SACW #1 | 10 Oct. 2003

[Harsh Kapoor]

SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE  #1  |  10 October,  2003

Announcements:
a) The South Asia Citizens Web web-site is 
currently down, users are invited to use Google 
cache till further notice.
b) 'South Asia Counter Information Project' a 
back-up, archive area and sister site of SACW can 
be accessed at: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/sacw/
c) In order to bypass the continued blocking of 
groups.yahoo.com  in India, all are advised to 
browse via: 
http://anon.free.anonymizer.com/http://groups.yahoo.com

+++++

[1] Taliban mounted militia prepares for border strike (Ahmed Rashid)
[2] Stranded in India (Editorial, Dawn)
[3] Pakistan: Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan (Arif Azad)
[4] Constitutional protection of minority rights in Sri Lanka (H. L. de Silva)
[5] India: Secular Muslim voices speak up (Praful Bidwai)
[6] India: Mahants of Ayodhya Raise Voice Against VHP Programme
[7] India: Historian Habib slams Advani, ASI on Ayodhya
[8] India: Film Makers, Intellectuals Meet to Protest Ban on Film Aakrosh
[9] India: Shahi Imam speaks on Osama, angers some
[10] India: VHP warns of 'polarisation' in every village
[11] Internet Censorship continues in India


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

[1.]

Daily Telegraph  [UK]  October 8, 2003

TALIBAN MOUNTED MILITIA PREPARES FOR BORDER STRIKE

By Ahmed Rashid in Kandahar

A Taliban army is mobilizing in Pakistan for an attack into Afghanistan
before the start of winter.

Up to 2,500 fighters are in Baluchistan province preparing to cross the
border on motorcycles and attack United States and Afghan government forces,
according to Western and Afghan intelligence officials.

The Taliban have virtually taken over several suburbs of Quetta, the capital
of Baluchistan, and are being supported by Pakistani religious parties, the
drugs mafia and al-Qa'eda. There is also reportedly increasing support from
the Pakistani authorities - a claim denied in Islamabad.

Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the beginning of the American
bombing campaign that destroyed the Taliban after the September 11 attacks.
They now plan to harry US forces in Kandahar, where residents feel
increasingly under siege, and Zabol.

Since August Taliban attacks have killed almost 400 Afghan soldiers, aid
workers and civilians. Four US soldiers have also died.

After evening prayers in Quetta's Pushtunabad suburb, tens of thousands of
Afghan and Pakistani Taliban pour on to the streets from mosques and
madrassas - the religious seminaries - to take tea, eat ice-cream and plan
their raids.

"We have the American forces and the puppet regime of [President Hamid]
Karzai on the run. They will collapse soon" said a Taliban mullah in
Pushtunabad bazaar.

The Taliban have bought hotels, shops and houses, forcing many frightened
local residents to leave. Vehicle dealers say the Taliban have bought 900
motorcycles in the past three months in the Quetta region and another 250 in
Loralai. Motorcycle guerrillas roam Afghanistan's rural areas attacking aid
agency vehicles and isolated police posts.

Dealers say the Taliban buy in bulk and do not ask for registration papers
or receipts. Their favourite machine is the Honda 125.

For communications, they are importing hundreds of satellite telephones from
the Arab Gulf states, because those bought in Pakistan are closely monitored
by America's Central Intelligence Agency. Arms and ammunition are dumped
inside Afghanistan.

Their funding comes from the drugs trade and al-Qa'eda. Osama bin Laden is
still in hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The Taliban are also deeply involved in the heroin trade which last year
generated £717 million in Afghanistan - a sum equal to the amount spent on
reconstruction aid for the country. Logistical support for the Taliban is
available from the hardline mullahs of the Jamiat-e-Ullema Islam (JUI) - a
partner in the ruling coalition that governs Baluchistan.

In recent weeks President Karzai has appealed to JUI mullahs and the
Pakistan army to stop the Taliban from organizing in Quetta, but that has
only infuriated the JUI.

"The Afghan government and Karzai are the stooges of America and every
Muslim and every Afghan knows this," said Maulana Hafiz Hussain Sharodi,
Baluchistan's information minister. "Only the Taliban can constitute the
real government in Afghanistan."

According to President Karzai, the headquarters for Taliban planning is the
Shaldara madrassa in Quetta run by Maulana Nur Mohammed, who is a JUI member
of parliament.

"We are proud that the Taliban are made and helped here," said Maulana Abdul
Qadir, the deputy to Nur Mohammed. "Our job is to make sure that the whole
Pakistani nation supports the Taliban."

Hundreds of Pakistani Taliban are joining their Afghan brothers, although
Pakistan denies that its citizens are involved.

US officials are perturbed at the extent of Pakistani help to the Taliban
and Congress has become increasingly critical. However the White House is
still reluctant to criticise President Pervaiz Musharraf because of
America's desperate need to enlist Pakistani troops for Iraq.

After meeting President Musharraf on Monday in Islamabad, Richard Armitage,
the US deputy secretary of state, gave a ringing endorsement for his support
in the war against terrorism. But on Oct 1, Mr Armitage told Congressional
leaders in Washington: "I do not think that that affection for working with
us extends up and down the rank-and-file of the Pakistani security
community."

>From Quetta the road stretches 80 miles through desert and mountains to
Kandahar, the former Taliban capital.

Western aid agencies there have virtually ceased operating outside the city.
Last week the Taliban killed two Afghan aid workers helping to repatriate
refugees and wounded an Afghan engineer involved in mine clearing.

Yousuf Pashtun, the Governor of Kandahar province, says Pakistan has allowed
the Taliban to establish six training camps in Baluchistan. He accused the
Pakistani authorities of "wanting to push the Taliban into another big
battle with government forces", fearing that in the next phase "the Taliban
will start urban terrorism".

____


[2.]

Dawn, October 5, 2003 | Editorial

STRANDED IN INDIA

The tale of 30-year-old Shahnaz Kausar is a 
telling example of how troubled relations between 
two countries can have a traumatic effect on the 
lives of some of their citizens. A resident of 
Azad Kashmir, Shahnaz had jumped into a river 
some eight years ago to escape the daily 
harassment meted out to her by her husband and 
in-laws. Swept by the waters to the Indian side, 
she was eventually picked up by the Indian army 
and handed over to the police. Despite her untold 
suffering, a local court convicted her of 
entering India illegally and sentenced her to 15 
months in prison. In jail, a prison guard raped 
her and she eventually gave birth to a daughter. 
After her release in 1997, Shahnaz tried to 
return to Pakistan but could not because while 
immigration officials at the border were willing 
to let her in, they refused to admit her child, 
whom they said was Indian. Shahnaz had no choice 
but to stay on in India and was sent back to 
prison. She was eventually released in August 
2002 and has since been trying to return to 
Pakistan.
Islamabad must take up the case of this 
unfortunate victim of circumstances without the 
least delay. A decision must be taken to admit 
her and her daughter back into Pakistan so that 
their miseries come to an end. She has already 
suffered far too much to be left wondering about 
what happens to her and her child next. Both must 
be spared the agony of being tossed back and 
forth at border points. At any rate, both 
countries have recently released dozens of each 
other's citizens languishing in jail for similar 
kind of offences. A Pakistani boy who had 
accidentally crossed the border into India was 
released not too long ago as a goodwill gesture 
and allowed by Pakistani border authorities to 
enter his homeland. Several fishermen have also 
been mutally repatriated because it was realized 
that they had crossed into the territorial waters 
of the other country by mistake. Shahnaz Kausar's 
case is of a similar kind and deserves to be 
treated in the same way.

______


[3.]

The Guardian [UK] October 8, 2003

NAWABZADA NASRULLAH KHAN
Battling for democracy against Pakistan's authoritarian governments

Arif Azad

The politician and poet Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, who has died aged 85, was
a consistent voice of dissent and a crusading democrat against authoritarian
governments throughout the history of Pakistan. Military dictators feared
him more than any opposition leader, because of his uncanny ability to unite
diverse parties around the fundamentals of the rule of law, the constitution
and undiluted democratic governance.
Born into a feudal family, in Khangarh in central Punjab, he was sent to the
elite Aitchison College, Lahore. His initiation into politics came when he
joined the religiously influenced, but anti-colonial, political party
Majlis-I-Ahrar (Congress for Liberation) in 1933.

After independence and partition in 1947, he switched over to the Muslim
League party, from whose platform he successively won 1952 provincial and
1962 national assembly elections. It was during General Ayub Khan's military
rule (1958-68) that he made his mark on national politics.

Disenchanted by the heavy-handed military dictatorship, he set about
gathering together all opposition parties under one banner. His first foray
into building an opposition coalition resulted in the highly effective
Democratic Action Committee, which prepared the ground for the fall of the
seemingly solidly entrenched General Ayub in a popular uprising. The success
of this alliance became a model for other pro-democracy movements that he
became involved in.

Nasrullah's next crack at alliance-building came in 1977 in the shape of the
Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) against the first democratically elected
administration of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1973. Blinded by his zeal for
oppositional politics, however, Nasrullah allowed his Pakistan Democratic
Party to join General Zia-ul-Haq's regime. But he soon saw the true nature
of Haq's dictatorship; losing no time in distancing himself from the
oppressive regime, he began to mend fences with the Pakistan People's Party
of the executed prime minister Bhutto.

In the 1980s, Nasrullah began assembling democratic forces to challenge the
military rule of the general. This resulted in the formation of the Movement
for the Restoration of Democracy (MRD), which developed into a highly
successful grassroots pro-democracy movement. In 1983, the MRD launched a
successful countrywide civil disobedience movement that was ruthlessly
suppressed by the military regime. Thousands were killed or imprisoned and
Nasrullah suffered prolonged periods under house arrest.

MRD came to grief when its principal component, the PPP, decided to go it
alone in a free and fair election after Haq's death in 1988. Nasrullah was
elected to the assembly, but was not in agreement with the new government
led by Benazir Bhutto. However, he made up with Bhutto during her second
term of office in 1993 and became chair of the Kashmir committee, travelling
widely to publicise the Kashmiri issue.

His final act as an anti-establishment figure was the formation of the
Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy (ARD) after General Musharraf
seized power in a military coup in 1999. Since then, Nasrullah devoted
himself to the task of making the ARD a credible pro-democracy force against
the gathering military dictatorship. As late as August this year, despite
his poor health, he travelled to Saudi Arabia and London to impress upon the
two exiled former prime ministers, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, the dire
necessity of strengthening the ARD.

He was deeply sceptical of the managed democracy that General Musharraf had
introduced in the wake of the rigged election in 2002. In one of his final
interviews, published three weeks before he died, Nasrullah cast doubt on
the future of military-directed democracy by saying: "It's like painting
dictatorship as democracy. If a cock crows at midnight it does not mean it
is morning."

Despite his engagement in politics, Nasrullah found time to write two
volumes of poetry. At opposition rallies he always enthused the crowds with
his measured oratory punctuated with verses from lyrical Urdu poetry. His
austere one-room flat was a required port of call for writers, journalists
and politicians of all persuasions, while his habit of giving gifts of
mangoes every summer to friends and foes alike was crucial to his
alliance-building skills. His death is a great blow to the pro-democracy
movement, which is now open to manipulation from the military regime.

He is survived by his five sons and four daughters.

· Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, politician and poet, born 1918; died September
27 2003

[...].

______


[4.]

The Island [Sri Lanka]
October 8 and October 9, 2003

CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTION OF MINORITY RIGHTS IN SRI LANKA [Part 1]
by H. L. de Silva
http://www.island.lk/2003/10/08/featur01.html

Constitutional protection of minority rights in Sri Lanka [Part 2]
by H. L. de Silva
http://www.island.lk/2003/10/09/featur02.html


______


[5.]

The News International [Pakistan]
October 09, 200

SECULAR MUSLIM VOICES SPEAK UP
by Praful Bidwai

To gain influence and a modicum of credibility 
and acceptability for its extreme positions, the 
Bharatiya Janata Party has always had to create 
and exploit myths - for instance, the myth of the 
"Hindus-as-history's-victims", and the myth of 
"appeasement" and pampering of India's religious 
minorities by "pseudo-secular" political parties.

Related to this myth-making is the cultivation of 
a stereotype, that of the illiterate, backward 
Muslim, forever in the grip of religious bigots, 
who is unable to articulate a modern, liberal, 
pluralist-secular perspective, who cannot combat 
the medieval and reactionary influence of the 
mullah, and who falls prey to the machinations of 
cynical politicians eager to cultivate "vote 
banks".

That stereotype has been badly dented by a number 
of recent developments, including waves of change 
among India's 130 million Muslims, and the 
decline of religiously affiliated or 
denominational politics among the minorities, as 
well as the emergence of a significant Muslim 
intelligentsia and liberal middle class.

Thus, contrary to global trends in minority 
politics, the bulk of India's Muslims have 
steadfastly refused to form or support 
religion-based parties. The Muslim League exists 
as a significant force only in Kerala, where all 
ethnic and caste groups in any case compete for 
power and influence by using nominally ethnic 
identities, without necessarily acquiring a 
religious-fundamentalist character.

The Muslims of North India - and Uttar Pradesh 
alone is home to 28 percent of India's adherents 
of Islam - are particularly loath to give 
themselves a political identity or representation 
on the basis of religion. Their aspiration to 
integration and non-separateness are remarkably 
strong.

Similarly, winds of modernising change are 
sweeping through Muslim women, who are shedding 
the purdah and demanding an equal voice in the 
family, at the workplace, in schools and the in 
larger society. (See this Column on Feb 14, 2002 
for a discussion of all these trends.)

And now, a new group of Muslims has bonded 
together, which is solidly committed to liberal 
and secular ideas and which will present the 
modernising face of their community to the larger 
public. Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD) 
announced its formation in Mumbai on October 2, 
the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

MSD comprises writers, academics, journalists, 
professionals and ordinary citizens. It wants to 
challenge the "sustained hate propaganda and the 
celebration of violence" by the Sangh Parivar. On 
the other hand, it will also counter "fanatics 
and extremists among Muslims who claim to be the 
sole representatives" of the community.

Among prominent members of MSD are the poet Javed 
Akhtar and writer Hasan Kamal, both from Mumbai; 
journalists Javed Anand, Askari Zaidi and Zafar 
Agha, respectively from Mumbai, Bhopal and Delhi; 
and lawyer SMA Kazmi from Allahabad. 
Significantly, the first MSD public meeting on 
October 1 in Mumbai was attended by people from 
working class areas like Bhendi Bazar, Madanpura, 
Cheeta Camp and Jogeshwari and from small towns 
like Jalgaon and Kolhapur. MSD minces no words in 
declaring that "secularism and democracy are the 
first and last conditions for every Muslim's 
survival".

MSD seeks to combat not just Hindutva but Muslim 
communalism and obscurantism too. It stands for 
the Constitution, the rule of law and its uniform 
application to all and opposes extremism in all 
its forms.

MSD wants to promote a debate on Muslim personal 
laws in India which are among the most retrograde 
anywhere in the world. But MSD rejects the BJP's 
notion of a uniform civil code which is 
Hindutva's tool to bludgeon the minorities and 
create insecurity amongst them. Rather, it wants 
a public debate based on a draft Bill on personal 
law reform which the government should publish. 
It puts the onus of this on the ruling parties.

The secular credentials of many of MSD's 
founder-members are impeccable. As Javed Akhtar 
says: "For years we have heard allegations that 
there are no secular Muslims... We are here to 
call the bluff of the fundamentalist Shahi Imams 
and mullahs". The myth of the Muslim who is 
destined not to be modern and who will always 
resist the separation of religion from politics 
has been punctured any number of times. Among the 
forums that have done this tirelessly is the 
magazine "Communalism Combat", published from 
Mumbai, which is co-edited by Javed Anand.

Yet, there are two twists of irony or paradoxes 
here. Some of MSD's leading lights have stiffly 
resisted their own stereotyping as Muslims for 
years. But in today's highly communalised 
situation in India, they see the need to create a 
forum which will give a voice to secular and 
liberal concerns and perspectives. As Akhtar 
himself admits: "To prove you're secular, you 
have to form a Muslim organisation. Perhaps 
that's the paradoxical need of the hour".

This view is not likely to go uncontested by some 
Muslim intellectuals, or by intellectuals who 
happen to be Muslim. Some of them believe that 
"acquiring a Muslim identity" is unlikely to win 
them much support in the larger community; 
indeed, it might compromise them and even 
represent a form of retrogression. Some of them 
come from the Left and have been agnostics or 
atheists, and certainly not religious people. But 
as Javed Anand says, "MSD does not require you to 
be a practising Muslim. Even practising atheists 
are welcome."

This might trigger a debate and a contestation 
over some of the questions intellectuals have 
always asked, as Edward Said has so poignantly 
reminded us through his writings and speeches: 
Who speaks? For whom and in what context? What is 
the role, function and contribution of the 
intellectual located at the intersection of 
conflicts and battles over identities? There is 
no doubt that this discussion will take the 
existing debate over secularism and communalism 
on to a much higher plane.

A second paradox is the burden often thrust upon 
the minority-group intellectual to affirm, or 
rather prove, her/his commitment to nationalism 
and the nation-state. In India, s/he usually 
grows up believing this is a special 
responsibility cast by the circumstances and 
tends to overstate her/his case - if only to 
counter the Hindu-communal allegations and 
suspicions about his/her lack of loyalty to the 
country.

Akhtar stressed: "We want to highlight that the 
common Muslim is as committed to the country as 
any other Indian and the community should not be 
blamed for involvement of some Muslims in ghastly 
acts of terror".

This is fine as far it goes. But beyond a point, 
the stereotyping of the "nationalist Muslim" who 
is all for the Kargil war, who takes a strong 
position against "cross-border terrorism", and 
who competes with the BJP for "patriotic" 
credentials can be as much of a parody as the 
image of the communal type with a beard and 
skullcap, or with the burqa.

There can be no dispute that the formation of 
Muslims for Secular Democracy is a positive step. 
It will mount a powerful challenge to Hindutva's 
claims. It opens up new spaces within society and 
politics, which must be fully and carefully used 
by all those who wish to eradicate the scourge of 
parochialism, communalism and hypernationalism in 
India.

Pakistani citizens who recognise that our 
destinies are linked together and that there is a 
common fight against the forces of reaction in 
both countries must accord MSD a hearty welcome.


______


[6]   Received from Sandeep Pandey

October 8, 2003

MAHANTS OF AYODHYA RAISE VOICE AGAINST VHP PROGRAMME

             The voice of dissent has probably 
never been louder. There is now a significant 
disillusionment with the VHP's temple 
construction movement among the Mahants in 
Ayodhya. In an important meeting held on 7th of 
October in Tulsi Chaura mandir of Ayodhya it was 
decided to oppose the VHP's programme on 17th 
October and ask the administration to ban it. The 
meeting was chaired by Mahant Bhavnath Das, the 
President of Samajwadi Sant Sabha and coordinated 
by Jugal Kishore Shashtri, the Convenor of a 
newly formed forum called 'Ayodhya ki Awaz', to 
work towards preserving the peace and harmony of 
Ayodhya. The prominent among the 150-200 people 
who attended this meeting included Mahants Saryu 
Das, Janmejaya Sharan, Madhavacharya, Avadh Ram 
Das, Kaushal Kishore, Srinarayanachari, Jai Ram 
Das, Bal Vyas Bharat Das, Sadiq Ali 'Babu 
Tailor', corporators Asad Ahmad and Madhuwan Das. 
Madhavacharyaji revealed that Ashok Singhal was 
telling a complete lie when he said that the 
decision to organize a programme in Ayodhya on 
17th October was taken by Sants. He said he was 
present at the meeting and almost every Sant 
opposed it. The Sants were questioning the 
propriety of organizing such programmes in 
Ayodhya repeatedly. When no consensus could be 
reached the meeting was adjourned and VHP office 
bearers later decided the programme on their own 
and are now imposing it upon people. 
Madhvacharyaji informed that this was the style 
of VHP's functioning. They never consulted the 
sants and were only using them to justify their 
actions. Srinarayanachariji said that this 
decision smacked of politics. Why did the VHP not 
organize any programmes for temple construction 
when there were favourable governments in UP? 
They want to create a situation of confrontation 
with the present government so that the resulting 
tension can polarize the Hindu votes. The Mahants 
were critical of the VHP for having abused the 
Hindu religion for political purposes. They said 
they would welcome anybody in Ayodhya who would 
genuinely come to have darshan but would not 
welcome people like Ashok Singhal and Praveen 
Togadia who are making a living out of the 
Ayodhya Ram Janam Bhumi movement but create a 
situation in Ayodhya from time to time where the 
people of Ayodhya have to starve. Only last year 
in March during the Shila-pujan programme of VHP 
a 17 day curfew was imposed which created a great 
deal of inconvenience for the residents of 
Ayodhya. The Ram temple construction movement of 
VHP has taken a heavy toll of the Ayodhya economy 
and people are now getting irritated with the 
gimmicks of VHP. Srinarayanchariji advised Ashok 
Singhal to move to somewhere else for his 
agitation for Ram temple movement and leave 
Ayodhya alone. He said the Hindus and Muslims of 
Ayodhya were perfectly capable of solving the 
Babri Masjid-Ram Janam Bhumi dispute and knew how 
to live in peace with each other. The 
interference of VHP is causing this problem to 
prolong. He questioned the stand of Ashok Singhal 
that only the VHP and Ram Janam Bhumi Nyas 
sponsored by it had the right to construct the 
Ram temple in Ayodhya. He informed that VHP came 
into existence only in 1964 whereas the Ram Janam 
Bhumi movement was older than that. He 
recollected how Ashok Singhal in 1983, who then 
used to move around in a rickshaw, would plead 
with the Sants of Ayodhya to allow him to join 
the Ram Janam Bhumi movement. Today he is 
enjoying a VIP status and the sants of Ayodhya 
have been marginalized. Srinarayanachariji said 
that the VHP only wanted the sants to act as 
puppets. He emphasized that no self-respecting 
sadhu and sant was now going to support the VHP. 
Bhavnath Dasji in his presidential address said 
that if the administration did not ban the VHP 
programme on 17th October then the sadhus and 
sants of Ayodhya would take to the street and 
squat on it singing kirtans and bhajans and would 
prevent the entry of VHP volunteers.

             The volunteers of 'Ayodhya ki Awaz' 
wanted to burn the effigy of Ashok Singhal and 
Praveen Togadia at the end of the meeting but the 
administration prevented them from doing so. The 
S.O. of Ayodhya kotwali lifted the effigy and 
took it away to his police station. It is 
noteworthy that since the coming to power of a 
BJP led government at the center the only 
organization which has been allowed to hold its 
programmes in Ayodhya is VHP. Other organizations 
are prevented to organize their programmes.

             It was decided to take out a 'maun 
yatra' on 13th October in Ayodhya for preserving 
its peace and harmony. People from both Hindu and 
Muslim communities will participate in this.


______


[7]

Rediff.com
http://ushome.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/07ayo.htm

Historian Habib slams Advani, ASI on Ayodhya
Ehtasham Khan in New Delhi | October 08, 2003 03:27 IST

Noted historian Irfan Habib has criticised the 
Archaeological Survey of India report on Ayodhya 
as 'unfortunate'.

Habib and some leading historians were speaking 
at a function in Delhi to inaugurate A G 
Noorani's book THE BABRI MASJID QUESTION, 
1528-2003: A MATTER OF NATIONAL HONOUR.

Habib also criticised Deputy Prime Minister Lal 
Kishehchand Advani for 'not respecting the 
secular spirit of the Indian Constitution'.
"Mr Advani and his followers destroyed Babri 
Masjid. That too in the full view of the nation," 
Habib said.
A special court in Rae Bareily has acquitted 
Advani, but charged seven other leaders in the 
Babri Masjid demolition case.
He called the ASI report as an 'unfortunate piece of motivated writing'.

______


[8]

Sabrang Alternative News Network
October 2, 2003

Film Makers, Intellectuals Meet to Protest Ban on Film Aakrosh   

Press Note

It is none other than Narendra Modi and his 
Government who are solely responsible for Gujarat 
Genocide, which is a blackest chapter in Indian 
history. Whenever Supreme Court, NHRC, Media, 
people reprimand Narendra Modi and denounce him, 
he takes shelter behind whole Gujarathi community 
stating that attack on him is attack on the 
Asmita of whole Gujarathi Community. This is most 
cowardly act of Narendra Modi to hide behind 
Gujarathi Community who still loves the ideals of 
Mahatma Gandhi and not of Modi.  He must owe the 
responsibility of what happened in Gujarat and 
unless he quits, delivering  justice to the 
victims is a remote possibility.

Veteran Gandhian thinker-leader Narayan Desai 
from Velchi Ashram Near Surat while speaking to 
the meeting on 2nd October 2003, at Press Club to 
protest the ban on short film Aakrosh on Gujarat 
riots upholded by Film Certification, Appellate, 
Tribunal of Government of India which has 
upholded the decision of Censor Board not to 
clear the Film for public viewing by denying 
Censor Certificate to it. He further said that 
what is shown in the Film is Truth, he had given 
shelter to young orphan children of victims of 
riot, they shiver at the sight of Kitchen Knife, 
they get up in the middle of the night and start 
screaming, shouting, he wonders unless justice is 
done, culprits are punished, wounds will not 
heal, but who will give justice, Central 
Government is still supporting Modi, Mahatma 
Gandhi has preached simplicity and on his 
birthday at Porbander, a feast of 62 varieties 
food festivities was organized to celebrate. A 
time will come when Modi, Togadia will give 
Trishul in the hands of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is 
much malign today, his philosophy is twisted and 
his ideals forcefully forgotten.

"I am a sad man today" said am emotionally moved 
Narayan Desai. Vijay Tendulkar, noted dramatist, 
writer who made his public appearance after a 
long gap said that it was Congress who sowed the 
seeds of Communalism and Fascism and BJP is 
harvesting it. Vajpayee, Advani today speak 
different language much to misguide people. He 
said that history of Communalism and Communal 
violence must be understood in proper perspective 
and what happened in Gujarat is a result of 
divide and rule policy which was adopted by 
British Raj, the Congress followed it and the BJP 
has adopted it successfully. The recent bomb 
blast in Mumbai are going to benefit only BJP and 
there seems a deeper conspiracy in it.

He said that India has black history of Censor 
Board and no film which is going to project 
reality on Gujarat will ever get Censor 
Clearance, "Aakrosh" must be shown at each and 
every locality, bastis, villages without further 
waiting for Censor Clearance.

Nikhil Wagle, Editor of Mahanagar told the 
gathering that, " threat if you speak the truth 
is not new , throughout his journalist career, he 
has constantly faced the threats, harassment 
which he boldly faced". Recently some Police 
officials of Mumbai Police threatened him for 
writing, which discomforted them, but one must 
accept challenge boldly and battle for justice is 
a long battle which must be fought. He said that 
he will initiate steps to show Aakrosh defying 
ban at various places in Mumbai, let the 
Government take any action.

Anil Prakash of Ganga Mukti Andolan and associate 
of Jaiprakash Narayan, who came from Patna told 
the gathering that he had come to Ahmedabad to 
attend Sabarmati meeting organized by Mallika 
Sarabhai and Ramesh Pimple in March last year, 
what he saw in Relief camps and after hearing the 
stories he went into trauma for 2 months, the 
memories of the violence still shiver him. People 
in Bihar still don't believe that such things 
could happen in our country. He said that he will 
take and show "Aakrosh" in Bihar and other parts 
of the country.

The design of Modi and Togadia to destroy the 
Indian Democracy and constitution, secularism 
will never be successful. Togadia will not be 
allowed to enter Bihar and when he attempted, 
there were 20 people present to receive him.

Ramesh Pimple who made this film with Geeta 
Chawda and Yusuf Mehta, chief co-ordinator of 
PMI, said that People's Media Initiative is 
holding talks with Anand Patwardhan, Rakesh 
Sharma and other Documentary Film producers to 
organize Public Screening of documentaries and 
films made on Gujarat issue in Mumbai in December 
-January defying the Censor Board ruling. The 
films are like a mirror, which shows realities, 
and if the image is naked then one must accept 
the fact. He said that efforts are on to send 
maximum Films made on Gujarat to MIFF Film 
Festival by renowned film makers and we will wait 
and watch if these films get selected for 
screening or not or indirect Censorship will 
check these films out of MIFF. If this happens 
then parallel Film Festival will be organized and 
all progressive pro-people Film Makers will unite 
to defy this silent indirect Censorship.

The peace Film "Chale Chalo" made on the backdrop 
of Mumbai blast produced by PMI and directed by 
Shyam Ranjankar was released to the Media and 
Public by Geeta Chawda, producer of Aakrosh. 
Kunda P.N., Film Maker, lastly made an earnest 
appeal to all the Secular and Democratic forces 
to unite and give decisive blow to fascist 
forces, which are emerging and growing at very 
faster scale in India.

Adv. Sebastian of Committee for the Protection of 
Democratic Rights (CPDR) told the gathering that 
he appealed the case of "Aakrosh" in Mumbai High 
Court without waiting for the outcome of High 
Court. "Aakrosh" must be shown at every possible 
way. He said that Congress and BJP are two sides 
of the same coin and both the parties are equally 
communal and anti -people.

Meeting ended with a vote of thanks by Shashi Sonwane.


______


[9]

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65165
Mumbai Newsline, India
October 08, 2003

Shahi Imam speaks on Osama, angers some
Express News Service

Mumbai, October 7: He had 30-odd people rooting for him on Saturday evening.
But a day later, Maulana Syed Ahmed Bukhari-the 
Shahi Imam of New Delhi's Jama Masjid-had another 
group of the city's Muslims fuming.

Some intellectuals from the Shahi Imam's own 
community berated him for statements made during 
his speech, labelling them as ''deeply 
offensive''.

Imam Bukhari was in the city to release a 
newly-launched Urdu weekly, Qaumi Jasarat Jadeed. 
The launch was held at a hall in the Muslim 
neighbourhood of Imamwada, Bhendi Bazaar in south 
Mumbai.

In his address, he spoke of the Taliban as a 
strong force and of Osama bin Laden as someone 
who got America's ego to crumble with the twin 
towers. He also called upon his ''followers'' to 
form a Muslim political party so that the 
community's voice was heard.

As he made one fiery statement after another the 
creases on the foreheads of the Mumbai cops on 
duty crumpled their bright orange tilaks. Those 
present raised slogans of ''Shahi Imam aage 
badho, hum tumhare saath hain (We are with 
you).'' But not all the city's Muslims shared the 
enthusiasm.

Many were unnerved by the Imam stating that he 
wasn't sorry for 9/11. ''Most Muslims know that 
killing an innocent person is tantamount to 
killing all of humanity,'' says Javed Anand, 
co-editor of Communalism Combat.

Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), an 
organisation which Anand is a part of, also 
condemned the Imam's comments through a press 
statement. The statement compares the Imam's 
views to those of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh 
chief K S Sudarshan during his Dassera speech at 
Nagpur, saying both the speakers ''think alike''. 
Sudarshan had lambasted the National Human Rights 
Commission for taking up the Best Bakery case in 
Gujarat.

''There was not a word of sympathy for those 
massacred or their kin because in both cases the 
killers belonged to 'us' while the innocent 
victims belonged to 'them','' the statement said.

Anand also criticised the Shahi Imam's call for a 
Muslim political party saying ''matters of faith 
and matters of state should not be mixed''.

During his speech, Imam Bukhari said that 
lyricist Javed Akhtar and actress Shabana Azmi 
were not good examples of Indian Muslims. ''What 
does he know about my thinking that he can say 
such a thing?'' Akhtar reacted, ''he doesn't know 
what he is talking about. They complain against 
communalism but cannot tolerate a secular 
Muslim.''

Akhtar said the Imam's statements did not 
influence the community at large because most 
Muslims don't take him seriously. All this high 
political drama is election driven, he added.

______


[10]

VHP warns of 'polarisation' in every village
By Our Special Correspondent
http://www.hindu.com/2003/10/08/stories/2003100803421100.htm

______


[11.]

CENSORSHIP OF INTERNET IN INDIA CONTINUES UNABATED
groups yahoo.com  remains blocked by several service providers.

All in India wanting to bypass the illegal 
blocking of groups.yahoo.com are advised go via: 
http://anon.free.anonymizer.com/http://groups.yahoo.com

o  o  o

The Times of India
Yahoo! Net groups defy govt ban
ZAHRA KHAN
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, OCTOBER 04, 2003 03:33:41 AM ]

On the internet, where there's a geek - there's a 
way. And if the Indian Government thought they 
could exert control over the internet by blocking 
access to Yahoo Groups, they might as well click 
onto reality.

While the Government has asked Internet Service 
Providers (ISPs) across the country to block 
access to groups.yahoo.com for "promoting 
anti-national news and containing material 
against the government of India and the state of 
Meghalaya", there are only few yahoo groups which 
are the real targets.

However, since the technology to block a 
particular group is complicated, ISPs have 
blocked access to the entire yahoo groups site.

Says Gyan Chawdhary, an internet security 
consultant, It's quite possible that the server 
they want to block is using components from 
another server. For example, if they want to 
block the chat server,which is sharing some 
components from say the mail server, then it gets 
quite complicated. Blocking the entire site is a 
much easier form of control."

Which is where the loopholes appear and 
technosavvy netizens are only too happy to beat 
the system. One of the surest ways of accessing 
your Yahoo groups is by using proxy servers.

"The ban has only been enforced at the ISP level, 
which means only the IP address of the site 
blocked. By going through sites like 
anonymizer.com, which act like proxy servers, you 
bypass the Indian gateway's firewalls and there 
is no filtering of your internet traffic," adds 
Chawdhary.

Another way of accessing the site is by the 
linking of static web pages. For example, if you 
log onto google and type in yahoo.com, you can 
access static pages on yahoo groups through the 
yahoo cache that google stores in its server farm.

Furthermore, experts say that using any 
programming language, one can side-step firewalls 
on any operating system including Windows, Linux 
and Unix.

While Chawdhary feels that the ban will be 
completely ineffective, Sanjay Katkar of CAT 
Computer Systems and developer of the Quickheal 
anti-virus software, begs to differ.

Says Katkar, "Anonymizer. com is only one example 
of a registered website that you could use. There 
are a thousand other unregistered sites on the 
internet that could serve as proxies. Although 
I'm sure the ban won't be 100 per cent effective, 
I am all for the ban, as the government is trying 
to prevent misuse of the internet for illegal and 
unethical means. The only way of preventing these 
loopholes is for the Government to also ban sites 
like anonymizer.com."

Users have already caught on to the loopholes and 
are still accessing their yahoo groups in India. 
Monica Chawla is part of her school's alumni 
group on yahoo, which has been operational for a 
year now.

"My school mates are today spread out across the 
world and this is the only way we keep in touch. 
So it's unfair to block the entire site. The 
government should update its technology to block 
only particular yahoo groups," Chawla says.


_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on 
matters of peace and democratisation in South 
Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit 
citizens wire service run since 1998 by South 
Asia Citizens Web (www.mnet.fr/aiindex). [Please 
note the SACW web site has gone down, you will 
have to for the time being search google cache 
for materials]
The complete SACW archive is available at: http://sacw.insaf.net

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.

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