SACW | 16 Feb 2005
sacw
aiindex at mnet.fr
Tue Feb 15 20:21:12 CST 2005
South Asia Citizens Wire | 16 Feb., 2005
via: www.sacw.net
[1] Bangladesh: Valentine's Day blast (Editorial, The Daily Star)
[2] Pakistan: Our very own tsunami (Rashed Rahman)
[3] Pakistan: Educational reform vs fundamentalist fury (Mohammad Shehzad)
[4] India: Sex Choice as Advertisement, Rape as Infotainment !
Corporate vultures ? (Subhash Gatade)
[5] India: More facts needed in Geelani case (Siddharth Varadarajan)
--------------
[1]
The Daily Star - February 16, 2005
Editorial
VALENTINE'S DAY BLAST
Illiberal propensities must be stemmed at all costs
We note with utter dismay the unfortunate exploding of bombs on
Valentine's Day at the DU campus, which injured several persons. The
incident raises far deeper questions than merely the inefficacy of
the security arrangements made at the campus and the Book Fair area.
We note with serious consternation the unholy grip that is being
attempted to be applied by forces of illiberality, extremism,
intolerance and bigotry on our society that is known for its rich
cultural heritage made even richer by the infusion of new but healthy
influences over the years. We cannot but be seriously apprehensive of
the onset of a deep-seated malaise in the fabric of our society.
Very recently a caveat was put on the performance of 'Jatra'
ostensibly for reasons of security, to us quite unbelievably so. In
the past obscurantist elements had targeted cinema halls. Now it is
the turn of a Valentine's Day function and the object of the
bomb-attack was actually an event organised by the Dhaka University
Debating Society
It is not difficult to fathom the intention of these elements. It's
time we registered in our minds the grave implications of these acts
and the harm that the monstrosity of intolerance can bring to our
image of 'a moderate Islamic country'.
Unfortunately, it appears that we are faced with the forces of
anti-modernism bent upon resisting by force our liberal and tolerant
outlook. What is being seen as 'alien' is merely a recreational and
light-hearted occasion that has added a colourful dimension to our
cultural milieu.
We urge upon the government not to take this incident as an isolated
event but to take a holistic view of what we regard as part of a more
sinister and bigger phenomenon that has the potential to strike at
the very core of our time-honoured ethos and traditional respect for
cultural diversities.
As Bengalis we must take pride in the multiple facets of our society.
The cultural diversity that enriches it is but its mirror-image.
Failure to defend it will imperil our existence.
_______
[2]
Daily Times - February 15, 2005
OUR VERY OWN TSUNAMI
by Rashed Rahman
Unprecedentedly heavy winter rains and snow have hit the southern and
northern regions of the country. About 120 people so far have died in
the NWFP and Northern Areas. The death toll in Balochistan has
reached 250, with thousands still missing. The damage to life and
property in Mekran has been made worse by the bursting of dams,
starting with the Shadi Kor Dam in Pasni. This disaster has been
followed by the Chalvi Dam in Kolach union council, Pasni tehsil,
Gawar Bagh Dam in Turbat district, the Chillery Dam in Kolach Gwadar
union council, and Gaggo Dam in Lasbela. The Jantry Dam in Buleda and
another small dam in Dalbandin are overflowing and may burst if the
rains continue. People are said to be fleeing these areas to safe
ground.
The heavy rains and bursting of dams all over southern Balochistan
have, according to Chief Minister Jam Yousuf, damaged 6,000 houses
and destroyed a vast area under crops. Displaced villagers, about
40,000 in Mekran district alone, are living in the open in dire need
of shelter, medicines, food and clothing. The chief minister has
ordered an inquiry into the bursting of Shadi Kor Dam. He may now
have to expand the scope of that inquiry to the other dams that have
followed suit all over the southern reaches of the province. It is
said that some of these dams were constructed by the army.
Accountability must enfold both military and civilian contractors
responsible for sub-standard construction that has led to such loss
of life and property. If this is the quality of 'development' being
brought to Balochistan, it can only increase the reservations of the
local populace about the government's tall claims of bringing
prosperity to the province through mega-projects.
The United Nations has pledged $100,000 for relief for the victims of
the disaster in Balochistan. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is
warning of the risks of disease after the deluge, especially because
drinking water is scarce. The rains so far are unrelenting, hampering
relief work being carried out largely from the air since roads
infrastructure has been badly damaged in the entire southern region.
Forecasts predict more rains, suggesting the plight of the people of
the area is by no means over yet.
The seriousness of the disaster has prompted General Musharraf and
some ministers to visit the affected areas. They have tried after
their visits to downplay the death toll and destruction, accusing the
media of exaggeration. The fact, however, is that the death toll and
other damage is likely to have been underestimated, given the
remoteness and lack of access to the areas affected.
The president has used the photo opportunity of his visit to praise
the efforts of the armed forces in disaster relief. He has also tried
to justify the presence of the armed forces in the affected areas, an
issue of conflict with the nationalists, by saying if the army had
not been present, relief would not have reached the victims. The
interesting aside on this is that there is a central Crisis
Management Cell, set up precisely to deal with natural (and partially
man-made) disasters such as this one. That Cell always has the option
to call in the armed forces in cases of emergency. Perhaps the
political necessity of justifying the military's presence in an area
where its welcome is weak, to put it politely, has over-ridden
General Musharraf's awareness of his own government's creation of a
Crisis Management Cell.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has recently been tilting
against corrupt builders charged with constructing faulty high-rise
buildings. Can it be persuaded to also look into faulty construction
of dams in Balochistan? And will it have the courage - even if army
engineering units are involved - to take culprits to task,
irrespective of their uniforms?
This question is not unimportant. The footnote to this piece will
indicate why. After humming and hawing for weeks, the authorities
have announced restrictions on the movement of Captain Hammad and
five other military personnel in the Sui rape case. This is not a
case of better late than never. 'Late' has produced the widening of
the insurgency in Balochistan, driven even moderates into the arms of
the militants, and reinforced nationalist alienation from the Centre.
What price protection of the military's own?
The writer, currently a freelance contributor, has held editorial
positions in various Pakistani newspapers
_______
[3]
Asia Times
Feb 16, 2005
EDUCATIONAL REFORM VS FUNDAMENTALIST FURY
By Mohammad Shehzad
ISLAMABAD - After seizing power through a dramatic coup d'etat,
Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf initiated several reforms
in various areas, including the country's educational system. To
improve it, Musharraf signed an executive order in 2002 inducting the
Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKUEB) into the national
education system.
The AKUEB was selected for this assignment due to its outstanding
track record. Over the years, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
has emerged as one of the most effective associations of
community-based organizations in Pakistan, and has changed the lives
of large numbers of people in the remotest areas of the country,
including the Northern Areas, where no government agency has ever
undertaken any development work.
The AKUEB has been given the task of upgrading and modernizing the
declining standards of education and of holding examinations for
private educational institutions. The affiliation of these
institutions to the board is voluntary. The board has not been given
any role in government schools, and the system is also intended to
help groom teachers in private educational institutions with
excellent skills through training. The AKUEB would bring in modern
examinations, both in English and Urdu, at an affordable cost to a
much broader section of society, providing parents and schools with
the option to choose the style of education they desire from classes
four to 12.
Until now, such a choice was confined to the very few who could
afford the "O level" fees. The AKUEB follows the British education
system of "O" and "A" levels. "O" levels are designed for students
from 14 to 16 years of age and are aimed at preparing them for
academic progression and equipping them with the skills necessary for
employment. "A" levels are designed to prepare them for university
and other professional fields of study. Both levels emphasize a broad
range of subjects, covering the humanities, social sciences, natural
sciences and other creative technical and vocational qualifications.
A National Examination Testing Service has been constituted and the
government educational boards have agreed to entertain applications
from students who take examinations under the AKUEB. These
examinations are expected to start in 2006.
Musharraf's initiatives on this count have been greeted as a step in
the right direction by the enlightened section of Pakistani society.
However, the right-wing groups (jihadis, Islamists, clerics,
fundamentalists, and religious extremists) - a powerful minority in
Pakistan by whom the mainstream is held hostage - have launched a
virulent campaign against these reforms. A wide range of facilities
are available to these groups for the propagation of their venomous
propaganda, including the jihadi media, pulpits and loudspeakers at
mosques, and public rallies, which are not allowed for mainstream
politics but are permitted for jihad and fassad (evil).
The Jihadi press - comprising dozens of publications with a
collective circulation in millions - has started a concentrated smear
campaign against the Ismaeli (Aga Khan) community, with at least some
mainstream publications, such as Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation,
supporting the fundamentalists in this campaign. The Jihadi press is
cranking out highly inflammatory and provocative material against
Prince Karim Aga Khan, the Ismaelis, AKUEB and AKDN in an attempt to
present the Ahmadis and the Ismaelis as two sides of the same coin.
Jihadi leaders have issued statement after statement demonizing the
Ahmadis and the Ismaelis. Crossing all limits of decency and
diplomacy, the rabid Islamist Qazi Hussain Ahmad - often referred to
as a "Pakistani Bal Thackeray" - launched a direct attack on Prince
Karim Aga Khan. The Qazi was the first to spearhead the campaign
against the Ismaelis, linking them to the Ahmadis, the most
persecuted sect in Pakistan. The Weekly Ghazwa - a publication of the
defunct Lashkar-e-Taiba - in its May 6, 2004, issue quoted Qazi as
saying: "If the Prince Karim Aga Khan tried to interfere in our
curriculum, I will make his end miserable. In fact, his end would be
even worse than the Ahmadis." A diplomat chastised Qazi at a social
gathering for this threat.
The jihadis accuse the AKDN of receiving a bribe of US$45 million as
a grant from the US for "perverting" Pakistan's education system by
"spreading nudity and obscenity" and "introducing a free-sex
environment". To support their claim, the jihadis have distorted and
exaggerated a health survey issued by the Aga Khan Nursing School.
The Daily Jasarat, on May 9, 2004, declaimed:
Aga Khan Foundation [AKF] has distributed a questionnaire among
schoolgirls aged between 11-15 that asks sensuous and objectionable
questions. For example, has a man ever touched your body? If so, who
is that person? Has anyone touched your breasts? Do you know about
self-breast examination? If so, how do you feel about discussing it
with other people? Most of the questions pertain to menstruation,
asking girls whether they feel pain during the periods. The
questionnaire has frightened the parents. What could be the purpose
of asking such questions? It is a US conspiracy to spread perversion
in the society. The US is using our education minister, Zobaida
Jalal, to achieve this objective. At her behest, these questions have
been included in the schoolbooks of class VIII.
Every jihadi publication has been distorting this questionnaire
according to its own indoctrination policy. Outperforming all others,
the Weekly Ghazwa in December, 2004 reported:
Aga Khan Board has circulated a questionnaire among the students
under the title, 'Health Survey'. The questionnaire asks the students
the following obscene and immoral questions: Should a girl have sex
before the marriage? If yes, at what age? AIDS is transmitted through
unsafe sex, prostitution and homosexuality, therefore, ensure that
you practice safe sex. Have you ever had sex? If yes, at what age? Do
you drink? If yes, how much quantity? Do you take drugs or other
intoxicating things? When did you have sex first time in your life?
Should a boy and a girl in love have sex before the marriage? How to
derive maximum pleasure from sex? Have you seen your sister naked? If
yes, what type of feelings you had in your mind? Did you ever think
of having sex with her? Is your father having sex with you? Is your
brother having sex with you? Have you been sleeping with your mother
in the childhood? Did you ever see her naked? If yes, what type of
feelings you had in your mind? When was the last time you saw your
mother naked?
These questions pervert the young minds. These questions are asked
from the students of the 9th and 10th grade. You can well imagine
from the above questions that it is a conspiracy to introduce immoral
values in our Islamic society. There is no doubt that the Aga Khan
Board is working at the behest of the Jews, Hindus and Christians and
its mission is to pervert our coming generations.
The scope of the education reforms controversy widened when Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed - the supremo of the defunct Laskhar-e-Taiba - joined
the issue. In the Internet edition of the Weekly Ghazwa in November,
2004, Saeed said: "Musharraf is working on making the Northern Areas
an Aga Khani state. He has been pressured by Christina Rocca
[assistant secretary of state for South Asia] to hand over Kashmir to
Prince Karim Aga Khan so that he could annex it with the Northern
Areas and make it his fiefdom."
The propaganda against the Ismaelis has intensified to such an extent
that now Aga Khanis are being condemned for most of the developments
taking place in Pakistan, including Pakistan's privatization policy.
The Daily Jasarat last month said:
America is behind sectarian violence in many countries including
Pakistan. The biggest proof of General Musharraf's inefficiency is,
he has allowed the AKF to act as the agent of the US. Habib Bank has
been sold to the AKF at throwaway price. AKF has been allowed to
tamper with the education system of Pakistan. The AKF has secularized
Pakistani education system. This has resulted into a backlash against
the Aga Khanis and it has happened first time in Pakistan's history.
If a better sense did not prevail upon Prince Karim Aga Khan or
General Musharraf then Pakistan will be in the grip of a fire.
Musharraf has masterminded hatred against Aga Khanis in the Pakistani
society. He is pushing Pakistan into the 1971-like situation.
The jihadis have also begun to blame Prince Karim Aga Khan for the
sectarian violence in Gilgit, in the Northern Areas. Thus, the Weekly
Takbeer in its cover story last last month wrote:
Two elements are involved in trouble in Gilgit - internal
conspiracies and those who want to secularize the Northern Areas and
isolate it from Pakistan. The latter are the pro-Hindu elements and
Aga Khanis are on the top of it. The Aga Khani lobby is behind Aga
Ziauddin's murder. He was the only hurdle in the preaching of the Aga
Khanis' religion. The majority of the people in Gilgit are Shi'ites
and Aga Ziauddin was their sole spiritual leader. He was an
uncontroversial figure. Even his opponents also admired him. Ziauddin
struggled for the rights of Shi'ites on many fronts. He was against
the increasing influence of Aga Khan Foundation in the Northern
Areas. He also wanted the Government to introduce separate curriculum
for the Shi'ites in the Northern Areas. He had opponents too in this
regard.
The increasing influence of the Aga Khan Development Network [AKDN]
in Gilgit and Baltistan was the basic reason of Ziauddin's murder.
For the last some years, the AKDN was preaching secularism and
apostasy in Gilgit and Baltistan under the cover of development work.
The Aga Khanis were in majority in Hunza only. They wanted to capture
Gilgit and Baltistan where the majority of the population was
Shi'ite. To gain popularity among the Shi'ites, the AKDN offered them
loans. Under a conspiracy, the AKDN promoted the cultivation of
potatoes and provide defective seeds in this effect. When the Shi'ite
farmers bought the defective potato seeds on loan on the advice of
AKDN, their yield reduced to a significant extent and their financial
condition started deteriorating. Banks confiscated their land and
their land was purchased by AKDN at throwaway prices.
Similarly, AKDN has set up some Basic Health Units [BHUs]. The
purpose of these BHUs is to spread obscenity, liberalism and
apostasy. The US is behind the AKDN. Ziauddin understood this move.
He wanted the AKDN to limit its activities to the Aga Khani
community. He struggled against secularism from the platform of
Ittehadul Muslimeen. In practice, he had waged jihad against the AKDN
and mobilized the community in this effect. This was not acceptable
to the Aga Khanis as well as the US.
The US wanted to give Prince Karim Aga Khan a special role in
Kashmir. The plan was to give Kashmir to the prince's trusteeship.
But there were a few big hurdles in this plan - the Shi'ite
population and Ziauddin. The US thought by serving the poor
community, they could be subjugated. Ziauddin did not let it happen.
Thus Ziauddin became a challenge for the US. That is why, Ziauddin
was removed from the scene.
The jihadis have also fabricated a number of opinion polls against
the Ismaelis. Thus the Daily Jasarat reported on December 19, 2004:
According to a survey by the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba [IJT], 854,000
people have rejected the AKB. There were only 64,000 votes in AKB's
support. IJT arranged a special referendum to ascertain the
popularity of AKB in Sindh. It set up 140 camps and collected the
public opinion. Around 918,855 people took part in the referendum -
93.02% rejected the AKB. IJT has decided to run a countrywide
campaign against AKB. It will demand that the government should take
back its decision of giving the educational system to AKB.
The United Students Front (USF) - a union of jihadi students - has
threatened to attack Parliament if AKF's involvement in education is
not ended. The USF's president, Sahibzada Babar Farooq Rahimi, has
said that the students will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives if
the decision to hand over the education board to AKF was not reversed.
It is useful to note that the Aga Khanis have nothing to do with the
curriculum or with the Ahmadia community. But the jihadis have
launched a massive propaganda war to demonize them, and the result,
in at least one case, was that the AKDN's offices and its aid workers
have been attacked in Gilgit and North West Frontier Province in the
recent past. Pakistan's poorly educated people are so influenced by
this propaganda that they have come to view the government's
education reforms as a conspiracy against Islam. The extremists'
propaganda has substantially succeeded in projecting the following
perspectives:
* The Ahmadis are a scourge and the Ismaelis are their
twin-brothers. They are infidels. The US wants to bring them into the
mainstream, which is possible only through indoctrination. Therefore,
General Musharraf at the US's behest has "pledged" the entire
education system to the Prince Karim Aga Khan who is an agent of the
"evil powers" - the US, Israel and India.
* The above motive cannot be achieved without restructuring the
current educational system, which protects the two-nation theory.
Therefore, the AKUEB will be reforming the curriculum under the cover
of conducting exams for the private schools.
* Pakistan in the years to come will get away with the
constitutional clause that declares Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. As a
first step in this direction, the Ismaelis have coerced General
Musharraf not to restore the column of religion in the new passports.
The jihadis have long considered America, India, Israel and Ahmadis
as the worst evils. Musharraf's education reforms have given them a
new entity to demonize: the Ismaelis, and there is urgent need to
counter their venomous propaganda. Unfortunately, the government's
own orientation has compounded the problem. Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a
civil society representative who heads one of the largest networks
for sustainable development in Pakistan, LEAD (Leadership for
Environment and Development), notes:
AKUEB is not a conspiracy. It will add quality to our declining
education standards. The jihadis and maulvis have portrayed it as a
conspiracy because the government has failed to involve the civil
society in this initiative. We still have to see the terms of
references of the agreement that the government of Pakistan has
signed with the AKUEB. This entire issue could be cleansed of
conspiracies and controversies once it is opened for stakeholders'
debate. The question is not, why the government has done so? We all
support this initiative. The question is how it would be done. The
civil society is still in darkness about this issue.
(Published with permission from the South Asia Intelligence Review of
the Educational reform vs fundamentalist fury
By Mohammad Shehzad
ISLAMABAD - After seizing power through a dramatic coup d'etat,
Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf initiated several reforms
in various areas, including the country's educational system. To
improve it, Musharraf signed an executive order in 2002 inducting the
Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKUEB) into the national
education system.
The AKUEB was selected for this assignment due to its outstanding
track record. Over the years, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)
has emerged as one of the most effective associations of
community-based organizations in Pakistan, and has changed the lives
of large numbers of people in the remotest areas of the country,
including the Northern Areas, where no government agency has ever
undertaken any development work.
The AKUEB has been given the task of upgrading and modernizing the
declining standards of education and of holding examinations for
private educational institutions. The affiliation of these
institutions to the board is voluntary. The board has not been given
any role in government schools, and the system is also intended to
help groom teachers in private educational institutions with
excellent skills through training. The AKUEB would bring in modern
examinations, both in English and Urdu, at an affordable cost to a
much broader section of society, providing parents and schools with
the option to choose the style of education they desire from classes
four to 12.
Until now, such a choice was confined to the very few who could
afford the "O level" fees. The AKUEB follows the British education
system of "O" and "A" levels. "O" levels are designed for students
from 14 to 16 years of age and are aimed at preparing them for
academic progression and equipping them with the skills necessary for
employment. "A" levels are designed to prepare them for university
and other professional fields of study. Both levels emphasize a broad
range of subjects, covering the humanities, social sciences, natural
sciences and other creative technical and vocational qualifications.
A National Examination Testing Service has been constituted and the
government educational boards have agreed to entertain applications
from students who take examinations under the AKUEB. These
examinations are expected to start in 2006.
Musharraf's initiatives on this count have been greeted as a step in
the right direction by the enlightened section of Pakistani society.
However, the right-wing groups (jihadis, Islamists, clerics,
fundamentalists, and religious extremists) - a powerful minority in
Pakistan by whom the mainstream is held hostage - have launched a
virulent campaign against these reforms. A wide range of facilities
are available to these groups for the propagation of their venomous
propaganda, including the jihadi media, pulpits and loudspeakers at
mosques, and public rallies, which are not allowed for mainstream
politics but are permitted for jihad and fassad (evil).
The Jihadi press - comprising dozens of publications with a
collective circulation in millions - has started a concentrated smear
campaign against the Ismaeli (Aga Khan) community, with at least some
mainstream publications, such as Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation,
supporting the fundamentalists in this campaign. The Jihadi press is
cranking out highly inflammatory and provocative material against
Prince Karim Aga Khan, the Ismaelis, AKUEB and AKDN in an attempt to
present the Ahmadis and the Ismaelis as two sides of the same coin.
Jihadi leaders have issued statement after statement demonizing the
Ahmadis and the Ismaelis. Crossing all limits of decency and
diplomacy, the rabid Islamist Qazi Hussain Ahmad - often referred to
as a "Pakistani Bal Thackeray" - launched a direct attack on Prince
Karim Aga Khan. The Qazi was the first to spearhead the campaign
against the Ismaelis, linking them to the Ahmadis, the most
persecuted sect in Pakistan. The Weekly Ghazwa - a publication of the
defunct Lashkar-e-Taiba - in its May 6, 2004, issue quoted Qazi as
saying: "If the Prince Karim Aga Khan tried to interfere in our
curriculum, I will make his end miserable. In fact, his end would be
even worse than the Ahmadis." A diplomat chastised Qazi at a social
gathering for this threat.
The jihadis accuse the AKDN of receiving a bribe of US$45 million as
a grant from the US for "perverting" Pakistan's education system by
"spreading nudity and obscenity" and "introducing a free-sex
environment". To support their claim, the jihadis have distorted and
exaggerated a health survey issued by the Aga Khan Nursing School.
The Daily Jasarat, on May 9, 2004, declaimed:
Aga Khan Foundation [AKF] has distributed a questionnaire among
schoolgirls aged between 11-15 that asks sensuous and objectionable
questions. For example, has a man ever touched your body? If so, who
is that person? Has anyone touched your breasts? Do you know about
self-breast examination? If so, how do you feel about discussing it
with other people? Most of the questions pertain to menstruation,
asking girls whether they feel pain during the periods. The
questionnaire has frightened the parents. What could be the purpose
of asking such questions? It is a US conspiracy to spread perversion
in the society. The US is using our education minister, Zobaida
Jalal, to achieve this objective. At her behest, these questions have
been included in the schoolbooks of class VIII.
Every jihadi publication has been distorting this questionnaire
according to its own indoctrination policy. Outperforming all others,
the Weekly Ghazwa in December, 2004 reported:
Aga Khan Board has circulated a questionnaire among the students
under the title, 'Health Survey'. The questionnaire asks the students
the following obscene and immoral questions: Should a girl have sex
before the marriage? If yes, at what age? AIDS is transmitted through
unsafe sex, prostitution and homosexuality, therefore, ensure that
you practice safe sex. Have you ever had sex? If yes, at what age? Do
you drink? If yes, how much quantity? Do you take drugs or other
intoxicating things? When did you have sex first time in your life?
Should a boy and a girl in love have sex before the marriage? How to
derive maximum pleasure from sex? Have you seen your sister naked? If
yes, what type of feelings you had in your mind? Did you ever think
of having sex with her? Is your father having sex with you? Is your
brother having sex with you? Have you been sleeping with your mother
in the childhood? Did you ever see her naked? If yes, what type of
feelings you had in your mind? When was the last time you saw your
mother naked?
These questions pervert the young minds. These questions are asked
from the students of the 9th and 10th grade. You can well imagine
from the above questions that it is a conspiracy to introduce immoral
values in our Islamic society. There is no doubt that the Aga Khan
Board is working at the behest of the Jews, Hindus and Christians and
its mission is to pervert our coming generations.
The scope of the education reforms controversy widened when Hafiz
Mohammad Saeed - the supremo of the defunct Laskhar-e-Taiba - joined
the issue. In the Internet edition of the Weekly Ghazwa in November,
2004, Saeed said: "Musharraf is working on making the Northern Areas
an Aga Khani state. He has been pressured by Christina Rocca
[assistant secretary of state for South Asia] to hand over Kashmir to
Prince Karim Aga Khan so that he could annex it with the Northern
Areas and make it his fiefdom."
The propaganda against the Ismaelis has intensified to such an extent
that now Aga Khanis are being condemned for most of the developments
taking place in Pakistan, including Pakistan's privatization policy.
The Daily Jasarat last month said:
America is behind sectarian violence in many countries including
Pakistan. The biggest proof of General Musharraf's inefficiency is,
he has allowed the AKF to act as the agent of the US. Habib Bank has
been sold to the AKF at throwaway price. AKF has been allowed to
tamper with the education system of Pakistan. The AKF has secularized
Pakistani education system. This has resulted into a backlash against
the Aga Khanis and it has happened first time in Pakistan's history.
If a better sense did not prevail upon Prince Karim Aga Khan or
General Musharraf then Pakistan will be in the grip of a fire.
Musharraf has masterminded hatred against Aga Khanis in the Pakistani
society. He is pushing Pakistan into the 1971-like situation.
The jihadis have also begun to blame Prince Karim Aga Khan for the
sectarian violence in Gilgit, in the Northern Areas. Thus, the Weekly
Takbeer in its cover story last last month wrote:
Two elements are involved in trouble in Gilgit - internal
conspiracies and those who want to secularize the Northern Areas and
isolate it from Pakistan. The latter are the pro-Hindu elements and
Aga Khanis are on the top of it. The Aga Khani lobby is behind Aga
Ziauddin's murder. He was the only hurdle in the preaching of the Aga
Khanis' religion. The majority of the people in Gilgit are Shi'ites
and Aga Ziauddin was their sole spiritual leader. He was an
uncontroversial figure. Even his opponents also admired him. Ziauddin
struggled for the rights of Shi'ites on many fronts. He was against
the increasing influence of Aga Khan Foundation in the Northern
Areas. He also wanted the Government to introduce separate curriculum
for the Shi'ites in the Northern Areas. He had opponents too in this
regard.
The increasing influence of the Aga Khan Development Network [AKDN]
in Gilgit and Baltistan was the basic reason of Ziauddin's murder.
For the last some years, the AKDN was preaching secularism and
apostasy in Gilgit and Baltistan under the cover of development work.
The Aga Khanis were in majority in Hunza only. They wanted to capture
Gilgit and Baltistan where the majority of the population was
Shi'ite. To gain popularity among the Shi'ites, the AKDN offered them
loans. Under a conspiracy, the AKDN promoted the cultivation of
potatoes and provide defective seeds in this effect. When the Shi'ite
farmers bought the defective potato seeds on loan on the advice of
AKDN, their yield reduced to a significant extent and their financial
condition started deteriorating. Banks confiscated their land and
their land was purchased by AKDN at throwaway prices.
Similarly, AKDN has set up some Basic Health Units [BHUs]. The
purpose of these BHUs is to spread obscenity, liberalism and
apostasy. The US is behind the AKDN. Ziauddin understood this move.
He wanted the AKDN to limit its activities to the Aga Khani
community. He struggled against secularism from the platform of
Ittehadul Muslimeen. In practice, he had waged jihad against the AKDN
and mobilized the community in this effect. This was not acceptable
to the Aga Khanis as well as the US.
The US wanted to give Prince Karim Aga Khan a special role in
Kashmir. The plan was to give Kashmir to the prince's trusteeship.
But there were a few big hurdles in this plan - the Shi'ite
population and Ziauddin. The US thought by serving the poor
community, they could be subjugated. Ziauddin did not let it happen.
Thus Ziauddin became a challenge for the US. That is why, Ziauddin
was removed from the scene.
The jihadis have also fabricated a number of opinion polls against
the Ismaelis. Thus the Daily Jasarat reported on December 19, 2004:
According to a survey by the Islami Jamiat-e-Talba [IJT], 854,000
people have rejected the AKB. There were only 64,000 votes in AKB's
support. IJT arranged a special referendum to ascertain the
popularity of AKB in Sindh. It set up 140 camps and collected the
public opinion. Around 918,855 people took part in the referendum -
93.02% rejected the AKB. IJT has decided to run a countrywide
campaign against AKB. It will demand that the government should take
back its decision of giving the educational system to AKB.
The United Students Front (USF) - a union of jihadi students - has
threatened to attack Parliament if AKF's involvement in education is
not ended. The USF's president, Sahibzada Babar Farooq Rahimi, has
said that the students will not hesitate to sacrifice their lives if
the decision to hand over the education board to AKF was not reversed.
It is useful to note that the Aga Khanis have nothing to do with the
curriculum or with the Ahmadia community. But the jihadis have
launched a massive propaganda war to demonize them, and the result,
in at least one case, was that the AKDN's offices and its aid workers
have been attacked in Gilgit and North West Frontier Province in the
recent past. Pakistan's poorly educated people are so influenced by
this propaganda that they have come to view the government's
education reforms as a conspiracy against Islam. The extremists'
propaganda has substantially succeeded in projecting the following
perspectives:
* The Ahmadis are a scourge and the Ismaelis are their
twin-brothers. They are infidels. The US wants to bring them into the
mainstream, which is possible only through indoctrination. Therefore,
General Musharraf at the US's behest has "pledged" the entire
education system to the Prince Karim Aga Khan who is an agent of the
"evil powers" - the US, Israel and India.
* The above motive cannot be achieved without restructuring the
current educational system, which protects the two-nation theory.
Therefore, the AKUEB will be reforming the curriculum under the cover
of conducting exams for the private schools.
* Pakistan in the years to come will get away with the
constitutional clause that declares Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. As a
first step in this direction, the Ismaelis have coerced General
Musharraf not to restore the column of religion in the new passports.
The jihadis have long considered America, India, Israel and Ahmadis
as the worst evils. Musharraf's education reforms have given them a
new entity to demonize: the Ismaelis, and there is urgent need to
counter their venomous propaganda. Unfortunately, the government's
own orientation has compounded the problem. Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, a
civil society representative who heads one of the largest networks
for sustainable development in Pakistan, LEAD (Leadership for
Environment and Development), notes:
AKUEB is not a conspiracy. It will add quality to our declining
education standards. The jihadis and maulvis have portrayed it as a
conspiracy because the government has failed to involve the civil
society in this initiative. We still have to see the terms of
references of the agreement that the government of Pakistan has
signed with the AKUEB. This entire issue could be cleansed of
conspiracies and controversies once it is opened for stakeholders'
debate. The question is not, why the government has done so? We all
support this initiative. The question is how it would be done. The
civil society is still in darkness about this issue.
______
[4]
http://www.sacw.net/Wmov/gatade14022005.html
www.sacw.net | February 14, 2005
SEX CHOICE AS ADVERTISEMENT, RAPE AS INFOTAINMENT !
CORPORATE VULTURES ?
by Subhash Gatade
It was early eighties when aminocentis tests arrived on the Indian
scene. Primarily devised for detection of genetic diseases in the
foetus and to assist in delivery they soon metamorphosed themselves
into determination of sex of the foetus in the craving for a son in
the Indian familities. "Better Rs 500 now than Rs 5 lakh later" One
could see billboards advertising these 'tests' in a blatant manner
provoking expectant parents to resort to these 'tests' and eliminate
'unwanted foetus' (another acronym for doing away with female
foetuses). For a layperson also it was clear how one could save
oneself from paying hefty amount as dowry if one could get an idea of
the sex of one's child at such a low cost.
Two decades later and with the figures of the 2001 census staring us
in our face ( which further confirmed the skewed gender ratio) one
expected that the corporate world which keeps patting itself on the
back for its 'social responsibility' would show more sensitivity
towards this issue. But looking at the recent case of a leading
telecom firm ( Reliance Infocomm) against whom a case under the Pre
Natal Diagnostic Techniques ( Prohibition of Sex Selection) act has
been registered it becomes clear that for bigwigs in the corporate
world all talk of gender sensitivity is only for public consumption.
The company in question Reliance Infocomm has been charged for
'displaying an advertisement on its website pertaining to sex
determination of the foetus.' The ad talked about chinese tips for
predicting the gender of the child. It also talked about techniques
ensuring and increasing probability that an embryo will be of a
particular sex." ( HT, Feb 1, 2005)
Ofcourse the only consolation Reliance Infocomm can have at this
juncture is that it is not the only one from the corporate world
which can be singled out for engaging in such practice.The process of
sanitising violence against women to enhance one's business prospects
can be said to be a effective marketing strategy the world over and
media has been a party to this.
In this connection the ad series launched by the Maruti-Suzuki people
year before last for their new car model Zen was representative of a
trend which is in vogue. ["ECONOMICTIMES.COM, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24,
2003 05:01:16 PM ] The controversial ad showed a young beautiful
blonde being stalked by a tiger through the city at night. The girl
passes through the various areas of the city. ...Whenever she is on
the road, it is the new look car that follows her. The moment she is
on stairs or overbridge, the car is transformed into a tiger. The TVC
ends with the girl finally giving up the chase with a deep male
voiceover 'Surrender, to the new ... The advertisement fashioned on
the "predator concept" was chosen to attract young consumers below
the age of 35, and it was deliberately selected to "build excitement
around the brand in a completely different manner". Only a persistent
protest by a small but determined group of gender activists and
intellectuals compelled the company to withdraw this ad which '.. had
converted rape into a commodity.'.
In the petition which this group sent to the big bosses of the
company as well as diffrent concerned organisations it was cleary
stated that the said ad 'completely ignored the campaign against
carjacking and rape.' It also overlooked the fact that cars in
general had become a weapon for men, who abduct and rape women. It
has been repeatedly argued that the projection of cars as predators,
women as sexual objects and travel as a hunt constitutes rape
culture. .. "
Explaining the rationale behind presenting titilatting violence
before its viewers or concealing the routinesed violence Jennifer L.
Pozner (former director of the FAIR Women's Desk) makes clear that ,
controversy rather than facts sells in a "media climate that
considers news a "product" and readers and viewers "consumers"." As
an example, female genital mutilation affects millions of women
worldwide, yet you rarely hear about this. ..Ofcourse according to Ms
Pozner the 'economic benefits' of 'rape - the most titillating crime'
are immense. According to her " The sexual brutilization of women is
a highly marketable business, bringing in some $10 billion in profits
in the U.S. every year. As lucrative as the portrayal of rape is in
the adult entertainment industry, it stands to reason that it is also
a profitable story for the news media as well."
The UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) published a
report in Nov 2003 that one out three women are likely to be sexually
assaulted during their lifetimes.We know that in many such cases the
perpetrators of such crimes have stated in an unambigous manner the
way the 'media' has played a role in it.
In her well researched piece Media Culpability In The Continuum Of
Violence Against Women, Lucinda Marshall ( feminist artist, writer
and activist, founder of the Feminist Peace Network,
http://www.feministpeacenetwork.org/) critically examines the issue.
(30 September, 2004 Countercurrents.org) "..[M]ost disturbing is the
disproportionate coverage of sensationalized violence. Invariably,
rape stories get far more coverage than domestic violence stories. In
all likelihood, this is because rape stories usually focus on one
individual woman. If she is attractive, and particularly if she is
white, she is a very marketable victim." While Ms Marshalls' studies
must have been based on the way media in the west presents women, it
cannot be said that her observations are irrelevant for Indian
conditions.Even a random look at the programmes or ads on the media
circuit in this part of the world makes it clear that things are
unfolding here in a much vulgar manner.
Few months back a programme in Hindi modelled on the famous 'Hard
Talk' demonstrated the depths to which the media here can reach
supposedly for providing titilatting infotainment to their
viewers.Interestingly the great villain of yesteryears who was a
guest on the programme had not expected that the compere would put
him in jeopardy. ( Seedhi Baat, Aaj Tak, 5 Sep 2004, Prabhu Chawla
interviewing Pran) Discussing his track record in films and
presenting before him some interesting queries about his life and
career, all of a sudden the wellknown compere broached the topic of
the 'rapes committed by the villain' in many of the films he had
enacted.Despite visible discomfirture on the 'villain's' face he
unashamedly asked him, looking at the galaxy of 'sexy heroines' in
the industry today ' whom would you 'prefer' in the upcoming film if
given a chance' ? Taken aback, the 'great villain' who had carved out
a niche for himself in the industry then with his acting, somehow
wriggled himself out of this situation. Ofcourse the compere went on
with his chimpish smile.
It is really disturbing that this trivialisation of rape in full
glare of the cameras largely went unnoticed.Barring a single
commentator in Hindi none from the fraternity of media watchers even
deemed it necessary to comment on the way in which the most obnoxious
and inhuman violence against women was made a butt of joke. (Anil
Chamadia, Kathadesh, Hindi Magazine, Oct 2004) Looking at the
detailed description the question naturally arises, where do we go
from here? We have a corporate world which has yet to come out of its
patriarchal mindset.We have a civil society whose majority has been
an important party in perpetuating this institution of male dominance.
Is not it high time that one really understands the myth of corporate
social responsibility which is being peddled with frightening
regularity these days Looking at the gravity of the situation nobody
can deny that it is high time that everybody also becomes more aware
of the role media can play in ameliorating the condition. Coming back
to the successful intervention by a small group in compelling the
company to withdraw the ad the movement to 'empower the viewer' and
make her/him 'media literate' needs to be strengthened. Is not it
true that with the growing importance of media in politics as well as
public life in contemporary democracy the importance of having such
'watchdogs' is being felt more urgent than ever.
______
[5]
The Hindu - February 16, 2005
MORE FACTS NEEDED IN GEELANI CASE
By Siddharth Varadarajan
NEW DELHI, FEB. 15. In any high-profile case of attempted or actual
murder, it is normal for the police to come under pressure to show
quick results. When the victim is a man like the Delhi University
lecturer, S.A.R. Geelani, whom the Delhi police once targeted for
prosecution in the Parliament attack case, the pressure increases
many times over because the investigating agency has the added burden
of being among the list of probable suspects.
When results are not forthcoming, either for lack of evidence or the
inadequacy of investigative skills, it is not uncommon for the police
to try and deflect criticism by spreading rumours and raising
"questions" to discredit the victim and erase the natural sympathy
the public at large may feel for him. This was the pattern in the
Pushkin Chandra murder investigation and is now fully evident in the
manner the police is approaching the Geelani case.
If the aim of the police campaign in the early days of the Pushkin
case was to suggest the murder victim's lifestyle was to blame for
the crime, the fact that Mr. Geelani was lucky enough to survive the
assassin's bullets has itself become a point of suspicion.
Going by the theories retailed by the investigating team and
faithfully circulated by gullible reporters this past week, one would
almost believe Mr. Geelani shot himself at his own home in an
elaborate conspiracy involving his lawyer and family - with the aim
of discrediting the police.
The police has questioned the fact that Mr. Geelani's counsel,
Nandita Haksar, a senior and highly respected lawyer and human rights
activist, did not immediately inform "100" that her client had been
shot. However, Ms. Haksar, who rushed Mr. Geelani to hospital along
with her husband, clearly felt saving his life was the most important
thing to do. Besides, neither she nor her husband carries a mobile
phone.
The police, which learnt of the attempted murder about an hour after
it happened, says the delay led to the destruction of vital clues.
But they have no explanation for why the crime scene was not
immediately cordoned off when the first policemen arrived and why,
for hours later, members of the public were allowed to walk over the
area where Mr. Geelani had been attacked.
The most curious of all questions raised by the police concerns the
"recovery" of Mr. Geelani's blood-stained sweater from his brother's
residence several days after the crime. When an accident or crime
victim is taken into the ICU at any hospital, it is customary for
doctors to remove the clothes he or she is wearing at the time.
Typically, the clothes are handed over to the victim's relatives, who
take them home - especially if the police make no request for them.
This is obviously what happened in the case of Mr. Geelani's clothes.
Now, in order to hide their own incompetence in failing to examine
the clothes on the first day itself, the police have floated the
silly suggestion that the fact that the sweater was recovered from
his brother's home means he probably was not shot at at the spot
where he said he was.
The victim's computer has been seized and sent for forensic
examination to Ahmedabad, allegedly to see if he had received any
threats (one wonders why there is no capability in Delhi to scan a
hard drive), his car has been seized, and his phone and credit card
records are being scrutinised. It is almost as if the police have
forgotten that Mr. Geelani is the victim here, not the suspect.
Mr. Geelani was acquitted by the Delhi High Court on October 29, 2003
after the trial judge, in what was India's first anti-terrorism case
under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, found him guilty and sentenced
him to death. The Delhi Police moved the Supreme Court in appeal and
that is where matters are pending. In the eyes of the law, if not in
the eyes of those who enforce it, however, Mr. Geelani is still an
innocent man.
Whether the Delhi police or some unknown arm of the State was
involved in the assassination attempt - as Ms. Haksar and others have
alleged - is besides the point here. What is relevant is the
depressingly familiar pattern of sloppy forensics, poor crime scene
investigation and the planting of stories in the media. These do not
augur well for the case to be solved. Though it is late in the day,
the gravity of the case is such that the Government should transfer
the investigation to an agency such as the CBI working under the
supervision of a judge.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on matters of peace
and democratisation in South Asia. SACW is an independent &
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