-urban areas, and today a good percentage of Hindus in=20
these areas would actually follow them.This, however, cannot be said=20
of the rest of the State, which is vastly untouched despite the very=20
aggressive forays made by the Hindutva brigade in the rural areas,=20
very specially among the tribals. One must confess, however, that=20
there has been an impact on the urban and semi-urban Hindus,=20
particularly among the middle-class.
Q: How do you account for the active involvement of Dalits and=20
Tribals in attacks on Muslims in Gujarat?
A: Yes, some Dalits and some tribals were involved in attacks on=20
Muslims in the recent Gujarat carnage. This, however, was definitely=20
not widespread but only in certain pockets. What the Sangh Parivar=20
was cashing in on was on the unemployment factor, along with recent=20
droughts in the rural areas, to get some Dalit and tribal youth to=20
loot Muslim shops--just a licence to steal and for arson. The real=20
tragedy will begin now that these tribals and Dalits have tasted=20
"success"-- when they start attacking the real exploiters in the=20
rural areas - who are not Muslims.
Q: Why has the Dalit movement been so weak in Gujarat, in that the=20
Dalits seem to have been so easily co-opted by the Hindutva camp?
A: Yes, the Dalit movement is weak in Gujarat, particularly because=20
of the lack of proper leadership. There are some NGOs that are=20
actively working with the Dalits, but they are limited both in their=20
reach and in their capacity. What is needed to unite and strengthen=20
the Dalits is a person with the charisma of an Ambedkar who will not=20
merely help them reassert their identity but would help them take=20
their rightful place in society without being manipulated by those=20
who seek to divide and rule.
Q: What has been the reaction of Muslim organisations in Gujarat to=20
the massacres?
A: In general, many Muslim organisations have responded generously=20
to the victims of carnage. There are reports, however, that the=20
Government and other Sangh Parivar groups have been working overtime=20
with their policy of "divide and rule". It is reported that some=20
Muslim leaders and organisations have been co-opted and there are=20
some who have been even promised (or given) lucrative offers. We=20
hardly hear any talk of revenge, however. The sheer intensity of what=20
has taken place will need the rare courage of a living saint not to=20
seek revenge. Whilst I definitely think that revenge or retaliation=20
is no answer, I think only the very naive say that it will not take=20
place.
Q: The massacres of Muslims in Gujarat comes close on the heels of=20
attacks on Christians by Hindutva elements in the state. How have=20
Christians in Gujarat reacted to the massacres of Muslims ? Is there=20
a feeling that they too could be attacked in the near future?
A: The Christians in Gujarat have been at the receiving end from=20
these very same Hindutva outfits in 1998 and 1999. In the wake of the=20
attack on the Muslims, the Christian leadership and Church-based=20
organizations have responded with unparalleled heroism. There are=20
individual Christians, however, who are afraid that this may lead to=20
a fresh round of attacks on the Christians. Some have literally=20
abused and criticized the Christian clergy for taking a stand which=20
they feel might threaten them. But that the Christians will be an=20
easy target in Gujarat for the Sangh Parivar goes without saying.
Q: What role do you think inter-faith dialogue can play in combating=20
the challenge of religious fascism in Gujarat today? What forms do=20
you think this dialogue should take?
A: I think that inter-faith dialogue can play a very important role=20
in combating the challenge of religious fascism in Gujarat today. It=20
is essential however, that we primarily understand what inter-faith=20
dialogue is all about. If one begins from a point of superiority,=20
arrogance or even one-upmanship, there will definitely not be a real=20
dialogue. Whilst every initiative, however pedestrian it may seem,=20
must be welcome, religious leaders must focus on issues after=20
transcending the narrowness and pettiness of "what is their own".=20
The starting point is always respect for another's beliefs and way of=20
life, provided it is not detrimental to the common good. Ample=20
provision must be made for scholars to research on commonalties among=20
faiths rather than what divides people. That does not mean to say=20
that "differences" among faiths need to be watered down or swept=20
under the carpet. These need to be addressed too but always in a=20
proper forum and at a proper time.
Q: How do you see the future of inter-communal relations unfolding=20
in Gujarat in the near future?
A: After what has happened in Gujarat, it will take at least a=20
decade for inter-communal relations to unfold. Many of the major=20
cities (and specially Ahmedabad) have become highly polarized.=20
Muslims can no longer live or do business in most areas of the city.=20
Unless the twin fundamentals of security and justice are addressed,=20
there can be little hope for positive inter-communal relations.

_____

#9.

MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2002
THE TIMES OF INDIA

TODAY'S EDITORIALS
Sangh's triple-speak
[ MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2002 12:04:49 AM ]
Even for an organisation that thrives on political doublespeak, the=20
BJP's shifting postures on Kashmir will take a lot of beating.

No, we are not referring here to the glaring contradiction that lies=20
at the heart of the party's stand on the core issue of autonomy.

The reference is to what is potentially an even more critical issue=20
concerning the future of Kashmir, namely, the sangh parivar's demand=20
on the trifurcation of the state. Last month, home minister L K=20
Advani categorically rejected the trifurcation idea as being "against=20
the interests of the nation".

Elections evidently have induced second thoughts. Instead of opposing=20
the demand, the party has decided to ally itself with trifurcation's=20
most vocal proponent - the RSS-sponsored Jammu State Morcha (JSM).
The morcha believes, as the name suggests, that carving up the state=20
is the only feasible way of ending the economic and political=20
dominance of the Valley in J&K. True to form, the BJP has explained=20
its volte face by trying to occupy the moral high ground. The=20
decision to enter into an electoral tie-up with the parivar-backed=20
outfit, if you believe the party's spin doctors, is aimed at=20
preventing the fragmentation of the "nationalist vote" in the state.

The trifurcation formula, as we have repeatedly argued in these=20
columns, is nothing but a regurgitation of the old two-nation theory.=20
Minus the self-serving rhetoric, it is just another example of how=20
the politics of extremism emanating from either side of the=20
fundamentalist divide is a mirror-image of the other.
While no one will deny regional disparities in Kashmir or the need to=20
find institutional mechanisms to redress them, the answer lies not in=20
a re-drawing of political boundaries but in greater autonomy and=20
federalism for sub-regions within the state.
The move to divide the state, on the other hand, could well turn out=20
to be the thin end of the wedge in a game plan that seeks to solve=20
the Kashmir crisis by "isolating" the Valley from the rest of the=20
state. That this fear may not be entirely far-fetched is obvious if=20
one keeps in mind that several American think tanks, particularly the=20
Kashmir Study Group, have in the past mooted similar ideas in dealing=20
with the dispute.
Could it be then that the proposed alliance between the BJP and the=20
JSM is not a mere marriage of electoral expedience but the forerunner=20
of a new strategic paradigm?

o o o

Trifurcation Tangle
The Times of India
By Rashme Sehgal
20th August,2002.

As chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Council,=20
Thupstan Chhawang is a prominent proponent of trifurcation of Jammu=20
and Kashmir. He tells Rashme Sehgal that Ladakh's strategic=20
importance should be recognised by making it a Union territory:

Why do you say J&K should be trifurcated?

The people of Ladakh have suffered discrimination in every field.=20
Although part of J&K, we continue to be treated as second-class=20
citizens. When people talk of Kashmir, they talk of the Valley No one=20
seems to realise that Buddhists are also part of this state.

It was only when the Chinese invaded Ladakh that our region shot into=20
prominence. Till that time, we did not have even a proper road link=20
withthe rest of J&K. But even today, the kind of representation given=20
to us is minimal - two seats from Kargil and two from Leh. Two more=20
seats were added in 1996 when a parliamentary constituency was=20
created for us. We have no say in Kashmir! politics and even less in=20
national politics. The government cannot be blind to the fact that=20
ours is a very strategic region. That is why we have been demanding=20
that Ladakh be given the status of a Union territory and be governed=20
directly from Delhi.

We want Article 370 to be revoked. This will allow the reorganisation=20
of the state. The National Conference's demand to revert to the 1953=20
position is hogwash. Granting more autonomy will mean giving more=20
power to the Kashmir! leadership, who will subjugate the Jammu and=20
Ladakh regions further. Let these two regions have separate=20
assemblies. Why should we be subjected to their cultural aggression?

Are you saying the situation has not changed at all over the years?

The situation has changed very little. The basic fault lies in the=20
way funds are being allocated. Population size has been made the=20
criterion for the allocation of funds. We have a population of only=20
2.5 lakh Buddhists but if one looks at our geographical size, Ladakh=20
comprises two-thirds of J&K state. The entire governmental thrust is=20
on the Kashmir valley whereas our population, which lives in remote=20
areas, ends up with nothing, be it health or educational facilities.=20
This problem is further compounded by the tremendous cost of=20
transporting goods to our interiors.

There is no commonality between the three regions of J&K. The=20
Kashmiris speak a different language, have different food habits and=20
follow a different way of life. Several commissions, including the=20
Sikri Commission, have studied our grievances and unanimously=20
declared that this kind of discrimination is unjustified.=20
Unfortunately no government at the Centre has the guts to trifurcate=20
this state because the J&K assembly continues to be dominated by the=20
Kashmiri population

What kind of plan allocation have you been receiving?

Last year, while the state of J&K received Rs 17,000 crore, we=20
received only Rs 84 crore. Ninety per cent of our plan allocation=20
comes as a grant from the Centre. The Ladakhi Council was set up by=20
the Congress in September 1975. This appointment was subsequently=20
ratified by the assembly From that time till today, the financial=20
rules of the council have not been framed. The Darjeeling Council=20
enjoys cabinet status and its chairman has been given the rank of a=20
minister of state. But our demand for a similar position has yet to=20
be met. Revenues earned from here go to the state treasury and are=20
not being utilised in our region.

Our region remains snow-bound for six months in a year. People have=20
to stock food and other provisions for this period. The snow begins=20
to melt in March-April and the government should release these funds=20
to us during this period. The funds reach us only in August-September=20
by which time our working year is practically over. Ladakh can be=20
kept open for 11 months in a year if an all-weather road were to be=20
built at Puramulla. Instead, the state government wants to build a=20
tunnel at
Zogila which is being shelled every day by Pakistan.

The J&K government has created more than 1.5 lakh jobs for people in=20
the Valley but our posts in the fields of health. education, public=20
works and engineering continue to lie vacant. Hundreds of posts=20
remain unfilled. Why are we being subjected to such stepmotherly=20
treatment?

What do you feel about the 'sadbhavana' movement started by the army?

It's being done on a very selective basis to appease the Muslim=20
community: No attempt has been made to reassure the Buddhists living=20
here, who are feeling very insecure following the influx of Afghani=20
jehadis into J&K. We cannot forget that they destroyed the Bamiyan=20
statues. These jehadis may start attacking our monasteries as well.=20
Since 1999, Ladakhi Buddhists have launched an agitation asking for=20
Union territory status. It is time the government acceded to this=20
demand.

[...]

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