[sacw] SACW | 11 June 02

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 11 June 2002

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

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

__________________________

#1. The slums of Bombay are indistinguishable from those of Karachi=20
(Zia Ahmed)
#2. Women's group flays inadequate riot rehab
#3. For Peace, not war: Non resident Indians and Pakistanis=20
demonstrate in Ottawa
#4. Picket To protest at the presence of L K Advani leader of Hindu=20
far right in London
#5. Report on 8 June anti war demo by South Asians in London
#6. In Gujarat (Sagari Chhabra)
#7.June issue of Himal
#8. Motion in Brazilian Parliament to repudiate the use of nuclear=20
weapons in the conflict
between India and Pakistan

__________________________

#1.

chowk.com
[6 June 2002]

Dissing Ideologies
The slums of Bombay are indistinguishable from those of Karachi
by Zia Ahmed

As war-mongering clouds our already murky skies, I struggle to=20
contain increasingly surreal questions. Who exactly are these morons=20
who claim to lead us? Who put them in charge? And more importantly,=20
how is it that they can threaten to wage war on my behalf? I don't=20
recall signing a release form for "every last drop of [my] blood."=20
Yet Mr. Musharraf has charmingly promised exactly that on behalf of=20
every citizen of the Islamic Republic. My response to him (and every=20
other incipient mujahid that I have known since KG2) is to point=20
north-wards, and extract a promise to call me when Srinagar is=20
"liberated".

The macho, schoolyard-bully act that is apparent on both sides of the=20
border smacks of the patriarchal pit that is sub-continental society.=20
It would take a devoted team of Herr Freuds to decode the=20
testosterone-laden bellicosity that leaders on both sides radiate.=20
Highly paid ones too, if you throw in the endless displays of=20
missiles of various ranges. Asad theorizes that there are only a=20
handful of actual missiles; all that an Abdali to Ghaznavi morph=20
requires is a bucket of paint and a steady hand. Not to say that=20
chauvinism is a domain of the political elites alone. Last week,=20
MSNBC brought me our home-grown Orientalist Akbar Ahmed, ruminating=20
on the concept of Izzat and its effect on state relations. In a fit=20
of feminist righteousness, Abby immediately conducted a statistical=20
analysis of global politics, and found a startling correlation=20
between confrontation and the number of males in positions of power.=20
Her conclusion: if you want peace, send Ammi to Islamabad. Azad=20
Kashmir may go to pot but we'll all get hot chapattis for lunch and=20
mandatory monthly haircuts. Another appealing possibility is mortal=20
kombat between our two gasbags Musharraf and Vajpayee. Or follow=20
Douglas Adams' timeless principle: anyone who wants to be president=20
should on no account be given the job.

Bhayeea used to keep a running total of Kashmiri shaheeds as reported=20
by PTV. The precise number eludes me now, but by last year, it sure=20
seemed like a fair percentage of Kashmiris were enjoying the=20
hospitality of either houris or the Indian army. "Kashmir runs in our=20
blood", thunders Mr. Musharraf. Really? The last time Kashmir ran in=20
my blood was during Roohi Apa's mehndi, after four cups of sickly=20
sweet pink tea.

The Pakistani government's "principled" stand on Kashmir - that of a=20
plebiscite to determine the will of the Kashmiri people - seems like=20
hypocrisy of the highest order. How about a plebiscite to determine=20
the will of the Pakistani people? How many wars have actually been=20
declared by my elected representatives? And how about a peek into our=20
own proverbial "gireban"? This principled stand comes from a state=20
that can technically stone a woman to death for getting herself=20
raped, or hang people for either proclaiming or deriding some=20
mumbo-jumbo in Arabic. Where are the denunciations of Iraq, Turkey or=20
Indonesia, brother Muslim nations that have massacred millions of=20
Kurds and East Timorese? Not to mention our own sordid history of the=20
rape and butchery of countless Bengali innocents.

The jihad culture, an entirely predictable consequence of our Kashmir=20
mania, has permeated urban life in Pakistan to an astonishing degree.=20
The lady who does the dishes for my parents has a husband in an=20
Afghan prison, one of the pitiful members of a resistance force=20
assembled in Karachi to defend our Afghan brethren. This phenomenon=20
is hardly new. In 1991, Kashmir was Cousin Jimmy's alleged=20
destination after he was expelled from military school. Granted he=20
turned up at a friend's house, fleeing from Daddy's expected wrath.=20
But Kashmir and jihad were respectable causes that Mummy could=20
proudly relate to us. Many years later, I discovered a Kashmiri jihad=20
collection box at the local tandoor. And my last exercise in a mosque=20
(Eid prayers 2000) was done in full view of a Kalashinkov wielding=20
gent proclaiming liberation from a poster. "Tsk, tsk" was the only=20
response that Abbu could muster, even after maulvi sahib's=20
traditional harangue on Hindu, Nasihi and Yahoodi conspiracies. Not=20
that conspiracy theories are limited to the maulvi alone. I have=20
heard the missing-WTC-Jews theory from a friend's father, a respected=20
industrialist. The weekly tanker chap narrated a similar "saazish",=20
peppered with a wink and cursory Mossad reference. And even dear old=20
Abbu spoke convincingly of American designs on "our" nuclear assets.

If saving "innocent Muslim people" (Kashmiri or otherwise) is really=20
our intention, consider the following. The infant mortality rate in=20
Pakistan stubbornly clings to the low 80's (83.3/1,000 births in=20
2001). Consider a foolish world where a state's worth lies in its=20
social indicators, and not the size of its Oedipal arsenal. Reducing=20
Pakistan's infant mortality rate to India's level (63.19 deaths/1,000=20
births) would translate to 86,676 saved lives every year (birth rate=20
of 31.21 births/1,000 for a population of 138.1 million). Ironically=20
enough, this number is remarkably close to the total number of deaths=20
attributed to "Indian brutalities against the innocent Muslim people=20
of Kashmir" over more than a decade.

All this for what, you ask? Something called the two-nation theory=20
which, as every upright schoolchild knows, asserts that "Muslims are=20
entirely separate people from Hindus in every respect... [they] form=20
an ideological community with divine guidance for every field of=20
human life." Fine and dandy, except that Bhayeea was unable to=20
discover an original source, despite much research. Undefeated by the=20
tragedy of 1971, the theory commands much ideological respect in both=20
elitist and ordinary circles. Conveniently ignored in the unending=20
quest for an identity other than that of the other is the historical=20
fact that the founding fathers were ready to accept a confederal=20
alternate to Partition as late as 1946.

The slums of Bombay are indistinguishable from those of Karachi. In=20
that at least, the two nations stand united.

____

#2.

The Times of India
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2002

Women's group flays inadequate riot rehab

TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2002 12:20:53 AM ]
AHMEDABAD: A delegation of Delhi-based women's group Saheli, after=20
visiting various relief camps in the city, alleged that the state=20
government had done little to provide relief and rehabilitation of=20
riot victims. The group also condemned the functioning of the women's=20
cell set up by the government to look into the problems of women and=20
children living in camps.
In a joint statement, group functionaries Sadhna Arya, Shweta Vachani=20
and Vani Subramanian said the women's cell had no concrete plans of=20
how to handle complaints.
Instead of reaching out to women who were passing through great=20
hardships in the relief camps, the cell had chosen to function from=20
the circuit house annexe. The delegation felt the cell had so far not=20
received a single complaint relating to the sexual violence that the=20
women were subjected to.
Most of the women who met members of the delegation in the camps=20
conveyed them that they had no resources to access the women's cell=20
office at Shahibaug. Besides, people had also lost faith in the state=20
machinery which had failed to protect them in the recent past.
The women's group said they were shocked at how, even after so long,=20
the governments in the state and at the Centre had failed to initiate=20
even one short or long-term programme to rehabilitate people.

____

#3.

For Peace, not war: Non resident Indians and Pakistanis demonstrate in Otta=
wa

On Sunday June 9, 2002 a busload of people went from Montreal to Ottawa to
protest and demand that both the governments of India and Pakistan negotiat=
e
for a peaceful settlement. About 40 people both from Ottawa and Montreal he=
ld
a silent vigil outside the Indian and Pakistani High Commission and deliver=
ed
a message to them. Later at the Peace Flame outside the Parliament building
more people joined in and the demonstration was covered by the local
television and newspapers. Excerpt from the story in Ottawa Sun

Monday, June 10, 2002

Area groups call for peace

By NATHALIE TREPANIER, Ottawa Sun

Crossing the divides tormenting their homelands, members of Montreal's
Pakistani and Indian communities gathered in Ottawa yesterday to rally for
peace.

"Forget nuclear war," said Zaheer Abbasi, a Pakistani Association of Quebec=
's
board of governors member. "We don't even want to consider conventional war=
."

Representatives gathered on Parliament Hill with stops at the Indian and
Pakistani high commissions.

"There are really very few differences (between both groups)," said Dolores
Chew, president of Ceras, a South Asia centre in Montreal.

Chew said residents in Pakistan and India are the victims of political game=
s
and fundamentalist rhetoric.

Those gathered urged Canadian residents to add their voices to internationa=
l
pressure to end the dispute.

______

#4.

AWAAZ - SOUTH ASIA WATCH
Urge you to attend
MASS PICKET
To protest at the presence of
L K ADVANI
(India's Home Minister)
L K Advani, his government and supporters are responsible for mass=20
murder in the state of Gujarat in India. Since February 2002, Gujarat=20
has witnessed horrific incidents of unparalleled violence that can=20
only be described as genocide of innocent people.

Over 2000 people, mainly Muslims, have been slaughtered with more=20
than 100,000 people displaced in under-resourced refugee camps.=20
Houses have been systematically looted, businesses burnt down,=20
countless women gang raped and many children murdered.

Who is responsible for the genocide? All the evidence suggests that=20
the Gujarat state government and the police orchestrated the=20
violence. Yet not a single individual has been held to account or=20
brought to justice and the violence continues even after nearly four=20
months.

So far the Government of India, led by the right wing Hindu=20
nationalist BJP, has attempted a cover-up and deliberately heightened=20
tensions between India and Pakistan bringing the region to the brink=20
of a war and nuclear threat.

Assemble at 5pm, Tuesday 18th June 2002,
Outside High Commission of India, Aldwych, London
(Nearest tubes: Aldwych, Holborn or Chancery Lane)
For further information contact:
020 8843 2333, 020 8571 9595 or 020 8558 6399

AWAAZ-South Asia Watch has been set up to both monitor and combat the=20
problem or religious hatred and fascism both in the UK and South=20
Asia. Although newly established it has already secured support from=20
leading civil rights and community organisation such as Aaaj Kay=20
Naam, Asian Women's Refuge, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism=20
(CARF), Dalit Forum for Social Justice (UK), India Forum, Indian=20
Muslim Federation, Indian Muslim Council, Muslim Parliament, National=20
Civil Rights Movement, SEWA Southall, Southall Black Sisters,=20
Socialist Alliance, The Monitoring Group and many more. Why not join=20
us? Write to Awaaz, c/o 14 Featherstone Road, Southall, Middlesex UB2=20
5AA. Email: info@n...

_____

#5.

Subject: Report on 8 June demo
Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 14:29:59 +0000

Dear friends,

Please find below a report of Saturday's protest from the Indian=20
media and the text of the two petitions submitted. Keep in touch with=20
us about the continuing campaign against war and communalism!

1.

Report from the Hindu (a major Indian national daily newspaper -=20
left-of-centre despite its name!) Sunday 9 June

U.K. Indians, Pakistanis join hands

By Hasan Suroor LONDON JUNE 8.

In an impressive show of unity, the U.K.-based Indians and Pakistanis=20
joined hands today and called upon the leadership in the two=20
countries to pull back from their current standoff, start=20
"meaningful'' negotiations to resolve the Kashmir dispute and end the=20
nuclear arms race in the region.

They also protested the "continuing'' British arms supplies to India=20
and Pakistan, and demanded a "blanket'' embargo saying the present=20
policy based on Britain's commercial interests made a "mockery'' of=20
its claim to pursue an "ethical'' foreign policy. The demand was=20
supported by the Campaign Against Arms Trade, an independent group of=20
British pacifists whose supporters include Labour and Liberal=20
Democrat activists.

Hundreds of Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans held a=20
peace rally outside Downing Street on Saturday and later submitted a=20
memorandum to the Indian and Pakistani High Commissions voicing their=20
"deep concern'' at the prospect of war. The memorandum, jointly=20
addressed to the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the=20
President, Pervez Musharraf, chastised them for threatening to plunge=20
the subcontinent into a war. ``While ordinary people in our countries=20
face dire poverty, communal and sectarian attacks on the basis of=20
religion, gender and caste oppression, your governments have sought=20
to maintain this status quo and bolster your legitimacy with claims=20
to protect national honour by resorting to war and diverting precious=20
resources,'' it said, calling for withdrawal of "all violent and=20
repressive forces'' by both sides. A peaceful solution to the Kashmir=20
dispute could be found in a situation of "genuine peace'' in the=20
region, and with the people of Kashmir ! being given a "central=20
role'' in any negotiations.

Representatives of 15 India-Pakistan groups, organised under the=20
umbrella of the South Asia Solidarity Group, signed the memorandum=20
and joined the "human chain'' outside Downing Street. In a separate=20
petition to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, they urged him=20
not to let his government push India and Pakistan "further towards=20
nuclear destruction'' and suspend arms supplies to the two countries.=20
Amrit Wilson, a spokesperson for the South Asia Solidarity Group,=20
said expatriate Indian and Pakistanis in Britain would continue to=20
campaign jointly on issues such as war and communalism.

Meanwhile, the Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon, said Britain remained=20
determined to play "whatever part we can in allowing India and=20
Pakistan to step back from the brink''. He said there were no=20
"specific plans'' to send a peacekeeping force to the region, "but=20
obviously we are looking at every option''. "We want to give Pakistan=20
and India every reason not to be drawn into an escalation of=20
hostilities and we will do whatever we can with their agreement. This=20
is a matter for India and Pakistan ultimately to sort out,'' he told=20
BBC Radio 4. Yet, he maintained that "a very small number of British=20
international troops assisting India and Pakistan along the Line of=20
Control to reduce tension ... might be a way forward''.

Copyright: 1995 - 2002 The Hindu

2.
Petition to Tony Blair, June 8 2002
Rt. Hon. Tony Blair
Prime Minister
10, Downing Street
London SW1

Dear Prime Minister,

We the undersigned express our deep concern about the British=20
government's policy of continuing to sell arms to India and Pakistan=20
and urge you impose an immediate blanket ban on arms sales to both=20
countries.

Asian communities in Britain, which many of our organisations=20
represent, are devastated by the prospect of a war between India and=20
Pakistan and are shocked at the apparent indifference of the British=20
government reflected in the policy of arms sales.

We are faced with the very real threat of a nuclear attack taking=20
place for the first time since Hiroshima. The British government's=20
policy of continuing to allow arms sales is effectively fuelling this=20
potentially catastrophic conflict We urge you to take heed of the=20
findings of the Commons committee investigating arms exports, whose=20
chairman Roger Berry reported that the conflict between the two=20
countries was "as clear a case as you could get" for an arms ban.

While ordinary people in India and Pakistan countries face dire=20
poverty, communal and sectarian attacks on the basis of religion,=20
gender and caste oppression, those in power seek to maintain this=20
status quo and bolster their legitimacy with claims to protect=20
national honour. And this is to be achieved by resorting to war, by=20
further blighting the lives of innocent civilians, by further=20
diverting precious resources away from their needs. In 2001 the=20
combined military expenditure of India and Pakistan was 18 billion=20
dollars. Yet over 40% of their populations - 450 million - live below=20
the poverty line

We are deeply disturbed to find that the government has been pressing=20
India to buy 66 Hawk jets for =A31 billion - these can be used to train=20
soldiers for nuclear bombing raids - and that Britain is continuing=20
to provide parts for the Jaguar bomber which could be adapted for=20
nuclear weapons. Jack Straw's recent statement justifying the=20
government's policy on the basis of 'British commercial interests'=20
makes a mockery of the idea of an 'ethical foreign policy'

Only sincere and meaningful and independent negotiations between all=20
parties involved can ever bring peace to South Asia. If these are to=20
succeed, the people of Kashmir must have a central role within this=20
dialogue process, which will determine their future.

We are demanding that the governments of India and Pakistan undertake=20
and relentlessly pursue meaningful negotiations to resolve the issue=20
of Kashmir with the Kashmiri people and end the nuclear arms race in=20
South Asia

We urge the British government to impose an immediate blanket ban on=20
arms sales to India and Pakistan and not to allow considerations of=20
profit to push these countries further towards nuclear destruction.

Signed:
Prafula Vadgama, Amrit Wilson
Yasmin Khan, Sumanta Roy
Anjum Mouj, Asad Rehman
Mokhtar Rana, Iqbal Singh
Sarbjit Johal, Pragna Patel

on behalf of the following organisations:

Asha Lambeth;
Asian Women Unite!;
Campaign Against the Arms Trade;
Dostiyo Asian Women=92s Organisation, Northampton;
Hackney Asian Women=92s Aid;
Imkaan;
International South Asia Forum;
Newham Asian Women=92s Project;
Newham Monitoring Project;
Pakistani Welfare Association;
Peace and Human Rights Trust;
Punjab Human Rights Internet;
South Asia Solidarity Group;
Southall Black Sisters;
Tower Hamlets Asian Women=92s Aid;
Urdu Education Society.
South Asia Solidarity Group c/o Londec, 299 Kentish Town Road, London NW5, =
2TJ

3. Petition To Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, Prime Minister of India and=20
General Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan

June 8 2002

Dear Shri Vajpayee and General Musharraf

We the undersigned express our deep concern at the prospect of war=20
between India and Pakistan, the threat of nuclear destruction and the=20
belligerent attitude of your governments.

Asian communities in Britain, which many of our organisations=20
represent, are devastated by the prospect of such a war. We call upon=20
you to take immediate steps to end hostilities and establish a=20
lasting peace in the region.

While ordinary people in our countries face dire poverty, communal=20
and sectarian attacks on the basis of religion, gender and caste=20
oppression, your governments have sought to maintain this status quo=20
and bolster their legitimacy with claims to protect national honour.=20
And this is to be achieved by resorting to war, by further blighting=20
the lives of innocent civilians, by further diverting precious=20
resources away from their needs. In 2001 the combined military=20
expenditure of India and Pakistan was 18 billion dollars. Yet over=20
40% of their populations - 450 million - live below the poverty line

The escalation of tension this time is all the more terrifying=20
because of the threat of nuclear war. Already the analysis has moved=20
to counting the number of warheads each side possesses to indicate=20
the likely winner, as if there could indeed be a winner in a war=20
which would devastate both sides and kill at least 12 million people.

Furthermore, the current situation opens up the region to being drawn=20
deeper into America's so-called 'war on terrorism', thus further=20
endangering national sovereignty in South Asia.

Only sincere and meaningful and independent negotiations between all=20
parties involved can ever bring peace to the region. If these are to=20
succeed, the people of Kashmir must have a central role within this=20
dialogue process, which will determine their future. We believe that=20
a solution can only be found in a situation of genuine peace in=20
Kashmir which can only occur if all violent and repressive forces are=20
withdrawn - both the Indian security forces and the groups and=20
agencies entering Indian-occupied Kashmir from Pakistan.

We call upon you to:

=B7 Enter into immediate talks to end the current hostility between=20
India and Pakistan

=B7 Undertake and relentlessly pursue meaningful negotiations to=20
resolve the issue of Kashmir with the Kashmiri people

=B7 End the nuclear arms race in South Asia

(Signatures as above)

______

Mainstream
Volume No. XL
June 11th 2002

In Gujarat
Sagari Chhabra

On the train to Ahmedabad, I start a conversation with my fellow=20
passengers, about what else, the horrific violence in Gujarat. It's=20
true I want to gauge their sensibilities in conversation as we sit in=20
enforced intimacy. They, however, get rather expansive; there is the=20
typical Gujarati businessman, who tells me, "it was a natural=20
reaction to over fifty Hindus who were burnt on the train at Godhra",=20
but was he not mouthing what Chief Minister Narendra Modi had said?

>From the top berth a voice rings out. His legs swing down, his voice=20
has an uplifting beat, "My wife has a business partner, Adil*. We=20
asked him to move to our house, but he wanted to stay on in his own.=20
We got a call from him on the 28th of February; his house was being=20
attacked, by a mob of about 2000 people. I telephoned the Police=20
Commissioner's office, but all the senior officers were in a=20
'meeting'." Nikhil gives a helpless shrug. He continues, "Adil kept=20
on calling for help. Then we got a frantic call from him, he had been=20
hit by a soda water bottle and needed to be taken to a surgeon=20
immediately."

Everyone is all ears in the train, it seems as if the entire=20
compartment is listening to us. "We took a car to a friend's house,=20
then changed to a Kinetic Honda, because we could manoeuvre it=20
easily. We called him on his mobile 'Can you step outside?' By that=20
time the crowd had somewhat dispersed. We swooped down and carted him=20
away. Some members of the mob saw us and came after us, but they saw=20
my 'maala'-chain (gestures to his neck)-and said 'yeh to Hindu lagta=20
hain'-'he looks like a Hindu'-and left. Adil went into surgery for=20
two hours and after that he moved to our house ...."

I filmed Nikhil, on the train, serene that a fellow Indian had done=20
the right thing, gone to rescue a Muslim brother, faced a mob and=20
protected him. 'Just as it should be,' I murmured, unaware of what=20
awaited me as the train pulled up at Kallupur station, in Ahmedabad.

How does one explain the anguish and shame I felt when I met Mohammad=20
Maroof, a resident of Naroda Patiya, at Dariyakhan Gummat relief=20
camp? He has two children left. Qamar is six and Ayesha Banu eight.=20
Both are badly burnt. When I ask Qamar who did it, he lisps 'Hindu=20
ne'-'a Hindu did it'. I hang my head, pretend I am not one and=20
stoically ask them to tell me all. It's hard to hold back your tears=20
in front of the children. Ayesha has her back burnt and her hair cut=20
short, to prevent infection. But beyond 'powder daale'-'they put=20
powder'-there are no coherent descriptions.

It's when their father speaks that the accounts of black riders from=20
an unfathomable hell, unfolds. "It was around 9:00 am on 28th=20
February, they came in two vehicles. A tola (gang) of about 15,000 to=20
20,000 men gathered. Pehle unho ne masjid shaheed ki-first they=20
destroyed the masjid-by blowing it up with gas cylinders. We started=20
pelting stones in self-defence, but the police started firing and=20
throwing tear gas shells at us, instead. When 20 of us fell, we=20
stopped stoning. We ran to the Police Headquarters, with our women=20
and children, for protection.

"It was here that one of our neighbours (name withheld) of Gangotri=20
Society came. He said, 'You must be hungry and thirsty, come to my=20
house.' He was after all our neighbour and he used to come to our=20
weddings and functions. We thought this was bhaichara-brotherhood-so=20
we all went. He took us to a large godaam-storage space. He said-'Sit=20
here, nothing will happen to you here.' Then he called his son,=20
'Beta, jitne hain unko bulao-son, call all those who are there.' We=20
found we were surrounded by people who were armed. They had=20
talwars-swords. We ran. From the other side, another neighbour (name=20
withheld) came. We were surrounded from both sides and trapped in a=20
gali (alley). We couldn't escape.......
"They had some powder with which you don't have to strike a match,=20
you just throw it; it burns. They also threw petrol, kerosene, black=20
oil and black tyres on us.... I was below in the heap, which they set=20
fire to. There was a young girl, her father's name is Kabir, they=20
told her-'Beta, hum tumhe kutch nahi karenge, bahar aa jao-we won't=20
do anything to you, dear, come out.' She did. Phir uski izzat=20
looti-they raped her, maata jaat nanga kiya-stripped her naked-and=20
pushed her into the fire.

"There was another girl, she was hiding in the corner. They pounced=20
on her, raped her and struck a sword through her below (points to his=20
genitals) and up to here (points to his throat). She only screamed=20
one word 'Chacha' (uncle). I heard that and got up. My three clothes=20
were soaked in oil......... Those people started running away (this=20
account of how the mob started moving away is unclear, he does not=20
explain it in his testimony).

"We (the survivors) started taking out the people from the burning=20
pit. The police came much later. They (the police) said we have come=20
for your rescue. We took 65 people out of which 26 were still alive.=20
The rest were all dead. The dead included my wife, my daughter and my=20
brother's wife (he says this blandly, in a matter of fact voice).=20
Maine khud laashe nikaali-I took out their dead bodies myself. The=20
police said leave them here or the others will also die. So we left=20
them and took the living to the hospital. (it is here he breaks down)=20
Sister, till now, I haven't received their dead bodies or a post=20
mortem report. Out of the 26 who were living, 10 died in the=20
hospital."

I have no words. I ask him lamely about compen-sation. Such a=20
cynical, cheap word-compensation. How do you compensate being=20
betrayed by a neighbour, watching a massacre, witnessing your wife=20
and daughter being burnt before you, while you lie in a helpless=20
heap, awaiting death? But he is a good Indian, trained to obey all=20
questions hurled at him; even the crass and the sordidly misplaced.=20
"We received only Rs 500 at the hospital; that is all." Again I hang=20
my head in shame, as I hear him tell me he can't buy Ayesha and Qamar=20
anything, as he has lost everything. And so have we all. Something=20
irretrievable, precious and sacred.

The Idgah relief camp is in an unfinished building without any=20
electricity or running water. It is estimated that there are over=20
100,000 people in relief camps like this. Their clothes are neatly=20
piled in individual corners and then their stories unfold. Mehmooda=20
Alaudi is dressed in black. She has a look of indefinable courage on=20
her face; one who has seen pain and has assimilated its lessons. Her=20
manner is dignified and unhurried, her Urdu chaste, "Mere dever ko=20
zinda jala liya-they burnt my brother-in-law alive. When the mob=20
came, we ran. From behind, the police fired, he fell. They (the mob)=20
tied him, put petrol on him and set him on fire. Voh tarap raha tha,=20
idhar se udhar-he was writhing in agony, from side to side. The=20
police kept watching. In the night, we knew someone had fallen, but=20
we did not know who it was. It was only in the morning that we=20
realized it might be our brother in-law. We begged the police with=20
folded hands, let us go and see the body, but they never let us. The=20
whole day the body lay in the sun. When they were taking it away,=20
they let us see him and we identified him as my brother-in-law."

The fact that the police have been both partisan and communal in its=20
role comes up again and again in the testimonies of the victims.=20
Hamida Banu says they have tried to return to their homes since, with=20
police protection. However, they were stoned and the police never=20
lifted a finger to help them. As I write this, there are reports that=20
the camps may be wound up, shortly. This is horrifying; I cannot see=20
people who have been made to become refugees in their own land,=20
return without their sense of security being restored.

Mehmooda ends with "if you don't want us, then put all the Mussalman=20
in one place and throw a bomb". Another says tearfully, "Hum jeena=20
nahi chahte, aisi duniya mein-we don't want to live in such a world."

Then Mehmooda Bibi tells us how her sister in-law Naseem Banu who was=20
four months pregnant was killed. How did it happen, I seem to word=20
the questions tonelessly now, benumbed by all the violence. "We ran=20
away when the mob came," says Mehmooda. "She must have fallen behind,=20
since she was pregnant. When we saw her body she had blood on her=20
head and below." A young girl in the group of about fifty women,=20
breaks down crying. No, she does not want to speak, but the others=20
tell me how she used to tailor clothes and go to school. To have the=20
will to educate oneself despite the grinding poverty is remarkable, I=20
say. But having lost everything, from where will she find the will to=20
rebuild from, they ask me? I have no answers, only shame. I hang my=20
head in sorrow and feel ashamed to be a Hindu. I cry. Seeing me cry,=20
Mehmooda Alaudi asks me, "Aap Mussalman hein-are you Muslim?"
My profession teaches me to be objective, so I visit the Kallupur=20
relief camp, a Hindu camp. The man at the desk wants to know my name.=20
He seems satisfied and nods vigorously, after all I have a Hindu=20
name. I want to know if anyone has died? 'No one has died here, but=20
houses have been burnt.' He asks Lakshmi, a camp worker, to take me=20
around. Outside the houses lie a huge pile of stones. How did these=20
get here? "We broke them ourselves, so that we could throw it at=20
them," she replies. And the burnt houses?-I question. "Come, I'll=20
show you."

She beckons me and I follow her up a flight of four floors. There is=20
one wall indeed, that is damaged by a petrol bomb, it is burnt, but=20
can one even begin to compare the damage? They are rather aggressive,=20
when I say so. They insist I film it. I do. When I question her=20
closely on her views, which range from "veh Pakistan jaave"-let them=20
go to Pakistan-to "we have changed the name of Ahmedabad to=20
Karnavati", she whispers "yeh unki laage"-she looks as if she belongs=20
to them.

That is the tragedy, almost everyone in Ahmedabad, at the moment,=20
assesses you as either with the Muslims or the Hindus. Either you are=20
with us, or against us. Our driver will not drive us to a Muslim=20
neighbourhood, he abandons us; we have to call the agency and ask for=20
a "Muslim driver".

We are filming in Behrampur when a full-flegded riot breaks out.=20
People are running helter-skelter and I can see a raging black fire=20
with sounds of shots. We climb up to a roof-top to film, this is a=20
full two months after February 28, so I wonder about the government's=20
boast of bringing the riot under control within 72 hours? When we=20
emerge, trouble has occurred on our side of the road, a large gang is=20
roaming with knives and lathis (sticks) and we hide the camera, below=20
my dupatta, lest it get smashed. "Mobs don't like cameras," another=20
resident, Khanjel, who had witnessed the looting, had warned me,=20
"they tend to smash them because they can be identified." He had told=20
me how he had witnessed the looting of the well-known shop, Akbar=20
Ali. "After looting it, the crowd probably wanted more excitement, so=20
it set fire to it. When the fire brigade arrived, the mob chased the=20
fire brigade, they (the fire brigade) just turned back." Khanjel is=20
now volunteering with the Red Cross to do his bit for the victims.

Violence is also a form of communication, I wonder what message are=20
the mobs trying to send across, in the month of May, over two months=20
since the riot broke out. Some privately feel they are telling=20
super-cop K.P.S Gill, who has been appointed by the Centre, who is=20
actually incharge, here. Eleven persons are killed within the next=20
few days. Gill asks for a battalion from the Punjab police, but his=20
request is turned down. I talk to the CRPF men posted outside the=20
Idgah mosque which is burnt. Namaaz is being held inside this burnt=20
mosque as I walk in. There are some gas cylinders lying inside which=20
they tell me were brought in by the mob in an attempt to detonate it.=20
"They used seven gas cylinders; they didn't succeed in exploding the=20
mosque, but everything is burnt inside, including our Koran. They are=20
so intent on building their temple, they could have atleast spared=20
our mosques" says Ayubbhai Rahimkhan Pathan, a trustee of the mosque.=20
Masoombhai whose scooter repair shop was burnt, confides that they=20
feel safer with the "outside" (CRPF) police.

Noorjehan is in her early twenties and is beautiful in a quiet,=20
serene manner. She has large expressive eyes and chiseled features.=20
She is recovering at one of the relief camps. "They (the mob) hit me=20
with a pipe on the head and threw me on a burning heap they had made=20
of our vehicles. They also told me, 'Ram bolo'-say Ram, I refused.=20
Maine kaha, 'hum kyu Ram bolenge, tum bolo-why should I say Ram, you=20
say it.' She pleaded with them, 'humne tumhara kya bigara-what wrong=20
have we done to you?'" They left her to burn. Her mother and brothers=20
rescued her. She goes on to recall, "We called the police atleast=20
fifty times, but they said 'apni raksha aap karo-protect yourselves'."

This is what is so disturbing, the complete abdication of any moral=20
responsibility by any of the law-enforcing agencies. By the Police=20
Commissioner's office, the very embodiment of power, Muslim shops=20
have been burnt. A huge restaurant housed on the first floor,=20
'Tasty', is completely burnt, but bang in front of it is a police=20
chowki. The burning is so complete that obviously gas and high tech=20
have been used. A mammoth shop in the Shivranjani complex is also=20
burnt but what is truly heart breaking are the residential areas in=20
Paldi, a posh colony of Ahmedabad. There seems to be a pattern here;=20
first they stone the residential flat, (Tarana and Delite apartments)=20
then throw a petrol bomb in. The residents have a diabolical choice;=20
rush out and face a mob or remain inside with a fire raging.....

Systematically, Muslim property has been marked and destroyed. The=20
question is, could this planning and systematic violence have been=20
done overnight? My perception, after witnessing the remnants=20
first-hand is; it needed preparation. A spontaneous mob can only=20
wreak havoc; the systematic, meticulous destruction of Muslim=20
property including the Idgah mosque, which still has remains of the=20
gas cylinders brought to detonate it, compares with Krystal Nacht, in=20
Nazi Germany, when Jewish property was systematically destroyed.

As I film burnt residential areas, I come across a building on which=20
workers are raising a boundary wall. I realise they wish to increase=20
their security and peer inside. The house inside the compound is=20
partially burnt. Two women from within the compound agree to my=20
request to enter, but I have to go around to a side entrance. There I=20
am stopped by a man.
"Who asked you to come in?"
"Two women......," I venture to explain.
"What are their names?"
"I don't know...."
"Then I can't let you inside."
" See, I've come from Delhi to film....."
"Do you have a press card?"
"No." I know now, I sound rather unconvincing.

"Look, I don't want any further trouble," he says. He is a slim man,=20
mild almost effete in his manner. Slender built and soft spoken. As=20
if explaining why he can't possibly allow me in, he describes how he=20
was hit by a soda water bottle and called a friend, who rescued him=20
on a mobike. Something about his story, conjures a distinctly=20
familiar image in my mind. "Are you Adil?" I ask. He nods, surprised.=20
I ask if it was Nikhil who rescued him and now he is taken aback.=20
"Yes," he says. When I tell him, I met Nikhil on the train, he=20
discreetly steps aside, calls him on the mobile and cross-checks my=20
story. Entry granted.

Adil agrees to be interviewed but with his back to the camera, so as=20
not to be identified, because "we have to live here". What is most=20
disturbing is that two of his neighbours were also attacked by the=20
mob. One was hit by a petrol bomb and damaged his eye, another by a=20
pipe and is facing memory loss. None of these upper class Muslims are=20
ready to face the camera, nor have they lodged an FIR.

I have always been proud of my heritage; being born an Indian enabled=20
one to be heir to so much plurality. Hinduism is a way of life;=20
walking on the banks of the Ganga, subverting the myths and Gods, was=20
a treasure trove for my creative spirit and fantasies.

The secular space was like a moonbeam falling slanted, through=20
filigree, onto a mosaic floor. On the intricate patterns of this=20
mosaic, you could dance the Bharatnatyam (invocation to the Gods) or=20
kneel and say your namaaz. What the fundamentalists did was to smash=20
the filigree into a black, gaping hole, flood a searing searchlight=20
onto the mosaic floor, now painted one colour; saffron. They=20
transformed Hinduism; its intrinsic irreverence with its multiple=20
lewd and lusty Gods, Krishna-the divine lover, making passionate love=20
to his gopis; multiple texts and myriad myths, into a serious=20
die-hard religion with a singular agenda; 'hum mandir vahi=20
banayenge'-'we'll build the temple just there'!

They destroyed the mosaic floor, they tarnished Hinduism. Will we let=20
them, or will we stoop down, with head bent low, on our knees and=20
rebuild the mosaic?

____

#7.

In the June Himal:

+ Missing Signals: Indian and Pakistani media on India and Pakistan
+ Innocents and insurgents: The Nepali army and human rights
+ Slicing India: New perspectives on India since 1947
+ General Disappointment in Islamabad
+ Development in the 'war on terror'?
+ Armageddon of arrogance: Editorial on India-Pakistan hostilities

http://www.himalmag.com/2002/june/

_____

#8.
-----Original Message-----
From: Sen. Roberto Saturnino [mailto:Roberto.saturnino@s...]

The Brazilian Federal Senate, by means of its Foreign Affairs
Committee, has approved a motion introduced by Senator Roberto
Saturnino, a member of the "Parlamentarians Network for Nuclear
Disarmament", to repudiate the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict
between India and Pakistan.

This is the text of the motion:

His Excellency Senator Jefferson Peres
President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and
National Defense of the Federal Senate

Request no. 07, of 2002

Mr. President,

With basis on Article 223 of the Federal Senate's Standing Orders, I
hereby request the approval of a Motion to Repudiate the use of
weapons of mass destruction, to communicate to the Parliamentarians of

India and Pakistan the appeal of the Brazilian Senate Committee on
Foreign Affairs, to the end that the conflicts between those two
countries be settled peacefully, by means of negotiation, mediation,
without war, and without resorting to the use of atomic weapons.

Sessions Hall, June ,5, 2002.

Senator Roberto Saturnino
--=20
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
South Asia Citizens Web (http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since 1996.
To subscribe send a blank message to:
<act-subscribe@yahoogroups.com> / To unsubscribe send a blank
message to: <act-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com>
________________________________________
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.
\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//\\|//|//\\|//|//\\|//|//\\|//|=
//\\|//|//\\|//