[sacw] SACW #1 | 9 June 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 9 June 2002

South Asia Citizens Web:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

South Asians Against Nukes:
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex/NoNukes.html

__________________________

#1. Resolution Adopted by PIPFPD Convention In Karachi On June 8, 2002
#2. Rally For Peace in India and Pakistan (June 10, San Francisco)
#3. A report on "No-War, Peace Vigil" in Washington DC, June 5 (Kaleem Kawa=
ja)
#4. Statement by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors
#5. 'Deterrence will not always work' Interview with Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy.
#6. To explore Ways to Peace Between India & Pakistan, join us (June=20
8, Michigan State University)
#7. Borderline Madness (Praful Bidwai)
#8. A Good Voice Silenced: Kashmir's Loss Is Also Mine (Pamela Constable)

__________________________

#1.

Peace convention at the Karachi press club

Dear Friends,

A peace convention, jointly organised by PIPFPD (Pakistan-India Peoples
Forum for Peace and Democracy) and the National Trade Union Federation
at the Karachi Press Club from 5 P.M. to 9 P.M. was a tremendous
success.
About 400 men and women attended. They represented all walks of life
including the major and minor political parties, trade unions,
professional organisations, poets, writers, students and all others.
This was perhaps the largest, most representative and most involved and
vocal of such gatherings held in Karachi in support of the cause of
peace in recent months. A former judge of the supreme court presided. A
former judge of the Sindh High Court - a member of the minority
community- was one of the speakers. And among the speakers were leading
intellectuals of the city. The journalist community was present in
strength. The level of representation was multidimensional,
including the representatives of the business community and the trade
unions. Except the Pakistan Television, all other channels such as ARY,
Indus Vision etc covered the event. Perhaps there was some communication
gap. organisers. The over-riding slogan: No to war; Yes to Peace.
[...]
B.M. Kutty, member National Council PIPFPD

***

Pakistan-India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy held a Peace=20
Convention in Karachi on June 8, 2002. The convention was attended by=20
a large number of lawyers, human rights and peace activists, workers,=20
women's rights activists, representatives of media, political parties=20
and other civil society actors. The central leadership of all major=20
political parties including PPP, MQM, PML, National Workers Party was=20
also present in the convention.

Justice retired Fakhruddin G Ibrahim, Sobho Gian Chandani, Dr.=20
Mubarak Ali, Dr. Haroon Ahmed, M.L. Shahani, Ehsan Ullah Khan, Baseer=20
Naveed, Saleem Raza, Hassan Abidi, Khalid Alieg, Omar Farooq and=20
Shahid Fiaz spoken on the occasion. The convention adopted the=20
following resolution urging both Pakistani and Indian governments:

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY PIPFPD CONVENTION IN KARACHI ON JUNE 8, 2002

This convention of Karachi Chapter of Pakistan-India People's Forum=20
for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) expresses profound abhorrence of the=20
highest ever military tension between Indian and Pakistani armies=20
that stand ready to go to war with each other.

The people of Pakistan cognizant of the danger of the threatened war=20
spinning out of control to become a nuclear one, demand that Pakistan=20
government should do everything in its power to effect de-escalation=20
of tension through immediate unilateral withdrawal of troops from=20
forward war deployments to their peace time stations. We expect that=20
common Indians will similarly force their government to do likewise.

The convention also urges both governments to do everything possible=20
to remove the exciting causes that are pushing them to adopt war like=20
stance. We demand them to enter into a wide ranging dialogue with a=20
view to solving all contentious issue on democratic principles. If=20
the bilateral effort to start the dialogue does not succeed, both=20
sides should utilize the facilitation of a common foreign friend.

The convention recognizes and asserts that the decision to severe all=20
land, rail and air communication links should be immediately=20
rescinded without delay and the people of India and Pakistan be=20
enabled to meet each other freely with a view to building bridges of=20
peace. The visa regimes should also be eased immediately for the=20
purpose. Let peace be built by people who need it most.

_____

#2.

Join Bay Area Indian and Pakistani community organizations, peace and human
rights organizations in a RALLY FOR PEACE IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN!!!

This past Wednesday the many groups representing the South Asian community
in DC and Peace Action organized a peace vigil to the Indian and Pakistan=
i
embassies to call for peace in India and Pakistan. We in the Bay Area are
also mobilizing for peace.

When: Monday, June 10th 2002 at 12 noon

Where: UN Plaza in San Francisco (Market Street, near Civic Center BART)

Why: In response to the violence and threats of nuclear war that have
erupted in South Asia in recent weeks, concerned citizens want to send a
clear message to the Indian and Pakistani governments that ordinary people
from both countries denounce all war, especially nuclear war. Ordinary
people want peace, constructive and open dialogue between both nations and
believe that the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination.

Who: Friends of South Asia, the Kashmir Foundation, the Pakistan American
Democratic Forum, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Western States
Legal Foundation, Global Exchange, California Peace Action, EKTA, the
Pakistan Association of San Francisco, the Community Protection Network, th=
e
People's Nonviolent Response Coalition and many others who want PEACE, NOT
WAR.

After the rally, a small delegation will take our list of demands to the
Indian Consulate. Activists in LA will be delivering the same list to the
Pakistani Consulate on Monday.

We come together to say no to war and escalation of violence in S. Asia and
demand the following:

1. That the Indian and Pakistani governments work towards peace and not war=
.
The people of India and Pakistan want peace and we demand that their
governments not use war as a political weapon.

2. An end to ALL violence, including violent rhetoric and threats of war.
We condemn all war, particularly nuclear war.

3. That Pakistan and India devote their resources to human needs and to
ending social injustices, not on armaments and military expansion.

4. A de-escalation of the military build-up and war rhetoric.

5. A constructive and open dialogue between peoples and governments.
Governments should resume political and diplomatic negotiations immediately
and re-open communication lines between the peoples of India, Pakistan and
Kashmir.

6. The people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination.

7. No U.S. military intervention. The U.S. should lead by example by
immediately declaring a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons and
initiating multilateral negotiations on the rapid elimination of nuclear
weapons worldwide.

8. The United Nations should act to foster dialogue and negotiation
between India and Pakistan and a de-escalation of violence and war rhetoric=
.

PLEASE JOIN US ON MONDAY!!! BRING SIGNS AND PROPS IF YOU CAN!!! If you
cannot make it to the action, you can still take action. See call to actio=
n
below. THANK YOU!!!

For more information, please see press release below or call Leila at
415-575-5536. I can give you more info, as well as other groups contacts.

In peace and solidarity,
Leila Salazar
Global Exchange
---------------

Rally in UN Plaza brings Bay Area Indians and Pakistanis Together in a Call
for Peace

On Monday, June 10 representatives from various Indian and Pakistani
community organizations-as well as Bay Area peace and human rights
organizations-will come together for a rally at UN Plaza in San Francisco a=
t
12 noon. Following the rally, these representatives will take a list of
demands to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. Similarly, a delegation
will take the same list to the Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles.

In response to the violence and threats of nuclear war that have erupted in
South Asia in recent weeks, concerned citizens want to send a clear message
to the Indian and Pakistani governments that ordinary people from both
countries denounce all war, especially nuclear war. Ordinary people want
peace, constructive and open dialogue between both nations and believe that
the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination.

"India and Pakistan must understand that war will not resolve the injustice=
s
of history, it will only condemn our nations further and exacerbate the ver=
y
tensions that are sought to be resolved through war," said Angana P.
Chatterji, a Professor, of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the
California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. "India must stop
violating the rights and lives of Kashmiris, and Pakistan must change its
policy connected to Kashmir. Indian national interest must be supportive of
minority rights and secularism, and separate itself from Hindu extremism.
Pakistan must take seriously tasks related to the democratization of its
polity. We must not support the fabric of resistance connected to the use o=
f
terror on the part of states and groups. We must take responsibility for th=
e
unjust histories through which our nations were conceived, "

"A solution to the Kashmir problem is vital to restore durable peace in
South Asia," says Abdus Sattar Ghazali from Pakistan American Democratic
Forum. "Even if the military situation between Pakistan and India
de-escalates now, there will always be a possibility of tension between the
two countries unless the Kashmir problem is resolved."

"The conflict raging between India and Pakistan, the newest members of the
nuclear club, demonstrates anew that the fate of our planet is at stake,"
according to Jacqueline Cabasso, Executive Director of the Western States
Legal Foundation, a nuclear disarmament advocacy group in Oakland. "While
U.S. officials are telling India and Pakistan that war is not an option, th=
e
U.S. is developing more useable=92 nuclear weapons as an option in its own
open-ended war against terrorism. This hypocritical do as we say, not as w=
e
do=92 posture is dangerous and destabilizing. The best way for the U.S. to
help de-escalate the military standoff in South Asia is to lead by example.
The U.S. should immediately declare a policy of no-first-use of nuclear
weapons and initiate multilateral negotiations to eliminate nuclear weapons
worldwide."

Representatives from the following organizations will be speaking on the
need for both India and Pakistan to make commitments to peace, instead of
war: Friends of South Asia, the Kashmir Foundation, the Pakistan American
Democratic Forum, Alliance of South Asians Taking Action, Western States
Legal Foundation, and Global Exchange. In addition, California Peace
Action, EKTA, the Pakistan Association of San Fransico and the Community
Protection Network and the People's Nonviolent Response Coalition have
endorsed this event.

###
COALITION FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND PEACE (CNDP) CRIES HALT TO PRO-WAR
CAMPAIGN

YOUR EFFORTS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

India and Pakistan are on the verge of a war that could escalate into a
nuclear confrontation. A perverse, irrational, and almost willfully
suicidal mentality seems to exist in some military sectors. Yet India and
Pakistan have substantial peace and antinuclear movements. They need your
help. A nuclear conflict is not inevitable, though the risk of one is
considerable. The issue is as urgent and pressing as any other issue in the
world right now. There are a number of positive things that you can do.

1) Send a message of solidarity to the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament an=
d
Peace in India. (The coalition includes Pakistani organizations.) E-mail t=
o
Achin Vanaik in India at: pamela@d...

2) Write to the Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan=
.
Tell them that nuclear war contradicts all that is best in the traditions o=
f
the Southasian subcontinent. Tell them that war will solve nothing and will
lead to the destruction of both countries. Urge them to step back from the
brink of mutual destruction, and to solve their differences by peaceful
means. FAX NUMBERS FOLLOW.

PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA A.B. VAJPAYEE
+91-11-301-6857 +91-11-301-9545, 91-11-972-2-664-838
MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS INDIA
+91-11-301-0700

PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF OF PAKISTAN
+1-92-51-920-3938, 0011-92-51-920-1968 0011-92-51-811390
FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN +92-51-920-7217 +92-51-920 0420 or 820-420

3) Call or write to President Bush and Secretary of State Powell. Urge
them to use their influence to de-escalate the military stand-off between
India and Pakistan and promote diplomatic solutions. Demand that they lead
by example by commencing immediate multilateral negotiations on the
elimination of nuclear weapons everywhere. Add your own additional
examples. There are far too many to list in this short space.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH
Comments: (202) 456-1111
Switchboard: (202) 456-1414
FAX: (202) 456-2461
E-mail: president@w...

SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL
(Switchboard: 202) 647-4000
Fax: 202-261-8577

[...]
Here is the map (UNITED NATIONS PLZ, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102):
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?location=3DQB1TnZ9VpNNh0TncajA37g6ne%2=
bXFAjaLck3GB85BI3dqEJll9YzaTPEVofwnNeOapIsRaYKF34m3bDQh1rkMZdVOPwIrEhJBZ8wh=
wYDgMI13t683wOLwVoNxP1BGZ8Ng&address=3DUN%20Plaza&city=3DSan%20Francisco&st=
ate=3DCA&zipcode=3D&country=3DUS

____

#3.

A report on "No-War, Peace Vigil" in Washington DC (June 5)
by Kaleem Kwaja
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SAAN_/message/326

____

#4.

[08 June 2002]

STATEMENT BY UNESCO GOODWILL AMBASSADORS

We, the undersigned Goodwill Ambassadors of UNESCO are deeply=20
concerned about the dangerous escalating tension between India and=20
Pakistan as the outbreak of war between the two countries shall=20
inevitably end up in nuclear confrontation, now that both the=20
countries are armed with weapons of mass destruction. The=20
catastrophic consequences of nuclear war and the horrible death and=20
destruction it would surely cause shall further aggravate the=20
suffering of the poverty-stricken people in South Asia.

At this critical crossroads of history, we earnestly appeal to the=20
governments of India and Pakistan to heed the advice of International=20
community and resolve their differences diplomatically in a spirit of=20
the sub-continent's traditional common culture of non-violence and=20
tolerance. It is only by respecting the sentiments of their people=20
who are largely against terrorism and fratricidal war that the=20
responsible leaders of India and Pakistan could possibly fulfill=20
their mandate of guiding the deprived masses in South Asia towards=20
peace and prosperity.

Mr. Jos=E9 Antonio ABREU, Pianist Maestro, Venezuela * Mme Alicia=20
Alonso, Director National Ballet of Cuba * Mr. Patrick BAUDRY,=20
Astronaut, France * Mr. Pierre BERGE, President Yves St Laurent,=20
France * Mme Montserrat CABALLE, Opera Singer, Spain * Mr. Pierre=20
CARDIN, Fashion Designer, France * Mme Claudia CARDINALE, Film Star,=20
France * Mr. Marin CONSTANTIN, Music Maestro, Romania * Dr Cheick=20
Modibo DIARRA, African Astrophysician, USA * Mr. Miguel-Angel=20
ESTRELLA, Pianist Maestro, Argentina * Mme Vigd=EDs FINNBOGAD=D3TTIR,=20
Former President of Iceland * H.R.H. Princesse FIRYAL of Jordan * Mr.=20
Ivry GITLIS, Violinist Maestro, Israel * Mme Bahia HARIRI, Parliament=20
Member, Lebanon * Mr. Ikuo HIRAYAMA, Traditional Painter, Japan * Mr.=20
Jean Michel JARRE, Electro-acoustic Maestro, France * Mr. Omer Z=FClf=FC=20
LIVANELI, Journalist, Musician, Turkey * Mme Rigoberta MENCHU TUM,=20
Nobel Peace Prize, Guatemala * Mr. Kit=EDn MU=D1OZ, Navigator primitive=20
boats, Spain * Mme Ute-Henriette OHOVEN, Art Patron, Germany * Mr.=20
Edson PELE, Football legend, Brazil * Mme Kim PHUC, Famous survivor=20
of Vietnam War, Canada* Mme Susana RINALDI, Tango Singer, Argentina *=20
Mr. Madanjeet SINGH, President South Asia Foundation, India * Mr.=20
Sheikh Ghassan SHAKER, International Entrepreneur, Saudi Arabia* Mr.=20
Wole SOYINKA, Nobel Literature Prize, Nigeria * Mr, Giancarlo Elia=20
VALORI, President Industrialists Union, Italy * Mme Marianna=20
VARDINOYANNIS, President Child and Family Foundation, Greece * Mr.=20
Julio WERTHEIN, Banker and Art Patron, Argentina *

_____

#5.

Frontline
Volume 19 - Issue 12, June 8-21, 2002
COVER STORY

'Deterrence will not always work'
Interview with Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy.

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a nuclear physicist who teaches at the=20
Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. He is the recipient of several=20
professional awards for scientific research. He has written and=20
spoken extensively on topics ranging from science in Islam, to issues=20
of education in Pakistan and nuclear disarmament. He produced a=20
13-part documentary series in Urdu for Pakistan Television on=20
critical issues in education, and two other major television series=20
aimed at popularising science. In this interview with Mohammad=20
Shehzad conducted in Islamabad, Dr. Hoodbhoy speaks on the dark side=20
of the nuclear weapons in the backdrop of current Pakistan-India=20
tension. Possession of nuclear weapons gave Pakistan a false sense of=20
confidence and security, encouraging it into adventurism in Kashmir=20
and initiating a war, he says. Excerpts:

Have nuclear weapons brought more security or more insecurity to this regio=
n?

The evidence is unambiguous - since the nuclear tests of 1998, we=20
have witnessed two full-blown India-Pakistan confrontations. During=20
the Kargil crisis in 1999, we now know, the Pakistan Army - without=20
the knowledge of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif - had mobilised its=20
nuclear-tipped missile fleet. Presumably the Indians were also in a=20
high state of nuclear readiness. The present crisis is yet more=20
dangerous, with India breathing fire and preparing for what it calls=20
'limited war'. Prime Minister Vajpayee has exhorted his troops in=20
Kashmir to prepare for sacrifice and 'decisive victory'.

Do you think that the subcontinent would have been less violent=20
without nuclear weapons?

Absolutely so. Bellicose, aggressive behaviour has increased sharply=20
since 1998 with the Kargil war being one consequence. In fact, this=20
war will be recorded by historians as the first that was actually=20
caused by nuclear weapons. Possession of nuclear weapons gave=20
Pakistan a false sense of confidence and security, encouraging it=20
into adventurism in Kashmir and initiating a war. Interestingly=20
enough, the Indians shot themselves in the foot by forcing Pakistan=20
to bring out its nuclear weapons into the open. Now they realise that=20
their options in Kashmir are sharply limited, and the risk of mutual=20
annihilation is a very real one.

Today, in spite of General Musharraf's speech of January 12, there is=20
little doubt that militant camps continue to shelter under Pakistan's=20
nuclear umbrella. They are a curse not only to India but also for=20
Pakistan and its civil society. If the September 11 event had not=20
occurred, they would have been stronger still. Sectarian Islamic=20
groups have slaughtered hundreds of innocents in the last two years,=20
including over a hundred doctors in Karachi.

You seem to agree that Pakistan's nuclear weapons have deterred India=20
from attacking it?

There is little doubt that Pakistan's nuclear weapons stopped India=20
from attacking after the December 13 attack by jehadists on the=20
Indian Parliament. So in that sense I agree with you that deterrence=20
did work. It also worked in 1999, and perhaps also in the crises of=20
1990 and 1987. But will it always work? Islamic jehadists - who must=20
be considered a third force that now operates independently of the=20
Pakistani state - crave for a full-scale war between the two=20
countries. They could easily commit some huge atrocity which turns=20
India into a mad bull dashing blindly into a nuclear-armed Pakistan.

While Pakistani and Indian hawks, who pose as 'strategic analysts'=20
and 'experts', loudly trumpet that deterrence has been proven to=20
work, events since 1998 have completely falsified their predictions.=20
Their published claims had been that overt nuclearisation would=20
create a stable 'balance of terror', making it impossible for either=20
country even to think of attacking the other. They had also predicted=20
smaller expenditures on defence since minimal deterrence had been=20
established. But, as we stand on the brink of a war and in the middle=20
of a full-blown arms race, honesty should compel them to eat their=20
words.
[...]

{Full Text at: http://www.flonnet.com/fl1912/19121250.htm }

______

#6.

Can War In Asia Be Averted?

You Can Play
A Very Important Role
In Averting The War In The
Indian Subcontinent. .=8A

Until Recently Everyone Thought That

THE INDIA AND PAKISTAN WILL NOT GO TO WAR
[...].
Dear Friend of Humanity:

Two weeks from now the Indian military wants to cross the line of=20
control in Kashmir and attack the "terrorist training camps" before=20
the onset of monsoons rains.

While India hopes it will be a limited and conventional war, there is=20
no guarantee that things will not escalate into a larger conflict,=20
possibly even a NUCLEAR CONFLICT with millions of people killed.

THE TWO WORLD WARS STARTED THE SAME WAY AND ULTIMATELY KILLED FIFTY=20
MILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!

To explore Ways to Peace Between India & Pakistan, join us in person=20
at 10:15 am Saturday, June 8th 2002 in room B 104 of Wells Hall,=20
Michigan State University or via email send your suggestions and=20
ideas in 50 to 100 words maximum at Shrikumar@a...

Kindly rebroadcast this invitation to all friends and family members=20
on your list.

Yours for Peace,=20=20=20=20=20
Shrikumar Poddar ,for
Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment

Exploring Ways To Peace Between India and Pakistan!
Four Panelists For Peace!

K. S. Sripada Raju, Vaishnava Center
Ms. Elise Harvey, Peace Education Center
Shrikumar Poddar, India Foundation
Dr. Khalida Zaki, Sociologist, MSU

You Suggest Ways of Making Peace!

10:15 am Saturday, June 8th 2002
B 104 Wells Hall, MSU, E. Lansing

" People of India & Pakistan Are Blood Brothers & Sisters,
Then Why Go To War? The Entire World Is One
Family, Then Why Can't We Live In Peace?"

SPONSORED BY

Peace Education Center
Citizens For Peaceful Lansing
Office For International Students & Scholars
Center For Advanced Study of International Development
Coalition of Indian Undergraduate Students
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE SOCIETY
A Humanitarian Service of Vaishnava Center For Enlightenment

_____

#7.

The Nation (New York)
COMMENT | June 24, 2002

Borderline Madness

by Praful Bidwai

New Delhi
No government welcomed George W. Bush's declaration of a "war against=20
terror" last September more enthusiastically than India's. And none,=20
save perhaps Ariel Sharon's, more zealously tried to implement the=20
Bush Doctrine: identifying terrorism as the main, if not the sole,=20
threat to security everywhere, equating terrorists with their=20
supporters or sympathizers and fashioning a purely militarist=20
approach to terrorism. The fruits of this effort are now in full,=20
gory evidence along the India-Pakistan border and particularly on the=20
Line of Control in Kashmir, where a million soldiers confront one=20
another eyeball-to-eyeball for the sixth consecutive month, in the=20
greatest military mobilization since World War II.

Menacingly, they are backed by nuclear weapons and various=20
denominations of missiles and fast-flying aircraft. Missile flight=20
times between their main cities are three to eight minutes. Pakistan,=20
the weaker power in conventional armaments, has warned that it could=20
use nuclear weapons. On May 30 its UN ambassador declared, "India=20
should not have the license to kill with conventional weapons while=20
Pakistan's hands are tied."

The world is witnessing its gravest nuclear crisis in half a century,=20
and Indian and Pakistani leaders are not doing enough to defuse it.=20
Their forces have been on hairtrigger alert since a May 14 terrorist=20
attack on military dependents near Jammu, for which Atal Behari=20
Vajpayee's right-wing government blamed Pakistan-sponsored=20
"cross-border terrorism" in the Kashmir Valley. There is absolutely=20
no doubt that Pakistan has supported separatist guerrillas and=20
infiltrated violent jihadis into the valley over the past twelve=20
years. But there is plenty of room for doubt about its post-September=20
11 involvement. India has not produced convincing evidence of this in=20
the December 13 attack on its Parliament or subsequent incidents.

The Vajpayee government has long been keen to settle scores with=20
Pakistan militarily rather than to explore diplomatic means. The=20
events of September 11 offered it a unique opportunity to trap=20
Washington in its antiterrorism rhetoric and recruit US support. The=20
reasons for India's conduct are largely domestic. They have to do=20
with covering up grave lapses in Kashmir, where India has unleashed=20
vicious repression against popular demands for autonomy and=20
secession. Charges of "cross-border terrorism," however true, are=20
played up to divert attention from such repression.

Equally important is Vajpayee's need to divert attention from the=20
multiple failures of his Hindu-sectarian, anti-Muslim Bharatiya=20
Janata Party, which leads a ragtag twenty-seven-party coalition in=20
New Delhi. The BJP has implemented a right-wing pro-globalization=20
economic agenda that has further impoverished the people. It has=20
violated countless constitutional norms, pushed through repressive=20
laws and mocked India's greatest achievement: democracy. Above all,=20
it has deepened social cleavages, promoted exclusivist policies and=20
terrorized India's religious minorities by imposing=20
Hindu-fundamentalist agendas in education and culture. Its principal=20
target is India's 130 million Muslims, whom it demonizes as aliens.

The most grotesque instance of the Hindu-inspired terror campaign is=20
the recent pogrom of Muslims in Gujarat, sponsored by the BJP and its=20
associates with full state collusion. More than 2,000 people were=20
butchered in a well-planned "retaliation" for the February 27 killing=20
of fifty-eight Hindu militants in a train. Independent NGOs say the=20
pogrom--the worst in fifty-five years--would have happened regardless=20
of the train incident. Washington has not strongly condemned the=20
Gujarat carnage--unlike the smaller-magnitude "terrorist" attacks.

India's domestic opposition was united against Vajpayee for his=20
shameful defense of the Gujarat government. Then came the May 14=20
attack near Jammu. It divided the opposition and somewhat shored up=20
the BJP's sinking popularity (the party has lost all major elections=20
but one since 1999).

Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf has his own ax to grind--secure US=20
economic and military aid, legitimation for himself and a commitment=20
to open up the Kashmir dispute for discussion. He has consistently=20
pandered to his Muslim constituency by endorsing the Muslim claims to=20
Kashmir. This has led him to condone training and support for=20
terrorist training camps in Pakistan while claiming he has nothing to=20
do with the murderous forays into Indian-occupied areas of Kashmir.

The international community must intervene to separate the two rivals=20
and defuse a possible nuclear catastrophe. There has been some=20
progress in this direction recently. But the danger of war and=20
nuclear holocaust will persist unless India and Pakistan demobilize=20
their forces and demilitarize the Line of Control. The world, in=20
particular the United States, can play a useful role by offering=20
independent monitoring to insure a permanent end to cross-border=20
infiltration of militants and by encouraging India and Pakistan to go=20
to the negotiating table. This role must be subtle and evenhanded,=20
not overbearing.

Kashmir must be free of violence for some years before India and=20
Pakistan negotiate its ultimate status in consultation with its=20
people. What matters now is that Washington not coddle either regime=20
for narrow, short-term power considerations while indulging its own=20
nuclear and missile-defense obsessions.

_____

#8.

The Washington Post
Sunday, June 9, 2002; Page B02

A Good Voice Silenced: Kashmir's Loss Is Also Mine
By Pamela Constable

KABUL, Afghanistan

Two weeks ago, I was in a dingy government office in northern=20
Afghanistan, interviewing a police official. A small TV set flickered=20
in the corner, but I barely noticed it until I suddenly glimpsed a=20
familiar, grizzled face frozen on the screen. Underneath was a=20
one-word caption: Assassinated.

It was Abdul Ghani Lone, a70-year-old lawyer and politician from=20
India's Kashmir Valley. He had been gunned down in Srinagar, the=20
region's major city, just after delivering a speech at a memorial=20
service for another slain political leader.

Sick with sadness and rage, I sank down in front of the TV and=20
touched the face on the screen. Lone had been my friend, a man I=20
admired greatly for his candor and courage. I had no idea who had=20
killed him, but I immediately knew why: The stakes in Kashmir had=20
simply become too high to tolerate an honest, moderate voice.

Tens of thousands of people have died violently in the Kashmir=20
Valley, a corner of India whose natural beauty has been savaged by=20
avicious guerrilla war for the past 13 years, a place where fading=20
posters of scenic lakes and mountain crags were long ago eclipsed by=20
news photos of kerchiefed women wailing over corpses.

During numerous visits to Kashmir over the past four years, I have=20
written about dozens of these deaths, always struggling to achieve=20
that fraudulent balance between outrage and impartiality. Sometimes I=20
saw the mutilated bodies of young Kashmiri guerrilla suspects dumped=20
by roadsides, sometimes the charred bodies of young Indian soldiers=20
torn to shreds by grenade blasts.

Always, the killings were fresh fodder for the propaganda war being=20
waged by India, Pakistan and the Kashmiri separatist movement, whose=20
competing claims to the divided border region are rooted in the=20
chaotic, never-clarified partition of Hindu-dominated India that=20
created Muslim Pakistan more than half a century ago.

Always, facts were hard to come by and blame was easily diffused in=20
the murky fog of a protracted proxy war in which all sides were=20
guilty of intransigence, cruelty and cynicism -- and virtually no one=20
ever told the truth.

But when I learned that Lone had been assassinated on May 21, I felt=20
as if an unforgivable line had been crossed -- as if the forces of=20
extremism were sending the ultimate, nihilistic message from the=20
murk. I felt a sense of despair far deeper and sharper than anything=20
I had experienced while covering scores of more anonymous deaths in=20
Kashmir.

For years, Lone had been one of the few voices of consistent reason=20
in a conflict dominated by radical posturing, narrow self-interest=20
and gratuitous violence. A one-time state legislator and lifelong=20
Muslim separatist who was a senior leader of the All Parties Hurriyet=20
Conference, he harbored equal mistrust of India's and Pakistan's=20
designs on Kashmir.

He defended the Kashmiri armed insurgency, but only as a necessary,=20
limited evil in the absence of dialogue and democracy. And when=20
Islamic fundamentalist fighters from Pakistan began gaining influence=20
over the guerrilla movement several years ago, he was the only=20
prominent separatist who spoke out against them.

Since 1998, Lone and I had met periodically in his barren Srinagar=20
office for long conversations, closer to history lectures, laced with=20
his mournful aphorisms and wry wit. I ate with his family, I traveled=20
with him, I was invited to his son's wedding. I called him "Lone=20
Sahib," a term of respect. He called me "daughter," which made me=20
feel embarrassed but never compromised.

Our conversations helped me understand the tortured history of=20
Kashmir, the fatalistic pride and bitterness of the valley's Muslim=20
majority, the alienation and frustration that drove thousands of=20
young Kashmiri men to take up arms in the early 1990s against the far=20
more powerful military forces of the Indian state.

"Kashmir is like a well with a poisoned dog inside it," Lone told me=20
in 1999. "India keeps removing buckets and buckets of water, but it=20
has never removed the dog. As long as the Kashmir issue is not=20
resolved, the poison will remain."

But Lone never allowed himself to be poisoned. Despite his abiding=20
suspicion of India's central government, which he viewed as an=20
occupying colonial power, he never gave up hoping for negotiation and=20
democratic rule in Kashmir. Although convinced he had been cheated=20
out of his state assembly seat by Indian officials in 1987, he=20
recently expressed support for upcoming state elections.

Despite his movement's longtime dependence on Pakistan, and the=20
separatist myth that most Kashmiri Muslims yearned to be part of the=20
neighboring state, Lone was increasingly critical of Pakistan's=20
self-interested patronage. Two years ago, during a rare trip to=20
Islamabad for his son's wedding, he pointedly said it was time for=20
Kashmir's Islamic "guest fighters" to go home.

"Our biggest danger now is sabotage from extremists on both sides,"=20
he told me then. "Both the Pakistani [intelligence services] and the=20
Indian army want to continue this war. There are many vested=20
interests, and we must not fall into their trap. Kashmir should be=20
left to manage its own problems."

But the guerrilla attacks intensified, hostility between India and=20
Pakistan mounted, and now the neighboring rivals -- both possessing=20
nuclear arsenals -- proclaims themselves ready for war. Hundreds of=20
thousands of troops stare each other down across the border, and=20
Pakistani officials have made veiled threats to use nuclear weapons=20
if India attacks.

Against this backdrop of near-total polarization, the slaying of Lone=20
made tragic sense. Just as Kashmir seemed about to boil over into the=20
decisive regional conflict of Islamic extremists' dreams, the senior=20
separatist leader was disavowing their radical agenda and backing=20
Indian elections. He had to be silenced.

Lone's assassination, by masked gunmen who posed as police and then=20
escaped, made me think instantly of Neelam Tiruchelvam, a moderate=20
Sri Lankan politician from the Tamil ethnic minority, who had been=20
respected for his efforts to find neutral ground and a negotiated=20
solution to the protracted civil war with the Sinhalese majority.

In July 1999, Tiruchelvam, 55, was killed by a suicide bomber,=20
probably from the Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Like Lone's, his reasonable=20
demands for negotiation and limited political autonomy for an=20
ethnic-minority region posed a far greater threat than any armed foe=20
to extremists' visions of cataclysmic confrontation.

To those genuinely concerned about solving the Kashmir conflict,=20
Lone's audacious slaying seemed to deal a blow to the prospects for=20
peace. Indian newspaper editorials mourned the "death of moderation,"=20
the "redundancy of reason" and the demise of a dove in a "season of=20
hawks."

To those more concerned with spin, the unsolved crime was another=20
opportunity for easy finger-pointing. Many Indians blamed Pakistan,=20
suggesting that its intelligence agencies had decided to eliminate a=20
persuasive, anti-Pakistan voice. Some Pakistani guerrilla groups=20
blamed India, suggesting that its agents had used Lone to tar them as=20
terrorists.

Given the treacherous history of the Kashmir conflict, neither=20
scenario was out of the question. But to me, it hardly mattered who=20
had pulled the trigger. Lone Sahib was gone. There would be no more=20
edifying chats in his office, no more Kashmiri proverbs and no more=20
embarrassing moments when a grizzled old politician, with sly but=20
irresistible charm, greeted me fondly as "daughter."

I will always miss him.

Pamela Constable, who is currently based in Kabul, has been The=20
Post's South Asia bureau chief for three years.

--=20
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