[sacw] SACW | 29 March 03

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire  |  29 March,  2003

#1. Pakistanis yearn for good old Indian TV (Nadeem Iqbal)
#2. US invasion pushes Pakistanis toward Islam (Edward Luce and Farhan Bokha=
ri)
#3. 'Iraq war strengthening Pakistani radicals' (Reuters)
#4. India: Letter to The Chief Minister of UP  (Coalition for Nuclear 
Disarmament and Peace )
#5. India: Pandya's Murder in Gujarat (IK Shukla)
#6. India: Delhi Demo Against War On Iraq (invitations by Aman Ekta 
Manch and CNDP / MIND)
#7. Upcoming workshop, called "Andean and Himalayan Maoist Movements" 
(13 April, Cornell Univ.)
#8. Prof Brass lectures on "The Dynamics of Riot Production in 
Contemporary India" (7 April, Oslo)
and on, "Riots and Elections" (8 April, Oslo)
#9. India needs a Whistleblowers Protection Act  (K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty)
#10. India: Progressive writers' meet against commualism in [Hyderabad]
#11. Riot victims flee sensitive areas after minsters killing in 
Gujarat (Harit Mehta)
#12. Listen to Audio of Arundhati Roy, Praful Bidwai, A H Nayyar on 
the war on Iraq

--------------

#1.

Asia Times, March 28 2003

Pakistanis yearn for good old Indian TV
By Nadeem Iqbal

ISLAMABAD - Accusations are traded, diplomats are regularly expelled, 
and their soldiers trade fire routinely. Pakistan and India have 
exploited every possible way to snipe at each other, including the 
reciprocal banning of television channels.
But it is the consumers of such electronic entertainment who are 
asking for change, consumers like Madiha Sundhu, an 
information-technology specialist. She says she is tired of trying to 
follow English-language channels and wants the year-old ban on Indian 
channels lifted, so that she can watch programs in a language she 
understands - spoken Urdu and Hindi, after all, are very similar.
Television viewers such as Sundhu, whose mother tongue is Urdu, have 
been demanding from their local cable-television operators the 
resumption of Indian programs, and the operators in turn have relayed 
this demand to the Pakistani government.
Officially, there are 865 cable-television operators who service some 
2 million subscribers in Pakistan's urban centers. But the true 
figure is likely very much larger.
"Provide entertainment," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed 
advised the cable operators while rejecting their demand, "but not at 
the cost of national integrity."
The minister categorically stated that no Indian channel would be 
permitted to be aired in Pakistan "due to their [Indians'] unabated 
baseless propaganda campaign against Pakistan".
Television journalist Muhammad Malik supports the ban, and says there 
is a distinct slant against Pakistan in the content generated by the 
private Indian channels.
It was after the attack on the Indian parliament in December 2001, 
when Indian television channels began airing accusations linking the 
attack to Pakistan, that the government banned all Indian channels - 
news and entertainment. It replaced them with 49 foreign channels 
that cable operators have been asked to broadcast. But these are in 
English, Arabic, Chinese or Turkish, and find little appeal among 
viewers.
Some viewers are also complaining about what they call obscene or 
pornographic material on some channels. In response, the Pakistan 
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) directed the cable 
operators to use digital mosaicking to mask out undesirable segments 
of the programs.
Beyond the politics, there is economics involved as well. Jaffer 
Mehdi, a marketing executive, said: "The decision to ban Indian 
channels is not only to stop propaganda but is also a commercial one 
- to create space for the local private channels in the country."
Indeed, a PEMRA official said, "As more and more Pakistani 
advertisers were going to Indian channels to promote their products, 
that made it impossible for the private Pakistani channels to 
survive."
Mehdi supports the ban, and his view is that the similarity in 
language between Hindi and Urdu leads to Indian channels promoting 
Western culture more effectively than Western channels do.
Zahid Ahmed, a cable-television operator, emphasizes the huge 
influence of the language factor, but provides an insider's view. He 
said that despite the PEMRA directive, and in response to 
subscribers' demands, cable-television operators in dense urban areas 
continue to relay Indian channels, or broadcast Indian films off 
pirated video compact discs to their subscribers.
The size of the audience drives this demand. According to Pakistan 
Television (PTV) statistics, there are about 3.5 million television 
sets in the country. The Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan, a 
non-governmental organization, estimates that 53 percent of all 
households regularly watch television.
But a study of electronic media in South Asia conducted by the United 
Nations Development Program in 2001 found that 73 percent of 
households in urban areas, and 25 percent in rural areas, own 
television sets.
A household usually pays about Rs300 (about US$5) as a monthly 
subscription for its cable-television connection. Cable operators pay 
a hefty $900 as an initial license fee, renewable annually for $450, 
and are required to broadcast at least 20 channels, so the cost of 
operation can be considerable.
Hence the need for operators such as Zahid Ahmed to feel the pulse of 
his subscribers' viewership habits.
Yet the television landscape in Pakistan could change sooner than 
Madiha Sundhu expects. PEMRA has invited applications for the setting 
up of satellite channels to telecast programs in other countries. 
This followed the launch in January of Pakistan's first commercial 
satellite, PAKSAT-1, whose transponders will be available to private 
companies.
There are five Pakistani-owned satellite television channels - Indus 
TV, ARY TV, Geo TV, Uni-TV and KTN - but as PEMRA does not yet issue 
licenses for private channels, these telecast from overseas locations 
with content created in Pakistan.
Their being able to broadcast from Pakistan is still up in the air as 
the government wrestles with issues of cross-media licensing - some 
of these channels are owned by media groups - and the threat of PTV 
losing commercial revenue to the private Pakistani channels.
Information Secretary Anwar Mehmood says that restrictions will be 
removed, but remains ambiguous about a date.
The private channel operators appear more confident about their 
future than the government does, as stations such as ARY and Geo 
already compete with PTV for viewership, although some PTV serials 
are very popular in India.
They believe additional revenue could be generated from the Indian 
market provided practical commercial interests can prevail over 
political one-upmanship.
(Inter Press Service)

_____


#2.

The Financial Times
March 27, 2003

US invasion pushes Pakistanis toward Islam

By Edward Luce and Farhan Bokhari

Most Pakistanis usually feel sympathy and even affection for 
Americans - if not always for Washington's foreign policy. But 
something has snapped since the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Pakistan's bearded Islamists are suddenly in vogue even among the 
urban elite educated in the United States. Unlike the response to the 
US-led bombing of Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks, 
Pakistan's hardline mullahs now appear to have a national audience.

Ahsan Jamil, a Karachi businessman who studied economics in Portland, 
Oregon, says: "A few months ago none of my social circle would have 
given any credence to the Islamist parties. But now they keep 
watching when the Islamists come on the television."

People such as Mr Jamil would never contemplate voting for an 
Islamist party. But their concerns about America were inflamed by 
bureaucratic harassment to which they and relatives have been 
subjected on visits to the US since September 11.

Pakistani applicants for US visas are now required to assemble at a 
large convention centre in Islamabad and are then bussed into the US 
embassy for hours of queueing. A response, which is often negative, 
can take weeks. If positive, the greeting on arrival in the US can be 
humiliating.

Taimur Hassan Amin, Pakistan's former national golf champion, says: 
"People like me were sympathetic to the US after September 11. People 
are now not so sure America's intentions are good. They understood 
America's actions after September 11 even if they did not fully agree 
with them. But where is the provocation for invading Iraq?"

Such people, who make up the key constituency in support of a more 
secular and progressive Pakistan, appear deeply confused and do not 
know which way to turn. Pakistan's mainstream and secular political 
parties are in disarray following the military regime's manipulation 
of national elections in October.

Pakistan's government - a key ally in the US war on terrorism - is 
doing its best not to offend the US or Pakistan domestic opinion, an 
almost impossible task. Islamabad yesterday called for a "quick end 
to the war", a line that could mean anything.

Meanwhile, the Islamist parties, the third largest group in the 
Pakistan national assembly, are going from strength to strength. A 
former Pakistan diplomat says: "The US invasion of Iraq is a complete 
gift to the Islamist parties. People who would otherwise turn their 
noses up at them are now flocking to their banner."

Those concerned about the growing credence of the Islamists are also 
critical of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military president, 
for failing sufficiently to counter their growing popularity. 
Islamist parties last week said they would implement the Sharia 
Islamic legal system in the North West Frontier Province. The 
Islamist government in Peshawar, capital of the province, has issued 
orders for women to veil themselves in public and has closed TV and 
music shops as un-Islamic. d3 Many believe the Islamists are 
exploiting popular feeling against the war in Iraq to extend such 
measures, even though most Pakistanis find them abhorrent.

Yet the main preoccupation at dinner parties in the country's 
metropolitan suburbs is the fear that the US will next turn its 
attentions to Pakistan. Many educated people believe Pakistan is on a 
US hit-list. The fact that Pakistan is the only Islamic country to 
possess nuclear weapons adds to such speculation.

Hasan Askhari Rizvi, an academic, says: "Pakistan must do all it can 
to break away from the myth that its bomb is the 'Islamic' bomb. Even 
if the Bush administration has no intention of targeting Pakistan, 
there could be calls from within the US to take closer notice of the 
nuclear threat posed by Pakistan."

Yet, there are aspects of anti-Americanism in Pakistan that do not 
fit the agenda of the Islamist parties, the largest of which follows 
the ideology of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime. For example, 
many mainstream Pakistanis draw encouragement from the fact that 
large parts of the western world, including France, Germany and 
Russia, are strongly opposed to the war. This limits the extent to 
which the Islamists can portray the war as a clash between Islam and 
the west.

Arshad Zaman, an economic consultant in Karachi, says: "There are 
those who believe that America has declared war on Islam and there 
are those simply fearful that America is behaving in an imperialist 
manner. The latter are probably in a majority. The Islamists have to 
tailor their message to them."

_____


#3.

The Daily Times, March 27, 2002

'Iraq war strengthening Pakistani radicals'

ISLAMABAD: Anger over the war in Iraq is strengthening the hand of 
Islamic radicals in Pakistan, and leaving the country's liberal elite 
feeling threatened and isolated.
The religious right is on the rise, and "jihad is back on the 
political agenda. At risk, liberals fear is a drive to crack down on 
Islamic militants and ultimately even Islamabad's partnership with 
Washington in the war on terror.
"The net result is that people with anti-American, anti-Western, 
pro-radical Islamic views are more likely to get votes than before," 
said Najam Sethi, newspaper editor and unofficial spokesman for the 
liberal elite in the city of Lahore.
Throughout its brief history, two broad forces have struggled to win 
Pakistan's heart - on the one hand secular democrats who favour 
engagement with the West, on the other religious groups who prefer a 
sovereign Islamic state, even an isolated one. Fury with the US-led 
war against Iraq stretches from the drawing rooms of Lahore to the 
bare concrete rooms of Islamic schools on the Afghan border and it is 
the Islamic radicals who stand to gain. "The fundamentalists have got 
the bit between their teeth and they are running with this," said 
leading journalist Ahmed Rashid in Lahore. "Liberal assumptions about 
democracy, civil society and rule of law will be seen as pro-American 
propaganda."
Sethi, who like many liberals opposes war in Iraq but argues for a 
pragmatic approach to relations with Washington, says he feels 
increasingly "undermined, threatened and isolated" by the new mood in 
Pakistan. It is an argument rejected by Senator Kursheed Ahmed, 
vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's largest 
religious party. "This is a question of human rights and 
international law, not a question of petty political gain," he said.
Above the battle between liberals and Islamists in Pakistan looms the 
powerful military establishment, like a puppeteer pulling strings on 
both sides for its own ends.
After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, military 
leader President Pervez Musharraf tried to steer Pakistan away from 
Islamic radicalism and into the centre of the US-led war on terror. 
But at the same time, critics say Musharraf tacitly encouraged the 
rise of the religious right in last year's general election, in a bid 
to sideline his secular, democratic opponents in mainstream political 
parties and keep power for himself.
His defenders portray Musharraf as a decent man caught between a rock 
and a hard place. Whatever his motives, Musharraf has stayed in 
Washington's good books by helping to arrest senior Al Qaeda members 
in Pakistan, but shied away from a confrontation with Islamists by 
cracking down less hard on domestic militant groups.
It was a dangerous strategy at the best of times, but one that 
appears even more fraught with risks as the religious parties exploit 
war with Iraq to grab still more popular support. -Reuters

_____


#4.

The Chief Minister
The Government of Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow, UP

Dear Madam,

We were shocked to learn of the arrest of Sandeep Pandey, a renowned Human
Rights activist, by the Uttar Pradesh Police, while he was distributing
some leaflets on the importance of promoting communal harmony. Though he
has been released on bail after spending seven days in custody, cases
against him are still pending. We demand the immediate withdrawal of all
the cases held against him. Stern action should be taken against those
administrators responsible for this outrage. Mr. Sandeep Pandey, also a
Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, has been a dedicated and courageous grassroots
worker tirelessly campaigning for upholding the rights of the people. He is
also a member of the National Coordinating Committee of the Coalition for
Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), a nation-wide network of over 200
organisations committed to the struggle for peace, disarmament and justice.
The CNDP is also part of the Asian Peace Alliance (APA) which is an
umbrella organisation covering organisations in over 19 Asian countries.

While the international community through the Magsaysay Award has
recognized his endeavors, it is deeply disturbing that in a democratic
country like India where the expression of dissent has always been
respected, that the Uttar Pradesh Police should have unjustifiably arrested
and charged Mr. Pandey. The CNDP calls on you and the UP government to
immediately rectify matters.

Yours sincerely,
Achin Vanaik
On behalf of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), India
New Delhi March 28, 2003.

_____


#5.

Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2003 16:45:39 +0000

Pandya's Murder in Gujarat

by IK Shukla

It is just like him. Advani deserves to be officially caled MadVani. 
It is he who, in a tendentious and illicit hurry, absolved Bajrang 
Dal, and thus pre-empted and prejudiced investigative proceedings in 
the case of Staines' murders by Dara Singh in Orissa.

It is Madvani who absolved the rampaging terrorists of Hindutva as 
all of it being a joke. So, he has, true to a plan, struck again.

(Why would Dawood target a person who is not a minister, nor even an 
MLA, and whose fall from grace with Modi is long and public? This is 
a question now being mulled and asked by the people in Gujarat and 
elsewhere:
Those who planned the massacre of 2000 Muslims, could easily have 
planned Pandya's too for his crime of spilling the beans at the 
commission of inquiry, for refusing Ellis Bridge seat to a Canteen 
Manager, and for daring to challenge and disagree with him. Remember 
what happened to Ehsan Jafri for daring to stand against him in an 
election?)

This leaves little chance of truth ever being found out as to who the 
criminal/s is or are.

And, Venkaiah and Madvani have already declared "Jihadis" to be the 
culprits. How did they come to know so soon?

There can only be two answers. Either they are privy to the plotted 
murder. Or, they are determined to deflect, derail and intimidate 
real inquiry into something dark and dirty.

Isn't this a crude attempt at absolving the real criminal/s and thus 
warning the CBI in advance against fingering and focusing on the real 
assassin/s.

It is this suspicion that lends an edge to the speculation that some 
big shot is involved.

And, Madvanis and Venkaiahs, afraid and jittery, are now in an 
unseemly, ugly hurry to cover it all up, to the greater glory of 
HinduTaliban. Hindutva is determined to remove road blocks and 
recalcitrants. This is a signal.


_____


#6.

=46rom: Aman Ekta Manch (New Delhi)
DELHI AGAINST WAR ON IRAQ

Dear Friends,

A bigger show of disgust, anger and protest against the war in Iraq 
is being organized by the Committee Against War in Iraq. The 
demonstration is on:

MARCH 31, 2003 in Delhi

Programme

Marchers will gather at 11:00 am in front of Red Fort at DANGAL 
GROUND PARK (Near Subhash Park). The March will start at 12:00 noon 
and end at the Ram Lila Maidans.

There will be NO FLAGS/BANNERS of Political Parties and other 
organizations. All Banners/Placards will be against the War.

There will be NO SPEECHES by any political leaders or others. One 
statement in Hindi and English will be read out by a well-known woman 
and man (not affiliated to a political party).

There will be songs, poems, plays at Shivaji Park.

There will be a BONFIRE to burn US and UK goods and a call will be 
given to boycott these goods.(Bring the goods you would like to burn)

Mobilisation

Please mobilize large numbers of people. (Students from schools, 
colleges, universities, despite your exams, do come for a few hours.)

Let=92s all make and bring colorful placards, banners etc.

NO BLOOD FOR OIL!

Please circulate this information widely

o o o

[ From MIND / CNDP India]
=46riends,

There will be march on March 31 to protest the war on Iraq under the single
banner of the "Committee Against the War on Iraq" mobilising all people
irrespective of their other organisational affiliations. Please gather at
11.00 am at Dangal Park (near Subhash park) in front of Red Fort [ 
New Delhi]. The
procession will go through Chandni Chowk and Ajmal Khan Road and end at
Tikona Park where there will be no speeches but instead the reading out of
a prepared statement condemning the war and demanding peace in Hindustani
and English followed by a cultural programme featuring songs, plays and
poems by prominent artistes and groups. There will also be a bonfire in
which will be thrown goods made in US and UK. Therefore, please bring with
you placards highlighting themes pertinent to opposing the war and at least
one item made in US/UK or associated with its companies for throwing into
the bonfire as a symbolic act of boycott of US/UK goods. Please pass the
message around about the coming march to others and encourage others to
join in the activity proposed.

Achin Vanaik
MIND/CNDP
Delhi
_____


#7.


A comparative, interdisciplinary workshop on social conflict 
precipitated by the Maoist movements of the Sendero Luminoso in Peru 
and the Maobadi Andolan in Nepal is held at the Cornell University, 
Ithaca, New York State, U.S., on 13 April 2003. The workshop, called 
"Andean and Himalayan Maoist Movements"  is sponsored by the Latin 
American Studies Program; the South Asia Program; Dept of 
Anthropology; Peace Studies Program; Einaudi Center; and the Nepal 
Association of Cornell University. Venue: Einaudi Center, Uris Hall G 
08.

_____


#8.


Professor Paul R Brass from Dept of Political Science, University of 
Washington, U.S., lectures at the Centre for Development and the 
Environment (SUM), Oslo University, on Monday 7 April 2003, 
10.15-12.00, on "The Dynamics of Riot Production in Contemporary 
India". Venue: Seminar room 2, Georg Sverdrup building, Blindern, 
Oslo.
The next day, Tuesday 8 April, 10.15-12-00, Prof Brass lectures on 
"Riots and Elections", at the same place. Both lectures are part of a 
research colloquium on "Local Politics and Democratisation", held at 
SUM during the Spring 2003.


______


#9.

The Hindu / Open Page
Mar 25, 2003

India needs a Whistleblowers Protection Act
by K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty

In trying to protect whistleblowers, we are actually trying to 
protect ourselves. Many employees may be afraid to speak out even 
with the legal protection, but its very existence will deter 
government and corporate wrongdoings to a considerable extent.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/op/stories/2003032500110200.htm


______


#10.

The Times of India
MARCH 28, 2003

Progressive writers' meet in [Hyderabad]

HYDERABAD: The 13th national conference of the Progressive Writers 
Association, an organisation representing writers in all Indian 
languages, will be held in the city from April 11 to 13. This is the 
first time that the conference is being held in south India.

The theme of the conference will be the 'Growing threat of fascism - 
role of writers'. At least 300 writers from across the country are 
expected to attend the conference. PWA president Kethu Viswanatha 
Reddy told reporters here that the forces of communalism were 
threatening democracy in the country. The meet will be inaugurated by 
the famous literary figure, Narayan Surve.


______


#11.

The Times of India
March 28, 2003
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=3D41=
601545

Riot victims flee sensitive areas after Pandya killing
HARIT MEHTA

AHMEDABAD: Will this be the last time residents of Naroda Gam and 
Chamanpura flee their homes fearing violence? The residents are not 
quite sure.

This was for the sixth time that these people were on a run after 
returning to their residences from relief camps, following the riots 
last year. If the Akshardham attack triggered off the first exodus, 
occasions like Rathyatra, Id, India-Pakistan cricket match, and 
attack on VHP leader Jaideep Patel, too, prompted these residents to 
take refuge in minority-dominated areas like Juhapura, Ramol, 
Shah-e-Alam and some pockets of the walled city.

As soon as the news of Haren Pandya's death spread on Wednesday, most 
of the 135 families living in NarodaGaam locked their houses, took 
their belongings and ran away. "The few families in the Muslim 
Mohalla and Kumbharvaas, who had mustered enough courage to stay 
back, left as soon as they heard of the bandh call given by the 
VHP"says Iqbal Hussain, a vegetable vendor. "There are just two 
families who have stayed back"he adds.

According to police officials, the residents were assured that no 
untoward incident would happen. "But they didn't listen to us"said an 
official. "It's difficult to convince them, especially after what 
happened last year. They are just not ready to take any chances"says 
Sadique Hussein, who runs Conflict Relief and Peace Organisation, an 
NGO.

According to Hussein, many Muslims have permanently moved out of the 
place. "There are a few who have shifted elsewhere. There are some 
people who have moved in rented houses in Muslim-dominated areas. And 
the ones who have not managed to get out argue that moving out is not 
a solution," he says.

Doctor Gandhi Ni Chali in Chamanpura, which saw one of the worst 
massacres, too, wears a deserted look. Over 80 families which live in 
Gandhi Ni Chali, Hukumsingh Ni Chali and Patarewali Chali in the area 
have shifted to safer areas. "There are only four families who have 
stayed back here. We had gone to our relative's place in Juhapura 
during the India-Pakistan match. Ab to yeh roz ka ho gaya hain (This 
is becoming a routine affair now). How long can we keep running 
away,?" says Fakir Mohammad, a fruit vendor.

Despite assurances from his Hindu neighbours, Mahmood Sheikh, who 
sells bangles, is scared. "Anyone, who has lived through the 
nightmare of last year, would be scared ?" he says. However, the 
silver lining is that most of the residents at Naroda Patia, have 
decided to stay put. Says Abdul Hamid, a resident, "This time we have 
managed to convince our people here that there is no need to worry 
and that the bandh will be peaceful."


_____


#12.


ASIA PACIFIC FORUM
http://www.asiapacificforum.org/
on WBAI 99.5 FM, New York City
Radio broadcast - 2003 March 25

India & Pakistan to the US-led invasion of Iraq: from the huge 
popular opposition, on the streets of India and Pakistan. Our guests 
are:
ARUNDHATI ROY Booker Prize-winning authors of God of Small Things and 
articulate spokesperson for the dispossessed, from India's Naramada 
Valley to the ravines of Afghanistan
PRAFUL BIDWAI columnist in New Delhi, published in more than 25 
newspapers, and formerly senior editor of The Times of India; long 
time peace activist and critic of the Hindu Right, founder of the 
CNDP (Committee for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace)
ABDUL HAMID NAYYAR Professor of theoretical physics in Islamabad, 
also a long time peace activist, organizer of some of the only 
secular / progressive demonstrations in Pakistan against the war in 
Iraq

Listen to audio file in real audio:
http://www.asiapacificforum.org/All_Archives/2003_Mar_25/2003_Mar_25_1_IndoP=
ak.rm

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South Asia Citizens Web (www.mnet.fr/aiindex).

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