SACW #2 | 10 Oct. 2003

[Harsh Kapoor]

SOUTH ASIA CITIZENS WIRE #2  |  10 October,  2003

Announcements:
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are invited to use Google cache till further 
notice.
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back-up, archive area and sister site of SACW can 
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wanting to consult web sites at  groups.yahoo.com 
(that are still being blocked) should browse via: 
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+++++

[1] Bangladesh: Of Faith and Deviation (Ahmede Hussain)
[2] Pakistan: Dr. Hoodbhoy awarded UNESCO's 
Kalinga prize for 2003* for popularizing science
[3] India- Pakistan: Bus to Delhi (Mubashir Hasan)
[4] Kashmir: The Great Betrayal (Sajad Gani Lone)
[5] Bangladesh: Press Release on Bangladesh's 
nominee for Secretary General of the Organization 
of Islamic Conference  [ War Criminal represents 
Bangladesh at OIC]
[6] India: Raising a voice against `hate' 
campaign (news Report on ANHAD's Work)
[7] India: In Defence of Habib Tanvir the veteran 
theatre director: Ponga Pandit attack protest
[8] Indian Muslim Council-USA criticizes Imam Bukhari's statements
[9] India: Pie in the Sky . . . . height, weight, class, caste, colour, gotra,
[10] Calling for electronic civil disobedience to 
resist Net Censorship in India

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

[1.]

The Daily Star Weekend Magazine [ Bangladesh]
October 10, 2003

OF FAITH AND DEVIATION

Ahmede Hussain

IN a village around 50 kilometres off the 
capital, Anwar Miah has shot to fame for a unique 
reason. This tiny Bangladeshi hamlet of about 
2000 people named him 'Afghan baba', after his 
second son, Sanu, died for the Talibans in the 
late nineties. Sanu's mamu (maternal uncle), 
Zoinal, accompanied him; first to Pakistan's 
Northwest Frontier Province, then to Kandahar, 
and saw Sanu die in the battle for Baghram with 
General Rashid Dostam's forces.

Zoinal returned home a month after his nephew's 
death, because he "couldn't bear it any more." He 
hasn't taken back arms since then; but like him, 
many have returned, and with them have brought 
extremism to a country once known for religious 
harmony and tolerance. In fact Maulana Abdur 
Rauf, leader of Al-Jamiatul Islamia, who was 
arrested on September 19, in Faridpur with 17 
accomplices, told the police that about 500 
Bangladeshis went to Afghanistan, of them 33 died.

Before the September 19 arrest, the government 
was vigorous in denying the presence of religious 
extremists on its soil. The BNP led Four-Party 
Alliance had banned issues of some international 
newspaper, including the Wall Street Journal, 
Time magazine and the Far Eastern Economic 
Review, for breaking this news to the rest of the 
world. The reports, though extremely sloppy and 
in some cases malicious, tried to portray 
Bangladesh as a hotbed of religious extremism. 
One went too far in exaggeration-- the article 
published in the US weekly Time, quoting an 
unnamed foreign embassy staff in Dhaka, alleged 
that the country was playing host to Al Quiada's 
second in command Ayman Al-Zawahiri. The time the 
magazine had referred to, Al-Zawahiri was seen in 
a town in Afghanistan. Time didn't apologise for 
it.

The most publicised event in this saga happened 
last year. After being refused by Bangladesh 
mission in London, Zaiba Naz Malik and Bruno 
Sorrentino, two British journalists from Channel 
4, concealed their identity and applied for the 
visa to the Bangladesh Embassy in Rome. Once they 
were inside the country, however, they made no 
secret of what they were doing. Police arrested 
them, along with their two Bangladeshi fixers, 
accusing them of trying to vilify the country by 
portraying it as a fundamentalist state. The two 
were later released, after both journalists, 
according to their lawyer Ajmalul Hossain, 
"Submitted statements expressing regret for the 
situation arising since their arrival in 
Bangladesh." The government, however, did not 
release Selim Samad and Pricilla Raj, who had 
been assisting them as translators. It was a High 
Court order that ensured their release.

Such was the extent to which the government 
rejected the presence of religious extremists 
here.

That unwavering stand got a jolt last December 
when several powerful bombs went off in 
four-movie theatres in Mymensingh. Investigation 
began, but it did not deter the prime minister 
from guessing the identity of the perpetrators: 
she blamed those "Who are making anti-Bangladesh 
campaign at home and abroad." No one expected a 
price for the right guess--it was the leader of 
the opposition who told a European audience, only 
a few days ago, in Brussels, that sympathisers of 
Al-Qaiada were ruling Bangladesh. That has been 
Sheikh Hasina and her party, Awami League's (AL) 
staunch line of thinking since the first such 
incident ripped off a cultural function in 
Jessore.

Like the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in 
power, AL, then in the helm, was quick to 
discover the perpetrators-- even before the 
primary investigation had begun, it blamed the 
religious zealots, "under the shelter of the 
opposition" for the incident. BNP, then the main 
opposition, was quick to condemn the incident, 
and bizarrely, it fed several conspiracy 
theories, amongst them, one accusing the AL of 
planting bombs in public places to reap political 
dividend.

Interestingly, during its five-year tenure, the 
AL had done nothing to nab those they believed 
were behind the blasts. "How come the Awami 
League didn't crack down on these Jihadi outfits 
during its term in office," asks Mahmadul Islam, 
a student of Political Science at Dhaka 
University. AL's inability, Islam thinks, can be 
explained in one way. "Though the party wasn't 
sure about the perpetrators, the AL wanted to use 
these blasts as a tool to win the next general 
election."

Though the bomb blasts' investigation has so far 
failed to make significant breakthrough, many 
here believe the presence of religious extremists 
in the country; but they think, unlike its Asian 
counterparts, it is a home grown phenomenon. "We 
don't have Al-Qaiada in Bangladesh," says Afsan 
Chowdhury, an independent media analyst and 
former correspondent of the BBC. But Chowdhury 
believes, "We have people who think and work like 
them." In fact Jane's Intelligence Review (JIR) 
in its May 2002 issue says, "Osama Bin Laden's 
February 23, 1998 fatwa urging Jihad against the 
USA was co-signed by two Egyptian clerics, a 
Pakistani and Fazlur Rahaman, leader of the Jihad 
Movement in Bangladesh." The Movement is not 
believed to be a separate organisation, the 
report continues, "But a common name for several 
Islamic groups in Bangladesh, of which a Harkat 
Ul Jihad Islami Bangladesh (HUJIB) is considered 
the biggest and most important."

HUJIB hit the headlines of local and 
international dailies when the group was charged 
with planting two bombs at a meeting that was to 
be attended by the then prime minister Sheikh 
Hasina in her home district Gopalganj. "The 
mission of HUJIB, led by Shauqat Osman, is to 
establish Islamic rule in Bangladesh," says a US 
State Department report. It has an estimated 
cadre strength of more than several thousand 
members and it operates and trains in at least 
six camps," says the State Department, which has 
already listed HUJIB as a terrorist organisation.

So far, little has been known about the group and 
its elusive commander Shauqat Osman, who is also 
known as Sheikh Farid. According to reports on 
the western media, HUJIB was formed in 1992 in 
Afghanistan to fight the Soviets. Ironically the 
US administration actively supported the 
Mujahidins, fighting the Russians in Afghanistan, 
with arms and military logistics. "Originally, it 
(HUJIB) consisted of Bangladeshis who had fought 
as volunteers in the war against the Soviets in 
Afghanistan," JIR says.

But, the country is in no way a fertile ground 
for religious intolerance. "Bangladesh is far 
from becoming another Pakistan, and the rise of 
extremism should be seen in the context of the 
country's turbulent politics since breaking away 
from Pakistan in 1971. Bangladesh was formed in 
opposition to the notion that all Muslim areas of 
former British India should unite in one country. 
Bangladesh is the only state in the subcontinent 
with one language group and very few ethnic and 
religious minorities," Jane's Intelligence Review 
says.

The country's biggest religious party, the 
Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh was banned immediately 
after independence for actively supporting the 
Pakistani occupation forces by forming several 
armed militia groups during the liberation war; 
the ban was lifted later on, and it was allowed 
to operate as a political party. During the 
eighties, under a military dictatorship, Jamaat's 
appeal to establish Islamic law and good 
governance received a lukewarm response from 
general people.

In fact it was during that period Jamaat managed 
to get a significant number of recruits by luring 
them into the path of Islamic revolution. In 
1991, in the first general election, the party 
had managed to get 18 seats in the national 
parliament. But once they were in democratic 
politics, the leadership begun to lose its charm 
offensive. Jamaat's coalition with the AL, then 
seen as a moderate left and a staunch secular, 
irked many of its radical supporters.

The AL ditched Jamaat before the general 
election, but it couldn't stop several 
disgruntled mid and lower ranking Jamaatis to 
openly voice their opposition against the party 
leadership. "There is a huge gap between the 
ideology Jamaat wants to establish and the way 
they are doing it," says Mahmudul Islam. "No one 
in the Jamaat leadership has sent their children 
to Maadrassahs (Religious schools)," he 
continues. "On the other hand," Mahmud believes, 
"they led a lifestyle that is an antithesis to 
everything true Islam stands for." Extremists 
groups have quickly filled up the ideological 
vacuum; these parties cannot be called Jamaat's 
natural offshoots, but they definitely constitute 
an ultimate by-product of its ideological 
failure. "It has happened before; in the sixties, 
the failure of a relatively moderate Communist 
Party had given birth to several Marxist 
extremist factions," Mahmud says.

Meanwhile the extremists, as elsewhere in the 
world, have been receiving an otherwise unusual 
assistance from an unwitting foreign 
administration. "George W Bush's foreign policy 
and his so-called war on terrorism have been 
helping the mullahs to allure a nation, already 
angered by the US occupation of Iraq and its 
regular assistance to the Israelis," says Mahmud.

"The whole situation is chaotic. BNP doesn't 
believe the terrorists exist, because the Awami 
League is pointing fingers at Jamaat, which is 
the BNP's main political partner in the coalition 
government. The AL is creating a hoopla out of 
all this because they want to undermine the 
government. The US, on the other hand, is busy 
with its own war, driven more by oil than 
anything else. Religious fanatics are microscopic 
minorities here, true. But then, so were the 
Talibans before they took over power in 
AfghanistanŠ" Mahmud says.


____


[2.]

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a world class physicist 
associated with the Quaid-e-Azam University in 
Islamabad since since the 1970's. Apart from 
matters of high energy physics, he has widely 
written and spoken on issues such as 
Fundamentalism, Islam and Science: Religious 
Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality and he 
is an outspoken proponent for the elimination of 
nuclear capabilities, in Pakistan and India and 
elsewhere.

Dr. Hoodbhoy has just been awarded UNESCO's 
Kalinga prize for 2003* for popularizing science 
in Pakistan. He has over the years produced TV 
programmes on Science. They have been an 
extraordinary success in terms of public 
response. The ratings have been so high that they 
were telecast several times on the state-run 
Pakistan Television. The news is that they are 
also being shown on long distance Pakistan 
International Airlines flights.

Pervez will receive the award at the annual Word 
Science Day celebration in Budapest, Hungary, on 
10 November 2003. Besides a cash award he will 
receive an Albert Einstein Silver Medal.

* Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science 2003
is administered by the Section for International 
Partnership in Science (IPS) within UNESCO

______


[3.]

The Nation [ Pakistan] October 8, 2003

Bus to Delhi
Dr Mubashir Hasan
Nothing exists in the world like Lahore-Delhi bus 
service. It is not an economic proposition but a 
political triumph of sorts. Prime Minister of 
India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had inaugurated it 
some years ago when he came to Lahore for his 
famous summit meeting with Prime Minister of 
Pakistan, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
The service operates in the most extraordinary, 
even weird manner. Through crowded towns and 
highways, the bus to Delhi hurtles like the VIP 
cavalcade which is late for its appointment. On 
every road crossing of its 530 km journey, police 
ensures its passage without a stop. One for each 
district administration en route, a relay of 
police vehicles, two in front, flying red flags 
and one carrying an armed guard in the rear roar 
to guarantee the safety and unhindered passage of 
the bus. 
With sirens blowing all the way, men in pilot 
vehicles clear the way for the bus with merciless 
zeal, waving battens in the air, sometimes 
hitting drivers of scooters, scooter rickshaws 
and their vehicles which are slow in yielding the 
way. All red lights are violated with impunity. 
It is an ugly sight. The aggressive behaviour of 
the police in the two Punjabs, Haryana and Delhi 
is identical in this respect. At Lahore and Delhi 
and at five stops on the way, there is heavy 
presence of police and security men and women in 
plain clothes guard the passengers and the bus.
I experienced the journey on Friday, 26 
September, 2003. The passengers started arriving 
at the Falettis Hotel at 4 am to board the 6 am 
bus. No proper bus station, even a make-shift 
one, has yet been constructed in Lahore. Two 
rooms, the veranda in front of the rooms and the 
outside tarmac serve as a bus station for the 
next 2-3 hours. The entire perimeter is cordoned 
off by police personnel serving as a fence to 
enclose the passengers. The difficult duty often 
resulted in unpleasant exchanges. There were no 
proper arrangements to check the passengers and 
their baggage for disallowed items, to seat all 
the passengers in a comfortable lounge, to put 
the checked-in baggage in safety, to issue 
boarding passes in an organised way as at 
airports. The loading of the baggage on the bus 
remained the responsibility of the passengers. 
They had to pay for it. The porters fleeced the 
passengers left and right. All told, the 
arrangements at the Falletis boarding station are 
quite unsatisfactory. 
The bus had a seating capacity for thirty-nine 
passengers. We were fifty on that Friday morning. 
The extra eleven passengers were accommodated on 
small fragile folding chairs in between the two 
regular rows of seats and at the back in the 
space meant for luggage. A heavy set man 
requiring a seat of more than two feet base had 
to be precariously perched on a chair with a seat 
hardly a foot wide. The eleven additional 
passengers meant 220 kgs of extra luggage which 
necessitated special arrangement to tie it on top 
of the bus. Some had to be placed inside the bus. 
The overloading also meant extra time at the two 
immigration and customs checkpoints on both sides 
of the border. Because of the overloading, we 
reached Delhi almost four hours late.
Overloading the bus was irregular. Someone defied 
the operational orders and took huge risks with 
the passenger's lives and PTDC's liability. The 
bus got delayed. The two bus drivers who were on 
duty from 4 am to 10 pm and were to bring back 
the bus to Lahore the next day were left no time 
for rest. In case of an accident, which is bound 
to take place some day for sneaking the bus 
through densely populated route at high speeds 
with overworked drivers, the damage claims by the 
passengers on account of injuries and deaths 
would bankrupt the PTDC as the insurers would not 
accept the liability when the regulations are 
broken. The way the bus plies now carries heavy 
risks.
At Wagah all luggage had to be unloaded for 
customs check and passengers had to go through 
immigration formalities. It was a slow and 
primitive process - carrying luggage on heads and 
shoulders. Once again the porters fleeced the 
passengers. For immigration formalities, there 
were three windows, one for foreigners, one for 
Indians and one for Pakistanis. The passengers 
had to stand almost on roadside to get their 
passports stamped for exit. The procedure in 
place at Wagah makes a mockery of the procedure 
followed at our international exit and entry 
points where computers record data as well as 
images. This is a weak link in our security watch.
Wagah urgently needs a proper building for 
customs and immigration clearance. I inspected a 
building that was built three years ago for the 
customs. It was used by other agencies and never 
handed over to the department it was made for. 
All fittings and fixtures, electrical, 
mechanical, plumbing were ripped off and 
vandalised. Any way, the building is 
architecturally unpleasant, too small for its 
task with no space provided for immigration 
formalities. 
Crossing the border was eye opening. The bus 
stopped at a modern spacious building which had 
polished floors, glass doors and shining 
chromium. There were chairs for passengers and 
tables to fill the disembarkation forms. The 
immigration staffs were courteous and helped the 
passengers in filling the forms. The inspectors 
fed their data on computers which were linked on 
the national network of India. Unlike the 
Pakistani side, the customs staffs were in full 
uniform and in large numbers. Discipline and 
efficiency was in the air. No less than six 
counters were operating. In the compound the 
trees, shrubs and hedges were well looked after.
Border formalities on both sides over, the run to 
Delhi started in right earnest. Much needs to be 
done to improve the sound system and the quality 
of audio and video players and cassettes. Since 
tastes differ, it would be desirable to fit the 
seats with headphones for passengers to avoid the 
discomfort of seeing and listening what one may 
not like. All seats also need to be provided with 
seat belts.
At Delhi the bus enters a proper international 
terminal having all the facilities which Lahore 
lacks - screening devices, lounges etc.
The biggest challenge of the bus service is 
non-availability of seats. The outward journey is 
solidly booked for the next six to eight weeks 
and when you do travel there is no way to book 
the return journey. If you are lucky to be among 
the first thirty-four (as five seats are reserved 
for government nominees) in the queue at Delhi, 
you can buy a ticket for the bus leaving after 30 
days. As a result a stay in India for a minimum 
of 30 days becomes mandatory.
A Pakistani gentleman, who was visiting a town 
more than 2500 km south of Delhi, related his 
ordeal of travelling to Delhi to buy a ticket for 
Lahore. He was told that none was available for a 
month. As his visa was due to expire before the 
end of the one month period, he had to travel all 
the way back to get the visa extended. He 
travelled to Delhi once again to buy the ticket, 
then returned to the place he had come to visit 
and then finally travelled once again to catch 
the bus to Lahore. One extra month stay was an 
oppressive burden. 
The present procedure of selling tickets is 
nothing short of madness. It is an invitation to 
corrupt practices. The booking office at Lahore 
should have the authority to book some Delhi - 
Lahore seats, say 10 to 15 per bus. In the same 
way the Delhi booking office should be able to 
book an equal number of Lahore- Delhi seats.
All said and done, a bus is better than no bus, no train, no plane.

______


[4.]

[Reproduced exclusively with permission from 'Kashmir Images']

SACW, October 10, 2003

THE GREAT BETRAYAL

SAJAD GANI LONE

A split in the Hurriet conference, scream aloud 
the various sections of the media. There seems to 
be a tearing hurry to write the obituary of the 
Hurriet Conference. Has the irrelevant, reviled, 
abused, detested Hurriet conference actually 
split? Is there a meeting ground for India and 
Pakistan _ a unique occasion to celebrate the 
demise of a Kashmiri political platform? The 
issue of the split needs deep and sincere 
analysis. If there is a split, the nation need 
not be kept in the dark. However if there is no 
split and yet a perception of a split is created, 
it assumes greater significance. Why is this 
perception being created? Who benefits from this 
perception? Who are players interested in 
creating this perception? Who are the tools used 
in creating this perception? And most important, 
who has betrayed the nation and the martyrs? Who 
is a traitor?


CONSTITUTIONAL ASPECT

The constitution of the APHC is exhaustive enough 
to identify the true APHC. The confusion arises 
either out of deliberate, flawed, interpretation 
of the Constitution or ignoring the existence of 
a constitution.

The APHC was formed in the year 1993. It was a 
coalition of different political parties 
subscribing to diverse ideologies, bound together 
by a unified objective. Legal luminaries sat 
together and devised a constitution for the 
alliance. Right from the outset, it was 
explicitly a coalition of political parties and 
not of individuals. Every party in turn nominated 
a person to represent their respective party in 
the coalition. The executive council comprised of 
seven parties and the general Council comprised 
of twenty-five parties. There was a clear 
demarcation of power and the executive council 
was all-powerful and the general council had an 
advisory role. If my basic interpretation of the 
constitution is correct and if APHC is indeed a 
coalition of political parties, I have a simple 
question. In my very humble capacity, I would 
like to ask Geelani Sahib _ What party does he 
represent? About thirty parties were initially a 
part of the APHC alliance. Among these parties, 
which party has nominated him to represent it in 
the APHC? Or has he formed or joined a new party? 
Is it Jamaat Islami or PDP or does he represent 
an invisible agency? What is the role of an 
individual devoid of any party, in a coalition of 
parties and how can he lay claim on the title of 
the coalition?

Geelani Sahib played an active and an important 
role in the formulation of the present 
constitution of the APHC. Morally, ethically and 
politically he is committed to this constitution. 
A newcomer like me could raise queries. But he is 
one of the creators of constitution of APHC. Can 
the creator of the constitution literally rape 
the same constitution if it ceases to serve his 
interests?

Till date the General council had no say in the 
election of the Chairman. Suddenly they acquire a 
status bigger than the constitution and a group 
of parties in the general council bring a 
so-called motion of no confidence against the 
chairman. If a group does not have the right to 
elect how can they have the right to recall? The 
actions of these individuals have no 
constitutional validity.

ROLE OF MEDIA

Some newspapers are bending their back backwards 
by trying to add suffixes to APHC, thereby 
actually endorsing a split. Is it ethical? All 
the newspapers published in the valley have to 
register with registering authorities in order to 
get a title for the newspaper. Every newspaper in 
the valley accepts the Indian constitution. Only 
Indian nationals are allowed to publish 
newspapers. I do not intend to hold this against 
them. But let us assume a situation, where the 
newspapers refused to accept the Indian 
Constitution and refused to get registered or say 
that there is no registering authority. Bashir 
Manzar of the Kashmir Images was earlier working 
with the Greater Kashmir. In the absence of the 
registering authority, he could have printed a 
newspaper under the name and style of Greater 
Kashmir. We would get two versions of Greater 
Kashmir in the morning. Everybody ever associated 
with any newspaper would print another version 
under the same name. Imagine the confusion. APHC 
is not registered with the registering authority 
i.e. the election commission of India, because it 
does not accept the Indian Constitution. Had it 
been registered, it could have legally barred 
anybody from misusing the name of APHC. So we 
have a situation where adherents of the Indian 
constitution are able to confuse the people, 
because the APHC does not accept the Indian 
Constitution. I leave it to the conscience of the 
group in question to decide that if legality 
would be the deciding factor, would they have 
been able to confuse the people about the real 
and the true APHC headed by Maulvi Abbass Ansari.

PTV has gone some steps ahead and blatantly 
recognized the deserters as the true APHC. In 
case of PTV, I have a rather difficult choice to 
make. Which fiction is better in PTV- the one 
depicted in their famed drama serials or the one 
so shamelessly depicted in the newsroom? I think 
the newsroom fiction is better any day.


NITTY GRITTY OF THE DESERTERS; THE EIGHT WONDER

The servile group of people collected by Geelani 
sahib does not really constitute the " who is who 
" of Kashmir. Who are these unknown wonders and 
why are some quarters keen to thrust them on the 
people of Kashmir. There is a single individual 
who calls himself the Muslim Conference. There 
are two individuals who call themselves Peoples 
Conference. Geelani Sahib is yet to decide what 
to call himself. Thousands or hundreds of 
thousands of cadres of these parties do not 
matter. What matters is whether Geelani Sahib 
endorses any party or not. The assassination of 
Shaheed e Hurriet made Peoples Conference sacred 
to its adherents. Today two isolated and lonely 
individuals want to create a nuisance in the name 
of peoples Conference at the behest of those 
people suspected of creating the vicious 
environment, which ultimately led to the 
assassination of their leader. This is Geelani 
Sahib_s petty way of getting back at Lone Sahib. 
If the rank and file of Peoples Conference or for 
that matter Muslim Conference is willing to 
accept these individuals as their leaders, how 
can one possibly dispute their claim? By the same 
token if these individuals cannot garner the 
support of even one person of any prominence or 
stature in the party or among the cadres, how can 
any sane person even suspect them of representing 
the parties they purport to represent? In the 
seven- member Executive Council, three parties 
including the Jamaat are undecided and not a 
single party has crossed over to the deserters. 
Still the deserters insist on calling themselves 
the APHC. These unknown entities headed by a 
notorious entity are the tools of a larger plan. 
The objective is not to highjack APHC. The 
objective is to discredit APHC and create 
suspicions about the credibility of APHC as the 
advocate of the overwhelming sentiment of Azadi.

The evil strategy of the perpetrators of this 
crime against the Kashmiri nation, is to collect 
a group of political eunuchs raised on a diet 
comprising of nuisance and lung power and coerce 
the Kashmiri population to accept them. In a 
shameful incident in Gujarat, Zahira an 
eyewitness of the killing of her relatives 
refused to testify against the rioting thugs. The 
refusal to testify does not mean that she 
endorses Narender Modi's concept of hindutva. The 
refusal is a testimony of the fear among the 
Muslims of Gujarat instilled by Narender Modi and 
his thugs. Similarly if people in Kashmir are 
keeping mum over the attempted desecration of a 
politically pious Kashmiri platform, it does not 
mean that they endorse the actions of the 
desecrators. Narender Modi's Muslim counterparts 
are present in Kashmir and the Muslims of Kashmir 
are as terrified as the Muslims of Gujarat. The 
dividing line between respect and fear is very 
thin. Only conscience can answer whether people 
are quiet out of respect or fear. And only 
conscience can answer whether somebody should be 
proud or ashamed, that after fifty years in 
politics, he has to resort to fear and threat of 
violence in order to get political acceptance. 
The thin crowds attracted by these Friday special 
leaders should have been an eye- opener. But do 
people really matter in the scheme of things of 
these leaders?


THE SENTIMENT

Let us analyze the broader, macro dynamics of the 
situation. The Kashmiri nation is pursuing the 
sacred objective of achieving the right to 
self-determination. Despite fifty five years of 
physical union, the Indian state has failed to 
convince or coerce the Kashmiri nation to stay on 
as a part of India. The struggle of the Kashmiri 
nation largely political in nature manifested 
itself in the form of a violent outburst and has 
continued in this form for the last thirteen 
years. The journey to liberation especially the 
last thirteen years has cost the Kashmiri nation 
thousands of lives, unimaginable collateral 
damage, handicapped young men, violence related 
social upheavals. This forms the core bank of 
sacrifices. Every household has contributed to 
the bank of sacrifices and is a sacred national 
treasure.

Maybe it is time to look at the whole situation 
from a psychologist's perspective. What is it 
that motivates an entire nation to render 
sacrifices of such a heroic scale and endure an 
unending tale of suffering and pain? Answer lies 
in the overwhelming sentiment prevalent in the 
population i.e. the sentiment of Azadi. More 
important is the question - if the sentiment 
motivates people to render sacrifices, what is 
the guarantee that these sacrifices will actually 
translate into liberation? The answer lies in the 
strength, conviction and vitality of the 
sentiment. Sentiment is the sole guarantor of the 
sacrifices rendered. As long as the sentiment of 
Azadi is strong, the sacrifices rendered are 
relevant. The day the sentiment weakens, the 
sacrifices will grow stale and lose relevance. 
Anybody weakening the sentiment truly conforms to 
the standard definition of a traitor.

What is APHC? APHC is not the sentiment. It is 
the advocate of the sentiment _ a political mode 
of communication, symbolizing the existence and 
strength and vitality of the sentiment. If 
somebody is trying to discredit or weaken the 
APHC, he is weakening the sentiment by diluting 
the strength of the argument put forward by the 
APHC by projecting it as a feeble voice as a 
result of division. The argument will be the 
same, the sacrifices will be the same, the 
anguish and pain of losing loved ones will be the 
same, but the credibility could be diluted. There 
will be a difference between the perceived 
strength and the actual strength of the 
sentiment. People behind the creation of the 
perception of the split are responsible for the 
dilution in the credibility of the argument. 
Internally there could be a more vicious fallout 
at the source of the sentiment. The people could 
be dejected at the internal wrangling, which 
could in turn have a negative impact on the 
sentiment. Imagine going to the mother of a 
martyr and soliciting her support for the real 
faction of the APHC. What do you tell her? I am 
the real one and not the other one or does she or 
thousands like her really matter. The perception 
of a split or a split translates into fatal 
danger to the spirit of the sentiment. And I 
repeat _ if the sentiment is lost, the sacrifices 
rendered lose their relevance. Thousands of 
Geelanis and similar hirelings will be rendered 
irrelevant and their rabble-rousing antics and 
emotional theatrics will have no employers.

The power behind the argument we all put forward 
is derived from the people of Kashmir, not from 
any individual or country. The most famous 
example is that of Sheikh Sahib. He was 
undoubtedly the most popular Kashmiri leader and 
advocated Azadi at a certain stage and abandoned 
the advocacy at a later stage. Even Sheikh 
Sahib's charisma and popularity could not finish 
the sentiment. The sentiment in fact thrived and 
prospered. Yet if somebody is suffering from 
delusions and feels that he is the monopolized 
creator and coordinator of the concept of 
liberation, one could only offer sympathy towards 
the deluded person and pray that his psychiatric 
condition and sense of delusions show signs of 
recovery. However if the sense of delusion 
exhibited is intentional, the intentionally 
deluded person needs to have mercy at the people 
of Kashmir.

The struggle and sentiment of Azadi predates the 
participation of almost all the present actors in 
the Azadi industry. Nobody can take credit for 
creating the sentiment. The struggle, the pain, 
the suffering and the defiance exhibited by the 
Kashmiri nation, defines the creation of the five 
- decade old sentiment. Maybe it is time to ask 
what have the Azadi Robin Hoods have contributed 
towards the sentiment and the struggle for Azadi 
and what has the sentiment contributed towards 
the personal and political fortunes of the Azadi 
brand of leaders? IS AZADI RESPONSIBLE FOR THE 
CREATION OF THESE LEADERS OR ARE THESE LEADERS 
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CREATION OF THE CONCEPT OF 
AZADI? The people of Kashmir are the best judge. 
Desperation is mounting to make a historical 
distinction between people who EXPLOIT the 
sentiment and people who ADVOCATE the sentiment.

THE CLOUT FACTOR

Tripartite talks signify the politically logical 
culminating stage of the present struggle in 
Kashmir. Talks will start and have to start. Will 
the talks be a repetition of the historical 
ritual of involving India and Pakistan and 
talking for the sake of talks? OR precisely_will 
there be a third seat at the negotiating table 
for the Kashmiris. Who among the Kashmiris will 
sit on that seat? The present desertion of some 
individuals in the Hurriet has to be correlated 
with issue of Kashmiri representation.

If political pressure within Kashmir increases 
and at the same time external pressure is applied 
by the international community emphasizing the 
need for Kashmiri participation, who will 
represent the Kashmiris. Irrespective of the 
public posturing, absence of Kashmiris at the 
table suits both the countries. The net political 
clout at the negotiating table at the moment is 
divided between India and Pakistan. Inclusion of 
the Kashmiris will mean an increase in the clout 
of the Kashmiris at the cost of India and 
Pakistan. None of the two countries exactly 
relishes such a situation. The first part of the 
strategy is to impede efforts of involving the 
Kashmiris. The second part is to create confusion 
about the political definition of Kashmiri 
leadership. The Indian definition of Kashmiri 
leadership will mean individuals like Mufti Sahib 
and Farooq Sahib, while the Pakistani definition 
of Kashmiri leadership will mean individuals like 
Geelani Sahib. Where does that leave the Kashmiri 
definition of Kashmiri leadership? The two 
countries will fight each other about the 
definition of Kashmiri leadership and in the 
process crowd out the true Kashmiri leadership 
and as per plan end up creating enough confusion 
to get the Kashmiri leadership labeled and sealed 
as DISPUTED. While India and Pakistan will talk 
about our future, we will be relegated to 
religiously playing the role of the eternal 
sufferer in the Kashmiri dance of death and 
additionally we will be fighting each other out 
to lay claim to the coveted title of Kashmiri 
leadership. At least we should know that in the 
absence of a split in the Hurriet, why is 
desertion by some individuals being given the 
perception of a split.

CHALLENGES AHEAD

In spite of the betrayal, the changed scenario in 
the separatist leadership has come up with new 
opportunities. It has provided a historical 
opportunity for institutionalizing the Pro 
Kashmiri forces. Sheikh Sahib was a pro Kashmiri 
leader with a truly mass following. However he 
could not translate his Pro Kashmiri slogans into 
practice and finally gave up midway. Thereafter 
the institution of a pro Kashmiri platform has 
not been able to realize its full potential and 
emerge as a strong force. Time has come for a 
rethink. Let there be no confusion in our slogan- 
no, ambivalence. Let us take pride in saying it 
loud and clear _ Kashmir first Kashmiri first. 
The onus of providing the pro Kashmiri political 
thrust, falls on the APHC. They will have to rise 
to the occasion and deliver on behalf of the 
people of Kashmir. The political distinction 
between the various shades of political 
leadership in Kashmir should no longer stay 
blurred. If Mufti Sahib and Farroq Sahib are the 
Indian face of Kashmir; if Geelani Sahib is the 
Pakistani face of Kashmir, APHC is the Kashmiri 
face of Kashmir. APHC owes it to the people of 
Kashmir. The portents are good and the political 
sagacity and resilience demonstrated by Abbass 
Sahib and Professor Ghani Sahib in particular is 
a matter of Kashmiri pride. Their utterances and 
political postures at perhaps the most demanding 
times have been exceptional and will form a part 
of history. In a vicious environment, overwhelmed 
by violence, fearless policy decisions by 
political elements is indeed an outstanding 
trait, so scarce in a nation where majority of 
the so called leaders are busy bartering dead 
bodies in exchange for personal favors and self 
glorification. Only a sustained replication of 
such selfless behavior can clear the confusion 
created by various covert agencies. The APHC will 
have to demonstrate a behavior, which is 
palatable and acceptable to the international 
community. They will have to take care that they 
do not start competing with the radicals. In a 
worst-case scenario of destructive competition, 
we could end up with a moderate Geelani and a 
hard-line APHC. APHC represents the people of 
Kashmir and they have to compete with India and 
Pakistan in presenting their case before the 
international community. There is no need to give 
credibility to the set of Kashmiri hirelings 
employed by both the countries. And even India 
and Pakistan need to understand that individuals 
who betray their own nation should never be 
expected to be loyal to alien nations, whatever 
the size of perks.

The people of Kashmir are perhaps facing an even 
bigger challenge than the leadership. They will 
have to make a distinction between demagogues and 
sincere political leaders. It is easy to raise an 
emotional pitch in the name of the martyrs. Even 
the most sane person could get swayed by 
professional rabble rousing actors and 
professional mourners in circulation in Kashmir. 
But a nation crippled under the burden and debt 
of thousands of martyrs cannot afford the luxury 
of getting swayed. Should the people allow 
themselves to be lectured in the name of martyrs 
OR should they be asking questions in the name of 
martyrs. We are living in the twenty first 
century. Thousands of societies exist to prevent 
cruelty against dogs and other animals. We as a 
nation sacrificed thousands of lives in this 
twenty first century and yet we seem to be 
nowhere near our objective. Is the enemy cruel 
and brutal and unmoved by these sacrifices or are 
our leaders incapable of properly portraying the 
scale and magnitude of sacrifices. The answer is, 
a bit of the both. Apart from ruthless enemies we 
have to put up with even more ruthless leaders. 
They are asking for more and more and yet 
assigning no yardstick to monitor their own 
performance. One thing really amuses me. When 
some of our leaders talk about the nation they 
are idealistic to the core. However when they 
confront their day to day personal problems they 
are hardcore realists. It is the nation that will 
have to remind these leaders to maintain a 
consistent approach of realism both for the 
nation and their personal lives. Until the people 
rise and revolt, the Kashmiri children and youth 
are destined to die and the enemies of Kashmir 
will prosper at the cost of Kashmiris.

The writer is the Chairman of Peoples Conference 
and had written this write-up for Daily Kashmir 
Images, Srinagar, India.. The views expressed in 
this article are his personal views and do not 
partly or wholly constitute the policy statement 
of Peoples Conference. [...].


______


[5]


Tanweer Akram
Email: tanweer_akram at hotmail.com

Press Release on Bangladesh's nominee for 
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic 
Conference (OIC)

The following statement was published online and 
signed by a number of Bangladeshis. The 
Bangladeshi community is alarmed at their 
government’s decision to nominate Mr. Salauddin 
Quader Chowdhury, a controversial figure and 
alleged war criminal, for the position of the 
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic 
Conference (OIC).  The petition is available 
online at: www.petitiononline.com/saka.

********

STATEMENT ON BANGLADESH’S NOMINATION OF SALAUDDIN 
QUADER CHOWDHURY AS SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE 
ISLAMIC CONFERENCE (OIC)

We, the concerned citizens of Bangladesh, express 
our grave anxiety and deep shock over the 
nomination of Mr. Salauddin Quader Chowdhury for 
the position of Secretary-General of the 
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). We call 
upon the Government of the People’s Republic of 
Bangladesh to immediately withdraw the 
regrettable nomination of Mr. Chowdhury.

We believe that it is highly inappropriate and 
deeply irresponsible to nominate Mr. Chowdhury to 
such a position for a variety of reasons. Mr. 
Chowdhury is tainted with the widespread 
allegation that he had supported the Pakistani 
occupation forces during Bangladesh’s War of 
National Liberation in 1971. He was active then 
as an ignominious ally of the invading Pakistani 
army, which committed war crimes, crimes against 
humanity, and brutal terrorism against the people 
of Bangladesh.

The Pakistani occupation army and its local 
collaborators targeted countless unarmed 
civilians in violation of Geneva Conventions, 
international law, and morality. They ruthlessly 
and indiscriminately killed and tortured men, 
women, children, minorities, intellectuals, 
students and teachers, writers and artists, 
artisans and peasants, workers and vendors, and 
other Bengalis in the name of Islam, presumably 
to uphold the territorial integrity of Pakistan. 
The devastating actions of the Pakistan army 
while making Bangladesh rubble and a big 
graveyard were sadistically inhumane, barbaric, 
and genocidal and invited worldwide condemnation. 
Mr. Chowdhury, it has been widely reputed, 
actively participated in, or had knowledge of, 
gruesome activities in and around his native 
Chittagong district in these wanton acts of 
murder, torture and in the illegal abductions and 
arrests of freedom fighters and members of 
Bangladesh’s minority community, and innocent 
civilians.

Given Mr. Chowdhury’s questionable antecedents, 
it is certainly inappropriate, to say the least, 
for the Government of Bangladesh to nominate him 
to the position of the Secretary-General of the 
OIC. Mr.Chowdhury also has an ugly and unenviable 
reputation of misogyny, calling people names, 
indulging in hate speech against minorities and 
is reputed to have sinister connections with 
criminal and gangster organizations.

At a time when Bangladesh’s people are trying to 
project a positive image of our country, when we 
are trying to construct sustainable institutions 
of democracy and foster a pluralist society based 
on the principles of tolerance and freedom, when 
we are trying to accelerate the pace of the 
nation’s economic growth and progress, and when 
we want to attract more investment from foreign 
investors and put to more efficient use our 
natural and human resources, the authorities 
should not wreck the reputation of the country by 
nominating a person like Mr. Chowdhury to a 
position that requires humane qualities of 
compassion and generosity, compromise and 
concession towards noble goals. It ruinously 
militates against the national interest of the 
country besides being wildly contrary to all 
notions of morality. As Bangladeshis we urge our 
compatriots and fellow- citizens to join us in 
condemning this nomination and in urging the 
government immediately to rescind this national 
infamy.

While we do not like to embarrass the Government 
of Bangladesh, we feel strongly about this 
matter. Thus we believe it is our duty also to 
inform the citizens of member states of the OIC 
of Dhaka’s malapropos nomination of Mr. Chowdhury 
an alleged war criminal and terrorist to such an 
important and internationally eminent position in 
which he will represent the member states in 
various international forums. The OIC is 
critically situated in the affairs of the states 
concerned and in international relations between 
the North and the South in which it plays a 
constructive role via mediation towards dispute 
resolution, via promoting trade and cooperation, 
and via providing official development assistance 
among member states.

Given the current high-voltage propaganda against 
Muslim-majority and Arab countries, against 
Muslims, other non-Western religions, and various 
other ethnic communities living in the West, as 
evinced in the recent events relating to Iraq, it 
would be a profound mistake, a morally shameful 
move, and a strategic failure to have a person of 
Mr. Chowdhury’s dubious reputation elevated to 
the position of the Secretary-General of OIC.

We believe that the OIC ought to uphold and 
practice the principles of Universal Declaration 
of Human Rights and its member states should 
establish democratic institutions. It would be a 
disgrace if ill advisedly the OIC took a 
retrograde step and elected a controversial 
individual, such as Mr. Chowdhury, to its highest 
office. We cannot permit this to happen. We will, 
thus, collectively speak out against this 
nomination and intend in due course to publish 
this statement in the leading journals of the 
member states of OIC and call upon all civil and 
human rights organizations at home and abroad to 
resolutely oppose Mr. Chowdhury’s nomination as 
Secretary General of the OIC.


Additional information and links:
[1] The complete list of signatories is available at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?saka

[2] Background material on Mr. Chowdhury’s 
alleged role in war crimes is available in an 
article by Mr. Naeem Mohaiemen, “War Criminal to 
Head Islamic Conference? Bangladeshis Oppose 
Chowdhury Nomination,” published by 
Muslimwakeup.com.
http://www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000149.html#more

[3] Further material on court cases filed against 
Mr. Chowdhury can be found in an article by Dr. 
A. Momen, “Should a Mafia Don Lead World Muslims? 
Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury’s Nomination to Head 
the OIC,” published by Muslimwakeup.com.
http://www.muslimwakeup.com/mainarchive/000188.html#more

[4] An article by Abdullah Al Madani, “OIC does 
not need a tarnished politician from Bangladesh” 
appeared in Gulf News Dubai, a leading newspaper 
in the Middle East.
http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/opinion.asp?ArticleID=98774

[5] This petition has been cited in Meghbarta.org:
http://www.meghbarta.org/2003/june/contemp.html#statement

[6] This press release is also available at:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/8/prweb76364.htm


______


[6]


[New Report on the Anhad Workshops in India]

The Hindu, Oct 09, 2003
Raising a voice against `hate' campaign
  http://www.thehindu.com/2003/10/09/stories/2003100905260400.htm

______


[7]

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1031010/asp/nation/story_2446513.asp
The Telegraph, October 10, 2003
PONGA PANDIT ATTACK PROTEST

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Oct. 9: Theatre director Habib Tanvir, 
who has faced a series of attacks from the Sangh 
parivar, today brought his protests to the heart 
of the capital.

"They disrupted my play, saying I was 
anti-Hindu," said Tanvir at a protest meeting 
attended by hundreds of artists and cultural 
activists.

"We as artists, writers and fellow citizens must 
take on Habib Tanvir's attackers in our work, on 
the stage, in the media and on the streets. And 
we must do this in a voice as bold and powerful 
as Habib Tanvir's plays," said the artists.

Tanvir and his theatre group, Natya Theatre, ran 
into trouble repeatedly in the last one month 
while performing the play Ponga Pandit in Madhya 
Pradesh, with the Sangh parivar trying to stop 
the performances, claiming that the play was 
against Hindus.

"After performing in six towns of Madhya Pradesh 
we arrived in Gwalior for our performance. The 
moment there was a reference to the Babri Masjid 
as a turning point to communalism, there was 
trouble," said Tanvir.

When BJP leader Uma Bharti was mentioned, a youth 
came running and snatched the microphone from 
Tanvir. "Then there was slogan shouting, which 
threw the performance out of gear," said the 
director. Police had to resort to a lathicharge 
to disperse the mob.

A similar incident took place in Hoshangabad. 
"They came and threw eggs and water bottles at 
us. Finally, the superintendent of police and 
district collector intervened and threw everyone 
out," said Tanvir.

Tanvir alleged that a section of the Hindi press 
had also attacked the play. "A four-column 
article threatened that it will not allow the 
play to take place."

"The RSS-VHP-Bajrang Dal-BJP ilk have displayed 
their love for Indian culture by throwing rotten 
eggs and chairs on the stage, by cutting power to 
the auditorium, by forcing audiences to leave and 
getting performances cancelled. The attackers 
have not even seen the play," said the artists at 
today's meeting.

______


[8]

Indian Muslim Council-USA criticizes Imam Bukhari's statements

Contact:
Rasheed Ahmed
(708) 466-0244

For Immediate Release

Chicago, I.L., 10/09/03 – Indian Muslim 
Council-USA, an advocacy group working toward 
safeguarding Indian society's pluralist and 
tolerant ethos, expresses its disagreement with 
and disapproval of Imam Bukhari’s recent 
statements.

Indian Muslims and Indian Muslim Scholars joined 
other Muslim Scholars throughout the world in 
condemning the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Rasheed 
Ahmed, Vice-president of IMC-USA said "We 
strongly disagree with the recent statement made 
by Ahmed Bukhari, the Imam of Delhi’s Jamia 
Masjid, in which he had favorably described the 
9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. 
As Muslim Americans we unequivocally condemn 
those attacks."

Mr. Ahmed further added that "The Imam has made 
an irresponsible remark at a time when the 
community needs clarity and cohesion, on the one 
hand, and peace, amity and reconciliation with 
the rest of the world, on the other. These goals 
can never be achieved without moral integrity and 
civic responsibility."

Since it was founded over a year ago, IMC-USA has 
been actively promoting values of pluralism and 
tolerance amongst the Indian Diaspora in the 
United States.

Read More:
<http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65165>http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=65165
<http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=216124>http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=216124


______


[9]

The Times of India, October 10, 2003  |   EDITORIAL

PIE IN THE SKY
Politicians are offering reserved jobs that are not there

Want a sarkari naukri? Just queue up, and if you 
can give details of height, weight, class, caste, 
colour, gotra, so much the better. The 
reservation farce has touched an absurd low with 
the forward castes now formally and 
enthusiastically joining the ranks of the 
backward.

Next, it could be the vertically challenged 
lamenting their lack of inches and demanding 
compensation in the form of a special quota. The 
irony cannot have been greater, for historically 
reservation has been recognised as flowing from 
institutionalised, descent-based discrimination; 
in the Indian context, discrimination suffered by 
generations of lower castes at the hands of the 
upper castes.

Affirmative action is not a right equally 
available to everyone; nor is it a subsidy for 
the poor. It is a mechanism to correct the 
under-representation in the public sphere of 
those who have been victims of inequality based 
on social hierarchies. Which is what makes the 
idea of upper caste reservation something of an 
oxymoron. Curiously, none of this quota passion 
is visible when it comes to women who have been 
fighting a hopeless battle for better 
representation in Parliament.

There is unarguably no other category of 
population that has withstood as much prejudice, 
discrimination and violence as women. Even today, 
their collective status in society, barring 
individual exceptions, remains abysmally low. If 
this does not make a strong enough case on their 
behalf, there is also the constitutional 
requirement to provide for their advancement 
under Article 15(3).

So what explains the double standards? One for 
women and quite another for the many caste 
groups? For a start, parliamentary quota is a 
bitter reality unlike job quota which is largely 
illusory.

If a third of Lok Sabha seats have to go to 
women, a third of sitting male MPs would need to 
give up their membership, which is easier 
committed to on paper than implemented in 
reality. In contrast, there are simply no jobs to 
be given. For some years now, labour force growth 
has far outstripped employment growth rate, and 
there is a virtual recruitment freeze in most 
government departments.

This is besides the fact that organised labour 
constitutes less than 10 per cent of the total. 
Sixty per cent of India's workforce is 
self-employed and very poor, and another 30 per 
cent are casual workers.

As for the economically poor upper castes, they 
need to be below the poverty line to qualify for 
reservation, and when last heard, enumerators 
were finding it difficult to locate this elusive 
group. Little wonder the reservation pie is 
getting larger and larger without anyone being 
able to help herself to it.


_____


10.

Calling For Electronic Civil Disobedience To 
Resist The Blocking of groups.yahoo.com in India:

Users should speak up for unfettered communications rights

This current move to block internet content  for 
thousands off users, is a blatant violation of 
freedom of expression and sets a very dangerous 
precedent of censorship and control of the 
internet in India. It is very unfortunate that 
human rights groups in India, have still not 
taken note.

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

1. Advertise this among other users.

2. All users are invited to send at least 10 
e-mail messages a day @ each of these e-mail 
addresses a, b, c and d. [see addresses below] If 
only a few hundred people repeatedly send them 10 
blank messages a day, that would help jam their 
pipes and slow down their mail servers.
All moderators running lists on groups.yahoo.com 
with subscribers in India are invited to join and 
invite their users to send blank messages and or 
Protest letters to people listed under a, b, c,d.

3. Internet users abroad are invited to join in solidarity

4. Call a 'Flash mob'  in Delhi at Electronic 
Niketan on Lodi Road in Delhi.  Or in other 
cities in solidarity with  ..... users get in 
touch with http://www.mumbaimobs.org/
http://bloremobs.rediffblogs.com/
http://www.delhimobs.com/


In solidarity

Harsh Kapoor
(South Asia Citizens Web)
N.B.: Feel free to send copies of your protest 
letters to <aiindex at mnet.fr> for a compilation of 
letters being prepared

o o o

Addresses of the officials and bodies to whom 
people should actively write to protest Internet 
censorship in India:

(a) Arun Shourie
Minister (Communications & Information Technology & Disinvestment)
Ist Floor, Electronics Niketan,
Lodhi Road,New Delhi , India
Email : ashourie at nic.in

(b) Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad
(Minister of Information and Broadcasting)
E-Mail: ravis at sansad.nic.in
Phone: (91) 23384340, 23384782 Fax : (91) 23782118

(c) Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)
http://www.mit.gov.in/cert/

(d) India's Department of Telecom
http://www.dotindia.com/
E-mail: ddgir at sancharnet.in

e) The Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI)
http://www.ispai.com/



[* India's Official Human rights watch dog]
National Human Rights Commission(NHRC)
http://nhrc.nic.in/contact.htm



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

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.

--