[sacw] SACW | 13 August 02

Harsh Kapoor aiindex@mnet.fr
Mon, 12 Aug 2002 23:41:22 +0100


South Asia Citizens Wire | 13 August 2002

__________________________

#1. Celebrating Similarities - Pakistanis, Indians share the bill at=20
South Asian festival (Lavina Melwani)
#2. Midnight's Bastards (Tariq Ali)
#3. Pakistan: 'Religion, army used to keep seculars out of power'=20
(Quraysh Khattak)
#4. End Military Rule In Pakistan Picket (London, Aug 14)
#5. India, Pakistan and G.E. (Thomas L. Friedman)
#6. India: The Rashtriya Swayam-Seva Sangh (Tavleen Singh)
#7. Open appeal to the Election Commission of India (Sukla Sen)

__________________________

#1.

http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-b2816286aug09.story

Newsday,
August 9, 2002

Celebrating Similarities
Pakistanis, Indians share the bill at South Asian festival

By Lavina Melwani
Lavina Melwani is a freelance writer.

A perfect world may not exist, but you'll see a semblance of it at
the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on
Sunday.

For four hours, Indians and Pakistanis - divided in 1947 by a bloody
partition - will talk not of bloodshed nor nuclear weapons but
celebrate their common heritage, their common bonds of music
and poetry.

The festival marks a joint celebration of the independence of India
and Pakistan from colonial Britain (Aug. 14 and 15, respectively).

"Fatal Love: South Asian Freedom Festival" reiterates the family
ties between the two nations, many of whom have relatives on both
sides of the border. The festival includes music, dance and poetry
readings by South Asian artists - both Indian and Pakistani. The
event was organized by artist Jaishri Abichandani, who is also a
participant in Queens International, an exhibition of 40 local artists
at the museum.

Performances will include music by Ashu Rai, DJ Siraiki and the
Qasim Naqvi Trio with Imani Uzuri; classical Indian dance by Lara
Jayasankar, a drag performance by "Bijlee," and readings by
Suketu Mehta and Tahira Naqvi. Masuda Sultan of Women for
Afghan Women will read from an upcoming anthology of writings by
Muslim women.

"It's our jobs as artists, writers, activists, thinking people to be the
visionaries and be the voice of reason," Abichandani said. "We
want to emphasize the solidarity and unity of the South Asian
community as opposed to the fractions that are building both here
and on the subcontinent."

As for whether there is strong enough sentiment among the
majority of South Asians for this kind of relationship, Tahira Naqvi
said: "I think it is something artists and thinking people believe in.
On the whole, it's still a work in progress."

Writer Shehla Naqvi added, "Isn't it fantastic that we both became
free countries, and shouldn't we share each other's happiness and
do it together? Those who see the broader picture of the region
don't want to divide the people on the basis of religion or
geographical margins."

DJ Rekha believes the second-generation South Asian Americans
bring their own baggage because they mimic the attitudes of their
parents. Yet she points out that things are certainly changing, as
many encounter the other for the first time on the neutral ground of
America.

Writer Sara Husain thinks there is much more unity and a shared
sense of identity among the second generation of Indians and
Pakistani Americans.

Jeet Thayil agreed, saying, "Right now, if we don't feel a sense of
solidarity or kinship with each other, we never will."

Still the participants in the Freedom Festival don't believe they are
working in a vacuum. Husain said, "There are many people -
thousands in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - who are working to
end this. We don't hear about that but there is a lot of work going
on in South Asia which we need to recognize."

Last year was the museum's first attempt at a joint freedom
celebration. This year, there is groundswell of support, with more
than a dozen partnering organizations including South Asian Youth
Action! and Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition for HIV/AIDS.

"This is exactly the kind of programming that the museum should
be doing, bringing together diverse elements of the South Asian
community," said museum director Tom Finkelpearl. "It's also
wonderful that this festival is taking place on a day when there's an
Ecuadorian festival as well as the Hong Kong Boat Festival in the
park, so it's really a celebration of the diversity of Queens."

Paul Rubenstein, a Jewish musician, will perform at the festival
with Qasim Naqvi, who is Muslim. Rubenstein said the people who
fight each other are usually the ones who are most similar to each
other - Arabs and Jews, Indians and Pakistanis, Croats and Slavs.

"It's almost as if people are fighting their own shadow," he said.
"They see themselves, and the things they don't like about
themselves, they project onto people that look and act like
themselves - but are enough different that they can call them by a
different name - an enemy."

But many are hopeful of change.

"We South Asians in America are a harbinger of the only possible
future for the countries we have left behind, if we are to continue to
exist," Suketu Mehta said. "We are the family come together
again. Now, more than ever, we need ourselves and the world to
realize this."

Fatal Love: A Freedom Celebration takes place Sunday from 1 to 5
p.m. and kicks off the Queens International exhibition, which runs
through Nov. 3. For more information, go to
http://www.queensmuseum.org

_____

#2.

Red Pepper
July 07, 2002

Midnight's Bastards
by Tariq Ali
=20
The military response of the American Empire to=20
September 11 has made the world more dangerous and insecure. Its=20
political strategy has led to the promotion of Ariel Sharon and=20
Vladimir Putin as key allies in the 'war against terror' and=20
'Islamo-fascism'. Palestinian and Chechen lives have become=20
insignificant in the eyes of the Bush administration and have reduced=20
the liberal belligeratti to near-silence on these issues. Hacks in=20
sections of the liberal press have become part of a propaganda=20
campaign to destroy the regime in Iraq and replace it with a puppet=20
administration.

Meanwhile, the level of ignorance on the volatile situation in South=20
Asia is disturbing. The monthly casualty rate in Kashmir is higher=20
than in Palestine, but the world does not seem to care. Its=20
population, exhausted by decades of violence, has become passive and=20
listless, unconcerned with the wars being waged in its name.

In Pakistan, the armed jihadi groups which have been attempting to=20
provoke a war with India by bombing the Indian Parliament and=20
targetting civilians in Kashmir were creations of Pakistani military=20
intelligence. Are they out of control? Or, do they reflect the=20
opinion of hawkish sections of the Army who are angry and bitter?

The Indians, for their part, argue that if the United States could=20
bomb a country and change its government while searching for=20
terrorists, why not India. If Sharon can occupy Palestinian=20
territories, kill civilians, why not India? If Putin can raise Grozny=20
to the ground and supervise the deaths of over 10,000 Chechens, why=20
not India?

The logic is impeccable, but it is foolish to expect consistency from=20
Empires. Imperial fundamentalism is far more ruthless and=20
single-minded than the other variety. What always comes first is the=20
economic and strategic interests of the America Empire. The reason Mr=20
Vajpayee of India cannot be permitted to emulate the war-criminal who=20
rules Israel is because Pakistan is a valued ally. That's why there=20
never was a danger of an all-out war between India and Pakistan. It=20
would have meant the bombing of Pakistan's military and air bases.=20
Since a number of these are currently being used by the Empire to=20
fight in Afghanistan, it would have led to US casualties which no=20
regime in New Delhi could risk. The nuclear sabre-rattling provided a=20
substitute for a real war and an opportunity for visiting statesmen=20
like Blair, Cheney and Rumsfeld to hawk their military wares to both=20
sides.

A few years ago, the hope that a negotiated settlement in Kashmir=20
might be possible was raised. It was not to be. The American response=20
to September 11 made this impossible.

The province itself has become a football, badly fouled by both=20
sides. Pakistan's secret services blatantly manipulate the terrorist=20
attacks. India responds with state terror. Behind this tragedy lurks=20
an obvious solution. Kashmir is the unfinished business of the=20
Partition of 1947. It has been disputed territory since India and=20
Pakistan became independent states in 1947. The simplest solution=20
would have been to permit a referendum so that the population could=20
decide which of the two states it wanted to join. India, first agreed=20
and then sabotaged all attempts by the Kashmiris to determine their=20
own future.

Is there a way out of this crisis? There is, but it requires a leap=20
of the imagination on the part of the politicians and Generals who=20
rule South Asia. The dispute can not be resolved if our gaze=20
concentrates exclusively on Kashmir. What is needed is a wide-ranging=20
economic and political settlement, whose benefits would include a=20
shared sovereignty for Kashmir. A South Asian Union, modelled=20
partially on the EU and including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal=20
and Sri Lanka could help the region as a whole. While the founding=20
states would preserve their sovereignty, a soft-border between them=20
could provide genuine autonomy for Kashmir, which could be extended=20
to the Tamil regions of Sri Lanka. The Kashmiris would be prepared to=20
forego their own army and foreign policy if a shared sovereignty=20
within a broader framework was possible.

Most citizens of South Asia want a durable peace. India, Pakistan and=20
Bangladesh alone have a combined population of well over a billion.=20
Linguistically diverse, the entire region shares cultures and=20
histories in common. A massive reduction in military expenditure=20
could be one beneficial result. Neither India nor Pakistan can afford=20
this weaponry. Both countries would benefit enormously if the=20
billions spent on nuclear weapons were used to subsidise health and=20
education. As the two states confront each other, such a solution=20
appears utopian. In fact, it is the only realistic way forward.

Tariq Ali's latest book 'The Clash of Fundamentalisms', from Verso,=20
contains a detailed history of Kashmir.

_____

#3.

The News (Pakistan)
August 12, 2002

'Religion, army used to keep seculars out of power'
By Quraysh Khattak

PESHAWAR: Quaid-i-Azam wanted Pakistan to be a liberal, secular and=20
democratic state, said chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of=20
Pakistan, Afrasiab Khattak on Sunday. Speaking at a seminar: "What=20
was Quaid's dream and where we stand today", arranged by Liberal=20
Forum Pakistan at Peshawar Press Club, he said Pakistan was achieved=20
as a result of political struggle for constitutional rights of the=20
Muslims in India.

He dispelled the impression that the country came into being on the=20
basis of Pakistan Ideology. The ideology was coined in 1970 by an=20
army general, Sher Ali Khan, who was also federal information=20
minister at that time, he added. In the 1973, when Afghan president=20
Mohammad Daud Khan accommodated leaders of the People's Democratic=20
Party of Afghanistan in his government, the West started encouraging=20
religious extremism in the region, he added.

Religion was incorporated into politics and army and religious=20
extremists joined hands to keep secular and democratic parties out of=20
the power corridors, he stated. Khattak regretted that the rulers=20
distorted Quaid's vision of Pakistan and at the behest of western=20
powers made the country a safe haven and training ground for=20
terrorists. Before 1980s, the country was famous for exporting cotton=20
and other products but now Pakistan was labelled for sponsoring=20
terrorism around the globe.

The Chief of the Human Rights Commission said making the country a=20
secular, federal, parliamentary democratic state was not only dream=20
of the Quaid but also the need of time. Afrasiab Khattak said the=20
military government was making tall claims of putting the country on=20
the way to liberalism but had taken no practical steps. In fact, he=20
alleged, the generals wanted to destroy the liberal and mainstream=20
political parties.

Central secretary general of the National Awami Party Pakistan=20
(NAPP), Abdul Latif Afridi advocate said that Jinnah was a complete=20
secular man and was against theocracy. "The Quaid wanted to make=20
Pakistan a secular, progressive state," he added. He said Jinnah=20
wanted the Legislative Assembly to be a complete sovereign body but=20
his successors made it a rubber stamp.

The Quaid's whole political struggle was for a true federal system of=20
government but in the last 55 years Punjab usurped resources of other=20
provinces in the name of federation, he remarked. The Pakhtun=20
nationalist leader said that the establishment not only gave space to=20
religious extremists in policymaking but also exported fanaticism=20
into neighbouring Afghanistan. He said the situation after September=20
11 had brought the nation to the brink of disaster but the wise=20
decision of Pervez Musharraf saved the country, he continued.

Attacks on places of worship throughout the country were the result=20
of these polices, he opined. He expressed the fear of a civil war if=20
attacks on churches were not checked with an iron hand. He called for=20
propagation of Quaid's vision for Pakistan. Ms Musarrat Hilali=20
advocate, additional advocate general NWFP, Chairperson NWFP Liberal=20
Forum Pakistan, Zaheer Khattak and director ICMS Malik Tajamul also=20
spoke on the occasion. Ms Shabana Gul advocate, secretary general=20
NWFP Liberal Forum Pakistan, conducted the seminar. Seminars on the=20
same topic were held in 38 districts of the country and the seminar=20
in Peshawar a chain of that process.

_____

#4.

END MILITARY RULE IN PAKISTAN
PICKET AT 5pm to 7pm
WEDNESDAY 14TH AUGUST 2002
OUTSIDE PAKISTAN HIGH COMMISSION
36 LOWNDES SQUARE, LONDON, SW1

(nearest tube Knightsbridge)

Since ousting elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a military coup=20
in 1999, General Musahraf has strengthened the military hold over=20
political life in Pakistan. Under his dictatorial rule political=20
activity has remained banned, civilian institutions have been flooded=20
with military personnel, and the constitution has been suspended.=20
Last year General Musharaf appointed himself as President. In April=20
this year he got himself endorsed in a dubious and rigged referendum=20
with turnout estimates as low as five percent.

In recent months General Musharaf has consolidated his personal=20
dictatorship by decreeing constitutional changes meant to formalize=20
the role of generals in overseering future prime ministers and=20
parliaments. This move has dire implications for the democratic=20
health and future of Pakistan. General Musharaf and his civilian=20
puppets are already engaged in manufacturing the result of the=20
so-called elections in October to fit his plans for a militarized=20
democracy in Pakistan. This notion of a militarized democracy is a=20
sham.

A militarized democracy in Pakistan will deliver a fatal blow to=20
peoples rights and will further impoverish a population whose=20
standard of living has not risen for over 50 years.

Support the picket
Bring supportors and banners

Organised by Aaj Kay Naam
(In the Name of Today)
For further information contact
us at Aaj Kay Naam at
PO Box 304
Southall
Middlesex
UB2 5YR
Tel 07732 658 481 or
Arif Azad on 020 8843 2333
Email: aajkaynaam@y...
Website: aajkaynaam.org

_____

#5.

The New York Times
August 11, 2002

India, Pakistan and G.E.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

BANGALORE, India - Two months ago India and Pakistan appeared headed=20
for a nuclear war. Colin Powell, the U.S. secretary of state and a=20
former general, played a key role in talking the two parties back=20
from the brink. But here in India, I've discovered that there was=20
another new, and fascinating, set of pressures that restrained the=20
Indian government and made nuclear war, from its side, unthinkable.=20
Quite simply, India's huge software and information technology=20
industry, which has emerged over the last decade and made India the=20
back-room and research hub of many of the world's largest=20
corporations, essentially told the nationalist Indian government to=20
cool it. And the government here got the message and has sought to=20
de-escalate ever since. That's right - in the crunch, it was the=20
influence of General Electric, not General Powell, that did the trick.

This story starts with the fact that, thanks to the Internet and=20
satellites, India has been able to connect its millions of educated,=20
English-speaking, low-wage, tech-savvy young people to the world's=20
largest corporations. They live in India, but they design and run the=20
software and systems that now support the world's biggest companies,=20
earning India an unprecedented $60 billion in foreign reserves -=20
which doubled in just the last three years. But this has made the=20
world more dependent on India, and India on the world, than ever=20
before.

If you lose your luggage on British Airways, the techies who track it=20
down are here in India. If your Dell computer has a problem, the=20
techie who walks you through it is in Bangalore, India's Silicon=20
Valley. Ernst & Young may be doing your company's tax returns here=20
with Indian accountants. Indian software giants in Bangalore, like=20
Wipro, Infosys and MindTree, now manage back-room operations -=20
accounting, inventory management, billing, accounts receivable,=20
payrolls, credit card approvals - for global firms like Nortel=20
Networks, Reebok, Sony, American Express, HSBC and GE Capital.

You go to the Bangalore campuses of these Indian companies and they=20
point out: "That's G.E.'s back room over here. That's American=20
Express's back office over there." G.E.'s biggest research center=20
outside the U.S. is in Bangalore, with 1,700 Indian engineers and=20
scientists. The brain chip for every Nokia cellphone is designed in=20
Bangalore. Renting a car from Avis online? It's managed here.

So it was no wonder that when the State Department issued a travel=20
advisory on May 31 warning Americans to leave India because the war=20
prospects had risen to "serious levels," all these global firms who=20
had moved their back rooms to Bangalore went nuts.

"That day," said Vivek Paul, vice chairman of Wipro, "I had a C.I.O.=20
[chief information officer] from one of our big American clients send=20
me an e-mail saying: `I am now spending a lot of time looking for=20
alternative sources to India. I don't think you want me doing that,=20
and I don't want to be doing it.' I immediately forwarded his letter=20
to the Indian ambassador in Washington and told him to get it to the=20
right person."

No wonder. For many global companies, "the main heart of their=20
business is now supported here," said N. Krishnakumar, president of=20
MindTree. "It can cause chaos if there is a disruption." While not=20
trying to meddle in foreign affairs, he added, "what we explained to=20
our government, through the Confederation of Indian Industry, is that=20
providing a stable, predictable operating environment is now the key=20
to India's development."

This was a real education for India's elderly leaders in New Delhi,=20
but, officials conceded, they got the message: loose talk about war=20
or nukes could be disastrous for India. This was reinforced by=20
another new lobby: the information technology ministers who now exist=20
in every Indian state to drum up business.

"We don't get involved in politics," said Vivek Kulkarni, the=20
information technology secretary for Bangalore, "but we did bring to=20
the government's attention the problems the Indian I.T. industry=20
might face if there were a war. . . . Ten years ago [a lobby of I.T.=20
ministers] never existed."

To be sure, none of this guarantees there will be no war. Tomorrow,=20
Pakistani militants could easily do something so outrageous and=20
provocative that India would have to retaliate. But it does guarantee=20
that India's leaders will now think 10 times about how they respond,=20
and if war is inevitable, that India will pay 10 times the price it=20
would have paid a decade ago.

In the meantime, this cease-fire is brought to you by G.E. - and all=20
its friends here in Bangalore.
_____

#6.

Indian Express
12 August 2002
The Rashtriya Swayam-Seva Sangh
Tavleen Singh
http://www.indian-express.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=3D7454

_____

#7.

Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2002 08:55:26 -0700

Dear Friends,
The following is an open appeal to the Election Commission of
India not to go in for an early election in Gujarat. In case
you agree with the content, please write to the EC on similar
lines, or simply append your signature to this appeal and send.
Time is running out!
In solidarity,
Sukla Sen

To
The Election Commission of India
Nirvachan Sadan
Sardar Patel Chowk
New Delhi
<jmlyngdoh@e...>

SUB : An Appeal to the Election Commission of India : A Snap
Poll in Gujarat at this juncture will be Grossly Violative of
Democratic and Constitutional Principles

Sirs,

As an ordinary citizen of India, concerned about its future and
continuance as a secular democratic republic, I submit the following
facts and arguments for your kind and judicious consideration
while finally deciding the timing of the next assembly election
in Gujarat. For I believe that this decision of yours, which
you are now expected to take and announce soon having concluded
your on-the-spot investigations in Gujarat, will be a momentous
one - just not shaping the future course of development in blood
and shame stained Gujarat, but the very continuance and existence
of India, as we know of it today.

1. As the now dissolved Gujarat assembly came into being in
mid-March of 1998, if allowed to run its full course, the next
elected assembly would have been due by next year mid-March.
But the Chief Minister of Gujarat, duly backed by his cabinet,
recommended the premature dissolution of the state assembly last
month to force an early election, and this was promptly accepted
by the state Governor. Moreover, the incumbent government was
asked to continue till the next government takes over after the
coming assembly election.
2. The constitutional right of the Chief Minister, enjoying
the confidence of the assembly, to recommend its premature
dissolution and seek an early election in the quest for a favourable
mandate from the electorate at a time of his own choosing is,
no doubt, unassailable. In fact, to my knowledge, even the worst
critic of the Chief Minister has not challenged his right to
do so.
3. But the timing and the actual conduct of the election eventually
rests with the Election Commission, and the Commission has to
take into account a number of factors in a holistic manner, not
excluding the broader and the specific contexts, and just not
the Chief Minister=92s constitutional prerogative while taking
the final decision.
4. This, in fact, has been implicitly conceded even by those,
viz. The BJP, who are demanding an early election, preferably
in September-October, in so far as they are buttressing their
contention based on a couple of constitutional and political
arguments.=20=20
5. The votaries of an early election are essentially putting
forward twofold arguments :
One, it is imperative, in fact constitutionally obligatory,
for the EC to conduct the election in such a way that the next
assembly session can be held by early October - before the expiry
of the six month period since the closing of the last session.
Two, popular elections constitute the central piece of a
democratic system, and hence in view of the widespread allegations
against the Narendra Modi government of engineering a communal
carnage in Gujarat it would be only proper to seek a fresh mandate
from the electorate and thereby test the validity of such allegations
- which according to the BJP are evidently false, malicious and
politically motivated, in terms of the of the outcome of the
poll; as in a democracy, the "people", i.e. the electorate, are
the supreme and final arbiter. Hence, the Chief Minister, Narendra
Modi, is these days quite often referring to and swearing by
the "Janata Janardan" (people the divine).
There is also a third, even if supplementary, argument. If
elections can be, and could be, held in Jammu and Kashmir (and
the North-East), then why not in Gujarat?
6. Despite apparent plausibility, all these arguments are essentially
flawed, contrived and even gravely dangerous - we will try to
establish as we go along.
7. The first argument contends that the Article 174 of the Indian
Constitution provides that the interval between the last day
of the preceding session of a state assembly and the first day
of the following session must be less than 6 months. It is, in
fact, on the strength of this argument the Narendra Modi government
went in for recommending premature dissolution of the assembly,
instead of simply proposing an early election, to force the hands
of the EC.
But the argument is at best spurious. Read together with
the other provisions, it evidently refers to the two successive
sessions of the same assembly, and not two different assemblies
separated by an intervening election. In fact, that is the stand
the union government has taken in a case before the Supreme Court
pertaining to the UP assembly.
The unsustainability of this line of logic becomes all the
more evident if we consider the fact that nothing in the Constitution
prevented Narendra Modi to go in for dissolution of the house
just before the next session becomes due. In that case meeting
the alleged deadline of six months for the next session would
have simply become an impossibility.
8. The second argument, however, is positively and extremely
dangerous. It equates majoritarianism with democracy, and is
based on a partial and perverted definition of the latter.

Democracy, of course, means the rule of the common =91majority=92,
an ever-changing conglomeration of individual citizens - or rather
their elected representatives, clearly contrasted with other
systems of governance - which provide for the reign of a solidly
entrenched privileged few, or =91minority=92, quite often - but not
always, selected through heredity.
But it does not mean just that. It also means, among many
other things and values, the right to dissent, special protection
for the (vulnerable and underprivileged) =91minorities=92, and certain
civilised norms of social transactions.
So, faced with a terrible famine, if ninety-nine out of a
hypothetical community of a hundred decide to slaughter the hundredth
one and partake his/her flesh just to ensure their survival -
that would definitely not be democratic, even under those extreme
circumstances. That is precisely why Hitler, who at a point of
time polled overwhelming majority votes of the German electorate,
is considered the worst dictator and criminal the civilised world
has seen till date as the perpetrator of the "holocaust". "Popular
mandate" could in no way mitigate the enormity of his crimes.
That is why a "popular mandate" cannot set aside the verdict
of a court as regards the culpability either of an individual
or a group.
The Indian Constitution, like in all other democracies, clearly
recognises this limit to "people=92s power". Hence, there is separation
of powers among the legislative, executive and judicial wings
of the state. And the basic features of the Constitution, howsoever
nebulous and undefined they stand, are considered unalterable.
9. Now, if we look at the specific context of Gujarat - we find
that the BJP-led government of Gujarat, which in the recent days
was encountering a virtually uninterrupted series of serious
electoral reverses at all the three levels - panchayat, assembly
and parliament, has suddenly gone gung-ho about elections just
with the onset of the blood-bath in the state in the wake of
the Godhra carnage. That is why the talk of a snap poll started
doing rounds virtually from the day one. Evidently bestial sectarian
violence has been looked upon as an extremely effective instrument,
made readily available through the control over the state machinery
- of course through an earlier round of election, to polarise
and mobilise voting =91majority=92 in its favour. That is why the
state government behaves in such a revoltingly biased manner
- openly and demonstratively. To take only a few examples, the
Godhra victims, overwhelmingly Hindu, are offered compensation
at a rate double of that offered to the subsequent victims, overwhelmingly
Muslim. Draconian POTA is made applicable in case of the Godhra
accused, and routine criminal laws for the subsequent ones. Senior
and experienced lawyers, with higher fees, are appointed as prosecutors
for the Godhra cases, and greenhorns for the riot cases. When
the board examinations, which could not be held because of the
carnage, were held after the violence subsiding to a significant
extent - all the centres from the =91minority=92 Muslim areas were
shifted to =91safe=92 Hindu areas, regardless of the fact that the
victims of violence were overwhelmingly Muslims. The few functionaries
of the state, who tried to discharge their duties with at least
some degree of integrity, got summarily transferred to inconsequential
postings. The criminal and deliberate callousness towards the
tasks of relief and rehabilitation and bringing the culprits
of unspeakable violence to book is, however, too evident to merit
any special mention.=20=20=20
As a result, even if the explicit violence has significantly,
though not completely, abated (in fact, too many are even today
unable to go back to their erstwhile homes) - in today=92s Gujarat
terror and hatred permeates the very air that we breathe. That
is why the BJP is so insistent on holding the elections right
now, lest the terror and hatred dissipates with time. That is
why the VHP is talking of election as =91Dharam Yudh=92 (crusade)
and the BJP is talking of =91Gaurav(!) Yatra=92 (Glory March).
That is precisely why the election must be deferred till
a modicum of =91normalcy=92 is restored. And the only authentic evidence
of the =91normalcy=92 would be the normalcy restored to the lives
of the riot victims. Otherwise the election will be neither "free"
nor "fair".
10. As regards the third argument, it has to be clearly recognised
that Jammu and Kashmir (along with parts of the North-East) is
a completely different case - in a class of its own, in so far
as it is faced with secessionist insurgencies enjoying supports
from beyond India=92s territorial limits. Here, the Indian state,
rightly or wrongly, has decided, with support from all the mainstream
political parties, to suspend the democratic rights of the local
populace, and rigged elections have been considered over the
years one of the many instruments to thwart insurgency. Just
because the Indian state, for evident reasons, cannot go public
about this approach, there is no sense in equating Jammu and
Kashmir with Gujarat, where the government of the day, and not
any insurgents, is patronising sectarian violence to promote
its nefarious political agenda.
11. In conclusion, your attention is most humbly drawn to the
fact that if an early election held in an ambience of terror
and hatred brings in hefty electoral reward for the perpetrators
of bestial violence, which in fact is not too unlikely given
the level of communal polarisation in the civil society of Gujarat,
brought about by the active intervention of the state ably aided
by the vernacular media, the bloodbath in Gujarat will stand
politically, if not legally, legitimised putting the lives of
millions in grave jeopardy. Not only that, in such an event this
gory experiment will in all likelihood be attempted to be replicated
all across India with disastrous and unimaginable consequences.
An immediate election will also definitely halt whatever relief
and rehabilitation works have been undertaken by a reluctant
government, and reverse the process of normalisation, albeit
at an excruciatingly slow pace, by raising the pitch of political/communal
conflicts.
12. To sum up, you are once again urged not to give in to the
bullying tactics of the union government and do full justice
to the independent and constitutional positions that you hold.

In the case of electoral reforms, you have already shown
exemplary boldness in implementing the Supreme Court directives.
The people of India are keenly looking forward to the same sort
of fearless dispensation of justice in this case as well.
The future of India lies in your able hands!=20=20=20

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,
Sukla Sen
EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity)

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