SACW | Dec 30-31, 2008 / Bangladesh: Build Secularism, Get Religion out of Politics
Harsh Kapoor
aiindex at gmail.com
Wed Dec 31 00:49:44 CST 2008
South Asia Citizens Wire | December 30-31, 2008 | Dispatch No. 2595 -
Year 11 running
From: www.sacw.net
[1] Bangladesh: Grand Return to Democracy - Electoral Rout of the Far
Right [Build Secularism, dont just call for trail of war criminals
of 71]
- We Did It! Rightist - Islamists Defeated In Bangladesh (Naeem
Mohaiemen)
- Yes I Voted (Naeem Mohaiemen)
- 13 religious/ethnic minority MPs (Unheard Voice)
- Mandate confers great responsibility (Editorial, New Age)
- Call to fulfil commitment to trial of war criminals (report in
Daily Star)
- Bangladesh rising (Tahmima Anam)
[2] Pakistan - India: The insanity of war (Dr Tariq Rahman)
[3] Taliban at War Against Pakistan
- Hanging a dead pir (Farhat Taj)
- The fall of Swat (Editorial, The News)
- Taliban ban to keep 40,000 girls from schools in Swat (Daud
Khattak)
[4] India: Forget A.R. Antulay, Javed Akhtar can learn from Michael
Moore (Jawed Naqvi)
[5] India: Communal historiography seeks to deny the secular
heritage and ignore the variety of cultural articulations (K.N.
Panikkar)
[6] India Administered Kashmir: Bridging the gulf (Editorial, Kashmir
Times)
[7] Women's organizations on indefinite relay fast in imphal (Letter
from Sandeep Pandey)
[8] MCC calls for end to Israeli bombing of Gaza
[9] [Announcements:
- No War Rally (Lahore, 31 December 2008)
- 20 Years of SAHMAT, 1989-2009 (New Delhi, 1, 8, 15, 17, 20, 31st
January 2009)
- Rally Against The War Mongers In India And Pakistan (Vancouver,
1 January 2009)
_____
[1] Bangladesh: Grand Return to Democracy - Electoral Rout of the Far
Right
WE DID IT! RIGHTIST-ISLAMISTS DEFEATED IN BANGLADESH
by Naeem Mohaiemen
After 2 years of caretaker/army rule in Bangladesh, finally yesterday
return to democracy via elections. The fantastic news is that the
Islamist parties were wiped out. An absolute and crushing defeat.
In 2001 elections, the Jamaat e Islami increased from 3 seats to 17
seats in Parliament. Jamaat's leaders grabbed control of two powerful
ministries. We had to watch alleged 1971 war criminal Nizami
negotiate (as Industries Minister) with Ratan Tata of India (to no
one's surprise, Tata decided not to invest). We watched the Islamists
gradually infiltrate schools, banks, NGOs, institutions.
I was a wary cassandra, warning that the "Islamists" (obligatory
quotes) could do even better in 2008 elections. If they did, the
Sharia-fication project would find a new test laboratory. The recent
attacks by fringe "Islamist" groups on statues, theater plays, and
cultural events, fueled the fear that the Islamist bloc was winning.
>From that fear came all my op-eds of last two months. Alarmist and
fight-back language. In last few weeks, felt energized again with all
the secular groups mobilizing nationwide.
To everyone's delight, the election has delivered a bruising defeat
to the entire Rightist-Islamist coalition-both the right-wing BNP
("vote for us to save country and Islam") and Jamaat e Islami
("Allah's Law").
People are using apocalyptic/jubilant language like "wiped off the
map" and "obliterated". Facebook has status messages that say "Proud
2 B Bangladeshi Today" (or "It's 1970 Again" or "My Taxes Won't Pay
For War Criminals To Fly Our Flag"). Triumphalist sentiment has it's
own limitations, but today I'm cautiously optimistic...
The center-left Awami League led "Grand Alliance" coalition captured
a gigantic majority of 262 seats. The BNP, in power for last 5 years
(before chaos over rigged elections led to the Army stepping in) have
only 29 seats. The Jamaat e Islami in tatters at 2 seats. Islami
Oikko Jote, with whom many of us clashed on street and printed page
over last few years, 0 seats! I am looking at the details and
realizing even two small left parties-Workers Party (2 seats) and JSD/
Socialist (3 seats) have out-performed the Islamist bloc. Sweet.
But there's no reason to relax. The right-islamist coalition won't
just roll over and accept annihilation. And there's a need to be
vigilant about the victors as well. Already there's fear as to
whether the center-left AL will lose its head with this giant
victory. In its past, the Awami League's 1970 election victory led to
the breakup of Pakistan and independence of Bangladesh in 1971. But
from 72-75, the AL lost its bearings, forming paramilitary squads,
crushing socialist+maoist opposition groups (there were no Islamists
then) and eventually installing one-party rule. That gave the excuse
for the military coup in 1975 that killed liberation war leader
Sheikh Mujib and his entire family (except Sheikh Hasina who was out
of the country, and now leads her father's Awami League party). But
we hope, really hope, they have learned from history's mistakes.
Because I spent so much time outside Bangladesh, there's confusion
about my age. With all the hype about the "youth vote", I was called
"torun" (youth) on a TV talk show-to which my friend responded in an
SMS "If you're torun, then I'm child labor". However, torun or not, I
was a first-time voter. Daily Star printed my diary of that
experience-->
YES I VOTED
Daily Star, December 30, 2008
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=69228
o o o
13 RELIGIOUS/ETHNIC MINORITY MPS
http://unheardvoice.net/blog/2008/12/31/minority-mps/
o o o
The Guardian
30 December 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/30/bangladesh
Daring to dream
The outcome of the Bangladeshi election is a resounding vote for
progress and secularism
Asif Saleh
Two miracles happened in Bangladesh yesterday. Firstly, 80% of the
Bangladeshi electorate – a record number – voted in one of the most
peaceful elections in the country's history. Secondly, they voted for
a party that believes in secularism and by a majority big enough for
it to control 85% of the parliamentary seats.
It's a resounding endorsement of democracy and an emphatic victory
for pluralism in the world's second-largest Muslim majority country.
Although International media finds it easy to do a stereotypical
portrayal of the "dysfunctional two begums", the real story of
Bangladesh, however, is in the details.
In focusing so much on the two Battling Begums and the occasional
stories on Islamic extremism, the media tend to overlook the progress
Bangladesh has made under the two begums, its vibrant civil society
and its "dysfunctional democracy". Yesterday's election and its
outcome is a continuation of that progress.
What was even more remarkable in the election yesterday was the
strong signal sent to the political parties by the voters: reform or
perish. They have abandoned the parties that ran a fearmongering
campaign, used religion in politics and showed no intention to reform
themselves. On the other hand, they embraced the party that nominated
a group of fresh politicians, talked about a vision of a pluralistic
and developed Bangladesh and championed separation of religion and
politics.
However, those who expect an overnight full-scale reform will be
disappointed unless they accept that such reforms come through a slow
and iterative process. They should take heart in the fact that the
electorate is aware and powerful and will not hesitate to obliterate
a party to send a message unless they change. No one found this out
more painfully than Khaleda Zia, the head of Bangladesh Nationalist
Party, who failed to reverse the downfall of her party even after a
hard-hitting campaign where she sought forgiveness from the public
for past mistakes.
The public were in no forgiving mood, not only reducing its seats by
90% but almost wiping out its alliance partner, Jamaat-e-Islami,
whose leaders have been accused of war crimes.
Does this mean a new beginning for Bangladesh? That will depend
partly on how well the secularists can deliver beyond the rhetoric
and continue the institution-building; and partly on army's staying
away from extra-constitutional intervention. Our dreams may be in for
a rude awakening in a few months like so many other times. But today,
as Bangladeshis, we are believers. We are daring to dream again.
o o o
New Age
31 December 2008
Editorial
Mandate confers great responsibility
With nearly all the results now in, the Awami League and the alliance
that it leads have swept the general elections to the ninth Jatiya
Sangsad. We offer our heartiest congratulations to the AL and its
smaller alliance partners for their resounding victory. We are also
extremely pleased that the elections were, for the most part, free,
fair and peaceful. Though the BNP have brought allegations of
irregularities, and while we do think that it is important for the
Election Commission to investigate any specific complaints, there is
no reason to believe that those will change, in any significant way,
the outcome of these elections or the extent and scope of the AL-led
alliance’s victory. The people have given the Awami League and its
partners a clear mandate to govern.
However, with power and authority come challenges and
responsibilities. On the political front, the incoming Awami League-
led alliance government must work towards making parliament fully
functional and effective, particularly by ensuring that the
opposition, however small, is able to play its proper role. After two
years of failed governance by an unelected, undemocratic and
unconstitutional regime, the people will naturally expect the next
government to ensure the efficacy of parliament as the centre of all
political activity. We think the Awami League, having won the
elections as the major component of an alliance of political parties,
should also govern as an alliance. We would urge the party to resist
any temptation that it may have of sidelining its smaller alliance
partners now that it no longer requires their support to be in power.
As we wrote in these columns yesterday, by giving this huge
mandate to the Awami League-led alliance, the electorate has
resoundingly spoken in favour of the spirit of the war of national
independence: the quest for an egalitarian society built on the
principles of secular democracy. The Awami League and its alliance
partners must now utilise their popular majority in order to advance
those ideas and values. In addition, the incoming AL-led government
must meet the governance challenges facing our country, many of which
were outlined in the Awami League manifesto. These include containing
the prices of essentials, ensuring equitable economic growth,
maintaining law and order, curbing corruption, tackling militancy,
improving power and energy as well as providing quality education and
health for all citizens. The challenges are many and the new
government will have no option but to hit the ground running.
Last, the new government must, as a matter of national
importance, bring up for discussion and debate on the floor of the
parliament all the ordinances promulgated by the present military-
controlled interim government before any consideration of ratifying
those ordinances. Also, the parliament, while discussing the
ordinances, should take into account the debates that will
undoubtedly occur in society with regard to those laws. If the next
government does not do this, and worse still if it provides blanket
ratification to all these ordinances, it will only encourage, rather
than deter, the military to intervene, again and again, in the
political process.
o o o
The Daily Star
31 December 2008
Victory Of Grand Alliance Hailed
CALL TO FULFIL COMMITMENT TO TRIAL OF WAR CRIMINALS
Different socio-political organisations and professional bodies
greeted Awami League-led grand alliance yesterday for its stunning
victory in the 9th parliamentary election across the country on Monday.
In separate statements, the organisations termed the victory by the
alliance a verdict of the countrymen against injustice, corruption,
terrorism, emergence of militancy and bad governance during the
regime of the last BNP-led four party alliance government.
They expressed hope that AL-led grand alliance will form the
government soon and start working to fulfil their commitments to the
voters, especially executing the trial of war criminals.
The organisations also expect that the new government will put much
emphasis on lowering the prices of essentials, uprooting corruption
and militancy from the country and establishing a rule of law in the
society.
Hailing AL for its absolute victory, Bangladesh Jatiya Mahila Ainjibi
Samiti expressed hope that the party would form a responsible
government which would provide an absolute freedom to Anti-Corruption
Commission, Human Rights Commission and judiciary.
It also hoped that the next government would also implement the
'National Women Development Policy-1997'.
Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal expressed its hope that the new
government will remain active to preserve the democratic as well as
basic rights of people.
Bangladesh Chamber of Industries in a separate message greeted AL,
hoping that the party would play an important role in
industrialisation and overall economical development.
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) President Zafar Osman
also congratulated the alliance and AL President Sheikh Hasina for
achieving the grand victory.
Workers' Party of Bangladesh President Rashed Khan Menon also
congratulated Hasina with bouquet at her Sudha Sadan residence on her
party's great success in the polls, says a press release.
Jatiya Party (JP-Manju) greeted grand alliance for the victory.
Secretary General Sheikh Shahidul Islam termed the victory a win of
the spirit of liberation war, much-awaited expectations of people and
the public demand of executing the trial of war criminals.
Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshti said the grand alliance's stunning
victory proves that people want the trial of war criminals. It called
on the new government to try the criminals.
Comparing the victory with the victory of historic election of 1970,
Zaker Party Chairman Alhaj Mostafa Ameer Faisal congratulated grand
alliance leader Hasina for achieving such a stunning success.
Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Association, Gono Front, Islamic Front
Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sangskritik Jote, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi
Sangstha, Muktijoddha Sanghati Parishad, Bangabandhu Foundation,
Bangladesh Awami Motsojibi, Rural Journalists Foundation, Bangabandhu
Diploma Krishibid Parishad, Diploma Krishibid Institution,
Revolutionary Workers' Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Krishak Sramik
Awami League, Jatiya Sramik League, Muktijoddha Oikya Parishad,
Bangladesh Polytechnic Teachers' Association, Bangladesh Muktijoddha
Shamannay Parishad, Sammilita Shikkhak Karmachari Parishad, Peshajibi
Shamannay Parishad, Muktijoddha Hemayet Bahinir Muktijoddha
Punarbasan Sangstha, Bangladesh Buddhist Monastery, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Frozen Foods Exporters Association, Shikkhak-Karmachari Sangrami
Shamannay Oikya Parishad, Bangladesh Primary Teachers' Association,
Sonarbangla Jubo Parishad, Bangabandhu Lalitokala Academy, Federation
of NGOs in Bangladesh and Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation
expressed their warm-hearted greetings to the grand alliance.
o o o
The Guardian
31 December 2008
BANGLADESH RISING
Voters turning out in their millions to rout a corrupt regime heralds
a new era of reform
by Tahmima Anam
Something spectacular happened in a small corner of the world on
Tuesday. After two years of military-backed rule, a free, fair,
incident-free election was held in Bangladesh, with decisive results:
a record voter turnout routed the incumbent party in favour of a
secular, progressive alliance.
"Two ladies" is the phrase commonly attached to the leaders of
Bangladesh's main political parties: Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) and Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League - both
women, one the widow of a former president, the other the daughter of
Sheikh Mujib, leader of the independence movement and first prime
minister of Bangladesh.
But lumping the leaders together and calling them the "two ladies" is
not just misogynistic and patronising but seriously misleading. There
is a real difference between the parties, one that is not only
crucial to understanding the internal politics of Bangladesh, but
also sheds light on the rise and fall of religious fundamentalism in
the world's second largest Muslim nation.
The BNP were at the helm of power in the last electoral cycle. During
this time, Khaleda Zia promoted cronies to high positions of power,
corrupted the courts with political appointments, and oversaw the
theft of government funds on an unprecedented level. In 2007, the
party orchestrated a coordinated effort to rig the elections, leading
to the army's intervention and two years of military-backed rule.
In this election, the BNP allied themselves with the Jamaat-e-Islami
and conducted a campaign of fear-mongering, with slogans decrying the
corruption of religious values and predicting a threat to Islam
through foreign influence. By contrast, the Awami League ran a
campaign that was purposefully secular and progressive. Though no
stranger to allegations of corruption, the Awami League cleansed its
party of much of the old guard. In the end, it campaigned on a
platform of change, promising jobs and economic regeneration. The
result was not only victory for the Awami League, but a near
annihilation of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
There has been a lot of speculation of late about the direction -
political and economic - Bangladesh will take. Will it succumb to
Islamic fundamentalism, or will it remain a moderate Islamic country?
Will it ever overcome the many obstacles to progress and turn the
tide in its favour, or will it remain at the bottom of the charts and
development indices, a nation on the brink of failure? When I asked a
prominent journalist why the Bangladeshi stock exchange hadn't felt
the effects of the global economic downturn, he said: "In order to be
drunk, you first have to be invited to the party." In this economic
cycle - luckily, it turns out - Bangladesh wasn't invited to the
party. But the election results may mean the beginning of a new era
of political reform and economic growth.
Bangladesh still has a long way to go. But after all the votes have
been counted, this is what remains: in this poor country, where many
people cannot read or write, where women are still subject to
draconian social and economic realities, where natural disasters
strike with brutal regularity, corruption and religious extremism
were resolutely routed out. People came by the millions to cast their
votes because they knew that on this day, they would have their say.
And speak they did, against a regime that had let them down once too
many; against leaders who had refused to accept the responsibilities
of their offices. Against all odds, Bangladesh is on the move.
• Tahmima Anam is the author of A Golden Age
_____
[2]
Dawn, 30 December 2008
THE INSANITY OF WAR
by Dr Tariq Rahman
EUROPE has seen two major wars: the First World War (1914-1918) and
the Second World War (1939-1945).
There has never been a nuclear war in any western country but the
mind-boggling devastation of Nagasaki and Hiroshima has sunk into the
western consciousness. That is probably why westerners do not talk
glibly of nuclear war.
We in South Asia have never witnessed such lengthy mass killings in
modern history. That is probably why Indian and Pakistani TV anchors
and the ‘experts’ they invite talk so blithely of war — even nuclear
war. Indeed, ours must be the only country where the birth of weapons
of mass destruction was not a quiet, sobering affair. It was actually
celebrated with sweetmeat. History was recruited to evoke bitter
antagonisms of the past through such names as Ghauri and Prithvi.
Our public has never been educated to consider nuclear arsenals as
dangerous for their progeny; in fact, they flaunt this possession.
Nobody realises that if these weapons are used there will be
devastation of an unimaginable kind. Our streams and rivers will no
longer supply water but radioactive poison. Our vegetables and fruits
will poison the animals we eat and we ourselves will succumb to
cancer and other diseases. Our children will live in pain and die in
agony.
They say nuclear weapons prevent war. Well, in the case of the Soviet
Union and the United States they did prevent a direct war but the two
countries came near it during the Cuban crisis. Besides, if Bertrand
Russell is to be trusted, the accidental exchange of nuclear warheads
was about to take place but good luck intervened. However, the two
rivals did keep fighting proxy wars. Pakistan blundered into one such
war in Afghanistan in the 1980s and we are paying for our follies
even now. In the case of Pakistan and India the Kargil episode took
place when both sides had nuclear weapons. Was Gen Musharraf deterred
by the nuclear weapons on the other side?
The Indian adventure in Siachen glacier may have taken place when
both sides had the bomb (by some accounts Pakistan had the weapon in
the 1980s). Even if Pakistan did not, the nuclear weapons never
brought it to an end. Similarly, the disastrous policy of Pakistan,
or its security establishment, to fight a proxy war in Kashmir kept
going on undeterred despite the nuclear arsenal.
Nuclear weapons neither prevented militant adventurism nor do they
guarantee that a conventional war will not turn nuclear. They have
not prevented Swat from passing into the hands of the Taliban nor
have they prevented violence anywhere in South Asia. That is why when
India sent troops to Pakistan’s borders after the attack by jihadi
elements in Pakistan in 2001 there was reason to worry. And that is
why, now that people in India talk of surgical strikes in Pakistan
after a similar incident in Mumbai, and Pakistani troops are moving
towards India’s borders, there is every reason to worry.
It is not a case of nuclear weapons preventing war but more a fear of
their being used in case a limited war does break out which it can
under such circumstances.
I have a question for those who talk of nuclear weapons. Suppose a
part of Pakistan were to be cut off by Indian troops, would nuclear
weapons be used? The same question can be addressed to India. Suppose
a genuine Kashmiri uprising, or even Pakistan, cuts Kashmir off from
India will this bomb be used? If so, we in South Asia would rather
kill and die than let parts of territory go out of our hands. Let us
remember that Paris was occupied during the Second World War by the
Germans but there was no nuclear weapon and now Paris is free and happy.
Similarly, Bangladesh is a free country but had there been a nuclear
weapon and had it been used our part of the world would have been in
ruins. Armies withdraw and areas are returned but if this weapon is
used all is lost and life becomes hell. This is not what we tell our
people since the voices of the hawks drown out sane voices which are
for peace and life, not for war and death.
The fact is that our mode of thinking is obsolete and nobody seems to
have understood that modern war is not a rational alternative. Even
our elite allows itself to be overpowered by anger, chauvinism and
notions of vengeance. All this clouds judgment and does not allow
rational decision-making. In India the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
calls for a nuclear war. In Pakistan extremists reciprocate. Neither
side knows it is calling for death and the poisoning of earth.
This land has seen waves upon waves of conquerors but now its
children are out to destroy it. Whose rational interest can this
serve? Nobody’s. But this is just what those who talk glibly of war
do not know or do not want to acknowledge in their hatred and prejudice.
Both governments must make immediate efforts to defuse tension. India
must officially rule out the option of strikes in Pakistan or across
the Line of Control in Kashmir. Pakistan must be proactive in the
dismantling of terrorist outfits and ask UN observers to monitor the
process. Soldiers need not be moved too near the border so that India
does not respond in kind and, equally importantly, the pressure on
the militants in Pakistan’s west and north must be increased, not
decreased because of troop movements. Above all, the media on both
sides must censor itself so that war is only mentioned to rule it out
and to educate the public about its horrors. Later, when the crisis
is over, both sides must educate their public about nuclear war,
build shelters and give training about what to do if there is a
nuclear exchange.
Let us learn from Wilfred Owen, a British poet. After describing a
soldier’s death from gas poisoning he tells those who talk of the
glory of war and nationalism:
‘My friend, you would not talk with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulche et decorum est Pro Patria mori.’
The last lines in Latin mean: it is sweet and befitting to die for
one’s fatherland. The truth is that it is sweet to live and to let
live; not to die and kill. This is what we should be crying from our
rooftops on both sides of the border.
______
[3] Pakistan:
-
The News
December 27, 2008
HANGING A DEAD PIR
by Farhat Taj
Pir Samiullah of Swat was reportedly encouraged by the army stationed
in Swat to raise a lashkar against the Taliban. This invoked the rage
of the Taliban who besieged him for days in his village. The army
never showed up to help and finally he was killed. The Taliban
exhumed his body and hung it in a public place for several hours.
What the Taliban did to the pir's body is tantamount to a kick to the
face of civilisation. The Taliban, who had done the same with the
body of Dr Najibullah, the former president of Afghanistan, will most
probably do it again if given the opportunity.
As far as I know Pakhtun history has never seen such kicks to the
face of civilisation, although a greater part of it has been a
history of armed conflicts. This changed with the arrival of the holy
warriors--the Mujahideen and Taliban.
The Pakhtun Taliban, it seems to me, have appropriated such means of
disgrace from the history of their Arabs and Central Asians
colleagues. The Umayad caliphs dug up graves of their opponents,
exhumed bodies, put them on trial and hanged them.
What happened to Pir Samiullah's body is a dangerous symbolism,
because to many people in Swat the disrespect to it was wilfully
permitted by the Army. One person said: "The Army did not fire a
single bullet while 300-400 of Taliban were firing at the Pir's
supporters in Matta tehsil. When the Army knew that Taliban fighters
had gathered in their hundreds, why didn't they take action?'
I have been in contact with a number of people from Swat, who
complain that the Taliban terrorise and slaughter people and exhume
dead bodies, but the Army is nowhere to protect them. They argued
that the army is backing the Taliban. One person even said that the
commander of the military operation in Swat sends Rs10 million every
month to the Swat Taliban leader, Maulana Fazalullah, so he would not
harm the army, and do whatever they want with the people and culture
of Swat.
Many people who know the geography of the area believe that the
military is capable of beating the Taliban by simply besieging their
headquarters from three different directions--from the Matta and
Madyan tehsil and from lower Dir. This will disrupt the Taliban's
logistics and ultimately force them to surrender. The people of Matta
had distributed sweets when the military arrived there.
Local residents complain that while the military has killed hundreds
of civilians, it has killed only a few hardcore Taliban. The brother
of a serving minister of the NWFP, who was in the police and was well-
known for standing up to the Taliban, was killed in broad daylight in
Mingora, and the perpetrators succeeded in escaping. How then can the
people believe that the military is serious in its operation against
the Taliban? The result is that an increasingly people in Swat see
the Taliban and the Army as two sides of the same coin.
To crosscheck the views of the local people I had a long discussions
with two Army offers, a colonel and a major. (Neither was stationed
in Swat but the said they were aware of the situation of their
colleagues in Swat.) They denied any notion of the army supporting
the Taliban. They emphasised that the militants hid among the
civilian population and the Army had to move very carefully to avoid
civilian damage. They said the Army is constrained by its sensitivity
to media reaction: there is media uproar when civilians are killed in
military operations and almost complete silence when militants kill
civilians. They also pointed out that the civil administration has
abandoned the people of Swat. There is almost no one in areas cleared
by the army--the police or the administration--to resume routine
work. They also said that Army commanders in Swat had requested key
federal and provincial political leaders to come to areas cleared by
it, under full military protection, to restore the confidence of the
people of Swat in the government and the Army, but to no avail.
Following my meeting with the two army officers I also met an NWFP
journalist who had had had long discussions with the military
commanders in Swat. The journalist more or less confirmed the views
expressed by the two army officers.
There seem to be a lack of confidence between the Army in Swat and
the politicians and this is to the disadvantage of the people of
Swat. The two sides have to remove the lack of confidence in each
other if they wish to retain respect among the people of Swat, who
now feel abandoned by both the army and the political leaders.
The media should be robust in its response to the violence used by
the Taliban. Many people in Swat also believe they have been
abandoned by the media as well. One person told me he had been
contacting famous media persons like, Hamid Mir, Kamran Khan and Dr
Shahid Masood to as them to highlight in their TV shows the daily
violence committed by the Taliban, but none of them ever replied.
Any civilised society would have come to a complete standstill upon
an incident like the disrespect to the dead body of Pir Samiullah.
But in Pakistan it has been business as usual. When the holy warriors
insulted the dead body of Dr Najibullah the society in Pakistan
remained indifferent. Now this act of disrespect has been committed
well inside Pakistan--Swat has no border with Afghanistan. I am
afraid that in future such acts could be repeating themselves in
Lahore and Islamabad. People across Pakistan must send--for their
self-interest, if not for moral reasons--a strong message to the
Taliban that their brutal means of violence are not acceptable.
Otherwise, we must be ready to see more such kicks to the face of
civilisation in our country.
o o o
Editorial, The News, December 27, 2008
THE FALL OF SWAT
There has been no official announcement, no victory parades or
televised addresses by the victorious party, no cheering crowds
welcoming the liberators – but Swat, to all intents and purposes, has
fallen to the Taliban. It is the announcement that all girls
education in the valley will cease from January 15 that is the
tipping point. All schools that teach girls have been ordered by the
Taliban to close by that date or face the inevitable consequences –
being blown up being the most usual of these. They have already blown
up well over a hundred girls schools, principally those operated by
the government, but have moved in recent weeks to blowing up private
institutions as well. Female education has virtually ceased anyway,
and the Taliban announcement merely puts the seal on what is a
manifest reality – the government has lost the battle for Swat and
the Taliban have won. They operate at will, go where they like, issue
orders and proclamations that a terrified public are unable to ignore
and broadcast their message of obscurantism on the radio for all to
hear – and obey.
The ANP government of NWFP has called for assistance. But little
seems to be forthcoming. Refugees stream out of the valley, the
operators of private schools try to fight a rearguard action, the
tourist trade is dead and buried long ago and the beautiful valley of
Swat now enters a time of darkness. The Taliban announcement
regarding girl's education may seem a strange point at which to
declare Swat 'fallen' – but it is of huge symbolic significance. It
is significant because there will be compliance – the population and
the operators of schools, including the government who are the
majority education provider – will do what they are told. They will
obey the orders of the Taliban because the Taliban are more powerful
than the government that is supposed to protect and sustain them. The
government is unable or unwilling to protect its own schools and is
not going to lift a finger to protect those of the private sector. It
gives the clear impression of having abandoned Swat and its people to
whatever their fate may be.
Could the government – either of Musharraf or the present rudderless,
drifting Marie Celeste – have done anything to stop this? Yes, and in
all likelihood they decided not to. The notion that somehow the
militants are our 'allies' runs as a strong and deep current through
elements of the army and intelligence services, the bureaucracy and
the politicians themselves. There are powerful forces that provide
tacit if not overt support to them, forces which would like to see
the Taliban triumphant in the rest of Pakistan and not just Swat. The
caliphate of Swat is becoming a reality before our eyes. Where next?
o o o
Daily Times
December 26, 2008
TALIBAN BAN TO KEEP 40,000 GIRLS FROM SCHOOLS IN SWAT
Locals say they are helpless, have no option but to accede to Taliban
pressure
By Daud Khattak
PESHAWAR: The future of around 40,000 girls in Swat is at stake
following a Taliban ban on education for female students.
Shah Duran, the deputy of Swat-based Taliban cleric Fazlullah, has
warned the administrations of government and private educational
institutions to not enrol girls in schools.
The Taliban on Wednesday issued a deadline for January 15 for the ban
to be implemented, following which they said they would bomb the
buildings of schools allowing girls to study.
The Taliban have blown up more than 100 girls’ schools in Swat in the
past 14 months.
Helpless: Locals say they are helpless and have no other option but
to accede to the Taliban’s pressure as the government has failed to
provide them with securuty.
“This is terrible,” the principal of a private school in Mingora told
Daily Times, requesting that the name of his school should not be
mentioned as that would risk his life and property.
He said the Taliban decision had proved that the government had lost
its writ in the valley. “This is the question of the future of our
children. The Taliban decision will throw more than 40,000 girls out
of schools,” he said.
He said the school owners in Swat district were planning to convene a
meeting and form a committee with the help of elders to have dialogue
with the Taliban.
The announcement has stamped the statement of Awami National Party
(ANP) Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel who had told a seminar in Peshawar
a fortnight ago that the government had lost control over Swat.
A social worker said people had already started migrating from Swat
following threats by the Taliban.
“Things are changing dramatically. We cannot say anything because the
people and the whole government is helpless before the armed people,”
he said.
The man said his three daughters were studying at an English medium
school. He had no other option but to shift his family to some other
area to educate his children, he added.
Schools are the most vulnerable target since the beginning of trouble
in Swat. According to figures provided by a Swat-based non-government
organisation, Pakistan Coalitions for Education (PCE), Taliban have
destroyed over 100 of the 490 primary schools for girls in Swat so far.
The destruction of schools and recent threats to teachers and
students have forced over 50,000 girls out of schools, the PCE
figures said.
______
[4]
Dawn
December 22, 2008
FORGET A.R. ANTULAY, JAVED AKHTAR CAN LEARN FROM MICHAEL MOORE
By Jawed Naqvi
IT’S easier said than done, but India could do with a few Michael
Moores to instil a healthy spirit of doubt as a foil to periodically
contrived large-scale gullibility. The objective goes well with
mature democracies. It seems India’s liberals, and also the ordinary
curious people, are ready for alternative angles to the Mumbai
horrors the way the diligent American documentary-maker offered new
possibilities by raising a few good questions about the official line
on 9/11. But much of the mainstream media in India, which not just
follows the ‘sarkari’ line on diplomacy and other key issues but
sometimes helps create it, is not enamoured of Moore-like questioning
spirit. For this reason perhaps it does not like to tinker with its
enormous faith in unnamed ‘sources’ that appear from nowhere in a
crisis like Mumbai’s to fire its virtually rented imagination.
There is almost a comprador-like quality about all this. You would
not have heard any serious discourse in the Indian media when Gen
Colin Powell showed to the world with the help of detailed fake maps
of precisely where Saddam Husain had planted his mythical nuclear
missiles. India’s decision not to send Indian troops, over Powell’s
spurious allegations, to Iraq, a former key ally of India on Kashmir
no less, happened because of people’s pressure and in spite of the
media’s quiet sympathy for the American point of view. To cite
another example of this mismatch, more recently, the Indian people
exulted over the now legendary shoe-thrower of Iraq. In fact, the
American people with their great appetite for humour at the expense
of their official line, even came up with Internet games to mock the
leadership. Not so the Indian media, which, by and large, in line
with the system, continues to pay obeisance to his target, President
Bush. The enormity of Mumbai’s horror appears to have blunted the
questioning spirit that used to be associated with otherwise liberal
and usually credible lot of people.
Film lyricist Javed Akhtar and his actor wife Shabana Azmi were
usually known for questioning the ‘official account’ on any number of
burning issues. But after Mumbai, even they find themselves aligned
with the official theory on what happened in Mumbai and how.
Ironically for them Minorities Affairs Minister Abdul Rehman Antulay,
known otherwise as the system’s man, has become the cheerleader of
the people who have heaps of questions to ask about Mumbai. Mr Akhtar
(and the pliant media) believes Mr Antulay should resign for raising
doubts about the way the head of Mumbai’s Anti-Terror Squad (ATS)
Hemant Karkare was killed during the Mumbai attacks. But the liberals
and ordinary people, including a good many Muslims, are applauding Mr
Antulay for asking the questions that are needed at worst of times in
any democracy.
Mumbai-based group Muslims for Secular Democracy (MSD), of which Mr
Akhtar is president, said in a statement last week that it was
“shocked and horrified by the highly irresponsible and outrageous
statement” of Mr Antulay. “He has expressed doubts over the identity
of the killers of the former chief, Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) of the
Maharashtra police, Mr Hemant Karkare, insinuating that the killing
of Mr Karkare and his colleagues in the ATS was the result of a
conspiracy. The suggestion is that it was the job of some Hindu
extremist groups in collusion with their sympathisers with men in
uniform.”
Mr Akhtar goes on to express his outrage through the MSD statement.
It says: “The world is convinced – on the basis of evidence provided
by the Indian government – that the terrorists responsible for 26/11
camefrom Pakistan and belonged to Lashkar-e-Tayyeba, a terrorist
outfit and a sworn enemy of India. That is why there is demand from
governments all over that the Pakistan government act, firmly and
swiftly against the Pakistan-based perpetrators of terror. Not
surprisingly, the Pakistan government is dragging its feet claiming
it has yet to be shown ‘incontrovertible evidence’. Very
surprisingly, and shockingly, Mr Antulay, a minister in the Union
Cabinet, has similar doubts.”
The fact, however, is that Mr Antulay, who is otherwise not a patch
on Mr Javed Akhtar’s credibility as a well-meaning citizen, merely
wanted to know (perhaps with an eye on elections) one or two things.
One of them was why the police officer was sent and who sent him to a
certain street where he was ambushed by suspected Pakistani
terrorists. Another question Mr Antulay asked was why the government
had not introduced a bill against communalism, which it had promised
to do at the start of its innings five years ago.
In his eagerness to criticise Mr Antulay, Mr Akhtar has ignored a few
facts. He obviously does not include the Middle East in ‘the world’
that is ‘convinced’ of the Indian government’s line. Mr Akhtar should
read Atul Aneja’s analysis in The Hindu about how neither the
governments nor the people in the Middle East seem convinced that the
Mumbai attacks were a straightforward act of terrorism and not
anything more far reaching. Iran’s deputy foreign minister Mohammed
Mahdi Akhoundzadeh who was in Delhi last week told senior journalists
at a breakfast meeting that the Mumbai attack was ‘complex’ and
appeared to have benefited people who were against the proposed gas
pipeline between Iran, Pakistan and India. “Who were the gainers and
who the losers?” he asked. It’s too unwieldy a question for even Mr
Antulay to handle. According to Aneja’s dispatch: “The Mumbai terror
attacks have generated a vigorous debate in West Asia. In most major
countries, these are being interpreted as an incident that is likely
to usher in a new phase in the so-called global war on terror led by
the United States. The war on terrorism, which has so far focussed on
Iraq and Afghanistan within the strategic ambit of West Asia, has
moved into South Asia with India as its new pillar.” Has the Indian
media even bothered to look at it from a global perspective?
You can call it a conspiracy theory or theories, but Aneja was wise
enough to file them. He says: “Many, especially in Iran and Saudi
Arabia, see the attacks as part of a plot hatched by Washington and
some of its allies to stoke a major geopolitical realignment in the
wider West Asia-South Asia region. Several commentators are of the
view that in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, India has either been co-
opted already as an active partner of the US, Israel and the UK in
this war or is being ‘trapped’ to join the unseemly coalition.”
It is nobody’s case that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish as well as other
obscurantist groups in Pakistan that preach hatred and violence need
to be weeded out, but that should be done in any case regardless of
who ever carried out the mindless massacre in Mumbai. And whoever
carried out the attacks has helped cement India’s military nexus with
the so-called war on terrorism, an understatement for becoming
America’s sherpas like Pakistan has been for ever since we can
remember. To that extent the attack in Mumbai could be seen as
India’s Pearl Harbour, giving it an excuse to indulge in global
military adventurism. One hopes this won’t happen. And that is the
point for Mr Akhtar to ponder. Forget Mr Antulay. He is probably
doing a small favour to the Congress party by playing on Muslim
sentiments even if he has asked a few good questions in the process.
Mr Akhtar won’t be able to play that role with any conviction. He
needs to put on his thinking cap, like Michael Moore.
_____
[5]
The Hindu
29 December 2008
CULTURE EMERGES AS SITE OF STRUGGLE: K.N. PANIKKAR
Special Correspondent
Communal historiography seeks to deny the secular heritage and ignore
the variety of cultural articulations
‘Nationalism given cultural character’
‘Political discourse not divorced from cultural concerns’
KANNUR: Indian History Congress (IHC) president K.N. Panikkar said
here on Sunday that culture had emerged as a site of struggle as the
communal historiography in the country seeks to deny the secular
heritage and ignore the variety of cultural articulations within a
community.
Delivering his presidential address titled ‘Culture as a site of
struggle’ at the 69th session of the IHC on the Mangattuparamba
campus of Kannur University, Dr. Panikkar said the communal
historiography had attributed an exclusively cultural character to
nationalism because in the bulk of Indian historiography, the nation
was located either in the economic or the political space without
tracing its connection with the cultural.
Observing that the political discourse was not divorced from cultural
concerns implicit in goals of national unity, social diversity and
religious communitarianism, Dr. Panikkar said cultural attributes
such as homogeneity, plurality and superiority informed these goals.
Protagonists of communalism masquerading as historians were seeking
to besmirch the secular heritage of Indian civilisation. The Indian
historiography had thus become a site of struggle between secular and
communal interpretations, among others.
Stating that the ideological influence of the colonial and neo-
colonial histories continued to persist, the IHC president said these
histories tended to mask the reality of colonial oppression. Communal
interpretation was primarily engaged in undermining the secular
traditions, while nationalist historiography tried to expose the
colonial structure of exploitation.
He said Marxist historiography not only exposed how the hegemonic
character of culture justified and maintained the exploitative
system, but also underscored the role of culture as a source of
resistance.
“In the communal strategy, the study of culture fulfils two purposes:
first, to identify culture with religion and secondly, to redefine
the nation exclusively through this relationship,” he said.
Distortion of history, either through factual misrepresentation in
textbooks or invention of facts in research, was intended to achieve
these purposes.
Dr. Panikkar said an implicit struggle between those who viewed
culture as a secular practice and those who identified it with
religion was inherent in the making of India as a nation. The
significance of Mahatma Gandhi’s initiative to create a cultural
consciousness was that it sought to equip the people for higher
social and political efforts. The secular conception of Indian
culture was the common thread connecting the ideas of Gandhiji,
Tagore and Anand K. Coomaraswamy.
The nation was a cultural construct in the communal conception of the
nation, with culture understood as an integral part of religion, Dr.
Panikkar said. This conception assumed that each religious community
was culturally homogeneous and distinct. “The cultural logic of
communalism seeks to unburden the secular cultural baggage that
society has acquired historically,” he said. In the process, the
heterogeneity was ignored.
in his speech delivered after being installed as general president of
the IHC, Dr. Panikkar said cultural Marxism opened up a range of
possibilities for enquiring into the problems relating to culture and
social consciousness.
D.D. Kosambi’s study of Indian history represented a re-orientation,
with culture occupying a central place. He lamented that the critical
and innovative approach to the study of culture which Kosambi had
pursued was yet to herald, in any significant measure, the arrival of
a new cultural turn in Marxist historiography in the country. “The
relatively inadequate attention to the study of culture in Marxist
historiography has made it easier for communalism and imperialism to
appropriate the study of culture,” he said.
_____
[6]
Kashmir Times
31 December 2008
BRIDGING THE GULF
DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALIZATION IS THE ANSWER
The emergence of the BJP, political face of the sangh parivar, as the
main opposition in Jammu has the ominous portent of further
strengthening the existing communal polarisation apart from the
regional divide caused during the Amarnath yatra related agitation
which had left its trail behind. The saffron party not only bagged as
many as 11 seats in the Hindu-majority areas of the region but also
managed to have significant increase in its share of votes. Though
one of the reasons for the party's success was the division of the
secular votes with large number of candidates in the fray and
infighting within the Congress, which alone was in a position to meet
its challenge, it was the communal polarisation created during the
agitation that paid it much dividend. Apart from the communal card
the BJP also tried to exploit the question of alleged discrimination
with Jammu to win the people's support in the region. At a time when
there was need to demolish the walls of distrust between the
communities and regions the election has been a catalyst for further
strengthening the communal and regional gulf. In the past the ruling
parties, particularly the Congress and National Conference, had
adopted a policy of appeasement of the communal forces both to buy
peace and to weaken the secular democratic opposition keeping in view
their narrow political considerations. In case of the formation of a
National Conference-Congress coalition the BJP will naturally assume
the role of the major opposition party in Jammu region and the PDP in
Kashmir. There are frightening prospects of the perpetuation of the
already existing regional and communal polarisation in the State.
This poses a serious challenge to all those who are interested in
communal amity and the unity and integrity of the State. Much of the
responsibility to face this challenge lies on the new government
which is likely to assume office in next few days though other
secular democratic forces outside the ruling establishments too have
to play their role in this regard.
Having tasted the blood the communal forces are bound to intensify
their campaign for creating a regional/communal divide in the State
to satisfy their appetite and achieve their objective of a communal
division of the State. It's for the secular democratic parties and
forces to rise above narrow partisan considerations, unmindful of
their short-term gains, to unitedly meet this challenge. They must
forget their petty difference and
join hands for launching an ideological battle to expose the real
character of the communal elements and mobilize the people against
their nefarious designs. The attempts to whip up regional passions
aimed at dividing the State can be frustrated by positive action on
the part of those assuming the reins of office. That there are
discriminations at various levels cannot be denied. It is the present
system of governance that provides causes of discrimination and
instead of refusing to accept the reality of such discrimination
there is need to remove the causes. A centralized system of
governance, particularly in the state with vast diversities, is bound
to lead to a sense of deprivation and neglect among the people in
various regions and areas. The only way to remove any misgivings and
sources of exploitation for accentuating intra-regional tensions is
to evolve a system of governance which can ensure equitable sense of
participation both at the decision making and implementation level in
the affairs of the state to people living in all the areas and
regions of the State and belonging to different communities. A truly
decentralized system with adequate power and authority at its
different tiers like the state, regions, districts, blocks and
panchayats is the only way out. Unfortunately, such a system has not
been evolved by those in power during the past 60 years. Instead od
decentralizing political, economic and administrative powers and
authority a highly centralised system with powers concentrated in few
hands has been perpetuated. It is this very system that breeds
discrimination and a sense of deprivation at various levels.
The new government, one hopes, will initiate necessary steps without
much delay to transform the present centralized system of polity and
governance into a genuine democratically decentralized system for
providing equitable sense of participation to all the citizens of the
State. For this purpose the State Constitution needs to be amended to
provide for a five-tier system. Such an instituionalised framework
will go a long way in removing all complaints of discrimination and
neglect at different levels and ensuring equitable development. All
the three major political parties-NC, Congress and PDP - are
committed to the concept of federalism and are in a position to
evolve a federal set up in place of the present centralized system of
governance.
_____
[7]
Women's organizations on indefinite relay fast in imphal
Dr Sandeep Pandey, National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM)
Dear friends,
women's organizations in manipur, coordinated by 'meira
paibee' (mothers' organization), have come together as 'sharmila
kanba lup' (save sharmila group) to launch an idefinite hunger strike
since the international human rights day, december 10, this year,
with the slogan 'save sharmila, repeal AFSPA'. hundreds of women from
nearby areas arrive every morning and sit for the entire day and next
day it is the turn of women from another locality. with a strong
network of 'meira paibees' in manipur the movement is self-
propelling. groups of women are coming in by reading about the
protest in local newspapers.
the fast is going on at PDA complex, next to jawahar lal nehru
hospital in imphal, where irom chanu sharmila is under arrest in a
hospital ward. she is charged with attempt to commit suicide.
it is now the 8th year continuing of irom sharmila's fast! her demand
is very simple - 'repeal armed forces special powers act'. but the
government has now even stopped talking to her. recently in protest
she even gave up nasal feed, which has kept her alive, but later the
doctors and jail staff convinced her to resume nasal feed. one can
only imagine how she can go on being fed through nose every day for 8
years.
i met her in the hospital today along with some journalists. to meet
her one has to get permission from the offices of CM, prinipal secy.,
joint secy., DGP and jail authorities. sharmila's brother singhjit
arranged the permission for me.
since the last time i met her in sept. 2007, she has become paler -
because of lack of nutrition and sunlight. but inspite of being
disappointed that sonia gandhi has not responded to her letter that
she gave us last time and which NAPM activist faisal khan had handed
over to ahmed patel, she is determined to continue her struggle. she
has tremendous faith in god and is certain that she will succeed one
day.
i've extended NAPM's total support to the struggle of women of
manipur. earlier bela bhatia had also come here to express solidarity
with the women's movement in the early days of the ongoing fast. i
think more activists from other states of india must come out to
imphal to support this extraordinary struggle.
contact's in imphal: irom singhjit singh (brother of irom sharmila):
9862696184, shanti devi (one of the women coordinators of meira
paibee): 9856192286
love,
sandeep
imphal, 29th december, 2008
______
[8]
December 28, 2008
MCC CALLS FOR END TO ISRAELI BOMBING
Condemns Hamas for inciting hostilities
TORONTO - The Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC) has expressed alarm at
the on-going Israeli attacks on Gaza and has asked the international
community to intervene and bring about an immediate ceasefire. In a
statement, the MCC condemned the disproportionate response by the IDF
to the rocket attacks by Hamas, leading to hundreds of casualties.
The MCC statement also condemned Hamas for treating the Palestinian
people as human-bait in a ploy to provoke Israel into launching an
all-out attack on Gaza. In censuring Hamas, the MCC said, the
Islamist group had deliberately put the civilian population of Gaza
in danger as it played the role of Iran's agent provocateur in the
region.
The MCC believes Hamas deliberately rocketed Israel in an attempt to
provoke an Israeli response. The fact that Hamas did not fire a
single rocket at Egypt, despite that country's blockade of Gaza,
clearly demonstrates the attacks on Israel were not to protest the
blockade, but to trigger a military response.
Instead of working towards a two-state solution and the creation of a
Palestinian State, Hamas has done everything in its power to
undermine the authority of President Mahmoud Abbas and sabotage the
peace process. No other national liberation movement in modern
history has offered martyrdom as a substitute to freedom and
statehood. Hamas has set back the clock for the Palestinians and it
is time for all Palestinians to recognize that Hamas offers only
death, destruction and a place in Paradise, not a Palestinian State.
The MCC urges the Palestinian people to take the road of non-violence
and civil disobedience to achieve Palestinian Statehood and an end to
Israeli occupation. The path to sovereignty and nationhood can be
accomplished by walking in the steps of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. King,
not Syed Qutb and Osama Bin Laden.
Notwithstanding the follies of Hamas, the MCC feels Israel's bombings
are inexcusable and condemns the continuing Israeli attacks on Gaza.
The MCC demands Israel end its incursion and lift the economic
blockade of the territory, which has turned Gaza into one large human
cage.
The MCC offers its deepest condolences to the families of the dead
and prays for the speedy recovery of the wounded.
- 30 -
_____
[Announcements:
(i) No War Rally planned Please send the messages of peace and
solidarity Labour Party Pakistan is organizing a “no war rally” on
31 December in Lahore.
The rally is being organized in close cooperation with Women Workers
Help Line, National Trade Union Federation, Progressive Youth Front,
Labour EducationFoundation and Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee.
The rally will start at 2pm on Wednesday 31 December from Regal
Chouck on the main Mall Road of Lahore and will end at Charing
Cross. The rally is organized in the background of growing danger of
a war between Indiaand Pakistan. It will demand no war but peace. It
will condemn terrorism both on individual basis and state level. It
will demand an action against armed terroristgroups according to the
law. It will condemn the abductions of people for anyreason. The
rally will condemn the American attacks on Pakistan and will demand
an immediate end of bombing of Pakistan territory by Americans on the
excuse ofcurbing terrorism. The rally will condemn religious
fundamentalism and imperialist way of fighting against it.
It is expected that hundreds of LPP members and supporters will
participate. Please join us if you are in Lahore. We will appreciate
message of peace and solidarity with the peace movement to be read at
the rally. We will especially ask our friends
in South Asia to write fewwords for this important event.
Farooq Tariq
spokesperson Labour Party
Pakistan 40-Abbot Road Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: 92 42 6315162 Fax: 92 42 6271149 Mobile: 92
300 8411945 labour_party at yahoo.com
www.laborpakistan.org www.jeddojuhd.com
- - -
(ii)
Dear Friends:
RALLY AGAINST THE WAR MONGERS IN INDIA AND PAKISTAN
JANUARY 1, 2009
1:30 p.m.
Punjabi Market, Surrey, BC
(Scott Road @ 92nd Ave)
We urge all our members and friends to join in this Rally, on the
first day of the new year. Let a message of Peace and Social Justice
be sent to the rulers of India and Pakistan, and to the war-mongers
and vested interests in the two societies who are trying to turn a
horrible tragedy of terrorist attacks in Mumbai into National
jingoism and war hysteria.
Let a clear and loud voice go back to the lands of our origin and let
this voice join with similar voices and aspirations of the people of
the two counries: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. We have fought many wars and none
seem to have done any good to the two societies or its people. It is
time we leave aside our histories of distrust, hostiities, and
animosity. It is time we stop wasting the huge amounts of our scarce
resources in the war machinery, and begin to solve the real problems
faced by the vast majority of people : problems of deprivation,
poverty, social injustices. illiteracy, poor health.
And it is time we begin to deal with our problems and our histories
together and with good will - without any need for an outside mediation.
SANSAD congratulates the very many good people in our community who
have taken it upon themselves to take this worthy initiative. We
fully support it and endorse it.
PLEASE COME AND JOIN THE RALLY ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 1.
hari sharma
for SANSAD
- - -
(ii)
SAHMAT
8, Vithalbhai Patel House, Rafi Marg
New Delhi-110001
Telephone-23711276/ 23351424
e-mail-sahmat at vsnl.com
30.12.2008
details of the 20 Years of SAHMAT programme.
20 Years of SAHMAT, 1989-2009
The end of the year 2008 marks the completion of 20 years of
activities of the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT). Formed in
January 1989, a few weeks after the brutal murder of Safdar Hashmi,
SAHMAT became a platform for artists, cultural activists and
intellectuals to intervene in crucial political and cultural debates,
through activities aimed at defending cultural spaces, opposing
divisiveness in all forms and strengthening the bonds of artistic
untiy. Upholding the values of a plural and secular culture, some of
SAHMAT’s interventions, like those after the Babri Masjid demolition
in Ayodhya in 1992, became important markers of resistance to the
communal politics seeking to overwhelm our country.
Over these two decades, SAHMAT has staged performances, mounted art
exhibitions, published books and posters in the thousands, organized
seminars and conferences, and held innumerable other protest actions,
in which hundreds have participated.
Programme
1 January
SAHMAT has observed 1st January every year in New Delhi as a thematic
memorial to Safdar Hashmi. The programme on 1 January 2009 (1.30 pm
onwards, at Constitution Club lawns, Rafi Marg) will include: Kabir
Bani by Prahlad Singh Tipania and Group from the Malwa region of
Madhya Pradesh; the Manganiar repertoire of Rajasthani folk and Sufi
music by Anwar Khan and Ghazi Khan Barana and Group; music
performances by Rabbi Shergill, Sunanda Sharma, Jasbir Jassi, Vidya
Shah, Madangopal Singh; contemporary dance by Astad Deboo; a puppet
play by Dadi Pudumjee; and a performance by Maya Rao.
The programme will also pay tribute to painter Manjit Bawa and
journalist Sabina Sehgal Saikia, the two friends of SAHMAT who
contributed immensely to its growth and whom we have lost in the
recent past.
Publications:
20 Years of Sahmat: a document of SAHMAT activities and of the more
than 100 statements issued by SAHMAT over the last 20 years
Soorat Badalni Chahiye: a collection of popular songs
Bahas Ananta: a chronicle of the debates and discussions that have
been conducted around SAHMAT activities
2009 SAHMAT calendar: commemorating the street theatre activities of
SAHMAT and National Street Theatre Day is being brought out.
SAHMAT journal: presenting a brief visual history of SAHMAT’s activities
8 January
Lecture by Prof. Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University) on the
possibilities of a radical alternative to standard liberal
orthodoxies about democracy (5 pm, Deputy Speaker’s Hall,
Constitution Club, Rafi Marg)
15 January
Opening of Image Music Text, an exhibition mapping the trajectory of
the 20-year cultural journey of SAHMAT (6 pm, at the M.F. Husain
Gallery, Jamia Millia Islamia University). The exhibition will
showcase SAHMAT projects over the last 20 years like Artists Alert,
Janotsav, Images and Words, Hum Sab Ayodhya, Postcards for Gandhi,
Art on the Move, Ways of Resisting, The Making of India, Making
History our Own, in the contexts of the times they were conceived.
Stage backdrops, videos, street banners, posters, mobile exhibitions
and the books published by SAHMAT will be a part of the display.
There will also be a series of lectures, performances and street
plays during the month-long run of the exhibition. The exhibition
will be on view till 14 February 2009.
17 January
Screening of SAHMAT films (4-6 pm, M.F. Husain Gallery, Jamia Millia
Islamia University)
Sufi-Bhakti music by Vidya Shah (6.30 pm, Ansari Auditorium, Jamia
Millia Islamia University)
20 January
Lecture by Prof. Arindam Dutta (MIT) on SAHMAT’s activities
immediately following the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6
December 1992 (4 pm, Edward Said Hall, Administrative Building, Jamia
Millia Islamia University)
31 January
Sufi-Bhakti music by Madangopal Singh and Rekha Raj (4.30 pm, M.F.
Husain Gallery, Jamia Millia Islamia University)
SAHMAT
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