[sacw] SACW | 16 Jan. 03

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire | 16 Jan. 03

#1. Pakistan - India: A pair of chappals (Naeem Sadiq)
#2. Pakistan: Failed policies (M B Naqvi)
#3. Pashtuns are not all warrior fire (Scott Baldauf)
#4. Kashmir: Press Release - Council of Advocates International
#5. Manto (Manzur Ijaz)
#6. India: The lies of Balbir Punj (Sonia Jabbar)
#7. India: Unite to prevent another Gujarat - Message sent out by=20
concerned citizens, women activists and artists of Bombay city thru=20
their protest action 12 Jan.
#8. India: [RSS] Gang Attacks American Missionary in India (News report)
- Arrest Culprits for Attack On Missionary Under Terror Law : Ban RSS=20
and other Sangh Parivar Outfits (All India Christian Council)
#9. India: Important New Volume: Development and Deprivation in Gujarat
{Essays] In Honour of Jan Breman Edited by: Ghanshyam Shah, Mario=20
Rutten, Hein Streefkerk

__________________________

#1.

The Daily Times
January 16, 2003

A pair of chappals

NAEEM SADIQ

Pakistan has the potential to become a perfectly normal, civilised=20
and prosperous country. Why then does it continue to stay frozen in=20
medieval times? Why has it volunteered to hand over its sovereignty=20
to a decadent clergy and tribal warlords?

It was indeed gracious on the part of Pervez Musharraf and A B=20
Vajpayee to restrain from pressing the "red" buttons during the tense=20
summer months of 2002. But they have not packed up and gone home.=20
They have only made a temporary truce. They could come back with=20
renewed accusations, greater hatred and larger bombs to fulfil their=20
masochistic desire for undoing the subcontinent. We therefore have=20
yet one more opportunity to discover newer approaches to peace. What=20
can be done to help the South Asian states from ridding themselves of=20
the baggage of hatred and rivalries and in forging unity?
India is still indulging in Hindu chauvinism at home and=20
anti-Pakistan propaganda abroad. It is so busy establishing its=20
hegemony in the region that it has failed to focus on building peace=20
in the region and working towards a common Union of South Asian=20
countries. This would have yielded far more in the long run.
Pakistan has the potential of becoming a perfectly normal, civilised=20
and prosperous country. Why then, does it continue to stay frozen in=20
medieval times? Why has it volunteered to hand over its sovereignty=20
to a decadent clergy and tribal warlords? Why has it developed such a=20
lop-sided militant world-view, and assumed the role of a=20
self-sponsored flag bearer for an illusionary Ummah? It is ironic=20
that Pakistan spends all its energies trying to liberate others,=20
while it has failed to liberate its own self from the repeated=20
invasions of its own army. An Army that today owns Pakistan, instead=20
of Pakistan owning an Army.
By behaving like a tribal belt instead of a responsible sovereign=20
state, Pakistan has created a turf where every one else can score=20
runs except its own self. A triangular league of mullahs, the=20
military and intelligence agencies now call the shots. The trio=20
implemented policies that led to the destruction of Afghanistan. And=20
now it seems that are going to repeat exactly the same mistakes this=20
side of the Durand line.
Just as Mullah Omar and Osama Bin Laden conveniently disappeared=20
after the US attacked Afghanistan, their Pakistani mentors Qazi=20
Hussain Ahmed, Fazlur Rehman, Samiul Haq, Azam Tariq et al will=20
perform a similar disappearing act at home. Pakistani and US troops=20
have already exchanged fire in a tribal area on the Pak-Afghan=20
border. This does not bode well for the future. With an army that=20
cannot even safely escort a group of prisoners from one place to=20
another, a police that is involved in criminal activities and a=20
judiciary that is scared of punishing terrorists, Pakistan stands on=20
a very unenviable slippery wicket.
Its home-grown Ata-Turk, after marking time for three years has now=20
opted for cushy assignments. The "recycled" politicians, many of whom=20
have shady backgrounds give the people no hope. Two provinces are=20
ruled by zealots whose past achievements include support for the=20
Taliban. The 14th century world they live in continues to revolve=20
around issues like the dress of women, the beards of men, wine, music=20
and killing every one who does not subscribe to their brand of=20
religion. It is unfortunate that they continue to incite and fool the=20
illiterate masses.
Pakistan needs to undertake a fair amount of re-engineering, if it=20
wishes to change the course of history for itself. The initiative=20
must come from the Army. The military must voluntarily step aside.=20
The majors and colonels of the intelligence agencies must stop=20
determining the supreme national interests of Pakistan.
Our desire to rule Kashmir must be completely set aside. The best we=20
can do is to leave Kashmir to the Kashmiris. Countries that cannot=20
govern their existing boundaries should have little reason to look=20
for more territory.
As it is, the state's writ does not extend to the entire country,=20
particularly not in NWFP and Balochistan. The state must be willing=20
to extend its writ at least across its existing boundaries, and do=20
away with all extra-constitutional bodies, the Jirgas, and Panchayats=20
that operate all over the country. It is also time for Pakistan to=20
close its Jihadi factories, and to put an end to militancy. It is=20
more in the interest of Pakistan and less in the interest of USA to=20
make sure that Afghan militants and terrorists do not take refuge in=20
the tribal belt of Pakistan.
Pakistan needs to ensure this in a responsible and professional=20
manner, and not be cowed down by its own tribal mafia. Pakistan needs=20
to separate religion from the functioning of the state. The state and=20
Mullahs are responsible for the hundreds of jail sentences awarded=20
each year under so-called Islamic laws. Such laws must be expunged if=20
there is to be a tolerant, civil and rational society in Pakistan.
It is time for India and Pakistan to make peace, reduce their=20
conventional armies and work together to reduce poverty and=20
deprivation. And this cannot be done till the hostilities between the=20
two countries cease. The people of the two countries have been taken=20
for a ride for the past fifty years. They deserve a break. They and=20
their children are entitled to a better tomorrow. In a century where=20
many countries aim for families with two cars, the people of the=20
subcontinent should be able to aim for a pair of "chappals" for every=20
person and a classroom for each child.
The writer is a consultant and trainer for quality management systems

______

#2.

The News International
Wednesday January 15, 2003
Op-Ed.

Failed policies
M B Naqvi

American attitude toward Pakistanis and their conduct vis-=FD-vis this=20
country are subjects that make many unhappy. Leaked reports in the US=20
media about Pakistan's unreliability in keeping its nuclear secrets=20
and of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan are ominous. American military's=20
assertions that it has a right to pursue into Pakistan fugitives from=20
Afghanistan have concentrated the minds here. Later the agreement (?)=20
that such issues will be resolved quietly does not wash out the=20
significance of a Pakistani paramilitary trooper having felt obliged=20
to shoot at an American soldier and that American air force dropped a=20
500 pounds bomb on a target in Pakistan.

Plane loads of Pakistanis have been deported from the US; Pakistani=20
visitors to the US are required to be finger printed and to register=20
with INS. Pakistanis in the US are living in fear, the once land of=20
liberty, because of the hysteria of fear sweeping through it about=20
Muslims and people from South Asia and Middle East. American media=20
and officials are making, or upholding, accusations about Islamabad's=20
commitment tonon-proliferation is uncertain. All this is perplexing=20
in view of the evidence that Pakistan government appears to have=20
given privileges to Americans that smack of extra-territoriality=20
rights. Are US and Pakistan friends or are they foes?

On the other side, India continues to make bellicose statements,=20
refuses to countenance resumption of normal communication links,=20
dialogue and sees little prospect of normal ties in near future.=20
Although the bulk of Indian Army appears to have withdrawn from the=20
international borders, the deployment along LoC in Kashmir is said to=20
be still threatening. Sangh parivar in India made Pakistan, among=20
anti-Muslim tirades, an election issue in the recent Gujarat election=20
and it is expected to repeat the Gujarat methods in the next 10 state=20
elections this year. Pakistan's pleas for talks are disregarded and=20
arrogant bellicosity is all that is emanating from Indian leadership,=20
ostensibly because of "cross border terrorism".

Islamabad denies this "cross border terrorism". But India's 10-month=20
long expensive massing of troops was to threaten a punitive war for=20
just this and has refused to accept Pakistan's denials. Exact truth=20
is not known, of course. Doubtless the background of 50 years of=20
adversarial relations which provided incentives to do down each=20
other. That was the policy number one and friendship with us was=20
consequential and stood at number two.

One thing remains certain: Pakistan's Kashmir policy, indeed almost=20
all of its India policy, and the consequent cold war, arms race and=20
five big and small wars have not succeeded in their aim. India's=20
possession of Kashmir Valley --- the only part that interests=20
Pakistan --- is as firmly under Indian control as ever; the 10 years=20
of Jihad have made no difference. India will either go to a=20
supposedly final war or go on frustrating all that Pakistanis and the=20
Kashmiris can do; it has the resources, will and ability for the=20
purpose.

Few can doubt that this Jihad-promoting policy has been=20
counterproductive on two counts: it was sure to result in a war and=20
India was ready to go to a war last year that did not suit Pakistan:=20
there is no certainty Pakistan would win a war and Kashmir Valley=20
would be its, despite the predictable costs and other uncertainties.=20
Secondly Jihad-promotion could not but have a domestic cost; Jihadis,=20
when and if done with Kashmir, would retrain their guns on targets in=20
Pakistan. And this they partially did. The rampant sectarianism,=20
attacks on the American or other foreign targets resulted, not to=20
mention other conspiracies. Why pursue a policy with results that are=20
unwanted? The Americans too assess that Pakistan is a weak and=20
uncertain friend. While India has been able to win American=20
affections, Pakistan can end up as an additional member of Bush's=20
axis of evil. Isn't it another major failure?

Let's examine: relations with India went into a tailspin without any=20
compensatory advantage. The economy is so much the worse for the=20
still accelerating arms race. Over emphasis on national security,=20
meaning mainly military defence, has led to the rise of militarism,=20
collapse of democracy and provincialism. Power was cornered by a=20
civil and military bureaucracy and it is the foreigners whose=20
purposes were mainly served by Pakistan's armed forces. Apart from=20
the initial loss of Kashmir due to the propensity of using force, the=20
record of armed conflicts with India, Kargil included, is not too=20
uplifting. The conclusive defeat in 1971 led to Pakistan's=20
dismemberment while all other wars can at best be called inconclusive=20
draws. The same approach promises similar results, for India is able=20
to keep several jumps ahead.

Has anyone failed to take notice that all foreign governments -- from=20
Americans to the British, French, Russians, Iranians, Chinese and=20
others -- have asked Pakistan throughout 2002 "to do more". Reference=20
was to President Musharraf's June promise to stop sending Jihadis=20
into Indian held Kashmir. Pakistan said it has stopped; India said=20
Islamabad was still sending infiltrators. Most others took India's=20
words at face value. Pakistan had no supporters, not even China and=20
Iran, otherwise quite friendly. Pakistan's way of solving Kashmir=20
problem has isolated it completely.

Actually Pakistan's earlier Taliban adventure had completed its=20
isolation; only some US oil interests, possibly the coterie around=20
Bush and perhaps CIA were thick with Pakistan's master strategists.=20
The latter should have known that as and when domestically feasible,=20
the US would benefit from Taliban -- or if that did not happen, the=20
opposite would be the case: the US would destroy their regime. As it=20
turned out, thanks to Taliban's rigidity the US desires were not met=20
and the latter punished them by driving them out of power. In the=20
process Pakistan suffered horribly. Public sentiment in NWFP's and=20
Balochistan's Pushtun belt was deeply hurt. That was the immediate=20
price paid in the shape of MMA's power. There will be other=20
installments when it becomes obvious that MMA is not really=20
compatible with either Pakistan's ruling elites or latter's permanent=20
friendship with, or dependence on, the US. Instead of gaining=20
strategic depth, Pakistan has now no influence on the US-governed=20
Afghanistan.

The US and Pakistan seem to be on a collision course. On present=20
showing Pakistan's stability requires continuing injections of cash=20
help: either credits or debt rescheduling. To some observers the=20
brightest achievement of Musharraf government -- the soon-to-be=20
Monetary Reserves at $ 10 billion -- might be a chimera. Within a few=20
years of American displeasure, much of it might be confiscated: go=20
toward adjusting against unpaid debt servicing obligations. At any=20
rate, no details are known about how much is kept where and on what=20
terms. Pakistan has still to cope with the uncertainties that are to=20
unfold after 2004 when full globalisation would come into being. The=20
Musharraf line that Pakistan would no longer depend on IMF and its=20
associates is still a pie in the sky. So long as the GDP growth rate=20
is not 6 per cent or more -- and Pakistan can pay for all its imports=20
with its exports -- there can be no freedom from the need for cash=20
injections from IFIs. This requires US benevolence. The latter can=20
only be bought with apparently utter subservience.

The recent firing on a US soldier and America's punitive bombing=20
incident was investigated by both sides. What was the upshot? It was=20
a 'misunderstanding' -- an ambiguous statement -- and all such=20
misunderstandings will be amicably settled in future 'quietly'! The=20
really significant part of this news item was this 'quietness'. There=20
is no word that brave statements of Foreign and Defence Ministers won=20
recognition from the US government. It does seem as if Pakistan is=20
promising not to publicise such future 'misunderstandings' while the=20
firm statement by American military about its 'right' to pursue=20
fugitives into Pakistan stands. This compromise on sovereignty hurts=20
more as the other side shows increasing signs of beginning to regard=20
Pakistan as a likely foe.

Seven-eighths of Pakistan's foreign policy comprises relations with=20
India and the US. It has been noted that, except for China's=20
finely-calibrated and one-sided friendship and conditional Saudi=20
munificence (rather than friendship), Pakistan has no friends; it is=20
almost totally isolated. Limits of the success in its India (and=20
Kashmir) policy are not known. The other pillar on which the ruling=20
elites have relied on for survival, the US, seems quite as uncertain.=20
But perhaps the elites appear to believe that a few changed faces=20
might see them through, no matter what the cost to national sentiment=20
or even to the country.

But the situation is intolerable for the people who seem to be=20
genuinely divided about national purposes, priorities and friends.=20
Facts need to be faced with courage and imagination. This writer has=20
drawn flak for (only) pointing out uncomfortable facts and for=20
refraining from recommending solutions to difficult problems. The=20
reply is twofold: commentators are not nation-builders; seeking=20
solutions, elaborating them and seeking popular sanction for them is=20
the rightful job of national leaders. Secondly, one can only throw up=20
a few pointers or solutions in outline form. Which is where one's=20
function ends. Next column will be about the bare bones of a new=20
policy orientation.

______

#3.

The Christian Science Monitor
January 16, 2003 edition

Photo Caption:POWER IN NUMBERS: Tribal councils, like this loya jirga=20
that met in Kabul last year, were once Badshah Khan's means of=20
rallying Pashtuns in Afghanistan and northwest India to resist=20
British occupation without using weapons. NATALIE=20
BEHRING-CHISHOLM/REUTERS

Pashtuns are not all warrior fire
By Scott Baldauf | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

CHARSADDA, PAKISTAN - Here are two words that don't often appear in=20
the same sentence: nonviolent Pashtuns.

For centuries, Pashtun tribes in Afghanistan and in India's northwest=20
frontier were famed for their vendettas and feuds, for their bravery=20
and treachery, for their unwillingness to accept outside rule.=20
Pashtuns formed the bulk of Islamic militants who expelled first the=20
British and then the Russian imperial armies from Afghanistan, and=20
later formed a religious extremist movement called the Taliban.

But back in 1930, tens of thousands of Pashtuns tried a path less=20
traveled: nonviolent civil disobedience. This movement - called the=20
Khudai Khidmatgar, or Servants of God - united bickering tribes for=20
an astounding 17 years to end British colonial rule.

"Pashtuns by nature are peace lovers," says Murtaza Khan Shaheen, a=20
biographer of Abdul Gaffar Khan, the nonviolent leader known to his=20
followers as Badshah Khan, or King of Kings.

Knowing his statement bucks a good 600 years of history, Mr. Shaheen=20
adds a caveat. "But, they live in an area that is the gateway to=20
India, and throughout history, they were constantly invaded by=20
others. They had to defend themselves, but they never attacked anyone=20
and they never surrendered to anyone either."

>From southern Afghanistan to northwestern Pakistan, there is precious=20
little sign of the Pashtuns' peacenik side. Most of the major=20
military bases from which American troops are operating in=20
Afghanistan are in Pashtun areas, putting US soldiers face to face=20
with one of the world's least understood cultures. But historians say=20
the key to avoiding mistakes in Pashtun lands, and undermining=20
potential allies in the region, is understanding the strong pacifist=20
streak that runs through Pashtun history.

"If the [Khudai Khidmatgar] movement had employed guerrilla tactics,=20
it would not have lasted 17 years," writes Mukulika Banerjee, a=20
historian of the movement and anthropologist at University College in=20
London. "Nonviolent demonstration had the virtue of being a surprise=20
tactic, as the British did not expect it from what they saw as an=20
archetypal warrior race."

Persuading all those Pashtuns to turn the other cheek required a=20
charismatic man of the people, and Badshah Khan fitted the bill. Son=20
of a wealthy landowner, and product of a British university=20
education, Badshah Khan used his better circumstances as a tool to=20
help his people. Wearing simple clothes and traveling from village to=20
village, the barrel-chested leader convinced one tribe at a time that=20
the only way to improve their lives was to stop fighting each other=20
and start resisting the British.

While others called for jihad, or holy war against the British=20
infidels, Badshah Khan called for a reform of Pashtun culture itself.=20
It was not Britain's superior numbers, weapons, or even culture that=20
kept Pashtuns subjected. Instead, it was the Pashtuns themselves,=20
through endless land feuds and tribal bickering.

Badshah Khan knew that Pashtuns could never defeat the British=20
through violence that required money, arms, and complete secrecy,=20
three things that were in short supply on the impoverished frontier.=20
A disciplined moral cause, on the other hand, was cheap, and required=20
only thousands of Pashtuns with attitude.

Typical of these activists is Musharraf Din, a 90-something villager=20
who joined the movement at the age of 20 after hearing a speech by=20
Badshah Khan. Khan's compassion for the common man impressed Mr. Din,=20
and his ideology helped Din remain true to nonviolence, even when he=20
felt like grabbing a gun.

"The British used to torture us, throw us into ponds in wintertime,=20
shave our beards, but even then Badshah Khan told his followers not=20
to lose patience," says Din, his Jack Nicholson-style sunglasses=20
perched atop his forehead beneath a broad white turban. "He said,=20
'there is an answer to violence, which is more violence. But nothing=20
can conquer nonviolence. You cannot kill it. It keeps standing up.'"

Din recalls his first major protest one cold April morning in 1930,=20
when British troops came to Charsadda to break up a public meeting of=20
the Khudai Khidmatgar. Wearing their trademark bright-red baggy=20
uniforms and Sam Browne-style leather belts, Din and his fellow KKs=20
formed a human roadblock.

"The British sent their horses and cars to run over us, but I took my=20
shawl in my mouth to keep from screaming," he says. "We were human=20
beings, but we should not cry or express in any way that we were=20
injured or weak."

Firsthand written accounts from the period show that the British=20
administrators clearly had no idea what to do with the Servants of=20
God. Beating and jailing the Khudai Khidmatgar only seemed to make=20
them grow. In a single year, from 1930 to 1931, the KKs had grown=20
from 1,000 to 25,000 members.

Sadly, Khan's attempts to reach across ethnic and religious lines to=20
other independent-minded Indians, such as Mahatma Gandhi and several=20
other Sikh and Hindu leaders, ended up damaging his reputation when=20
Indian independence finally came in 1947. It was then that India was=20
partitioned into two states, with the mostly Muslim north broken off=20
into East and West Pakistan.

Under the new rulers of the Pakistan Muslim League, the Khudai=20
Khidmatgar were banned and jailed as traitors, in part because of=20
their close ties to India's new rulers, the Congress party.

But the movement reemerged a few decades later as the Awami National=20
Party. In the brief decade of civilian rule in the 1990s, the Awamis=20
ruled Northwest Frontier Province with little competition. Local=20
political observers say last October's elections, in which the Awamis=20
were defeated in favor of a coalition of extreme religious parties,=20
had more to do with voter discontent with mainstream politics than=20
with the Awamis themselves.

For his part, Musharraf Din says he has no doubt that nonviolence has=20
relevance today among Pashtuns. The clearest evidence is the Pashtun=20
tradition for negotiating disputes through jirgas, or tribal=20
councils, and their distaste for open, face-to-face fights.

And even though his legs aren't as strong as they once were, he can=20
still remember the marching drills he learned 70-odd years ago.

"I'm a Khudai Khidmatgar member until death," he says proudly.=20
Pulling himself off a string cot by grasping a hooked cane, he stands=20
at full attention. "Left-face," he shouts, pivoting, and then=20
stomping his right foot. "Ow," he winces, and then smiles. "Need to=20
warm up my knee first."

______

#4.

[15 January 2003]

Council of Advocates International
---------------------------------------
Ottawa (press Release)

The fundamentalist militants have expedited the
process of Talbanization of civil society in Kashmir.
Women in Kashmir are the latest victims of their
brutal attacks against civil liberties and social
values. Council of Advocates International seeks
immediate attention of UN High Commissioner for Human
rights and international rights groups. In a letter to
the UNHCHR Geneva Office, Council secretary general
Hamid Bashani expressed his deep concern over the
situation and appealed UNHCHR and other international
rights groups to ask India and Pakistan to meet their
obligations and protect the innocent people. Following
the full text of the letter.
I am writing this letter to draw your kind attention
towards the gross violations of human rights in Jammu
and Kashmir. The people of Kashmir are at the most
critical juncture of their history, and need your
prompt assistance to protect their fundamental rights
and civil liberties.
As you know the governments of India and Pakistan has
been flagrantly disregarding the fundamental and
democratic rights of the people of Kashmir for last
fifty year. The democratic right of the
self-determination of 12 million people of Kashmir was
brutally denied and both countries grossly violated
their fundamental rights. Their failure to resolve the
issue has created a situation in which the
fundamentalist militants have completely taken over
the civil society .The Kashmiry women are now the
principal victims of these militants in their brutal
attack against civil liberties and cultural and social
values of Kashmir. The Militants have recently
intensified their attempts to terrorize and force the
women in Kashmir to follow the militant=EDs religious
fundamentalist decrees and give up their freedom and
civil rights .You may be already aware of this
situation, however, I am taking this opportunity to
revisit the problem to outline some important issues.
As you know the people of the divided Jammu and
Kashmir suffered a great deal of political repression
and lack of democratic and civil rights throughout
their recent history, but it was nothing as compare to
what they have been experiencing since 1987. With the
emergence of militancy, the people of Kashmir have
become hostages in the hands of security forces,
militants and their political fronts. Their first
target was the democratic and political rights of the
people of Kashmir. Under the pretext of fighting for
freedom, the People of Kashmir were forced by
terrorist outfits to give up their democratic rights
at gunpoint. They were asked to stay out of elections
and democratic process in which they could have
possibly exercised their democratic rights including
right to vote. They were forced to surrender their
constitutional and political rights; they earned after
a long and complex struggle in history.
Universally recognized and Constitutionally guaranteed
right to life, liberty and=20
Security of the people of Kashmir was denied. The
Kashmiry Pandits were
assassinated, their children were killed and women
were raped by militants. Their=20=20=20=20=20
properties were destroyed and they were forced to
leave their homeland and take
refuge in the Camps for displaced people in
unspeakable conditions.
.
An organized attempt was made against civil liberties
and social and cultural formation of Kashmir.In 1990,
the Allah Tigers and several other militant groups
closed down
cinemas, liquor shops and beauty parlours in Kashmir.
Several Islamic decrees were issued by militants on
social and cultural issues. In organized attacks
against civil rights and civilization, people were
deprived of their right of freedom of expression,
freedom of choice, mobility and property rights and
all other rights they enjoyed under the law of the
land. Violent attempts were made to segregate and
compartmentalize the society on gander bases. Kashmiry
cities witnessed the most heinous crimes and
discrimination against women in an all out war against
their fundamental rights. Their faces were deformed by
throwing acid in an attempt to impose dress code
recommended by religious fanatics.
The government of India completely failed to meet its
constitutional obligations to protect its innocent
citizen=EDs lives and their rights violated by
militants. The way the situation was handled further
increased the violations of rights and led to the
full-scale genocide, killing more than fifty thousand
innocent Kashmiries. India deployed huge military and
paramilitary forces, which massively violated the
constitutional and legal rights of general populace.
Under the pretext of operation against militants and
terrorism the troops were engaged in indiscriminate
killing of common people, brutal torture, and gang
raps. Hundreds of cases of false imprisonment, extra
-judicial killings custodial deaths were reported
during last ten years.
The government of Pakistan is insisting on its Kashmir
policy, completely disregarding the fact that the
support it is extending to the militants and their
political proxies is not for freedom or for the right
of self-determination of the people of Kashmir. This
support is for religious fanatics and fundamentalist
outfits attempting to push the civil society back to
the dark ages. Pakistan=EDs policy in Kashmir is same as
it was in Afghanistan without considering the
different objective conditions and political culture
of Kashmir. The cross border terrorism financed and
supported by Pakistan is greatly damaging the
legitimate struggle of the people of Kashmir for
freedom, democracy and social justice
The situation is deteriorating with the passage of
time. The new militant groups are
Surfacing with terrible agenda and ruthless
goals. Recently, after beheading four=20=20=20
Women in Rajouri district, militant outfits have
directed Muslims to follow a set of guidelines like
the Taliban had done in Afghanistan. Lashker-e-Jabbar
and many other fundamentalist groups have directed
women to wear burqas and men to wear caps and grow
beards. It has asked women to desist from going to
schools and colleges, have a male escort while going
out of the house and sit separately from men in the
buses. This situation indicates that terrorist outfits
are acting on their nefarious agenda of Talbanization
of civil society and implementation of anti-cultural
policy.
India and Pakistan are under the constitutional,
legal, moral and political obligation to stop the mass
killings and process of total extermination of the
people and culture of Kashmir. On the name of
humanity, we appeal to you to pursue the governments
of India and Pakistan to take immediate steps to
protect the innocent people from militants and resolve
the issue peacefully in accordance with the democratic
principle of the right to self-determination.
In this hour of our great trial, we are looking
forward for your immediate attention and assistance.
Yours truly,
Hamid Bashani
Email: bashani2000@y...

______

#4.

HIMAL South Asian
January 2003=20

Manto

It does not matter to Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-1955), who died almost=20
50 years ago this January, who has been elevated to be the new=20
Pakistani prime minister: nobody is going to give him state honour,=20
for that has been reserved for the mediocre. While all the worthy=20
think-tanks were trying to keep a tab on Islamabad's horse traders,=20
over at the American University in Washington DC, Mustafa Kamal=20
Pasha, the renowned social scientist, was organising a seminar on=20
Manto under the auspices of the South Asia Project. The featured=20
speaker was Khalid Hasan, who translated Manto from Urdu into English=20
for Penguin's five collections. He gave a passionate account of=20
Manto's life and the miseries and insults the great writer had to=20
bear, moving the newly initiated audience with passages from Manto's=20
short stories.

Manto, born on 11 May in the Punjabi village of Papraudi on the=20
Samrala-Chawa-Payal road, in Ludhiana district, did not have a happy=20
childhood. Considered an under-achiever in school, particularly in=20
Urdu, in MAO College, he was in Faiz Ahmad Faiz's English class. He=20
did not complete college though, choosing instead to get on with the=20
business of experimenting with life. In Bombay, he made a good living=20
from the film industry, scripting over a dozen films, and film=20
magazines for which he wrote - this was probably the most comfortable=20
period of his life. In Lahore post-partition, he never found a=20
regular job, spent his time drinking and lived impoverished.

>From all accounts, Manto lived in abject poverty in Lahore. He wrote=20
short stories for 10-20 rupees to buy liquor, and liquor was all that=20
he bought. It was not long before Manto's mind, like his liver, gave=20
way. At one point, he was interned at the mental hospital only to be=20
released when he demanded improvements in the hospital=20
infrastructure. His masterpiece, Toba Tek Singh, which describes the=20
exchange of mental asylum inmates between two countries, was written=20
after this episode.

Manto's close friends claim that his wife, the late Safia Begum, and=20
his in-laws constantly mistreated him. The literary magazine,=20
Nairang-i-Khial, published the transcript of a dialogue between Urdu=20
critics Muzaffar Ali Syed, Munir Ahmad Sheikh and Professor GM Asar,=20
a close friend and neighbour of Manto, in which Asar asserted that=20
Mrs Manto was fed up with her husband and wished him dead.

Great creative personalities often burn themselves to illuminate the=20
world. Shiv Kumar Batalvi is reported to have said, "We don't do=20
PhDs; other people will do PhDs on us". Such great artists come as a=20
blessing to the world. But, not for themselves or their families, and=20
one can hardly blame their families or the monotonous world for=20
making their lives difficult.

However, sometimes individuals try to ease the artist's pain.=20
Qudarat-Ullah Hahab gave Manto an ice factory for his bread and=20
butter earning. And, often Manto would walk away from the dock with=20
some unnamed admirer having paid the 300-rupee fine for him. Many=20
admirers of Manto lament his untimely death at the age of 42. But,=20
one should focus on what he created in that short period. Short=20
stories, a novel, radio plays, essays, personal sketches and film=20
scripts, Manto was as prolific as he was gifted.

Manto had a unique insight into the world. He looked at society with=20
a consciousness uncoloured by nationalism, religion or other=20
institutional societal biases. Challenging the most sacrosanct norms=20
that impinge on human creativity, he
negated narrow definitions of nationalism, exposing hypocrisy and=20
morbid sexuality in masterpieces such as Toba Tek Singh, Tetwal ka=20
Kutta, Khol do and Dhuwan.

Manto was fortunate to have escaped heavy persecution for writing=20
what his heart desired. Had he been born in today's Pakistan, he=20
might have had a difficult time. Just as well that the bigots and the=20
hypocrites do not honour him.

Manzur Ejaz
Washington DC

______

#5.

The Hindustan Times
16 January 2003
Letters to the Editor
=09=20
The lies of Balbir Punj

How revolting to read the likes of Balbir Punj and Tarun Vijay on=20
the HT edit page, pretending to be independent columnists when in=20
reality they are paid hacks of the Sangh parivar. Punj's falsehood is=20
only outclassed by his ignorance. He accuses Udit Raj (Set Indians=20
against Indians, January 15=20
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/printedition/150103/detPLA01.shtml)=20
of the very crime his fellow-ideologues have committed with impunity=20
- dividing the nation by setting one community against another.

He accuses the Soviet communists of allying with the Nazis, omitting=20
that it was the severe defeat inflicted by the Soviets at Stalingrad=20
that catalysed Hitler's fall. As many as 26 million Soviet people=20
died in the protracted war against fascism. But what of the RSS who,=20
60 years after Hitler's death, continue to subscribe to his=20
despicable methods? The mass extermination of six million Jews is=20
upheld as an ideal to emulate: "a good lesson for us in Hindustan",=20
says RSS founder Guru Golwalkar in We or Our Nationhood Defined, a=20
seminal text for the Mobsters, "to learn and profit by".

As for the odious accusation that secularists fuel terrorist acts=20
like those witnessed in Godhra and Akshardham, consider the interview=20
to Harvard's Jessica Stern where Lashkar-e-Tayyeba's official=20
spokes-man Abu Osama said: "We pray for their success because we feel=20
that in the success of Hindu fundamentalism lies the survival of=20
Muslim fundamentalism. Secular India can slow the process of=20
Islamisation of Pakistan and other Muslim states of the region."

Sonia Jabbar

_____

#6.

Unite to prevent another Gujarat

Protest at 4pm, Kherwadi Junction, Bandra (E)

12.01.2003

'Narendra Modi go back' was the clear message sent out by concerned
citizens, women activists and artists of Bombay city. In a massive
anarchist action people came out to reclaim the streets as a space for
dissent and protest. Slogans like "Punish Modi", "Modi Rapist", "Modi
Hathyaara", were splashed across the city along with symbolic blood
stains to mark his visit. As a citizen put it, "we do not want any more
Gujarats".

The ongoing violence in Gujarat reflects a longer and larger genocidal
project, and constitutes a crime against humanity. The use of the so
called democratic election process to launder these crimes is even more
disturbing, especially since a low intensity warfare continues to be
waged against the minority Muslim community in Gujarat through economic
boycott, constant sexual harassment and physical threats. In Gujarat,
sexual violence against Muslim women as well as against women in
inter-religious marriages is central to the organized political project
of Hindutva.

US and India are brothers in Arms. The international campaign that the
US started by which they have managed to successfully imprint Islam 3D
Terrorism, resonates in the propaganda of 'little brother BJP' and the
Sangh Parivar. Their systematic and planned campaign has managed to
portray a disempowered, minority community as a demonic one.

Anyone who is critical of its actions and ideologies is attacked for
being a threat to the national interest of this country. We live in the
largest and most glamorous democracy and it's time that this hollow
image of India is punctured and the growing Fascist nature of this
Nation-state exposed and acknowledged".

Dressed in black, we denounce the opportunistic misuse of electoral
processes and mourn the tragic loss of our Democracy. Each time we are
supportive or silent in the face of any oppression and discrimination of
any minority (based on class, caste, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race,
health status and ability) we ally ourselves with the likes of Modi,
Sharon, Bush and Hitler.

Chup rehna hi hinsa ki shuruat hai
Katiloon main gine jane ki baat hai
Gaur se apne haathon ko dekho jara,
Khoon in pe kisa ka to nahin laga.....

- Insaan Hain Hum, Loknaad

_____

#7.

Reuters (Jan 15, 2003)
[RSS] Gang Attacks American Missionary in India
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory2&cid=3D564&ncid=3D564&e=3D51&=
u=3D/nm/20030115/ts_nm/crime_india_missionary_dc_1

o o o

[See statement from All India Christian Council]

Arrest Culprits for Attack On Missionary Under Terror Law
Ban RSS and other Sangh Parivar Outfits

Thiruvanthapuram: The All India Christian Council has condemned in=20
the strongest possible words the violent attack on Bishop Cooper and=20
other Christians in Kilimanoor. It has called upon the State=20
government to wake up to the reality of the RSS's communal designs in=20
Kerala, prosecute all those guilty of the act directly or indirectly=20
and ban the RSS and all its sister organizations.

In a statement issued here, the aicc said said for quite sometime,=20
the RSS and its cohorts have been openly indulging in a systematic=20
anti-Christian campaign through mis-information campaigns and falsely=20
accusing the Christian community of indulging and forceful and=20
fraudulent conversions. At various times, pastors and other Christian=20
workers have been manhandled, prayer meetings disrupted, worship=20
halls vandalized and Christian literature snatched and destroyed.

However, following the failure of the police and the state government=20
to act firmly and appropriately despite repeated media reports of=20
such excesses, it was only a matter of time before these communal=20
elements graduated to more violent means to suppress and terrorise=20
Christians, in this case, an attempt to kill the Christians, as=20
stated by pastor Benson to the Council.

The council said what was even more shocking, as reported by the=20
media, was the use of country bombs by the RSS elements to scare away=20
other Christians from coming to the aid of the victims. This is the=20
first time that bombs have been used by the RSS against Christians in=20
the country, highlighting the sinister nature of the designs and the=20
terrorist ethos of the RSS. Contrary to the claim of the RSS Jilla=20
saha karyavah, R. Santhosh that the attack was the result of=20
inflammatory statements made by the Christians at a convention being=20
held in a dalit locality, the attack was a pre-planned one, as=20
denoted by the prior flattening of the wheels of the cars of the=20
Christians, the use of country bombs etc.., and was specifically=20
carried out to dissuade Christians from working among and=20
emancipating dalits. This has also been one of the prime reasons for=20
the anti-Christian violence in the rest of the country as well.

What comes as a dissapointment is that this is now happening in a=20
state that has a rich history of communal peace and harmony, and of=20
all communities living in harmony with each other. However, things=20
would not have come to such a head if the government had taken a=20
serious note of the earlier incidents of targeting of Christians in=20
the state and acted firmly and harshly with communal elements bent of=20
disrupting the peace for their vested interests.

The Council has forcefully called upon the state government to act=20
with all the power at its disposal against the culprits in this=20
incident and book them under POTO and ban the RSS and all it sister=20
outfits, such as the VHP and Bajrang Dal. The Council also calls upon=20
all Christians, other minorities and secular Hindus to rise up and=20
act unitedly against the on-going attempts to communalise the state=20
and disturb its peace. Meanwhile, the government will also take the=20
matter up with the NHRC and at various national and international=20
forums.

______

#8.

Development and Deprivation in Gujarat: In Honour of Jan Breman
Edited by:
Ghanshyam Shah Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Mario Rutten University of Amsterdam
Hein Streefkerk University of Amsterdam=20

Description:
Gujarat has been at the centre of media attention since March 2002=20
when a communal frenzy of the worst nature affected the state=20
creating raw tensions between various groups. This timely volume of=20
essays deals primarily with the problem of transformation and of the=20
economy, society and polity of Gujarat. Its relevance is immense in=20
the light of the present political situation.
Hardcover : 0761997253
List Price: $59.95
Publisher: Sage Publications Pvt. LtdPub
Date: 01/2003
Pages: 348
http://WWW.SAGEPUB.COM/book.aspx?pid=3D9239

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