[sacw] SACW #1 (8 Sept. 01)

[Harsh Kapoor]

South Asia Citizens Wire / Dispatch No.1
8 September 2001
http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex

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

[1.] Bangladesh: Appeal from the Students of Jahangirnagar University
[2.] Pakistanis: Mute Sufferers or the Unsung Heroes! (by Iftikhar Malik)
[3.] India: The Swayamsevak speaks again - Vajpayee's credibility as=20
a "liberal" is badly eroded by his own actions (by Praful Bidwai)
[4.] New issue of Akhbar is online
[5.] RSS / VHP publicists at work in France
[6.] Campaign for the liberation of Dr. Shaikh, sentenced to death in=20
Pakistan for blasphemy

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

#1.

Appeal from the Students of Jahangirnagar University

APPEAL FROM BANGLADESH
PLEASE WRITE AT LEAST ONE LINE IN PROTEST AT THESE EMAIL ADDRESSES
vc@j...
bayes@j...
Appeal from the Students of Jahangirnagar University, from the Anti=20
Rape Movement

Raise Your Voice
Brutal Attack on Female students of Students Unity for Rapist's=20
Resistance(SURR)
Expelled Seven activists of SURR from the University
Since 1998 the students of Jahangirnagar University is struggling for=20
the punishment of the
identified rapists. All the rapists are from Bangladesh Students=20
League (BSL), the student's
wings of Bangladesh Awami League, which was the political party in=20
Government at that time.
The Anti Rape movement forced the authority to identify the rapists,=20
but the punishment was
minimal. The university authority took different action for the=20
rapist students, who were equally
guilty for the criminal offense, rape. There are godfathers of the=20
rapist within the University
administration and teachers' community, and there is a strong=20
pro-rape lobby in action in
university campus. That is why it was easy for the rapists to enter=20
the university campus. But the
Students Unity for Rapist's Resistance (SURR) always protested their=20
entry and knocks them
down from the university. The main demands of the anti rape movement=20
are: 1) Establishing the
Sexual Harassment Policy and putting a sexual harassment acquisition=20
cell, 2) Expulsion of all
identified rapists and cancellation of the academic certificates of=20
the rapists.
This year one of the rapists, Anisur Rahman Anis, tried to take part=20
in the honors examination.
The female students felt insecure to sit with a known rapist and=20
entire students' community along
with the students of English Department strongly protested the=20
matter. The students felt serious
threat to the academic environment of the campus, when a rapist is=20
joining their campus life.
They boycotted the rapist socially, and declared that no students can=20
sit for classes with rapists,
as it's nothing but an insult for their studentship. But the=20
pro-rapists administration does not
bother what the general students felt; their only concern is to=20
support strongly the armed rapists,
because they can serve in the university teachers' politics. This has=20
nothing to do with the
anti-rape spirit of the movement. They are more than steady to fight=20
like. The pressure of the
movement made them bar to take the examination of rapist Anis, but=20
for this year only. Alas! it is
great loss for the administration. Revenge came towards the activist=20
of the movement, female
students got the rape threat, male students are terrorized not to get=20
into the dorms. At last on
23rd August 2001 SURR students were at a sit in strike in front of=20
the registers building
demanding expulsion of all identified rapists and cancelling the=20
academic certificates of the
rapists. But at the end of the academic council meeting, the students=20
of SURR ask the Vice
Chancellor, about the decision regarding their demand. But VC tried=20
to avoid declaring the
decision and he hit the students (see The Daily Sangbad: 26 August,=20
2001) and went out without
saying a word. A student activist, taking picture of the VC's=20
unwanted act upon the students, got
marked along with the other organizer of the movements. At once in a=20
meeting of disciplinary
committee executing his autocratic power as a vice chancellor,=20
temporarily expelled seven
students activist of the anti-rape movement. Show cause letters has=20
been sent for twenty-five
students, of them there are names who were not even present in the=20
gathering assembled in 23rd
August. On protest of such an un-democratic expulsion SURR called=20
student strike today (25th
August 2001). But in front of the police, some students of the=20
Bangladesh Chatra League
attacked the students gathering on strike at the Social Science=20
Building. Their main target were
female students, they hit female students, many were injured=20
including eight female and several
other male students. To disregard the demand of SURR, the pro-rapist=20
administration and the
students are continuously threatening the activists, an armed cadre=20
of the BCL rally was
screaming at female student pronouncing the rape threat. A hit list=20
being made to beat the male
students in the halls. The campus life of the anti rape movement=20
activists are insecure.
We appeal to all-

1. Join the anti rape movement of Jahangirnagar University
2. Join the demand of Sexual Harassment Policy
3. Raise you voice against such an autocratic pro-rapist=20
administration ofJahangirnagar
4. Act to nullify the expulsion of the SURR activists.

Please protest at
Abdul Bayes
Vice-chancellor, Jahnagirnagar University, Savar Dhaka
vc@j...
bayes@j...

You may act on this draft protest letter and send it to the Vice Chancellor

Abdul Bayes
Vice Chancellor, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka

We/I strongly protest the pro rapist action taken by the university=20
administration, such as:

1) granting a special permission of readmission of a known rapist=20
(and canceling the rapist's
examination only for this year, not canceling the readmission and=20
studentship for good),
2) delaying the procedure of establishing sexual harassment policy in=20
the campus,
3) avoiding the administrative steps to cancel the studentship and=20
academic certificates of all
rapists identified during 1998 anti rape movement, V. C. has taken=20
action, and expelled seven
students active in the anti rape movement.

We/I therefore express our deep concern regarding the university=20
academic environment. We
found the demand of the students for a rape and rapist free safe=20
campus is their democratic right.

_________

#2.

Pakistanis: Mute Sufferers or the Unsung Heroes!

(Dr. Iftikhar H. Malik)

On that dry, crispy but immensely hot August morning, I=20
decided to walk from Turbat's Park Hotel to the town centre to buy=20
Dawn from Maulana Dashti's news agency near the main bus stop.=20
Donning my brother's kurta-shalwar and Talagang-made Kohati chappals,=20
my well above six foot frame still did not betray my Punjabi/Salt=20
Range identity. Even my Urdu accent by now had assumed a pronounced=20
Sindhi-Balochi characteristic and thus assured of my Baloch=20
credentials, I ventured into the news shop. "You don't pay for this=20
paper; we don't charge our guests", said an affable Maulana Dashti, a=20
look-alike of Maulana Hasrat Mohani.
"How could you figure out I was a guest, plus with this approach how=20
could you run a profitable business, Maulana Sahib?" I quipped in a=20
state of amazement.
"Well, we know the guests from the locals; we do not get that many=20
any way". Maulana Sahib was adamant and offered me a seat. "It is=20
very hot here and you should have something to drink". Following a=20
glass of chilled water I downed a cup of tea in the midst of the=20
shop, packed with Urdu, Balcohi, Arabic and English books. Encounter=20
after encounter with the kind, warm and immensely hospitable people=20
of Makran was yet another reminder of traditional values that many=20
places have lost in their unquestioned rush for modernity. The=20
previous night, I had been invited to a Baloch advocate's house=20
outside Turbat where we were served to a sumptuous supper on Balochi=20
rugs. The desert night had melted into the early hours of morning=20
while Nausherwani Sahib narrated the stories of tribal heroics and we=20
endlessly munched on the delicious dates from his native Kharan,=20
which to him were the best in the world. As encapsulated in Balochi=20
and Urdu works by Professor Ghani Parwaz, Makran's history is replete=20
with encounters of the various types. The Greeks, Persians, Arabs,=20
Afghans, Turks, Mughals, Africans and the British all "had been here"=20
and have left their imprints. Alexander rushed through the region=20
staying close to the Arabian Sea so as to avoid the sweltering sun,=20
rugged terrain and invading Baloch tribals; while the heart-broken=20
Punnan, the hero of the famous folk-tale-Sassi-Punnoo -came back to=20
his native Turbat to breathe his last. Turbat is the second largest=20
town after Quetta in the largest province of Pakistan, though has its=20
own travails including unemployment, lack of basic infra structure=20
and a threatening spectre of intolerance. In the quiet, cool and=20
clear air of a moonlit night, away from the unrelenting wet of=20
England and uninterrupted humidity of upper Punjab, Balochistan's=20
down-to-earth inhabitants embodied the vastness of their immensely=20
majestic land. The well-known Koh-i-Murad shimmered in the moonlight=20
a couple of miles away, just beyond the secluded official buildings.=20
The sun-baked khaki terrain seemed heaving a sigh of relief though in=20
recent years the drought has been seriously taxing.
-------------------
In the leafy and well-provided Islamabad I waited for a nod=20
from the Joint Secretary's personal assistant, as I wanted to see Mr.=20
Ashraf Khan seeking official figures and policies on religious=20
minorities. I had already sent in my one-page curricular vitae for=20
Mr. Khan's attention trying to save his time on trivia.
"Doctor Sahib, if I take you right now to any hospital, your=20
colleagues would never give us any appointment, but we in the=20
Ministry are different. See, how we have accommodated you!" uttered=20
Ashraf Sahib, with two of his cronies nodding their heads in unison.
"Dear Khan Sahib! First of all, thank you very much for accommodating=20
me and secondly, I am afraid, I'm not a medical doctor; I am a=20
professor. I had sent in my CV for your consideration", I observed=20
politely.
To this, Khan Sahib took a cursory and unindulgent look at the sheet=20
and muttered mischievously:
"Very impressive CV; you must be nominated for Nobel Prize".
To shut him off, I only suggested that the Joint Secretary of the=20
Ministry of Minority Affairs had a rather interesting sense of=20
humour. But Khan Sahib was never to relent:
"People ask us various things about minorities so that they can=20
publish all the non-sense for asylum purposes in Oxford or London".
"I don't need that as I am already settled there. In fact, any=20
assistance from the ministry will naturally help me in ascertaining=20
facts". I submitted.
"Are you a Christian yourself that you want to write about these=20
minorities?" Khan was persistent.
"It is immaterial, as I am a Pakistani and Christians are supposed to=20
have equal rights like anybody else". I suggested.
The irritated Khan Sahib had no more time or patience left so I was=20
handed over to a junior officer who, instead of insisting on prior=20
written questions, politely gave me the required information and I=20
left the Civic Centre.
--------------------
How these two experineces symbolise the increasing void between the=20
peoples of Pakistan and their government is acutely obvious to anyone=20
and is a rather daily experience for every Pakistani. We academics=20
and analysts keep on producing reams of papers dilating on the=20
governability crisis in our country by invariably focusing on the=20
leaders and high politics while mostly ignoring the societal=20
realities. Without sounding simplistic, one can easily suggest that=20
Pakistan's major most dilemma owes itself to a growing chasm between=20
the official policies and the societal prerogatives. In fact, the=20
consensus among Pakistanis on any official department varies from=20
sheer criticism to cynicism: "It does not work at all without=20
registering any affluence or influence". In most cases, the officials=20
and their policies simply abhor and penalise ordinary people-even=20
going beyond their sheer colonial remit of mai bap.
No doubt, for the former East Bengalis and today's ordinary=20
Pakistanis, the entire set-up all the way from federation to a small=20
thana, or from ministries to embassies, has simply symbolised=20
corruption and tardiness. Every regime augurs itself by promising a=20
breakthrough but ends up solely depending upon the same corrupt and=20
injudicious structures. From the hospitals to schools and from=20
revenue officials to police stations and from judiciary to=20
secretariat, the entire state suffers from inertia and lethargy=20
abhorring accountability, transparency and innovation. It has been=20
inherently status quoist, but, over the successive decades, a=20
weakened civil society, dented political culture, tampered=20
constitutionalism and intelligence agencies running amok all have=20
rendered bureaucracy totally indolent and weary of efficiency and=20
merit. The Army itself being the strongest arm of the same=20
bureaucracy is equally change-resistant and by frequently meddling in=20
the domestic affairs and by taking on an extra-constitutional role,=20
it has co-opted similar characteristics from its civilian=20
counterpart. Despite frequent reassurances from a pliant media of its=20
professionalism and patriotism, it is obvious to any observer that=20
the Army's professionalism at all the levels has been seriously=20
compromised. Even during the civilian interludes, thanks to the=20
unilateral role and due to an absence of an unfettered analysis, any=20
criticism of army's interventionism or its extra-constitutional=20
pursuit is frowned upon as an unpatriotic activity. Even the sad=20
events of 1971 or the longest spell under Zia resulting into serious=20
fissures and volatility in the society are not critically welcomed;=20
rather the entire blame is apportioned to India and our politicians.=20
The Hammood Report brought forth the anomalies but no one has the=20
temerity to bell the cat. The ever-increasing treatises by the=20
retired generals may like us to exonerate them for whatever they did=20
to this otherwise a land of immense human and natural resources. The=20
fact, however, remains that overthrowing regimes, doctoring political=20
processes, determining budgetary policies, running Pakistan's=20
domestic and foreign polices and establishing alternative and rather=20
shifty civilian structures and political alliances have grievously=20
weakened a bruised nationhood.
-------------------
I was given the briefest introduction last April in Dhaka=20
when, before my lecture, a professor of international relations=20
simply observed: "=8A welcome back to your own country!" I wished it=20
were still true. I wished it should have not happened the way it did.=20
I wished I could atone for all the atrocities of 1971 and the=20
unaccounted disaster of our homeland. I wished only if we could=20
publicly try Yahya, Niazi and so many of their associates who brought=20
us to this degradation! Later on, sitting with the stateless people=20
in the Muhammadpur Camp, I tried to be a good listener though I=20
wished I carried a magic potion to dry those tearful eyes. Like=20
millions of my fellow citizens, I felt embarrassed and helpless=20
though my heart went out to Biharis and Bangladeshis alike. On my=20
return to Karachi while visiting the Quaid's tomb, I tried to relive=20
the dreams shared by people across the regions, which have been=20
endlessly ruined by so few at the top. While looking at the parading=20
Jawans, I remembered thousands of their colleagues-poor sepoys-lost=20
in numerous unplanned and unnecessary battles in Chittagong, Dhaka,=20
Chiwindah, Akhnoor, Siachin, Kargil, Wagah, Kutch, Karachi, Somalia=20
and so on.
-------------------------
While speaking at the Royal College of Defence Studies on=20
contemporary Pakistan the other day, I could see quizzical smiles on=20
the faces of the senior civil and military officials from around the=20
50 countries when I referred to civic objections of Army's=20
predominant role in the body politic. Not only the civil=20
administration has become dependent upon Army, the officers--rather=20
than training themselves on the latest security techniques-- are=20
conducting local body elections, checking ID cards, preening exit=20
lists at the airports and distributing tax forms. Concurrently, the=20
senior commander have assumed full-fledged, cushioned administrative=20
positions all the way from federation to semi-public organisations.=20
General Musharraf holds six offices in one person-the highest=20
political, civilian and military-and his colleagues run a whole=20
gambit of public institutions varying from mills to Shia-Sunni=20
reconciliation committees. Such an extra-professional role is neither=20
justifiable nor desirable for the armed forces which, as the Quaid=20
had observed several times, was to be strictly subordinate to the=20
political authority. Ayub's dilly dallying with the BD system, Yahya=20
Khan's unnecessary and ruthless military operation in the eastern=20
wing, Zia's prolonged rule and ridicule of our national Constitution=20
and now again the judicial empowerment of a general to further amend=20
the Constitution will always baffle and sadden a future historian.
---------------------
On my return from the lower country, I was ensconced in a cool and=20
immensely luxurious office of a think tank discussing Army's=20
undefined role in the domestic and external affairs and its=20
consequences for the country and the forces. The office contained=20
every gadget and trophy except for any books or latest journals while=20
the green Margallas beyond the sprawling lawns reminded me of the=20
stark contrasts in this country. I was narrating the drudgeries of=20
life in Pakistan-for instance, the increase in poverty from 18% to=20
34%-- which, obviously did not register any impact. Turbat, Khuzdar,=20
Thar, Cholistan, Munnarra and Razmak appeared too distant from the=20
lush green Margallas. I tried in vain to reiterate what a human right=20
activist had said to me in Lahore: "How come the people holding 20%=20
of the budget are abysmally corrupt whereas the ones who hold the 80%=20
remain incorruptible?" Naturally, one is not supposed to discuss this=20
as it is against "our national interests and only the Indian and=20
Western agents engage in such anti-Pakistan heroics". In Karachi, an=20
unknown Pakistani had retorted me with a query: "Our generals and=20
ministers talk of Kashmir as if they were the rulers of Kashmir and=20
not of Pakistan". I only wished this societal realism could be=20
understood by the decision-makers in the city of lights!
---------------------
A hot and humid afternoon had failed to deter Ayub Idhar Udhar from=20
bringing me a photocopy of the book that I needed urgently. Hasan=20
Naqi and I. A. Rehman at the Human Rights Commission had graciously=20
given me their time while Ayub served us several cups of tea and now=20
he had cycled all the way from Garden Town to this far to deliver the=20
photocopies. I did not want to sound patronising nor could I let him=20
go just like that:
"Why do you call yourself Idhar Udhar, Ayub Bhai?"
"I have been shadowed and questioned by the intelligence agencies all=20
my active life. I worked for kiln workers and the CID would haunt my=20
sisters and brothers until I decided to go addressless. I live idhar=20
udhar while working for Pakistan's valiant voices such as Naqi=20
Sahib". His rickety cycle was a far cry from the posh cars congesting=20
Gulberg's and Defence 's boulevards.
I find so much in common between Ayub and Nizam Din, the PIA=20
official in Turbat, who, unlike his colleagues elsewhere, had=20
insisted on my having lunch with him and then dropped me at my hotel.=20
He simply would not let me walk in the blazing sun. How can I forget=20
the kindness of Ghani Baloch, a senior intellectual, who visited me=20
twice at my hotel to give me his books? His brother, Shah-i-Haider,=20
took me around to see Koh-i-Murad while Bijjar Baloch offered the=20
most delicious fish I ever had. The love and affection that I=20
received in Joseph Francis's office in Kutcha Ferozepur overwhelmed=20
me. I had one of the most sumptuous meals of my life with Francis's=20
younger colleagues, most of them law graduates now defending the=20
ever-increasing blasphemy cases. They are well organised, efficient=20
and motivated and I could see a new and vibrant Pakistan right there=20
in their tiny hearts. They are our strength and hope. These young=20
Christian girls reminded me so much of Fatima Jinnah though I felt=20
ashamed with all the mistreatment being meted out to them so often.=20
Only a few days earlier, six Christian girls had been raped a few=20
miles outside Lahore and not a single politician, general or mullah=20
had decried the heinous crime. {I could see why the Ministry's Ashraf=20
Khan wanted to identify me as a Christian.}
The contrast and divergence between the state and society in=20
Pakistan is crudely visible everywhere. For instance, to visit the=20
Khyber Pass, one requires an NOC-that colonial, useless artifact-for=20
which the Agency's outdated and immensely crude administration=20
confronts one's sensibilities. Even with an NOC, they can still stop=20
a traveller from reaching Torkham border post or may ridiculously=20
dissuade from taking pictures of the Pass! But the smiles at the=20
Charsi's Karahi House in Peshawar's Namak Mandi bring back all the=20
goodness and spontaneity in our society. For miles and miles, shops=20
have sprung up outside the Peshawar University selling smuggled goods=20
as the officialdom stays confined to the road. It wants you to=20
believe that Pakistan is shrunk to a mere road and these tribals are=20
simply uncivilised, unruly smugglers. Ironically, they also call it=20
ilaqa-i-ghair, foreign land! How stupid! How could you control the=20
drugs, guns and teetering economy if you don't own up to part of your=20
own homeland? It is painful to realise that the extremely crude=20
colonial rules are still applied by the Political Agents who are=20
adept in dividing and further corrupting these communities. The=20
tribals, as many studies suggest, desire to be integrated into the=20
mainland and are seeking equality but state's inertia has no limits,=20
not even a common sense to stop the malaise!
As long as the state and its functionaries keep their distance from=20
the populace and go on abusing their power without any concern or=20
commitment to the people, Pakistan's dilemma will remain unrectified.=20
We need durable political and empowered institutions representing the=20
people who would undertake vital decisions to create an overdue=20
equilibrium. The democratic system must be allowed to work its way=20
through so as to establish accountable and transparent traditions and=20
its tampering by any means or excuses and counter devices must end if=20
the country is to move out of vicious cycles. For Pakistan, there is=20
no other way-out except for reverting to unfettered democracy and the=20
solution to a slow and inept democracy is more democracy and not=20
another coup even if it is brought about by all the best intentions.=20
At the end of the day, politicians, elected by our people and rooted=20
in our culture, must take the vital decisions and not the=20
bureaucrats, generals or mullahs. They must simply tend to their own=20
professions, if they can! Not all politicians are bad and=20
irresponsible, and a freely operational political culture will itself=20
usher self-preening and pruning mechanics. Depoliticisation=20
campaigns, doctored electoral system, restrictions on civil society=20
and political parties, individual or sectional witch hunt, unilateral=20
constitutional amendments to suit ad hoc and personalist whims and=20
self-immolative schemes causing the deaths of so many of our young=20
people through suicides or emotional rhetoric will further exacerbate=20
our governability crisis. Moreover, they will seriously widen the=20
chasm between the static officialdom and the societal dynamics.=20
Pakistan's eternal rulers have to internalise the grassroots realties=20
otherwise the state will keep on sliding down.

_________

#3.

Appeared in "The Hindustan Times", August 31, 2001

Vajpayee's credibility as a "liberal" is badly eroded by his own actions
The Swayamsevak speaks again

By Praful Bidwai

For most middle class supporters of the BJP, who switched their=20
allegiance from centrist parties like the Congress in the 1990s, the=20
key attraction was never Hindutva, nor the BJP's far-from-credible=20
"party-with-a-difference" image. It was the personality of Atal=20
Behari Vajpayee. Crucial here was Vajpayee's tenuous claim to being a=20
"soft", consensual, "liberal", itself founded in no mean fashion on=20
his performance as Foreign Minister during the Janata period.=20
Vajpayee then tried to maintain continuity with India's=20
well-established, broadly secular, non-aligned Nehruvian foreign=20
policy and admiringly, even hung Nehru's portrait in his office-much=20
to the RSS's distaste, and in contradistinction to the Jana Sangh's=20
broadly pro-Western orientation.

That claim has now received a severe blow from, among other events,=20
the appointment of hardcore RSS non-resident Bhishma K. Agnihotri as=20
"adviser" in our embassy in Washington. Agnihotri, reportedly a close=20
friend of both Vajpayee and Advani, has long been a pivotal figure in=20
the RSS-USA, "Overseas Friends of the BJP", and associated outfits=20
which have raised hundreds of millions for the sangh parivar over a=20
decade. He played a key role in organising the famously embarrassing=20
Staten Island meting last September, at which Vajpayee made his=20
"I'll-forever-remain-a-Swayamsevak" speech. Agnihotri wears his=20
saffron loyalty on his sleeve.

Agnihotri might be a poorly known academic at a supremely obscure=20
university in Louisiana, a state known for jazz, Creole food and of=20
all those positively non-Aryan, mleccha-and-mongrel things the RSS=20
despises. But he is all set to undermine the authority of the Indian=20
Ambassador, himself a former foreign secretary. His appointment,=20
unprecedented in India's diplomatic history for mixing up lines of=20
command in this manner, is brazenly partisan, anti-consensual and=20
extremely divisive even for the Indian-American community. It is=20
likely to reinforce the impression that the Hindutva context is in=20
the ultimate analysis inseparable from major foreign policy shifts=20
under Vajpayee-whether through the "Om-made" nuclear Bomb, via a=20
strategic-diplomatic-economic realignment with the US cemented by a=20
shared Sinophobia, or in the form of many extraordinary concessions=20
made to US corporate interests in power, telecom and agribusiness.=20
All this is liable to dent Vajpayee's image as the NDA's sole leader=20
who could have invested governance with a larger purpose (but=20
didn't). Already, according to an India Today-ORG-Marg poll,=20
Vajpaye's acceptability ratings-earlier up to 14 percentage points=20
higher-have fallen below the BJP's, for the first time ever.

As for the sangh parivar, it probably sees Agnihotri's appointment as=20
a coup-on a par with its "capture" of secular "citadels" in=20
education, culture, the media, even science and technology. After=20
all, how many saffron academics would want to put lectures delivered=20
at the Deen Dayal Research Institute at Jhandewalan on their bio-data=20
sheet, as Agnihotri does? Surely, the chancellorship of a law centre,=20
however undistinguished, sounds far more exalted than the headship of=20
the 20-odd "universities" that Murli Manohar Joshi apparently cites=20
to support his claim that astrology is a "science" worthy of serious=20
teaching. These include such awe-inspiring institutions and learned=20
societies as "Eye of the Centaur", Green's School for Evolutionary=20
Astrology (based on the "Evolutionary Journey of the Soul Vols. 1 and=20
2"), Perry's Astro-Psychology Mentorship Program, Zoller's Medieval=20
Astrology Correspondence Course, Vedic Astrology for Market Timing,=20
and Kepler College of Astrological Arts... Never mind the yawning=20
contradiction here between Hindutva hubris and the indigenous-Aryan=20
"theory", on the one hand, and the desperate search for approbation=20
from foreign sources, on the other.

Deplorable as it is, Agnihotri's appointment is of a piece with a=20
general coarsening of our public culture in the recent past. Consider=20
just three of the many manifestations of this: Vajpayee's=20
"disclosure" of secret talks for a solution to the Ayodhya dispute;=20
the Home Minister's demand for amnesty for the perpetrators of human=20
rights abuses acting in the "national interest"; and other=20
authoritarian moves afoot, including a second avatar of the Terrorist=20
and Disruptive Activities Act, and shrill demands for disciplining=20
and censoring the "irresponsible" media.

Vajpayee's critically timed Ayodhya statement has produced a wave of=20
indignant disbelief. All pertinent organisations, including the=20
Muslim Personal Law Board and Babri Masjid Action Committee-parties=20
to the legal dispute, and logical candidates as negotiating=20
parties-have refuted the claim. The VHP, which militantly declares it=20
will begin temple construction after March 12 no matter what, has=20
welcomed it. If, as Vajpayee says, it is not in "the public interest"=20
yet to disclose more information about the talks, then that criterion=20
should apply to revealing the "fact" of the talks too. One would have=20
to be extraordinarily na=EFve not to see the link between Vajpayee's=20
statement and the coming Uttar Pradesh elections.

Like his widely criticised description of the Ayodhya movement as=20
something reflecting the "national" sentiment last December,=20
Vajpayee's latest statement has imparted a viciously partisan edge to=20
the temple/mosque controversy. Today, when the VHP's coercive=20
campaign to obliterate the Babri mosque's memory forever is in full=20
force, it is ludicrous to talk about "negotiations", as distinct from=20
an impartial legal verdict, as the key to a just Ayodhya solution. No=20
"negotiations" under these circumstances can be free, fair or widely=20
acceptable. This is "the Sangh-is-my-soul" Vajpayee yet again. But he=20
happens to be leading a nation which disgraced itself on that very=20
issue in 1992.

Advani for his part has only reiterated his "pro-active" (read,=20
use-unlimited-force) approach to Jammu & Kashmir, where the situation=20
has turned critical. His demand for a blanket amnesty for human=20
rights violations has been opposed even by the generally pliant=20
Attorney-General. But "special relief" too would be tantamount to=20
endorsing terrible intimidation, torture and=20
"disappearances"-involving thousands of civilians in Punjab and=20
Kashmir. No less pernicious is the imminent extension of the=20
Disturbed Areas and the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts to the=20
Jammu region-after they have failed to achieve their objectives in=20
the Kashmir Valley for a decade. This is a substitute for targeted,=20
focused action against militants. It means suspending the fundamental=20
rights of innocent, non-combatant civilians. This is a licence to=20
harass, detain, maim and shoot anyone vaguely suspected of being=20
sympathetic to militants. According to the government itself, over=20
six thousand civilians have been killed in the Valley, many under=20
these draconian laws.

Yet the Home Ministry has "advised" the states to enact similar laws=20
against "terrorism" and insurgency. Many states are enacting some=20
version of TADA after it was junked in 1995-for good reasons. Over 80=20
percent of TADA cases were fraudulent and the conviction rate was=20
under two percent. The Centre itself has not abandoned the Terrorism=20
(Prevention) Bill, with its enormous potential for violating rights,=20
including journalistic freedom. We also have the spectacle of=20
Advani's deputy (Swamy) distinguishing the RSS-VHP-Bajrang Dal's=20
"extremism" from SIMI's on the ground that the former stands for=20
"reviving" India's glorious ancient (read, Hindu) heritage. And now=20
Gujarat, that "laboratory for communal politics" is preparing to gag=20
the press by bringing it under the Consumer Protection Act. The=20
measure is to "protect" the interests of readers who feel "mentally=20
tortured" on reading "distorted versions" of events in the media.=20
Nothing could be more obnoxious as a ground for legal prosecution.

Moves such as these derive from an intolerant mindset obsessed with=20
order at any cost. This mindset criminalises dissent, indeed all=20
non-conformity. It refuses to distinguish between plain crime and=20
terrorism. It maintains that the only way to govern "this flophouse=20
of a nation" is to impose discipline, even a dose of dictatorship. It=20
holds that freedom is a "luxury" which we can't "afford" at this=20
"stage of development", within the "present context", in today's=20
"crisis".

Many otherwise liberal-minded people reposed faith in Vajpayee's=20
leadership because they hoped he would counter that very mindset, not=20
succumb to it. That hope stands betrayed. Vajpayee has failed to grow=20
out of his "soul". The BJP has failed to cut its umbilical cord with=20
the sangh. We are all paying for this through communal misgovernance,=20
indeed though a deepening crisis of governability.-end-

_________

#4.

The new issue of Akhbar is online. It can be accessed at:

<http://www.indowindow.com/akhbar/>http://www.indowindow.com/akhbar/

The new issue includes:

Imperialism and Fundamentalism in South Asia: Beginnings of a Nightmare
India Unmade: Disastrous economic policies of the Vajpayee Government
Feature: Tarun Bhartiya on identities, national and other
Culture and History: Archana Prasad discusses communalism, tribal=20
welfare and secular action
Media: Indian media puts profit over people, says JB D'Souza
Review: A book on Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan reviewed by Naresh Nadeem
Education: Romila Thapar's convocation address at the University of Delhi

>From now Akhbar will be updated on a regular basis. Send your=20
feedback to:=20
<mailto:indowindow@i...>indowindow@i...

_______

#5

[RSS / VHP at Work in France]

> For press conference in the hotel at 16 hrs (4PM) on 09/09/2001.
>
Here are the details of Hotel reservation.
"APART' HOTEL CITADINES *** 14 RUE DE CHALIGNY-75012 PARIS-FRANCE=20
Tube (metro) REUILLY DIDEROT TEL 00.33.1.40.04.43.50-FAX=20
00.33.1.40.04.43.99 EMAIL <bastillenation@c...
----------------------
HERE IS THE LIST OF Guests: -Dr B.K.MODI , -Mr L.N. MITTAL (RICHEST=20
INDIAN INDUSTRIALIST FROM UK) -Mr S.S. MANCHANDA , -Swami Divyanand=20
Teerth SHANKARACHARI -Swami Chidanand Saraswati -Sadguru SAIDAS BABA=20
-Mrs KANODIA, -Mrs Anuradha Paudwal, Miss Kavita Paudwal, Mr Aditya=20
Paudwal -SADHVI BHAGVATI (US CITIZEN), -Mrs Anjlee Pandya (VHP=20
Coordinator USA ) -Acharya Brahmadev ji Upadhyay, -Mr Melend Deokar
-------------
Kindly reply all mails to me at my office and residence both=20
addresses. yours cordially Madhu Sudan SUKHWAL Founder=20
Trustee-WORLD COUNCIL OF HINDUS-France
19 RUE ERARD 75012 PARIS-FRANCE TEL /FAX RES. 00.33.1.44.67.04.71=20
TEL BUR 00.33.1.47.96.55.26 TEL MOBILE 00.33.6.82.04.34.69 Email=20
office <madhusudan.sukhwal@f... Email res=20
<sukhwal@w...

_______

#6.

For circulation in your list please!

A Call To Arms!

Things are moving fast in the campaign for the liberation of Dr. Shaikh,
sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy, after a defective, and partly
in-camera trial where the judge was constantly intimidated by a mob of
violent fundamentalist clergy.

( http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/sentence.html ).

Two appeals have been filed on Dr. Shaikh's behalf, one by the family and
another by Human Rights activists. Now an inmate of the terrible death cell=
,
Dr. Shaikh is not even allowed to carry a pen with him, and those who do no=
t
belong to his immediate family cannot visit him anymore, officially.
Thankfully, Abid Hasan Manto, Pakistan's well-known and respected civil
libertarian lawyer will argue Dr. Shaikh's case without charging any fees.
'It is my duty to defend Dr. Shaikh', he said.

A team of dedicated Human Rights activists are working hard to provide
support for Dr. Shaikh in Pakistan, risking themselves in the process. The
influential 'Friday Times' of Islamabad has carried an extensive report on
the case. On the IHEU's website you will find statements from liberal
Pakistani Muslims protesting the sentence. The campaign in Pakistan too has
started. Our colleagues in Pakistan need help and support, and this can onl=
y
be done by intensifying our efforts internationally. There are hundreds who
are victims of these laws and we need to help.

Have you written to your senator? Did you contact your Prime Minister? Will
you remind them of the urgency of the matter? If your organisation has
Honorary Associates or a well known President, will you ask them to issue a
statement asking for the liberation of Dr. Shaikh and the repeal of
Blasphemy laws in Pakistan (which victimise all religious minorities,
specially Christians and Ahmadiyas), as well as in other countries?

A sample of the press notices, statements and editorial comments from well
known personalities can be found on the IHEU website at www.iheu.org/Shaikh
Respected and influential newspapers like the New York Times, The Daily
Telegraph UK, The Guardian, The Times UK, Norwegian Dagbladet, BBC, CNN,
The Age, Melbourne, The Ottawa Citizen, The Times Higher Education, the San
Francisco Chronicle, Newspapers in Peru and elsewhere, the mainstream Musli=
m
media, as well as smaller newspapers in various parts of the world have
reported on Dr. Shaikh's case and about IHEU's campaign. Human Rights
organisations world-wide are rallying together to defend Dr. Shaikh and to
protest Pakistan's barbaric blasphemy laws. Nobel laureate Sir Harry Kroto
and famous personalities like Richard Dawkins, Claire Rayner, Terry Prachet
have issued a statement. The Centre for Islam in Europe (Belgium) and the
Islamic Human Rights Commission too (UK) have condemned the death sentence.
IHEU's President Levi Fragell's communication to Kofi Annan, UN's Secretary
General has been handed over personally; diplomatic parleys have been
initiated by IHEU's representatives with various governments, some details
of which are on the IHEU website. A meeting of diplomats from the EU
countries has been held in Islamabad. Efforts are on now for a group of
diplomats to visit Dr. Shaikh in prison. The French Freethinkers have calle=
d
on Members of the French legislature to take up the matter seriously. Mr.
Pannella, an Italian Member of European Parliament has asked urgent
questions of the European Commission as to action being taken by the
European Commission.

The campaign has kicked off! But we need to take it further, and we need
your help.

Protest demonstrations are being organised all over the world: for reports
and photos of events held in Birmingham UK, in Jallandhar, India and Oslo,
Norway, please check the website. A big demonstration is being planned in
London on 10 September in front of the Pakistan High Commission. For
details, send an e mail to London@i... Please tell others. Bring your
friends: specially if they are liberal Muslims (or from the Pakistani
community) who are willing to speak. 'The Today' programme is expected to
discuss the event on the day. The Humanist Centre in Central London has set
up a big display on Dr. Shaikh and the blapshemy conviction: it is expected
to attract widepsread attention. More demonstrations are being planned: in
Khatmandu and in Washington; in Los Angeles and in Ottawa; in New Delhi and
in Paris. Can you help? Will you join us? Do you know who might join? Can
you forward this e mail to other Human Rights groups and ask them to join?
Please let us know. Always copy your communications to campaign@i...
which is the central coordination point for the international campaign.

If there is no Pakistan High Commission or Consulate in your city, there ma=
y
be an aid agency which supports the Pakistan government which could be the
venue of your peaceful demonstration. It can also be in front of your
country's foreign ministry demanding action from your government to urgentl=
y
intervene. Or you could organise a press conference expressing your disgust
at the judgement and your solidarity with Dr. Shaikh.

Hundreds of letters are pouring in at the IHEU office about Dr. Shaikh's
case, but have you signed the on-line Petition at
http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/petition/index.html which will be used to lobby
governments and diplomats? Please do so. On the website it is possible to
register to receive regular updates via the International Humanist News.
Please do sign up to receive this crucial campaign tool.

On the IHEU website a Special Section RESOURCES FOR CAMPAIGNERS with
information and special materials for campaign work has been developed.
DRAMATIC PICTURES of Dr. Shaikh before his sentence can be found at
http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/pic15724.jpg or
http://www.iheu.org/shaikh/Dr%20Sheikh%202.jpg . One of the LETTERS Dr.
Shaikh wrote the IHEU Executive Director Babu Gogineni from prison as
regards the campaign can be found at http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/letter.htm =
.
If you are organising a Press meet or sending out press material for your
demonstration, a MODEL PRESS RELEASE is available for you to use, making
necessary changes to suit your regional requirements and updating with the
latest news http://www.iheu.org/Shaikh/resources/modelpress.htm If you are
looking for the nearest Pakistan High Commission or Consulate
http://www.embassyworld.com/embassy/pakistan1.htm If reproducing
information and news from IHEU newsletter or website in your Electronic New=
s
Bulletins, websites or magazines, kindly acknowledge source and please d
give the campaign@i... address.

Dr. Shaikh helped the poor and disadvantaged in his country when he could.
Now it is our turn to come to his defence! Please let us not fail him.

Can we do it? Yes, It has happened in the past that people have been allowe=
d
to leave their countries following an international outcry and diplomatic
intervention.

Let us therefore intensify the campaign, and also help humanise the
Blasphemy law in Pakistan!

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

SACW is an informal, independent & non-profit citizens wire service run by
South Asia Citizens Web (http://www.mnet.fr/aiindex) since 1996. Dispatch
archive from 1998 can be accessed at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/act/messages/ . To subscribe send a blank
message to: <act-subscribe@yahoogroups.com> / To unsubscribe send a blank
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________________________________________
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in materials carried in the posts do not
necessarily reflect the views of SACW compilers.

--=20