SACW | 10-11 Jul 2004
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex at mnet.fr
Sun Jul 11 20:13:06 CDT 2004
South Asia Citizens Wire | 10-11 July, 2004
via: www.sacw.net
[1] A war of sorts: Growing militancy in western Pakistan (M B Naqvi)
[2] Pakistan: JAC demands inquiry into attacks on NGOs (Daily Times Report)
[3] Protest at Pakistan Sharia plans (Paul Anderson)
[4] Blurred Borders: Coastal Conflicts between
India and Pakistan (Charu Gupta, Mukul Sharma)
[5] Amit Chakraborty's Rejoinder to the op-ed
Article: 'An Indian View on Kashmir' by Hamid Alvi
[6] India: The Congress burden - For 20 years
the party has been in denial over '84. It's time
to come clean (Editorial, The Indian Express)
[7] India: Why can't we ban 'triple talaq'? [Javed Akhtar]
+ 'We are the only ones who claim that no changes
are possible in the fiqh' (Javed Anand)
[8] India: High Court admits PIL challenging ban on Shivaji book
[9] India: Letter to the Editor (Mukul Dube)
[10] India: Anhad Future Strategies Meeting (New Delhi, July 17, 2004)
[11] India: Hindutva at work
- Bajrang Dal activists vandalise Indore hospital
- Saffron protest hits Lahore bus (Punjab)
--------------
[1]
Deccan Herald, July 12, 2004
A war of sorts: Growing militancy in western Pakistan
BY M B NAQVI
For some odd reason nobody seems to recognise
what is happening in Pakistan's own wild west:
the tribal belt of Pushtoons, FATA, especially
South Waziristan, along the long
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, known as Durand
Line. Actually a war of sorts is going on. The
potential of which is terrible to contemplate for
Pakistan.
The news being published in Pakistan is very
clearly 'doctored' by Pakistan's various
agencies. The two opposing sides can be clearly
seen: on the one side is Pakistan Army along with
its para-militaries and the side opposing them is
rather shadowy. It is generally being referred to
as Islamic militants who were proved to have
considerable military prowess in South
Waziristan. One phase of the warfare lasted a
fortnight during March last. In those 14 days the
Pakistan army actually suffered more fatal
casualties than did the militants. The final
count was 60:40.
But more important is the potential of this on
again and off again war. There are intervals in
it of negotiations and peaceful efforts to defuse
the situation by the use of traditional
combination of gold and guns, which the Americans
put simply as a carrot and stick policy.
So far nothing has worked for Islamabad. All its
peace efforts fizzled out and have resulted in
mutual recrimination. Negotiations begin but go
nowhere. Issues however are now clear-cut.
Prodded strongly by the Americans, Islamabad
wants the tribal elders, Maliks and other
influential leaders to force the militants into
making the foreign Jihadis, said to be of 1980s
vintage, to surrender. The tribals hum and haw.
The talks go in circles. But the inflexible
government terms are not met.
Islamabad is insistent that all foreigners -
Chechens, Uzbeks, Tajiks and some even Ughairs -
should surrender themselves, that Pushtoon
militants should stop armed resistance and
foreigners register themselves with the nominated
authority. For its part, Islamabad has promised
amnesty to all those who register themselves and
promise not to use violence for any purpose. They
would then be allowed to go on living in the area
( in their own homes). These talks, as noted,
have not succeeded despite several bouts of
negotiations and the expenditure of large sums of
money.
Most disturbed part
The most disturbed part is certainly NWFP's
tribal areas, though its impact on the so called
settled districts that is ruled by the six
religious parties' alliance MMA (Muttaheda Majlis
Amal) is predictable. Balochistan, another
province bordering on Afghanistan, is also
wracked by frequent eruption of violence of two
separate kinds: one set of violent incidents is
attributed to Balochistan's nationalist circles
that do not want the centre to start its own
large projects which will bring with it droves of
outsiders and these 'foreigners' may soon
outnumber the Baloch people.
The second set of violent incidents is more
complex, though its origin in Islamic militancy
is in no doubt. It takes different forms. Mostly
it takes the form of sectarian violence against
the Shias. But often it is pro-Taliban and is
targeted against the government's or military's
symbols. Punjab is politically the most docile
and quiet province, though crime rate in its big
cities is rapidly rising.
The Sindh province can be considered under three
heads: general lawlessness and bad governance
marks every part of the province, including the
larger cities of Karachi and Hyderabad. Secondly
the kind of sway that robbers have in the
countryside is perhaps unique to Sindh. The main
national arteries are often closed and public
transport is looted for hours on end - and
nothing really happens. The robbers roam the
countryside more or less with impunity because
their gangs are supported by powerful political
personalities.
In terms of crime, Karachi has a special place of
its own: it is a city of huge proportions that
requires efficient local governance to function.
It is this element that is missing. The crime
syndicates in the city have more or less created
linkages with different mafias: the drug lords,
the builders, the carjackers and kidnappers for
ransom. Thirty to 40 car hijacking and thefts are
often the daily average, though there are always
ups and downs in such statistics. In the city
that is frequently said to house 14 to 15 million
people, nobody knows the number of robberies
being committed everyday. Nobody reports a
dacoity to the police, except when a car jacking
is involved. Half the people do not report to the
police, out of the fear of further extortion.
But most important of all: Karachi needs to be
considered separately because Islamic militancy
is actually growing in this otherwise
traditionally cosmopolitan city. At one time, the
city was represented in the Parliament by
religious parties, who were later displaced by
ethnic Mohajir party, Muttaheda Qaumi Movement -
a part of the government now. Three parties lay
claim to be the dominant force in Karachi:
Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party,
Jamaat-e-Islami and MQM.
No hope left
Conditions in which the common people live in the
city leave them no hope and patience. Only the
Mullahs utilise their mosques as regular
platforms every Friday, preaching a millenarian
solution of all problems: Once an Islamic state
is established, all sorrows of the people would
disappear; there would be no crime; and no child
will go hungry. But then the faithful have to
unite and fight the forces of evil, now led by
the US. Such is the credo now being pedalled by
Mullahs in the length and breath of the country.
But Karachi provides an especially receptive
audience, thanks to the city's shortages of all
social amenities. It is not yet regarded as a
settled fact that al-Qaeda is coordinating the
violent attacks on government as well as on the
minorities in all places. But the growing
influence of militant Islamic preachers is
certainly a ubiquitous fact, the government
claims everyday of fighting al-Qaeda and
terrorists. Actually it is unable to stop any of
it and is at sea about how to counter these ideas.
______
[2]
JAC demands inquiry into attacks on NGOs
Staff Report
Daily Times:July 5, 2004
LAHORE: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) for People's
Rights, an alliance of more than 30 non-government
organisations and civil societies in Punjab, has
demanded the NWFP chief minister investigate recent
attacks on NGOs and female workers in the Frontier.
A letter was written to NWFP Chief Minister Muhammad
Akram Khan Durrani by JAC convener Shah Taj Qazilbash,
with copies sent to the Senate chairman, National
Assembly speaker, interior secretary, attorney general
of Pakistan and NWFP inspector general police, whereby
the JAC expressed its concern regarding serious
threats to various NGOs and human rights activists in
the NWFP.
In a recent incident in Bannu, a woman field officer
and a driver of the NGO Khawanda Khor were seriously
injured in an attack by armed men. This was not the
first time that the NGOs had been attacked physically
and threatened by religious groups in the province, it
said.
The letter said that these groups made public
statements against NGOs recently, which amounted to
criminal intimidation and incitement to violence. Due
to the authoritiesí failure to protect the lives of
those targeted, these armed militias have become
bolder, it said. In many cases, the militants made no
attempt to conceal their identity, yet the law
enforcement agencies in the province have not caught
them. The JAC said that these elements found
encouragement from "the governmentís anti-human rights
position". Unless the NWFP government took immediate
measures to enforce the law, human rights activists
would remain vulnerable to such attacks.
______
[3]
BBC News, 7 July, 2004
Protest at Pakistan Sharia plans
By Paul Anderson
BBC correspondent in Islamabad
URL: news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3874281.stm
_____
[4]
The Economic and Political Weekly
July 03, 2004
Blurred Borders: Coastal Conflicts between India and Pakistan
Coastal fisherfolk of India and Pakistan are
often arrested for crossing borders. They are
victims of defined and undefined boundaries and
borders in the seas, and increasing conflicts
over renewable resources. These coastal conflicts
need to be understood from several overlapping
but distinct perspectives. Low-intensity
conflicts over environmental concerns are as
serious as conventional war and simultaneously
question cartographic and border
anxieties of these countries.
by Charu Gupta, Mukul Sharma
[FULL ELECTRONIC TEXT OF THE ABOVE ARTICLE (80K)
IS AVAILABLE TO ALL INTERESTED. SHOULD YOU
REQUIRE A COPY WRITE TO: <aiindex at mnet.fr>]
_____
[5]
From: Amit chakraborty=20
To: <mailto:editor at nation.com.pk=20>editor at nation.com.pk=20
Cc: <mailto:ah_nation at yahoo.com=20>ah_nation at yahoo.com=20
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 8:41 AM
Subject: Rejoinder by Amit Chakraborty to the article of Hamid Alvi
Amit Chakraborty, 39/B, Dakshin Para Road, Kolkata. India.
The Resident Editor, THE NATION, Islamabad
July 05, 2004
Dear Madam,
With grave dismay and concern, I am forced to
write to you, and to enclose the article below as
a rejoinder to the op-ed opinion piece: 'An
Indian View on Kashmir' by Hamid Alvi, published
in your newspaper on July 1, 2004.
I request you to publish this rejoinder on the
same page and with the same prominence as you
published Mr. Alvi's article, in order to clarify
and correct the wrong perception created
regarding my views on Kashmir. I also attach
herewith the file containing the results of the
survey that I undertook in Srinagar in 2002,
during the assembly elections held there, for
your perusal and ready reference as Attachment2.
And the rejoinder enclosed below is attached as
Attachment1.
I would appreciate your acknowledgement of
receipt and intimation of action taken on this
rejoinder.
Yours sincerely,
(Amit Chakraborty)
====================================================================
Amit Chakraborty's Rejoinder to the op-ed
Article: 'An Indian View on Kashmir' by Hamid Alvi
I wonder how Mr. Hamid Alvi could so gravely
misunderstand me. Was I so inarticulate in
communicating my views to the audience in
Islamabad on June 21, 2004? Obviously this was
not so, since the deliberate distortion of my
views by Mr. Alvi has been brought to my notice
by a number of those present in the audience -
both Pakistanis and expatriates.
In his column Mr. Alvi has mixed up my words with
others of his own, while also taking my words out
of the context in which I uttered them, both
during my presentation and subsequent responses
in the course of interaction with the audience.
He has projected his personal views and
perceptions as mine, and thus gave a distorted
view of my views and perceptions which I strongly
adhere to, as they are based on true and very
obvious facts and figures. It pains me to have
to state that this is most unbecoming on the part
of Mr. Alvi, and does not behove any truthful and
honest newspaper columnist.
Mr. Alvi labeled me as a "Bengali Hindu
intellectual". For the record, neither was I
introduced as such by my co-hosts, nor am I one.
If I had been asked during the discussion or
subsequently, I would have claimed to be an
anti-religion humanist and a peace activist.
Mr. Alvi wrote that I endorsed the "Pakistani
perception on Kashmir, Indian secularism and
partition and peace." I am not sure what he
meant by "Pakistani perception" - is it the
perception of the current Government of Pakistan,
or the perception of the peace activists of
Pakistan, whom Mr. Alvi tried to belittle by
labeling them as 'peacenicks'? Whatever his
meaning, I solemnly declare that I believe in and
endorse the stand of the peace activists of
Pakistan, because they represent the views of the
people in general.
Regarding his statement that "there was no
widespread movement for peace in India", I had
emphatically said that there is an active peace
movement in India, which is spreading wider day
by day because of the participation of the
people. I declared that peace between India and
Pakistan will be ensured when the peace movements
in both countries become a mass movement. It
just cannot be hoodwinked by casting aspersions
on the peace activists of either country, or by
terming them derogatively as "peacenicks".
Contrary to what has been reported by Mr.Alvi
that "peace with Pakistan was not an election
issue" I had rather stressed on the point that
although the BJP had made it an election issue,
but for other reasons it could not garner enough
votes to become the leading party in the
parliament.
Further, I never said that "more than 80 percent
of the Kashmiris subscribe to the slogan: 'We
want Azadi, Kashmir Baney Ga Pakistan' " - on the
contrary, I quoted the relevant portions from my
own survey results, and then I said: "How do
Kashmiris believe that the 'peace, prosperity and
progress of J&K will be ensured and the
democratic right of its people will be
guaranteed'? Only 5.07 per cent consider merger
with Pakistan as the solution, while 9.32 per
cent believe the state should remain an integral
part of India. But the vast majority - 83.9 per
cent - look forward to a sovereign and
independent state of Jammu and Kashmir as the
only solution". In the same breath I also said:
"what do these people mean by independence or
'Azadi'? A six-year-old boy from Safapora village
in Baramulla district elucidated the term very
clearly in his mother tongue. He said: "Azadi is
a situation where there will be no military or
militants, where the houses are not burnt, people
are not killed and women are not molested
('Auraton kay sath badsaluki nehi hogi')".
But to other Kashmiris, Azadi has a different
meaning. The infuriated young people of
Danwhadpora village in Kokernag constituency, in
the district of Anantnag, were chanting slogans
right before us when we went there to observe the
polling: "Hum chahtay hen Azadi, Kashmir banega
Pakistan". I also said that while people in the
Kashmir Valley in general want to be liberated
from India, but what exactly they mean by
"Liberation" or "Azadi" or "Kashmir banay ga
Pakistan" goes unexplained and unclarified.
Regarding the question:"Who represents Kashmir as
things exist today?", what I said in response is
totally different from what has been made out by
Mr. Alvi. Again quoting the survey results, I
said that "The people of Srinagar are in favour
of dialogue and a peaceful solution; and they
also feel very strongly that the dialogue should
be trilateral - between the governments of India,
Pakistan and the peoples of Jammu & Kashmir. But
interestingly, 57.63 per cent of the people
interviewed have no faith in any of the political
organisations active in Kashmir, including the
Hurriyat Conference. The Hurriyat Conference
enjoys the support of 35.59% of Srinagar
residents who were interviewed. The majority of
those surveyed opposed the general election, as
did Hurriyat. A majority is also in favour of
dialogue, as is Hurriyat.
Even then Hurriyat does not enjoy the support of
the majority. The problem is that Hurriyat is
not a single political entity but instead it is a
conglomeration of 23 political entities. Seven
of them, as the executive members of the
Conference, wield maximum control over the
organisation. The political agenda of all these
political outfits is not very specific or
clarified for ordinary people. Where 83.9 per
cent of the people are in favour of "azadi", five
of the seven executive committee members of
Hurriyat are in favour of merging with
Pakistan. Though they have some faith in
Hurriyat, but a number of the people are confused
about the political mission of Hurriyat and know
little about the parties that it comprises. It
should be noted here that the Hurriyat that I
referred to is the Hurriyat Conference of 2002
and not of 2004.
I am definitely of the opinion that to resolve
the Kashmir dispute, there should be tripartite
dialogue between the governments of India,
Pakistan and the peoples of Jammu & Kashmir. But
I am not sure as to whether or not Hurriyat is
the true representative of all the people of
Jammu & Kashmir. Rather, I strongly feel that
the true representatives of the majority of the
people of Jammu & Kashmir are yet to emerge, and
the peace activists of India and Pakistan must
continue to work for facilitating such emergence.
_____
[6]
The Indian Express, July 12, 2004 | Editorial
The Congress burden
For 20 years the party has been in denial over '84. It's time to come clean
The notice issued by the Justice G.T. Nanavati
Commission to Narasimha Rao, home minister in
1984, is a reminder and an opportunity. It
reminds the nation of those three apocalyptic
days in 1984, when mindless violence raged
unchecked in the Capital, in which thousands of
Sikhs lost their lives. It reminds us that the
road to justice has been impossibly tortuous for
the men and women who survived to tell the
terrible tale. It is a moment to recall the clear
pattern of state abdication and culpability in
all eruptions of communal violence since
Independence. The stonewalling of demands for
justice, unforgivable delays in registering cases
when they are registered at all, deliberately
shoddy investigations leading to premature
closing of files. The political campaigns crafted
from hate.
But this notice to Rao is also a specific
opportunity for the Congress. At least part of
the mandate for the party in the recent polls can
be decoded as the people's revulsion at Gujarat
2002 and the BJP's failure to acknowledge its
government's culpability or make amends. The
UPA's Common Minimum Programme implicitly
recognised this when it pledged a special law to
deal with communal violence. We are told that
such a law would ensure that investigations are
carried out by an independent agency and special
courts are set up to expedite justice. But the
CMP's fine words are likely to run aground on the
Congress governments' own record in times of
communal violence. More specifically, they may be
rendered meaningless by the party's reluctance to
honestly confront its failures to uphold the law
in Delhi '84 and to atone for it.
The Congress has expressed ''regret'' over the
years. But the accused of 1984 have thrived in
the party. Kamal Nath and Jagdish Tytler, who
were also issued notices by the Nanavati
Commission, are ministers in the Manmohan Singh
government; Sajjan Kumar is a Congress MP. The
Congress will not command any credibility in its
renewed avtar as upholder of an inclusive idea of
India until it can come clean on its failure to
protect the lives of innocent citizens in one of
the worst cases of communal carnage in
independent India. The commission's notice to Rao
puts the Rajiv Gandhi government in the dock. The
Congress must seize the chance to make a full
confession.
_____
[7]
Mid Day, July 11, 2004
Why can't we ban 'triple talaq'?
By: [Javed Akhtar] A Mid Day Correspondent
In the past week, a daily The Urdu Times has been
carrying articles listing about 20 maulvis to
state that, "A Mid Day Correspondent should first
turn a Muslim. Communists and atheists have no
right to expound on Muslim personal laws.
"Javed saab, that day is not far when your
utterances shall get equated to those of the
likes of Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen.
Shariat is not under you. It is better that you
remain under the Shariat."
Nowadays any statement by anybody who wears a
beard is referred to as a 'fatwa'.
My only answer to those maulvis is, why are you
interested in me? Why are you not interested in
the problems?
There are many women whose lives are getting
destroyed in the name of 'triple talaq'. Why
can't you do what's good for your women? What's
good for your own society?
I make no pretense or claims that I am an
authority on religion. As a matter of fact I am
not.
But, like other members of Muslims for Secular
Democracy, there are educated people who know
what's happening in Tunisia, Indonesia, Algeria,
Libya, Egypt, MoroccoŠ where the practice of
'triple talaq' is banned. So I want to ask, if
they can reform, why can't we?
Are maulvis suggesting that the countries that
have changed their laws are no longer Muslims? If
that's the case, let them at least say it. It
confuses me that they have no problems with
reforms in other Muslim countries, but consider
it anti-religious in India!
All personal laws are rather loaded against women
and need reforms. It is not the Muslim personal
law alone.
The Hindu Code Bill amended in the mid-50s does
not allow the woman to be the 'karta' of a family
or give her share in hereditary property. She has
a share in her father's self-acquired property,
but even there the 'karta' can disown her.
As far as 'instant' talaq is concerned, though
it's not mentioned in the Koran, it has been in
practice for so long. But like many Muslim
countries, many sects in India don't accept it.
Even Pakistan has a model nikahnama where
husbands and wives have equal divorce rights. The
Muslim Personal Law Board too has a model
nikahnama in place, but has been sitting on it
for years.
They have never said that they won't pass it; at
the same time, they don't release it.
First of all, it's important to understand that
the model nikahnama (which puts an end to the
practice of 'triple talaq') has not been made by
atheists. It has been made by people who know
Islam.
So nobody is asking anyone to break any religious
rules. Nobody is asking anyone to go one step
against the Shariat or the Koran. The fact is
that they can do all this within the realm of
religion and that is why so many Muslim countries
have done it.
That is why the Board's own members are saying
that it should be done. What is ironical is that
many members of sects of Islam that do not
practice the 'triple talaq' are members of the
Board and they say nothing against it. They
themselves don't do it, but they are not willing
to openly say that this is wrong.
If we look at it with a degree of objectivity,
perhaps this is a result of a form of persecution
complex. The fact is that Muslim Personal Law and
Uniform Civil Code have been used as sticks to
beat the community - by people who just want to
run them down.
Look at BJP and its sympathisers who shed
crocodile tears over the condition of Muslim
women. Then they stand by criminals responsible
for gang rapes of the Muslim women in Gujarat.
The community then begins to consider internal
reform as an attack on its identity.
But I think they should not bother about such
people. After all BJP comprises the same lot,
who, in the 50s, had opposed tooth and nail a
tiny right given to Hindu women in property
matters.
Ninety-nine per cent of our lives are secular-led
anyway. It is on that remaining one per cent that
self-proclaimed religious leaders pronounce such
chauvinism and narrow-mindedness that those
outside the community take advantage of, and use
to paint it black.
As a group, we have visited Muslim conservative
pockets of Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Aligarh
and also spoken to students, businessmen and
professionals. The reaction has been tremendously
positive. So, mostly people agree that the time
for reforms has come.
In India I've noticed that fundamentalism is a
phenomenon among the educated. It is the upper
and middle classes who are bigots. What kind of
education are we giving?
The 'jahils' (illiterate) in villages and average
Muslims otherwise are sensible people who want
fair deals in life, tolerance and moderation.
Until the latest decision of the Board,
inheritance rights on agricultural property were
not acceptable. We had been repeating this again
and again and I am happy that at least they have
listened to us now.
So, did they finally then make a change on what
was 'Un-Islamic'? It is no one's contention to
make any changes in the Shariat. But one has to
accept that the Muslim Personal Law made by the
British in 1937 is not a true representation of
the Koran or the Shariat.
Since their inception in the 70s, the Board has
not taken any step that may be termed
progressive, liberal or emancipating, out of fear
that some conservative or ultra-Right-winger will
usurp their authority.
They are frozen in fear. Besides, they don't want
to empower women; it's as simple as that. Any
conservative society is mortally afraid to give
any power, independence or liberty to women.
But I also want to ask, what is the All India
Muslim Personal Law Board? What is its structure?
Do they have elections? How does one become a
member of this organisation? How does one retire?
I have asked so many people this - nobody seems
to have an idea.
(Scriptwriter and lyricist, A Mid Day
Correspondent is the president of Muslims for
Secular Democracy
As told to Mayank Shekhar)
o o o
'We are the only ones who claim that no changes are possible in the fiqh'
by Javed Anand
Since Islam's beginning, the question of how a
believing Muslim is supposed to tackle social
situations is to be answered by going back to the
Koran.
If it's not written in the Koran, you're supposed
to go by the teachings of the Prophet - the
living embodiment of Islamic practice.
If your situation does not fit there either,
according to the Prophet, you're supposed to use
analogy and reason. About a thousand years ago, I
don't know who decided that all questions that
had to be answered had been answered.
So we locked up our Muslim minds, the community
gave up its right to use common sense and that's
why we are where we are.
As religion progressed, Muslim schools of
jurisprudence laid down basic guidelines - the
'fiqh'. We are the only ones in the world who
make claims that no changes are possible in the
'fiqh'.
For if no changes are possible, then how are we
suddenly talking about inheritance rights for
women on farmlands? Why had we taken away those
rights from women in the 30s, though Shariat law
is immutable and God-given?
Ninety-five per cent of Sunnis in India belong to
the Hannafi School of jurisprudence and accept
'triple talaq', though the understanding among
them on the issue also is seemingly a 'conspiracy
of silence'.
They deem it socially repugnant but theologically
unchallengeable. The practice has been
discontinued in most Muslim countries.
No Muslim can say that Islam is the world's first
religion to give justice to women and in the same
breath justify 'triple talaq'. Either they're
making a mockery of Islam or just talking
non-sense.
In that case how can you have a body like the
Muslim Personal Law Board in spite of Islam's
claim that it has no place for clergy? My guess
for the Board's inaction on the issue is that
they are scared of floodgates opening up. A
concession today could raise more questions
tomorrow.
Another reason why Muslims in India haven't
reformed laws is that the community feels it is
under siege. So within a climate of fear, a lot
of claptrap gets a free ride.
A Mid Day Correspondent's catchy response to it
seems apt: 'A Muslim fears another Muslim
infinite times more than he fears Allah. If he
were to fear Allah even a fraction of how much he
fears a fellow Muslim (the 'Bajrang Dals' of
Islam), then he would become a much better
Muslim.'
Social activist and co-editor, Communal Combat,
Javed Anand is the general secretary of Muslims
for Social Democracy
_____
[8]
The Times of India, July 9, 2004
HC ADMITS PIL CHALLENGING BAN ON SHIVAJI BOOK
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ FRIDAY, JULY 09, 2004 11:08:09 PM ]
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday
admitted a public interest litigation (PIL) filed
by city-based advocate S D Rupwate, filmmaker
Anant Patwardhan and activist Kunda Pramila
against the state government's ban on US author
James Laine's book Shivaji: Hindu King In Islamic
India.
Representing the trio, advocate P Sebastian
argued that the January 15, 2005 notification
issued by the state to forfeit every copy of the
book violated the citizens' fundamental right to
receive and express information.
The matter has been listed for final hearing in
August. The petitioners said that it would be
wrong to say that the author had any intention to
provoke the people of India to wantonandmalignant
rioting.
Last November, publisher Oxford University Press
withdrew copies of 'Shivaji: Hindu King In
Islamic India' in India after it was intimated
that Shivaji's legion of followers found some
parts of the book to be inappropriate.
Early this year, the Sambhaji Brigade ransacked
and destroyed manuscripts and old historical
books at the reputed Bhandarkar Oriental Research
Institute in Pune to protest the alleged slur on
Shivaji.
The state even filed a first information report
against Laine and the book's publisher and
printer for hurting communal sentiments and
causing enmity between different groups. The
probe into the case has been stayed by the
supreme court.
______
[9]
D-504 Purvasha
Mayur Vihar 1
Delhi 110091
7 July 2004
Dear Editor,
Shri Lal Kishenchand Advani is reported to have said, in his constituency
Gandhinagar on 4 July, that voters always took "prudent decisions". It
follows that it is the intended result of just such a decision that "a
large section of the people [is] shocked at the NDA's defeat". We know
that many go out of their way to watch spine-chilling films which scare
them out of their wits. For Shri Advani, India's electorate is both
prudent and masochistic, a combination that only a great visionary can
dream up.
Mukul Dube
______
[10]
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 2004 07:05:59 +0100 (BST)
From: shabnam hashmi <anhad_delhi at yahoo.co.in>
Subject: Anhad Meeting on July 17th
To: anhaddel at yahoo.co.uk
Status: U
Dear Friends,
First of all let me
congratulate you on the removal of the fascist
regime from the centre. It is indeed a great
relief for all of us.
The right wing has been removed from the
government but the hatred that they have
manufactured has seeped into the whole society
very deeply. You will agree that we need to put
in all our energies to combat the ideologies and
mobilisation of divide and hatred.
Anhad in its 16 months of existence has
concentrated mainly on trying to politically
educate the grass root workers and the youth. We
are enclosing a brief note on our activities so
far.
To brain storm and plan the future strategies
Anhad is organizing a meeting on July 17, 2004 at
The Women's Press Club, 5, Windsor Place,
Meridian Round About, New Delhi-110001 from 10am
till 6pm. This venue is adjacent to Anhad, you
can park your cars at Anhad.
Anhad has been able to work and sustain its work
mainly due to your time, efforts and
contributions.
It would be a pleasure for us if you can spare a
day and come for the meeting and help us plan the
future activities.
Anhad would not be in a position to bear the
travel expenses for those coming from outside
Delhi.
A line of confirmation would be greatly
appreciated to make arrangements for food etc.
Yours sincerely
KN Panikkar Harsh Mander Shabnam Hashmi
16 MONTHS OF ANHAD
Political Education Camps
Anhad, in collaboration with local organization
held 18 five day residential camps in
collaboration with over 300 ngos across 5 states.
Gujarat (Surat-May 15-19,2003, Godhra- May
16-20,2003, Himmatnagar- May 17-21,2003, Chotila-
May 18-22, 2003, Kutch- May 19-23,2003,Ahmedabad-
May 20-24,2003) , a ten day theatre training camp
in Jaipur from May 5-14, 2003 and five day camp
on peace education in Delhi from June 4-8, 2003,
in Bhopal from July 22-26, 2003 and in Hyderabad
from August 26-30, 2003. Anhad organized two
camps in Delhi from October 8-12, 2003 and one in
Udaipur October 8-10, 2003.
The total number of participants who were trained
in these workshops till date is over 2000. The
total number of resource persons who took these
training workshops is above 90. These include
intellectuals from Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajsthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi
and Bombay.
Training of Trainers
As the information about these workshops started
spreading a large number of organizations from
all parts of the country started requesting ANHAD
to hold similar ones for their work force. Due to
the shortage of resources accepting all requests
was not possible. However, in order to over come
the shortage of resource persons, a five day camp
was specially organized in Delhi to prepare a
team of young resource persons who could give
lectures on topics that are dealt with during the
course of five days. During this camp 30 young
resource persons from different parts of India
were given intensive training.
Resource Material Generated
The following primers were published specially for the workshops.
Hamarey Geet- ( Hindi) A pocket booklet of movement songs
Anhad Pustak Mala 1- Shikshanu Sampradayikaran
Anhad Pustak Mala 2- RSS Ne Odhkho by Shamsul Islam
Anhad Pustak Mala 3- Itihaasnu Punarlekhan Ane Sangh Parivar
Anhad Pustak Mala –4- Gujarat-Hundurashtrani Prayogshala
Dhamna Name- Dharm Parivartan Ane Hinsa Pachan Rahelu Satya
Dhavadnu Rajkaran –Ek Sachitra Parichay by Ram Puniyani
Ek Daglun Bin Sampradayikta Taraf
Ram Puniyani’s book has also been produced in two
volumes in Hindi and in one volume in Telugu
Peace Posters and pamphlets
Anhad has so far produced 6 peace posters.
Professional designers designed these posters.
More than a million peace leaflets have been distributed in different states.
Docu-lecture CDs
The lecture covering various aspects of
communalism delivered by eminent intellectuals
were converted into lively documentaries of about
25-minute duration by Gauhar Raza.
The package called: In Defence of Our Dreams- contains the following:
Legacy of the Freedom Movement by Prof. Mridula
Mukherjee, Secularism as a Constitutional Right
by Mihir Desai, History of Rashtriya Swayam Sevak
Sangh by Pralay Kanungo, Civil Society and State:
Lessons from Gujarat by Harsh Mander, Caste,
Dalits and Fascism by Prof. SK Thorat, Gender –
Issues, Movement & Interrelation with Communal
Politics by Nivedita Menon, The Urgency to
Resist Fascist Forces by Prof. Bipin Chandra ,
Media: an Arena for Struggle by Rajdeep Sardesai
, Communalisation of Education and History by
Rizwan Qaisar , Is Ayodhya Just a Physical Site
by Dr. K.M. Shrimali, Cultural Roots of
Communalism by K.N. Panikkar, Facts & Myths by
Ram Punyani, Formation of Indian Identity by
Sohail Hashmi , Gujarat before and
after Carnage by Digant Oza, Communalism,
Nationalist Chauvinism & India – Pakistan
Hostility by Praful Bidwai
The package also contains 4 documentaries: Final
Solution-Documentary on Gujarat by Rakesh Sharma,
In Dark Times and Evil Stalks the Land by Gauhar
Raza, Unheard Voices by Saeed Mirza and an audio
CD of movement songs .
Already in great demand by NGOs in India. It is
also being distributed in US and UK in
collaboration with
Secular India National Growth and Harmony
Foundation, New York Awaaz – South Asia Watch, UK
Youth 4 Peace
Anhad started its Youth For Peace programme from
Ahmedabad where in July 2003, around 50 students
got together to form Youth for Peace. They were
different in many ways –the language they spoke,
the clothes they wore, the music they listened
to, places they hung out at and the colleges and
institutions they went to. Nevertheless they got
together because they had one thing in common –
they all believe in ‘Peace’ and more important
all of them want ‘Peace’.
Youth for Peace is envisaged as an ongoing
activity conceptualised, designed, executed by
and for the youth in the campuses and schools.
The message of Peace would be spread through Open
House Discussions, Film Screenings, Debate and
Poetry Competitions, Street Theatre Performances,
Photography Exhibitions, etc.
Five school students from Delhi who went to
Gujarat their vacation had initiated this process
in Ahmedabad, They have been able to gather many
more students in Delhi too and they under the
banner of Anhad launched Youth For Peace
initiative on September 27, 2003.
Peace Concerts: Youth 4 Peace organised a major
peace concert in Delhi on September 27, 2003.
Over 3,500 young students attended the programme.
These were students from school and colleges of
Delhi. The concert of vocal and instrumental
music continued for more than four hours in the
evening. Youth 4 Peace is organised a similar
concert in Ahmedabad on November 30, 2003. Over
6000 students participated in the programme.
Youth for Peace has started a Discussion Forum
where young people meet every Saturday
YOUTH AMAN KARWAN
A group of 40 young students (15-20 yrs) traveled
all over India, covering 15,000 kms, 40 cities,
towns and villages ( April 7, 2004-May 7, 2004).
They addressed prss conferences and held meeting
with the youth groups and emphasised that ìs
young people, as the future generation of India,
they believe in love, communal harmony, justice
and peace. They appealed to the youth and to the
people of India to defeat the forces of hatred
and communalism.
The
karwan was attacked by right wing
fundamentalists in two places but continued its
journey. Extensively covered across India both in
the regional media and the national press.
FESTIVALS FOR PEACE AND HARMONY
July 1st dedicated to the memory of Vasant Rav
and Rajab Ali who gave their live to preserve
peace in Ahmedabad, was observed as the communal
harmony day in Ahmedabad. Anhad mounted a major
peace festival on that day at the Tagore Hall.
The festival continued well over 7 hours and was
attended by thousands of young students and local
residents. Those who participated in the
programme include Shubha Mudgal, Aditi
Mangaladas, Aditi Desai and artists from Darpana
Theatre Academy and Mrigya fusion band. Special
exhibitions were put up and posters and t-shirts
were released on the occasion.
July 1, 2004
This year the day for communal harmony was
conceived as a mass contact programme with
thepeople of Ahmedabad. More than 800 youth and
other citizens from all walks of life gathered at
the Loyola auditorium on Thursday 1st July, 2004
to pay tribute to Vasant and Rajab .
The highlight of the programme was the release of
a calendar- poster which was specially designed
on the lives of Vasant and Rajab. Immediately
after the programme more than 500 of the youth
present spread far across the city and other
parts of Gujarat to distribute 20000 of these
calendar- posters and thus to spread the message
of communal harmony and peace.
A dance- drama was performed by the Darpana
Academy which focused on the growing violence and
stressed on the need for communal harmony and
peace.
This communal Harmony day in tribute to Vasant
and Rajab was jointly organized by ANHAD,
PRATHAM, SANCHETNA, CENTRE FOR DEVELOPMENT,
PRASHANT and DARPANA.
Collaborative Actions
Computer Training- A computer centre for the
homeless people in Delhi. The computer centre has
been running for over five months in one of the
shelters for the homeless. Collaborating agency
Ashray Adhikar Abhiyan. Anhad provided computers
for the centre and regularly pays the salary of
the instructor.
Travelling Exhibition on the Dalit issue: A
60-poster creatively communicative exhibition
dealing with issues related to atrocities on
Dalits in India is being inaugurated on 5th
December 2003. This travelling exhibition formed
part of the Dalit Swadhikar Rallies which are
being flagged off from Delhi, Kolkatta,
Kanyakumari and Jammu on December 6, 2003.. 500
sets of the exhibition were produced so that it
can reach all major Dalit networks. Shabnam
worked single handedly on the exhibition , after
researching for a month, she sat with the
designer at a stretch for five nights, while
doing other work during the day and the
exhibition was ready for print. According to
NCDHR (National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights) ,
this is the first exhibition which is so
comprehensive.
Peace and Unity Concert-On January 7, 2004 a
joint ‘Peace Concert’ was be held under the
banner of Promise of India and Youth 4 Peace- New
Delhi.
Seminar on Peace and development: ANHAD
co-ordinated a daylong seminar at the initiative
of Promise of India on January 8, 2003.
WSF-World Social Forum ANHAD coordinated a day
long seminar on issues related to communalism.
Women Artists for Peace- ANHAD in collaboration
with Sangat, Jagori and V-day organised an
International Peace concert by all Women Artists
in Delhi. The programme was held on March 20,
2004.
Gujarat Follow up- A meeting of NGOs, activists,
political workers and concerned citizens was
called in Ahmedabad on June 1 and Vadodara and
Godara on June 2nd. After deliberations a
Charter of Demands was prepared .
A delegation- Harsh Mander, Mahesh Bhatt, Mukul
Sinha, Gauhar Raza and Shabnam Hashmi met Mrs
Sonia Gandhi, Shivraj Patila nd the Prime
Minister and held meetings with them to press the
demands.
Other activities
Protest against Modi At World Economic Forum
Prof. Yashpal, Kapila Vatsyayan, Ashok Vajpeyi,
Shubha Mudgal, Ashish Nandi, Aditi Mangaldas,
Jatin Das and writers, artists and social
activists attended meeting for Mallika Sarabhai
Meeting to analysis the future plan of action
after assembly elections which was attended by
Yogendra Yadav, Prem Singh, Aditya Nigam, Salil
Mishra, Bela Bhatia, Harsh Mander and others
Appeal to President of India to withdraw the
Cases Filed against Nafisa Ali, which was signed
by Geeta Hariharan, Anand Patwardhan, Admiral
Ramdas, Anil Nauria, Digant Oza, Father Cedric
Prakash, Geeta Kapur, Hamida Hirani, Harsh
Mander, John Cherian, John Dayal, Mahesh Bhatt,
MK Venu, Saeeda Hamid, Shabana Azmi, Shubha
Mudgal, Sidharth Vardrajan, Sunil Dutt, Taru
Tejpal, Usha Uthup, Vivan Sundram, Zohra Segal
A statement condemning the attack on the
Bhandarkar- Institute issued which was endorsed
by the annual KATHA festival, Tribal Imagination
Seminar by the IGNCA AND The Adivasi Academy and
others including Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Dilip
Chitre, Dev Benegal, K.N.Pannikar.
_____
[11] [Hindutva at Work . . . ]
Deccan Herald
July 06, 2004
Bajrang Dal activists vandalise Indore hospital
BHOPAL, DHNS:
Hundreds of Bajrang Dal activists indulged in massive vandalism at a private
hospital in Indore on Sunday. They smashed the cars parked on the hospital
premises and set a couple of two-wheelers afire. They also broke the window
panes and glass doors of the hospital, upturned the beds in the various
wards and drove out the patients. Some of the 300-odd assailants were
carrying country-made pistols, which they used liberally to fire in the air.
All this because a young girl working in a PCO on the hospital premises was
supposed to have eloped with a boy employed in the hospital canteen. The boy
happens to be a Muslim while the girl is a Hindu. The Mayur hospital, which
became the target of the ire of the Bajrang Dal workers, is owned by a
Mohammedan gentleman.
The Bajrang Dal activists alleged that the owner of the hospital had helped
one of his Muslim employees to abduct a Hindu girl. Led by its district
convener, the Bajrang Dal workers had met the district Superintendent of
police on Saturday and had demanded immediate action against Yusuf, the
canteen boy. The SP expressed his inability saying that the family members
of the girl had not even proffered a missing person complaint.
The Bajrang dal workers angrily stormed out of the SP office promising that
“they would do justice themselves”. After the threat, a posse of policemen
was deployed at the hospital, however, the assailants, who came in jeeps and
motor cycles , easily outnumbered.
Reinforcements could reach only after the Bajrangis had run amok for more
than half-an-hour. Thereafter, they turned their ire at the police, injuring
an additional SP.
o o o
Saffron protest hits Lahore bus (Punjab)
The Lahore-bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus came under attack today from hundreds of
Shiv Sainiks and Bajrang Dal workers on dharna on GT Road at Phagwara. Two
women passengers were hit by shards from windowpanes as the protesters threw
stones at the bus.
http://indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=50496
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on
matters of peace and democratisation in South
Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit
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