SACW | 26-27 May 2006 | Open Borders; Law Reform; Evictions; Censorship official and unofficial; Demilitarise; Riots enquiry
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex at mnet.fr
Sat May 27 12:43:55 CDT 2006
South Asia Citizens Wire | 26-27 May, 2006 | Dispatch No. 2251
[1] Pakistan-India: A plea for open borders (Kanak Mani Dixit)
[2] A Pakistani TV channel initiates debate on the 'Hudood Ordinance'
[3] Evictions & Homeless in Karachi, Delhi . . .
- Pakistan expressway to render thousands homeless
- Demolition Ghost Haunts Govindpuri
[4] Official and Unofficial Censorship in India and its diaspora:
(i) SAHMAT flays `unofficial' ban on `Fanaa'
(ii) Patwardhan film [War and Peace] not suited for viewing,
India's state TV tells Court
(iii) Myopic Censor Board: Banned, Banned, Banned! (Nitin Karani)
(iv) Touchier than thou [in UK]
[5] Kashmir, India, Pakistan: Ceasefire and demilitarization can
push forward peace process
[6] Book Review: The Communal Problem, Report of the Kanpur Riots
Enquiry Committee
[7] Events:
(i) Medha Patkar and Rahul Bose Press Conference (Bombay, May 26)
(ii) Press Conference by Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum For Peace and Democracy
for "Release of Earthquake Damage Assessment Survey Report" (Delhi,
May 27, 2006)
___
[1]
The News International
May 26, 2006
A PLEA FOR OPEN BORDERS
by Kanak Mani Dixit
Flying back into South Asia in the middle of the night, it becomes a
ritual to look down at the India-Pakistan border nearly 40,000 ft
below. And before long, the lights of Lahore become visible in the
north, even as the pilot of Air India flight 112 comes on the
intercom to announce the arrival of the frontier. Far south of Lahore
and southwest of Amritsar, the border is a lit-up fine line in the
darkness of the desert and one can imagine the concertina wire, the
service road, the watchtowers and the gun-toting border guards. The
calamity that this border represents is so heart-rending that this
columnist cannot but repeat the refrain every time he flies over it.
It should not be the task of romantic peaceniks alone to bemoan the
rigidity of this border, but that is how it is for now. Economists,
political analysts, professors and editors, not only of India and
Pakistan but of the larger South Asia, should be continuously
agitated by the 'hardness' of this frontier. Why? Because it is a
symbol and also a very physical presence highlighting the lost
possibilities through the decades.
The opinion makers of South Asia should be working overtime to
convert the closed India-Pakistan border into a porous frontier but
the reality of realpolitik keeps our imagination at bay. We are at
business-as-usual when we should be helping build a groundswell
demand for the opening. If Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah did not
foresee a distancing between the populations of India and Pakistan,
why should succeeding generations follow the dictates of geopolitics
this mindlessly?
As things stand, foreign ministry bureaucrats in Islamabad and New
Delhi are on the job, working gingerly on the India-Pakistan
rapprochement, doing what little they can in the absence of the
groundswell from civil society. We do have, therefore, the
Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bus route and the Khokropar-Munabao rail link
restored, but these are modest achievements unable to generate
momentum for the larger opening. Bigger initiatives have not been
taken because the analysts and opinion makers are willingly locked
into the unimaginative, self-preserving conservative agenda of their
respective national elites. This sense of self-preservation keeps the
gentlemen from going excitedly against what is considered the
'national' agenda, and so the demand from the citizenry fails to arise
Would India and Pakistan as nation states be compromised in their
national identity and manoeuvrability if the border were to be opened
up and visas freely given out to feed the demand on both sides? Of
course not. Would 'cross-border terrorism' increase or decrease with
such an opening? For sure, it would not increase? Would a border
opening and the revival of economic and cultural linkages after five
decades of cruel closure promote the cause of peace even more?
Without a doubt, because many layers would thus be added to the peace
constituency. Then why are the elite commentators not speaking along
these lines, why are the mullahs and the pundits quiet about
rapprochement, and why are the leaders of industry so subdued on the
matter?
It is the atmosphere of distrust created over the decades,
encompassing three-and-a-half wars and fuelled by the anger of the
Partition refugees on both sides, stoked by the Islamist and Hindutva
forces, the militarist takeover of Pakistani society, the
imperiousness of the Indian state machinery, and the Kashmir issue
which holds all Southasia hostage in its intractability.
From up here on AI 112, the frontier runs north-south like a pretty
necklace but it is an obnoxious presence nonetheless. The Nepal-India
border, let it be repeated, stands up as the ideal frontier of South
Asia. It is open, porous, respectful of identical demography and
sensibilities on the two sides, allows unimpeded commerce -- and yet
keeps national identities and respects sovereignties. Transferred to
the India-Pakistan sphere, the consequences for the economies are
mind-boggling.
The advantage of an open border would naturally accrue first to the
people of the neighbouring regions of Punjab-Punjab and
Sindh-Rajasthan-Gujarat. Each state or province is a powerful part of
its respective national union or federation, so the reason they have
not been able to force Delhi and Islamabad to ensure a thaw at the
border is hard to fathom. With the receding memories of Partition,
with the India-Pakistan rapprochement despite the vicissitudes, it is
time for the chief ministers in Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Karachi
and Lahore to respectfully inform Islamabad and New Delhi of their
intention to meet to discuss loosening the bilateral frontier.
Let the chief ministers do what is good for their people. Only then
will we see the end of the caricature that is the lowering-the-flag
ceremony at the Wagah-Atari border point, where army men on each side
stomp their boots and provide crass examples of what is said to be
the national attitude, which we know is not so. It is time that those
lights at the border are switched off.
____
[2] [ A PAKISTANI TELEVISION CHANNEL INITIATES DEBATE ON THE HUDOOD ORDINANCE ]
(Received via Beena Sarwar, May 25, 2006)
o o o
Dear Friends,
As many of you might well know, the independent media channel, GEO,
has undertaken a initiative regarding the Hudood Ordinances. Many
independent organizations, activists, and thinkers have searched for
an opportunity to discuss the problems associated with the Hudood
Ordinances for over 2 decades. Such a wide scale and public forum,
however, has never been used to re-evaluate the much debated Hudood
laws. While many want immediate change, and others simply want
amendments, the first step for all Pakistanis is to open up the option
for debate and discussion. GEO has done just that by initiating the
first part of their campaign using 26 of the most diverse and senior
religious stakeholders of the country, who have each been asked, "The
Hudood laws are presented as divine laws, which cannot be touched. Do
you agree?" The unanimous response from all 26 religious stakeholders
agreed that the law was not only man-made but is open to change and
improvements. To look at the responses yourself, and the progression
of the "Zara Sochieye" campaign, log onto www.geo.tv/zs
GEO has opened up the floor for debate, let's see if we can help do the rest.
Mir Ibrahim Rahman (MIR)
CEO, GEO TV
92-21-111-008-111 (O)
92-21-2215385 (F)
mir at geo.tv
____
[3] [ Evictions & Homeless in Karachi, Delhi . . . ]
PAKISTAN EXPRESSWAY TO RENDER THOUSANDS HOMELESS
_Asian Human Rights Commission_
http://www.ahrchk.net/)
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wrote to you on 25 January (Re:
HA-01-2006) and 10 April 2006 (UP-073-2006) detailing the city district
government's plans to make way for the Lyari Expressway Mega
Project. Since the
beginning of January an estimate of 11,000 houses and 3,100
commercial buildings
have been destroyed, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless and deprived
of basic necessities. According to the Government's latest plans, it is
believed that a total of 25,000 houses will be demolished at the completion of
the expressway.
The AHRC have learned that efforts for the construction of the Lyari
Expressway recommenced on May 5 with more than 250 houses demolished
in Sikander.
The community has been of immense importance to its inhabitants, many of which
were adamant not to leave the land of their ancestors. The Karachi district
governments used police forces to disperse the protestors and during the
conflict two people were killed. Sixteen-year-old Rafiq Ismail and an elderly
Manzoor were killed by police fire, 51 people were injured and several were
arrested.
The super highway was blocked for several hours as a result of the violence.
On May 6 when people of the community tried to return and salvage what once
stood as their home, police and military officials of the Karachi government
again responded with tear shells and baton charges to scatter the angry
protestors. Soon after the reports of clashes between the police and
protestors,
reinforcements were called from 155 police stations to control the troubled
area.
According to Urban Resource Centre, a civic body of Pakistan working on the
housing rights for the people, over three thousand houses had been demolished
in the latest campaign of the City Government. The government has not paid
any compensation to those who have fallen victim to the project and has
clearly contravened the laws of the Pakistan Constitution including the Land
Acquisition Act 1997 (amended) and the decisions of the Sindh High
Court in June
2003.
Dispute the violence, pressure has been mounting as political parties, civil
social organisations and the media continue to campaign against the city's
actions. It is said that the project has demolished many homes that do not
even fall under the path of the expressway. This is being done simply to take
control of prime land to facilitate the ruling janta and land mafia.
The Sindh Assembly in its latest session has criticised the demolition of
old Goths (communities). Even the Chief Minister of Sindh Province
announced in
the Sindh Assembly on April 28 that there should be no demolition of houses.
On May 6 the City District Government Council, the elected body in Karachi,
condemned the demolitions of working class communities and Shanti Towns as an
act of land grabbing.
The AHRC also condemns the demolitions in the name of "cleaning the city
drive" announced by Mayor Nazim of the Karachi City Government during the
so-called anti-encroachment operation. The government has denied
thousands of their
right to shelter and has ignored all violations of the UN's charter of human
rights.
Background
The Sindh Provincial Government and Karachi City District Government is
continuing to demolish houses of working class people in the name of
the "clean
the city drive" to grab the land for commercial purposes. In January, the
City Government encroachment team completed the demolition of Allah
Wala colony,
Jamshed town of Karachi where more than 400 houses were demolished.
On February 14, over 1000 huts were destroyed on the opposite side of the
main gate of the Karachi University. On March 9, 150 houses were demolished on
the instructions of Town Nazim and 300 houses in New Karachi also suffered
the same fate. On March 10, in Korangi Town, another town of Karachi, the
local administration bulldozed a further 200 houses. These were all
acts in the
pretext of road extension however no compensation has been guaranteed.
On March 13, in Gulshan-e-Iqbal town of Karachi, 1250 houses were also
demolished in Jumma Goth. The eviction of the settlement was brutal
and without
any prior notice. Many of the families lost their household necessities.
According to the Government the settlement was illegal and located
on one of the
main water supply pipelines. According to a survey of the Urban Resource
Centre there were also many other high-rise buildings illegally
constructed on the
same water pipeline, however these were left untouched by the government.
The City Government has taken a hard line and has ignored violations of many
domestic laws and provisions of the constitution. During the latest
consultations assembly of the councilors it was announced that they
will continue to
demolish the village at any cost.
o o o
Tehelka
May 27 , 2006
DEMOLITION GHOST HAUNTS GOVINDPURI
The people settled in Govindpuri after the demolitions of 1984-86 are
being chased away yet again. An entire generation that knows no other
home has to find a new place to live, reports Bharat Dogra
Hemvati, a 35 year-old woman died from shock. Earlier Surjan had
suffered a similar fate. Kamlesh and Sangeeta have suffered
fractures. Angoori and Bano fell unconscious while braving the
scorching hot wind, a fate suffered by perhaps a dozen women.
What links the distress of all these people is that they are all part
of a movement of nearly 20,000 people of Govindpuri transit camp to
save their homes. This struggle peaked from May 8 - as people
launched a peaceful resistance to save their houses.
These people were settled here after the demolition of several
hut-colonies in Delhi during 1984-86. During the last two decades
they built a new life here. An entire generation has grown here which
knows no other home. As people got ration cards, the government
collected dues and installed meters, various agencies provided water,
sewage and other facilities, people became increasingly assured of
their housing rights. Whatever savings they had were utilised mostly
to build a home. As Abdul Hafeez says, "All hopes and aspirations of
the people here are built around their homes, particularly as these
are also linked closely to their livelihoods."
Most people depend on employment in Okhla Industrial Area, located
close to this area. Other avenues of employment are hawking and
domestic work etc. So when people were asked to move away from their
two-decade-old homes in late April, they replied firmly that they
will continue to stay here and protect their homes. The mixed
Hindu-Muslim population has shown exemplary unity in quickly building
up a peaceful resistance. From May 8 to 12 they successfully resisted
demolition squads. On May 12 as the Parliament passed legislation
which promised some relief, people moved away from roads but
continued their sit-in. Three people Phool Singh, Manoj Kumar and
Khatija Begum started an indefinite fast.
People here say that they have been asked to move away to make room
for a district park, but they ask why did the government settle them
here and made all other investments such as water and sewage if this
was meant to be a district park. Further they question why a very
large number of trees were axed here if the authorities have real
concern for green cover. No, this is just a pretext, they insist. The
real reason is the pressure exerted by those who want to make
millions from this South Delhi land as its price has touched the sky.
"There are many who see profits but not the life and livelihood and
shelter of 20,000 people", says Arvind. Several people appeared to be
on the verge of breaking down as they related how the slender support
system will break down if they are removed from there.
Pauperisation and the sudden destabilisation of the life of 20,000
people right in middle of the capital is too heavy a price to be paid
for any super-profits that interested parties may make in this deal.
The housing rights of these people must be protected, and the sooner
the government realises it the better it will be for peace and
stability as well as to protect any further distress to affected
people.
____
[4] OFFICIAL AND UNOFFICIAL CENSORSHIP IN INDIA
o o o
(i)
The Hindu - May 27, 2006
SAHMAT flays `unofficial' ban on `Fanaa'
Special Correspondent
"Censorship of culture by a motivated handful "
NEW DELHI: As the Aamir Khan-starrer `Fanaa' opened all over the
country, except in Gujarat, on Friday, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial
Trust (SAHMAT) condemned the "unofficial" ban on the film in the
State.
Condemning the "mob censorship," the SAHMAT urged the State people to
stand up to the "censorship of culture by a motivated handful through
violence."
Refusing to buy the State Government's claim that none of the
agitations have "official sanction or are official positions of the
Bharatiya Janata Party," the SAHMAT said: "The groups involved ...
are all affiliated to the ruling party ... "
The pro-dam protestors had demanded an apology from Mr. Khan for his
anti-dam stance. With Mr. Khan refusing to give in, the protesters
have vowed not to allow the film's release till the actor tendered an
apology. Theatre-owners in the State opted out, fearing vandalism.
The SAHMAT said the State "now has the distinction of allowing a
small group of people with political affiliations and a clear agenda
of communal hate politics to deprive the entire population of ...
access to culture." This "follows the attack on and subsequent
closure of the Garden Art Museum in Surat in 2004, the burning of the
Husain Doshi Gufa in Ahmedabad and the `ban' on [M. F.] Husain's
film, `Gaj Gamini' - all through violence or threats of violence."
Asserting that it was the Government's duty to protect the rights of
artists and film-makers to show their work to the public and for the
public to decide on the merits of the works," the statement said none
of the works in question had been censored or banned by any State
authority.
o o o
(ii)
The Hindu
May 26, 2006
PATWARDHAN FILM NOT SUITED FOR UNRESTRICTED VIEWING, DOORDARSHAN
TELLS SUPREME COURT
Siddharth Narrain
`It could arouse negative passions and uses obscene and strong language'
# Matter of policy not to telecast adult films
# Film has a secular message: counsel
# Bench seeks screening in court before next hearing
NEW DELHI: Doordarshan on Thursday told a two-judge Vacation Bench
comprising Justice A.R. Lakshmanan and Justice L.S. Panta of the
Supreme Court that it was opposed to the screening of National
Award-winning film-maker Anand Patwardhan's documentary film `Father,
Son and Holy War' because it could arouse "negative passions" and
uses "obscene and strong language."
Doordarshan is appealing against the ruling of the Bombay High Court
that it must screen the film.
Counsel for Doordarshan Rajeev Sharma said the film had been given a
UA certificate by the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC).
He said that it was a matter of policy for Doordarshan not to
telecast adult films.
"We have nothing against him (Mr. Patwardhan) but the question is
whether it is a film that must be displayed on a public medium where
there is unrestricted access," he said.
Counsel for Mr. Patwardhan, Prashant Bhushan, said: "The film has a
secular message that is relevant to our times. It is a critique of
masculinity. Doordarshan has a policy of showing films that have won
national awards, and has constituted a screening committee for the
purpose. You may have to show violence to expose misery caused by
communal violence."
Mr. Justice Lakshmanan and Mr. Justice Panta have requested
Doordarshan to arrange for a screening in the Supreme Court premises
on July 20, a day before the next hearing.
The film was submitted for telecast on the national network of
Doordarshan after it won the 1995 National Awards for `Best
Investigative Documentary' and `Best Social Documentary.'
After Doordarshan failed to respond, Mr Patwardhan filed a writ
petition in 1998 asking the court to order its telecast on the
grounds that Doordarshan was being arbitrary and had violated
Patwardhan's right to freedom of expression and the public's right to
information.
In February 2001, the Bombay High Court after viewing the film, and
hearing arguments directed that Doordarshan telecast the film.
Doordarshan appealed to the Supreme Court, which in December 2001
directed it to reconstitute its screening committee. The
reconstituted committee recommended that Doordarshan telecast the
film.
Doordarshan, however, took the decision to the Prasar Bharti Board,
which decided that the film was not fit to be screened. Mr.
Patwardhan challenged this decision in the Bombay High Court in 2003.
The Court upheld the appeal, and said Doordarshan must telecast the film.
o o o
(iii)
(From: http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/CACDelhi/ )
MYOPIC CENSOR BOARD: BANNED, BANNED, BANNED!
By Nitin Karani on Media
Like Jesus Christ is said to have told Peter, 'Before the cock
crow, thou shalt deny me thrice', the Indian Censor Board in Delhi
has banned Sridhar Rangayan's film on drag queens thrice over.
While in April 2003 the censor board refused 'Gulabi Aaina' (The Pink
Mirror) a certificate because it is "full of obscenity and
vulgarity", recently in April 2006, the board has done a complete
change of tack to keep the film in the closet! The revising committee
and the second revising committee refused it a certificate because in
their opinion "the film Gulabi Aaina deals with an extremely complex
issue of alternate sexuality in a peripheral manner". Further, the
board's order states, "The problems and isolation faced by
transvestites has not been dealt with in a holistic manner. Thus the
film is refused certification as per relevant provisions of
Cinematograph Act 1952".
No, there's no need to be happy or shocked that our esteemed
State-appointed gatekeepers of art have discovered that most Indian
filmmakers, when they are not invisibilizing homosexuality, are
making fun of it. Theirs is neither a response to the 'Girlfriend'
shock or to the 'My Brother Nikhil' balm. At worst it is an
insidious, invidious game plan to keep a movie that makes no bones
about same-sex desire and its natural ness with loads of humor hidden
from the public gaze. At best, it is the sheer arrogance of an
ignorant lot with no idea about the medium or the subject giving
short shrift to the intelligence of both the audience and the
filmmaker.
Sridhar is justifiably enraged and ready to join battle. He is
planning to fight it out by taking the issue to the tribunal. (Also,
see his comments below on the guidelines under which the committee
reviewed the film and rejected it.) Fighting a battle for three years
to get his film reviewed by the Board, Sridhar says he came across
several skeletons in the censor board's cupboard: "From those who
write censor scripts, but actually offer their services as touts to
get the film passed by censors to filmmakers who add six scenes of
violence so that the censors can cut three and pass it. I even found
out from reliable sources that a recent, acclaimed gay film was
passed by the Censor Board on payment of certain monies."
While Sridhar does praise the Board's chairperson Sharmila Tagore and
the regional officer at Delhi who "at least gave the film a fair
chance by putting it up for review", he is critical of the revising
committee: "It was ridiculous sitting in front of six people and
having to explain why I made the film and what I have tried to say in
the film. If I could say it all verbally, then why did I have to use
a visual medium like film!
"Peripheral and not holistic?! What do they expect me to say in 40
minutes, which is the length of my film. Moreover, 'Gulabi Aaina' is
not a documentary. I wanted it to be an entertainer, but layered with
subtext. When you do a film about gays, everyone expects a preachy
message or a downright maudlin tearjerker. I wanted the audience to
laugh with the characters instead of at them. Isn't that good enough
reason to make the film and have it reach viewers? It's a different
way of sensitizing."
The Board really takes the cake and the pudding for implying that
Sridhar's film is insensitive to the problems faced by what it calls
"transvestites". In fact, that requires a vast stretch of imagination
considering that Sridhar has been one of the forbearers of the gay
rights movement in Bombay, being deeply involved with 'Bombay Dost'
and The Humsafar Trust.
The feckless, hypocrites in the committee after all the 'tamasha' of
interrogating Sridhar about the film didn't have the balls to pass
the film. Says he, "They pretend they are broadminded, but when it
comes to films with an alternate take, they cowards. Basically, I
have realized they wanted my characters to cry over their fate. They
didn't take too kindly to the fact that I showed gays and drag queens
happy with their lives and being unapologetic. They wanted a daily
soap with buckets of tears!" If Ekta Kapoor was looking for
'chamchas', she would have found them there.
Meanwhile, Sridhar is looking for your support, especially if you
are from the film fraternity and/or the gay community: "My fight is
about freedom of expression as a filmmaker, and I damn well know how
to use it sensitively and sensibly."
Thankfully, Sridhar's latest film 'Yours Emotionally!' has been
produced by a UK based production house so no going through the sicko
censors this time!
Crafty Censors
Instead of protecting the citizens, more often the State uses the law
to terrorize them and curb their rights. Our censorship guidelines
have also been similarly twisted to restrict free speech and
discussion of homosexuality.
While an in-depth look at the guidelines is needed, Sridhar gave his
responses to some of the guidelines under which the committee
reviewed 'Gulabi Aaina' and rejected it:
- The medium of film remains responsible and sensitive to the values
and standards of society.
"Nowhere is it mentioned what are these great values and standards of
the society that they talk about. It is all a thick cloud in the air
that the moral policemen comfortably hide under."
- Artistic expression and creative freedom are not unduly curbed.
"But that's exactly what they are doing by banning my film. It's
utterly ridiculous!"
- Certification is responsive to social change.
"If they keep refusing certificate to films that are away from the
mainstream and attempt to discuss alternate issues, how do they
expect any social change to happen? All they want is to maintain a
status quo so that none of them will be blamed for taking an issue
forward. It's the who-wants-to-bell-the-cat syndrome."
- The medium of film provides clean and healthy entertainment.
"Just look at all the masala films and skin flicks that get the
Censor's nod. Calling it clean and healthy entertainment is a big
joke. Take a reality check folks!"
- As far as possible, the film is of aesthetic value and
cinematically of good standard.
"My film has been screened at 57 international film festivals and won
Jury Awards for Best Film of the Festival in New York and France.
Most of the reviews talk about the sensitive handling of the subject
and it has been rated as 'fabulous', 'compelling', 'unique' and even
'an excellent example of Indian cinema' by a Spanish critic. An art
historian at Ohio State University compared it to Shyam Benegal's
'Mandi', saying it bridged the gap between 'Fire' and 'Bombay Boys'
by "adding that breath of reality". How much more aesthetic and
cinematic value can I pump into the film to please the censors? Maybe
I should include 5 grisly murders, 3 item numbers and a bevy of
half-naked women!"
o o o
(iv)
The Guardian
May 25, 2006
TOUCHIER THAN THOU
The bizarre competition among religious groups for victim status is
as intense as ever. And politicians and the media are largely to
blame.
Sunny Hundal
It is surely a bizarre state of affairs that we have reached a point
where religious organisations are competing against each other for
victim status.
Last year, in the light of the controversies over the Sikh play
Behzti and Jerry Springer: the Opera, I wrote an article illustrating
the use of language by religious groups as they competed for "most
sensitive minority" status. Well, the saga continues.
Earlier this week, London-based Asia House caved in to a campaign by
Hindu religious groups and cancelled an exhibition by India's most
famous artist, MF Husain. His crime? A painting of Mother India in
the nude.
Hindu Human Rights (HHR), the group behind this protest, previously
tried to organise protests (no one turned up) against a film festival
in London that aired films on the Gujarat riots of 2002, and against
BBC1 dramas.
You may notice the similarity in language to other self-appointed
representatives. Indeed, HHR's campaign was backed by the supposed
representative of British Hindus, the Hindu Forum of Britain, whose
spokesperson, Ramesh Kallidai, has trotted out the familiar line that
Hindus are being maligned in favour of Muslims and other religious
groups.
In my previous article, I wrote: "Instead of working to portray their
religion as tolerant, liberal and understanding, the religious
representatives of today demand ultra-sensitivity. If no one listens
then all manner of comparisons get made and they complain of bias
against their own faith."
This competition for victimhood status has almost become de rigueur.
Part of the problem is that MF Husain himself is guilty of double
standards, having apparently acceded more willingly in the past to
demands from censorious Muslim groups than those from Hindu groups.
But that detracts from the main issue here.
British Asians are in danger of being held to ransom by religious
groups' demands in a way that is already quite well established in
the Indian subcontinent - and certain factors perpetuate this problem.
The first is that politicians, the media and other groups interested
in race relations continue to court these groups, which are given
funding, asked for their opinions and constantly quoted in the press.
In this way, a "group" may be only two people in a dingy office, but
they are afforded instant clout.
The other problem is that independent organisations such as Asia
House never know quite how to respond to threats of protests and
hence, in the name of political correctness, prefer to give way. It
happened with Behzti, with Royal Mail and even Burger King. It needs
to stop.
The problem is that even if the younger generation of British Asians
is unwilling to let these clowns represent them, they are constrained
by the complicity of politicians and the media.
____
[5]
Kashmir Times
May 27, 2006 - Editorial
KILLING OF INNOCENTS
CEASEFIRE AND DEMILITARIZATION CAN PUSH FORWARD PEACE PROCESS
The increased occurrence of grenade blasts in Srinagar and other
parts of the state is a highly condemnable. That more and more
civilians are becoming targets is a cause for greater concern.
Whether, innocent locals are targeted or tourists from outside the
state or the country, the killings of civilians is highly shocking
and needs to be condemned with the contempt it deserves. There can be
no talk of peace and justice in the existing scenario where rampant
killings of innocents both at the hands of militants and security
forces continue. Rhetoric alone is not enough. Consistency and
adequate steps are more important. Strangely, the killings are mired
in mystery with security forces pinning blame on certain outfits and
the latter rejecting it. While it is important to investigate who is
behind these attacks, it is equally important to realize that sixteen
years of armed insurgency have created several vested interests at
various levels, all of whom want to keep the pot boiling for their
own petty gains. It is thus important for people, including those at
the decision-making level and in the government, who have a vested
interest in peace to become more and more pro-active. Since hawkish
statements and bragging about a non-existent normalcy cause more
provocation, it is hoped that a peace process is not just brought on
rails but is a quieter affair than the hype that one has come to
associate it with. While the government must realise that there can
be no talks of imposing solutions with a handful of people who are
distanced from the common masses and there can be no space for
hawkishness and belligerence, the militant groups must also realize
that killings of innocents serves nobody's purpose - neither the
agenda of peace, nor independence, which cannot be attained on
foundations of unjust and unprincipled killings. The killings
re-emphasise the need to foster an internal ceasefire, which seems to
have been rejected by all the people at the decision making level,
both in India and Pakistan. If demilitarization from all sides and
internal ceasefire has to come in phases, which seems like a
plausible argument, all insurgent groups and the forces must in the
meanwhile ensure greater restraint and discipline within their
cadres. But the bottom line is that the presence of forces has to be
minimised and the culture of militarizing civilian space from both
sides must be dispensed with. The killings of innocents cannot be
cordoned and no more time should be wasted in setting things in the
right order, instead of sticking to rigid posturing, which will cost
Kashmir, India and Pakistan a great deal in the longer run.
____
[6] BOOKS
Deccan Herald
May 21, 2006
Book Reviews
Mediating communalism
Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr
A rare indictment of the Congress by Congressmen.
The Communal Problem, Report of the Kanpur Riots Enquiry Committee
National Book Trust, pp , Rs 85, pp 211
It is curious that Left historian - though Leftists no longer
consider him to be sufficiently Leftist - Bipin Chandra, who is now
chairman, National Book Trust, should have decided to issue in a
book-form parts of the report of the committee appointed by the
Indian National Congress Karachi Session of 1931 to enquire into the
Kanpur riots of March, 1931.
There are two important aspects of this Kanpur riot. It comes at the
end of a series of communal riots that had started in Malabar in
1921, and continued sporadically through the 1920s in different parts
of India. Also, the then United Provinces Congress Committee
chairman, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi is killed in the riots, and in the
depositions before the committee, witnesses acknowledge him as the
only non-communal Congressman in the province.
The committee comprised Bhagwan Das, who was the chairman, Sunderlal,
secretary, Purushottam Das Tandon, Manzar Ali Sokhta, Abdul Latif
Bijnori and Zafarul-Mulk. It is interesting that none of them
represent the socialist or communist view of communalism. Bhagwan
Das, Sunderlal and Purshottma Das Tandon are more to the centre and
right, especially Tandon. And of the six, three added supplements -
Bhagwan Das and Sunderlal wrote one, Tandon the second. Zafarul-Mulk
wrote a dissenting note.
The communal problem still haunts us, and the analysis has not moved
forward a whit in the last 75 years. There is rare honesty and
passion, and there was a willingness to listen to each other even
when they differed with each other. Zafar-ul Mulk not only wrote a
dissent note, but he also provided dissent footnotes to the report.
And they were carried scrupulously. There was no false consensus.
There was also the fact that members of the committee displayed a
high intellectual calibre that does not exist in the Congress of
today.
Bipin Chandra has reproduced only the historical analysis and the
remedies suggested by the committee and omitted the details of the
riot. Perhaps he is right. The arguments still remain relevant in
many ways.
It is difficult to sympathise with the historical analysis of the
communal problem completely. The committee members have tried to
overcome the communal issue by showing that the colonial
historiography has misrepresented facts and issues. And they tried to
provide an idealistic-spiritual nationalist mission as a solution
that will make India a moral super-power, where the four-caste system
is revamped into a guild framework based on aptitude rather than on
birth. But the committee is not steeped in mere woolly-headed
idealism. They said in the section on remedies that there should be
no ban on cow slaughter in the absence of similar provisions for
other animals. Most importantly, they said that the district
magistrate and the police superintendent should be held responsible
if a riot breaks out as they ought to know the mischievous elements
behind the violence.
The committee has summed up brilliantly the weakness of the Congress
Party's approach to the communal issue: "The position which the
Congress occupied in these efforts was that of an intermediary, and
by implication it accepted the extreme communalists of both sides as
true representatives of the interests of their respective
communities. The more it clung to them for settlement, the more it
abdicated its own undoubted right to arrive at final conclusion...
The result was that the Congress... invested communalists with
greater importance and prestige." This indictment of the Congress
Party holds good today as it did in 1931.
____
[7] EVENTS
(i)
Dear Friends,
Medha Patkar and Rahul Bose will be addressing a Press Conference
which is being held on Friday, 26-5-2006 at 4.15 p.m. at the Azad
Maidan.
Issues to be covered include :
- the latest situation in the Narmada valley in view of the crisis
expected along with the arrival of the monsoons and increase in the
height of the Sardar Sarovar dam.
- the latest on slum demolitions - post meetings with various Ministers.
- Aamir Khan and the Fanaa controversy
Please do come and help create awareness amongst your readership on
the above issues.
For the NBA,
Simpreet Shashi Arun Pervin and other supporters
(ii)
Pakistan-India Peoples' Forum For Peace and Democracy
A-1/125 First Floor, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110 029
Website: www.pipfpd.org
Invitation for Press Conference
"Release of Earthquake Damage Assessment Survey Report"
The PIPFPD-Kashmir Earthquake Relief and Rehabilitation Coordination Center
(KERRCC) invites you to a Press Conference on the release of its report of
Damage Assessment Survey of earthquake-devastated areas of Uri and Tangdhar
on 27th May, 2006, 12.00 noon at Press Club.
KERRCC came into being as an immediate response from the Pakistan India
People's Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) to the disastrous situation
of Oct 8 th earthquake that shook both sides of the LOC in Jammu & Kashmir.
KERRCC and its volunteers participated in the emergency relief work in the
early phase and thereafter conducted a house-to-house survey in the affected
villages of Uri and Karna tehsils was done to assess the damage that was
caused by the earthquake to the houses and other structures in the
Tehsil of Uri (district Baramula) and in the Tehsil of Karna
(district Kupwara).
The press conference will be addressed by Tapan K. Bose, General Secretary,
PIPFPD and Dr. Mushabir Hasan, former Finance Minister, Pakistan and
Founder-Member, PIPFPD.
We request your presence at the Press Conference
Date: May 27th 2006
Time: 12:00 noon
Venue: Press Club, Raisina Road (New Delhi)
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Buzz on the perils of fundamentalist politics, on
matters of peace and democratisation in South
Asia. SACW is an independent & non-profit
citizens wire service run since 1998 by South
Asia Citizens Web: www.sacw.net/
SACW archive is available at: bridget.jatol.com/pipermail/sacw_insaf.net/
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