ACHA PEACE
BULLETIN http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin
A publication of Association for Communal Harmony in
Asia (ACHA) www.asiapeace.org
Editor: Pritam K. Rohila, Ph. D.
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ACHA PEACE
BULLETIN-Volume
VI, No. 5, May 5, 2004, Next Issue June 2, 2004
South Asians and the World, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D
Special
Message from UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador & South Asia Foundation Founder
Peace & Harmony News
From & About South Asia
Belgian
Association For Solidarity With Jammu And Kashmir
Feature
Peace and friendship
memorial or Bab-e-Pakistan, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Daily Times, 18 April 2004
Reebok Human Rights Award
The Journal of Bhutan
Studies
Indian Arrival Day (in the
West Indies) magazine
The Babri Masjid Question,
1528-2003 - A Matter of National Honour, Editor A.G. Noorani
The End of India, Khushwant
Singh
September 27 - October 5,
Dakar, Senegal: World Youth Leadership Jam
February 11-12, 2005, Berkeley,
California, USA: 20th Annual South Asia Conference
Educations & Training
June 28-July 16, Washington, D.C. USA: 2004 Summer Peacebuilding & Development Institute
2004-2005, Miami, Florida,
USA: Master Of Laws - Intercultural Human Rights
May 21 & 22, Port of
Spain, Trinidad: Indian Arrival Day Celebrations
Websites
Indian in Fiji
(For a copy
send a blank email to pritamr@open.org with its subject as the UPPERCASE word in the article title. Please
limit your request to 3 articles. When requesting an article from an issue of
ACHA Peace Bulletin, other than the current one, please also mention date of
publication of that issue)
Books
Somanatha: The Many VOICES
of a History, Romila Thapar
Communalism
Dark Clouds Without SILVER
Linings (India), Harsh Mander, The Hindustan Times, 23 February
Saffronisation, Adivasis And
The Politics Of SOUTH Gujarat, Dionne Bunsha, Hindu, April 16
In the NAME of Nationalism,
K.N. Panikkar, Frontline, March 13 - March 26, 2004
Education
My Cobwebs in the MIND piece (Pakistan), Beena Sarwar, The News, March 21, 2004
Hinduness with VENGEANCE
(India), Jehangir Pocha, San Francisco Chronicle, April 16, 2004
India-Elections
Election 2004:The Countdown Begins, Dr Manzoor Alam, Institute of
Objective Studies
India's SPIN doctors sense
victory, Soutik Biswas, BBC News
India-Muslims
The Myth of Muslim Appeasement PART I, Outlook
The MYTH of Muslim
Appeasement Part II, Outlook
India NE
Tripura: Rebels on Peace
MODE? Wasbir Hussain, South Asia, Intelligence Review, April 26
India-Pak
Indo-Pak
DEFENCE Spending, C. Rammanohar Reddy, South Asian Journal, 14 April 2004
People and POLITICS of
manipulation, Razi Azmi, Daily Times of, 6 April 2004
Peace and friendship MEMORIAL or
Bab-e-Pakistan, Ishtiaq Ahmed, Daily Times, 18 April 2004
Deccan
chronicle (Impressions of India by a Pakistani visitor), Ayaz Amir
Nepal
Nepal's Strategic BALANCING, M.R. Josse, South Asian Journal, Issue 3, 14, April 2004
Pakistan
Doctored religious MESSAGES, Khalid Hasan, The Friday Times, April 23 - 29, 2004
Religion
DIALOGUE Between Shias and Sunnis (in India) , Muhammad Zakir Khan Azmi
Personal Political: Loudspeaker VICTORY, Beena Sarwar, April 25, 2004
Sri Lanka
The FALL of Karuna,
Editorial, The Hindu, 16 April 2004
Sri
LANKA: Confrontation to Accommodation, Jehan Perera, South Asian Journal, 4 April
2004
The TAMIL
Question, Dr.
Jayahanthan, South Asian Journal, 14, April 2004
SEX and sexuality: dealing
effectively with Islamic double standards, Kecia Ali,
April 09, 2004
*South
Asians and the World, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph.D.
Since the days of the Indus Valley Civilization
(circa 3500 B.C.), people of South Asia have ventured to other parts of the
world. They went there as indentured and contract laborers, soldiers,
adventurers, traders, missionaries, seekers of educational and vocational
opportunities, or just looking for a different way of life.
Centuries ago, they
build great temples and other monuments throughout Southeast Asia. As soldiers of the British
India Army, they fought outside South Asia in the World Wars, and protected
British interests in Hong Kong and other parts of the world. Starting in the 1830’s, they have worked on the
railroads in Canada, Panama, and South Africa, on plantation in Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Surinam, Tobago Trinidad, and
Uganda, in lumber mills and farms in Canada and USA, as traders in East Africa,
and in peacekeeping forces in many parts of the world.
Now, according to the Global Organization
of People of Indian Origin (www.gopio.net),
more than 22 million people living outside India are estimated to be of Indian
origin alone. They are employed in a
large variety of trades and professions and are found in almost all parts of
the world, including West Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and South
America.
Overcoming often-striking differences of
climate, cuisine, and culture and often in face of economic competition and
racial discrimination, they have survived and are doing well in the foreign
lands. They have made important contributions in their adopted homelands. Many
of them occupy positions of leadership in government and non-government
organizations. Some of them even became heads of state.
This month special programs have been
planned at various places around the world to celebrate heritage and
contributions of South Asian.
On
May 14, 2004, there is a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the
arrival of the first South Asian 'girmitiyas' (agreement) at the shores
of the islands of Fiji by a the ship named Leonidas, according
to http://www.fijigirmit.org
To commemorate the arrival in 1845 of South Asians
in the Caribbean Islands of Trinidad and Tobago, a seminar is being organized
at Port of Spain, Trinidad, on May 21 & 22, jointly by the Mahatma Gandhi
Institute for Cultural Cooperation, the National Council of Indian Culture and
the University of West. (More info from MGICC Director P.C. Bharadwaj, Port of
Spain, Trinidad, Tel: 868/6465-3800, or 868/662-8109, Fax: 868/662-8115).
Since 1977, when U. S. Congress passed a bill to
designate the month of May as the Asian Pacific Heritage Month, a number of
activities have been organized by various organizations in the country, each
year. This year Asia Society www.asiasource.org/asianamerica/
plans to feature May 7-30 at its museum in New York City (725 Park
Avenue at 70th Street, Phone 212.517.ASIA), a range of activities
highlighting the diverse cultures of Asian Americans. The program includes May 13 screening of “Sangam,” a film that tells the story
of a recent immigrant from Bihar and an Indian-American who cross paths on a
Brooklyn-bound subway and discover things that each of them takes for granted. A discussion with writer and director Prashant Bhargava and actor Sarmalkar will follow.
On June 1, U.S. Public Broadcasting System www.pbs.org/cosmopolitan will screen
“Cosmopolitan,” a wry romantic comedy about a suddenly single middle-aged
Indian man, an article he read in a popular magazine and his free spirited
neighbor. It is directed by Nisha Gantara (Chutney Popcorn, Monsoon Wedding),
is written by Sabrina Dhawan and stars veterans Roshan Seth and Carol Kane.
Please check local listings for exact time.
We
invite you to do something in your neighborhood this month to celebrate the courage,
resourcefulness, and adaptability of immigrants from South Asia.
SPECIAL
*A message from UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador & South Asia Foundation Founder Madanjeet Singh on his 80th birthday, April
16, 2004
My conception of South Asia's unity in diversity essentially stems from my
teenage experiences since I was a student at the Hindu University in Benares
(now Varanasi).
The alumnae came from every corner of the subcontinent and among my many friends I counted not only Punjabis and Kashmiris but others hailing from almost all Indian provinces, including present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as from Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Mostly we lived in groups, speaking our own language, wearing our own regional clothes and eating our own food in separate messes. But there was no separation whatsoever as we entered the classrooms or the playgrounds. I recall the University Training Corps (UTC) drills, the cadets all looking all alike in military fatigues. Together we played football, hockey, tennis and especially cricket, interacted with each other and made lifelong friends. There was even a sort of "barter trade" among the students as clothes and other souvenirs were exchanged when they returned after the summer vacations. There were no "policy makers" to tell us what to do. It was all so natural, so spontaneous, so inspiring. BHU was truly a micro South Asia before India was partitioned.
As I arrived in Rome on a scholarship in 1950, I was still suffering from the
trauma of the gruesome fratricidal carnage I had lived through in both parts of
the divided Punjab. In Europe, too, the havoc caused by the Second World War
could be seen everywhere. I was therefore emotionally involved in the efforts
being made by a number of European leaders to secure a lasting peace
between their countries by uniting them both economically and politically.
The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985, and I felt elated that its
charter reflected several EU ideas. A similar South Asian Union, I thought, was
the answer to many of our problems and I cherished the hope that SAARC would
forge ahead like the EU, dealing with subjects of common concern. I toyed with
the idea of creating a South Asian Economic Union and hoped that as with the
euro, South Asia, too, would eventually have its own single currency - and even
invented a name for it, Sasia.
I imagined that as
regional cooperation had brought France and Germany together after centuries of
devastating wars, the commonality of SAARC would encourage India and Pakistan
to transcend their bilateral quarrel over Kashmir. I could not comprehend why
the two neighbours did not join hands and, together with the other SAARC
countries, make South Asia a major economic world power by effectively using
the subcontinent's immense potential and resources.
It was against this background that I founded the South Asia Foundation and
basically my vision of South Asia's unity in diversity is still inspired by the
twin concept of classroom (education) and playground (creative friendship) -
the two legs on which I would like SAF to stand and walk towards regional
cooperation. I am convinced that only a voluntary and secular youth movement,
nurtured by cultural diversity and common traditions rooted in centuries-old
interaction between the people, can demolish the political hurdles placed by
vested interests in the way of peace and progress in South Asia.
In barely three years of existence, the South Asia Foundation has achieved
a great deal. I am delighted at the great leap forward that SAF's programmes
and activities in the field of education made during the Foundation's Third
General Conference in New Delhi, on December 14, 2003. The unprecedented
programme of courses jointly designed by the Open Universities in SAARC
countries and the landmark decision taken by the SAF Academic Council to offer 10,000
SAF Madanjeet Singh scholarships in vocational training and higher education
will go a long way towards benefiting the socially and economically
marginalized students in all eight South Asian countries - Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
PEACE &
HARMONY NEWS FROM & ABOUT SOUTH ASIA (Readers are
invited to submit similar information from other areas of South Asia to help us
broaden of our coverage. Please send the info to pritamr@open.org, a week before the date of publication of
the next issue of ACHA Peace Bulletin)
*Bangladesh
Bangladesh India open border talks today
DHAKA: The directors general of Indian Border Security
Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) open wide-ranging talks in Dhaka today
on longstanding issues like cross-border crimes, smuggling, killing and border
tensions. Daily
Star, April 29, 2004
Islamabad, Dhaka to
discuss bilateral issues
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh are scheduled to
review the implementation of various decisions taken during the last South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit and to discuss
bilateral relations when Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar visits Dhaka in the
first week of May. Daily Times, April 24,2004
*Bhutan-India
THIMPHU: On behalf of the government of India, the
Indian ambassador to Bhutan, Mr K S Jasrotia, handed over a set of books to the
Dzongkha Development Authority, on April 16. The books included included 100
volumes of Buddhist canons, 25 volumes of Britannica, 18 Encyclopedias on
Indian proverbs and philosophers and 25 Encyclopedias on Indian folk
literature, mysticism and inconography. Kuensel Online April 19, 2004.
*India
Title-holder offers land for temple, mosque in
Ayodhya
NEW DELHI: In an effort to reduce tensions over the
Ayodhya dispute, the person who holds the title of the acquired land near the
disputed site today offered land to construct a temple and a mosque, a proposal
that has the support of the former Prime Ministers, Chandra Shekhar and V.P.
Singh.
http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/29/stories/2004042911011100.htm
Irfan Pathan brings Hindus, Muslims closer
http://us.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/20espec31.htm
Nayanbasi Jamatiya faction of the NLFT agrees to
cease-fire in Tripura
The Nayanbasi Jamatiya faction of National
Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT)
signed a memorandum with representatives of the State and Union Government in
New Delhi, agreeing to the 'cessation of hostilities' for a period of six
months beginning April 15. Assam Tribune,
April 16, 2004.
SC orders Best Bakery
retrial, out of Gujrat
NEW DELHI: In a clear indictment of the Narendra Modi
Government, the Supreme Court today ordered that the Best Bakery case be
re-tried in Maharashtra as Gujarat was still not ‘‘congenial and conducive’’ to
a fair trial. Indian
Express, April
13,2004
Election Commission bans Narendra Modi's Narmada
Pujan Yatra
http://in.rediff.com/election/2004/mar/20modi.htm
*Kashmir
Kashmiris want to feel good: Mirwaiz
NEW DELHI: The people of Jammu and Kashmir want to
be a part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee government's 'feel-good' world and live their lives in peace, Mirwaiz
Umer Farooq, former chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, said inNew
Delhi on Tuesday. The Mirwaiz, Professor Abdul Ghani Bhat and Bilal Lone
arrived in Delhi on Monday evening for the second round of talks with Deputy
Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, scheduled for later this week. KGN
News March 23, 2004 kashmir_news@yahoo.com
Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service from August 1
ISLAMABAD: The Indian Government has decided to
launch bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad-from August 1. Earlier
Pakistan and India had fixed March 29-30 for conducting technical-leveltalks
for the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service, but these parleys have now been
rescheduled for April 8-9. KGN News, March 20, 2004 kashmir_news@yahoo.com
Hurriyat invited for 2nd round of talks
Advani will meet its representatives on March 27. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/17jk.htm
*Nepal
Maoists are
our siblings, says army
KATHAMNDU: The job of the army is not to kill the
Maoists, but to disarm them and bring them into mainstream politics, the new
chief of the army’s Directorate of Public Relation (DPR) has said. The Himalayan Times, April 20,2004
*Pakistan
Ban on jirga trials to
change women’s lives
ISLAMABAD: A high court judgment banning all trials
conducted under the jirga system in the southern province of Sindh has been hailed
by rights activists as a landmark decision to change women’s rights in
Pakistan. The verdict was announced Friday after hearing the petition of a
young couple who had married of their own will but feared for their lives after
being declared “karo-kari” (liable to be killed in the name of honour) by their
tribes. Daily Times, April 29, 2004
Pakistan to downsize army http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/apr/28pak.htm
North West Frontier
Province (NWFP) government gives facelift to Sikh period Hindu temple
NWFP’s Culture Department,
under a Rs. 22.87 million project has undertaken preservation, protection and
rehabilitation of Gor Khutree complex situated in the heart of province’s
capital of Peshawar. The complex includes Mughal period remains in the form of
two gates, a historic Sikh period Hindu temple, and British period barracks.
Known around 1st century A.D. as Kanishka Pura, Gor Khutree is the
site of the monastry of King Kanishka, where the unique bowl of Lord Buddha was
once exhibited. Also it was the site of Hindu pilgrimage, which Mughal king
Babar visited in the early 16th
century. India Journal April 16, 2004
*Pakistan-India
"We believe that this process of peace will not
halt anymore": Kasuri
KARACHI: "We in Pakistan are confident that the
resumption of a composite dialogue will lead to peaceful settlement of all
issues including Jammu and Kashmir to the satisfaction of both the sides while
keeping in view the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” said Pakistan Foreign
Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, here at a conference on 'Peace and Friendship
in South Asia', according to a private television channel. "We wish to address all disputes sincerely
with the objective of seeking honourable solutions based on mutual respect and
accommodation. We look for a similar commitment and sincerity of purpose in
others," Mr Kasuri said. Nation, April 25, 2004 http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/Apr-2004/25/main/top4.asp
Indian intelligence chief
visits Pakistan
NEW DELHI: It may have been a small step across Wagah
for Director Intelligence Bureau K P Singh but it signifies a significant
stride in India-Pakistan relations symbolising the changing mood in bilateral
ties. For, this is the first time the head of India’s premier domestic
intelligence agency has officially travelled to Islamabad. Indian Express April 24,2004
Kashmir solution through
dialogue: Jamali
VIENTIANE: “Pakistan’s relations with India are
improving, but the two countries have to sit together as this is in the best
interest of the entire region,” Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali told
journalists after meeting President of Laos Khamtay Siphandone and a delegation
from the Laos Chamber of Commerce.
Daily Times, APRIL 23, 2004
India feels like our own country: Pak artists
New Delhi: A group of 15 leading Pakistani singers,
folk artists, film stars, and comedian, who performed here April 15 to mark
Baisakhi (Punjabi New Year) said India brings them the flavor of their country.
They are here to return a visit by their counterparts in their country. India
West, April 23, 2004.
Indian, Pak poets praise brotherhood in couplets
“The distance between us is only in thoughts; there
is no physical distance…I am hopeful that this distance in thoughts will be
removed soon, said eminent Pakistani poet Ahmed Faraz, some of whose ghazals
have been immortalized by singer Ghulam Ali. Like two other Urdu poets from
Pakistan, one each from China and Saudi Arabia were here to join sixteen poets
from India at Mushaira Jashn-e-Bahar (Poetry recital to celebrate Spring) on
April 9, at New Delhi. Faraz’s thoughts were echoed by Kishwar Nahid. “We are
not as different as made out to be. Our culture is so similar that one forgets
being in another country,” she remarked. India West, April 23, 2004.
Nuke talks on May 25, 26 http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/apr/21pak.htm
Pak PM to visit Delhi in August http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/apr/20pak.htm
Cricket for peace 2004 - Children from India &
Pakistan
Action Aid
India and Pakistan have planned a novel event "Cricket for Peace
2004" as part of its peace initiatives. According to the plan, 20 street
children from India would visit Pakistan and play cricket in Lahore, Kasur,
Rawalpindi, Larkana and Karachi. Two cricket teams comprising equal number of
children from both countries would be put in Pakistan-India A and
Pakistan-India B teams. Beena Sarwar April 19, 2004 bsarwar1@yahoo.co.uk
Indo-Pak film producers go
for co-production
“Pind Dee Kuri” (village
girl), a co-production by Rashid Khawaja, a well known Pakistani film and TV
personality, and Iqbal Dhillon, an Indian Punjabi producer of films like
Shaheed Udham Singh and Shaeed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh , will star from both
countries and will use Indian technicians. India West April 18, 2004
Indo-Pak March for
children
New Delhi: Hundreds of
children and activists from India and Pakistan marched in the Indian capital on
April 9 demanding elimination of child labor, and promotion of peace and
education. Marchers included Muzaffar Ahsan Qureshi, mayor of Pakistani city of
Multan, and longtime campaigner Kailash Satyarthi. Acivists say over 60 million
Indian children and 10 million Pakistani children are victims of different
forms of child labor. India West April 18, 2004
Pakistan cricket team may tour India this year http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/apr/17pak.htm
Indian doctors demonstrate new surgery technique in
Pakistan
A team of opthalmologist from Chennai, headed by
renowned eye surgeon Dr. Amar Agarwal performed live “Phakonit” cataract
surgeries in front of hundreds of Pakistani opthalomologists in Karachi,
Islamabad, and Lahore April 9 to 11. The doctors who had been invited by the
Opthalmological Society of Pakistan, received tremendous love and affection
from Pakistani people. India Journal
April 16, 2004
'Peace only option for
India and Pakistan'
JAMMU: Calling for permanent peace between India and
Pakistan, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said here Wednesday an amicable
resolution of all issues through dialogue was the only option available to the
two countries. Reiterating his commitment to the peace process with Pakistan,
he said: "We want peace to be permanent. We are neighbours and we have to
live together. For development, peace is essential." The Tribune, April 15, 2004
Pak seeks India's help to
enter ARF
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday said it has sought
India's support to facilitate its entry into the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Times of India, April 15,
2004
'Cricket about fun, not patriotism'
'The game should be played well. It should not be
fixed,' Rehman, a tailor in Mumbai, says.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/20spec.htm
‘Dosti’ through ‘Dastkari’
‘Dosti’ through ‘Dastkari’ was the motto for a
workshop organized March 16-31 at New Delhi’s Dilli Haat by Dastkari Haat
Samiti with Uxi Mufti, World Crafts Council and Pakistan’s Lok Virsa. At the
workshop artisans and craftsmen from India and Pakistan shared with each other
their skills and experiences to create 20 newly designed prototypes. India
Post, March 19, 2004.
Pervez Musharraf makes an impression on the Indian
cricket team
Islamabad, March 17. On Wednesday, Pakistan
President Pervez Musharraf shook hands with the Indian cricket team at a
reception he'd hosted in President's House, Islamabad, hoping that cricket will
help "lower tension" between India and Pakistan. He congratulated
Sachin Tendulkar on his hundred in Pindi — and on his getting 13,000 runs in
ODIs. He praised Balaji for his valiant effort at the death. He spoke of how
Kaif's wonderful catch won India the game in Karachi. He even complimented
Sourav Ganguly on India's performance in the Test series in Australia. Hindustan
Times, March 17, 2004
Musharraf watches Rawalpindi ODI
Dressed in military overalls, the general waved to
the crowd from a glass-panelled enclosure when the 31st over was being bowled
in the day-night clash. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/16mush.htm
Tendulkar, VVS call for polio eradication in
Pakistan
They recorded a message, in English and Urdu, on the
need to take the pulse polio drops. The message will be broadcast by Pakistan
Radio from Tuesday. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/16polio.htm
50 Indian CEOs to visit Pak http://in.rediff.com/money/2004/mar/16ceo.htm
Bowled over by Karachi crowds
Indian cricket fans applaud the hospitality of the
Karachi crowds at the first One-Day International.
http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2004/mar/15crowds.htm
*South Asia
Pakistan to host SAFTA
talks from May 5
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will host the next round of talks
on the implementation of the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement from
May 5 to 7. The SAFTA agreement was signed at the last South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Islamabad in January. Daily Times, April 29,
2004
Track II bid wants peace
park at Siachen
NEW DELHI: Led by a former US ambassador, a group of
glaciologists and mountaineers are planning to meet in summer, possibly in
Dubai or Bangkok, and may come up with an appeal to demilitarise Siachen and to
turn the area into a peace park, says glaciologist S I Hasnain. Times of India, April 29,2004
Pakistan to host SAARC
police moot
LAHORE: Fourth South Asian Association for Regional
Coopration police conference will be held in Islamabad on April 20 and 21 after
a lapse of one year. Daily Times, April 18, 2004
*Sri Lanka
Lankan FM to brief India
on peace talks
NEW DELHI: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman
Kadirgamar, who is arriving here tonight on a two-day visit, is expected to
apprise the Indian leadership of the moves initiated by the new government to
resume peace talks with the LTTE. Deepika News, April 29, 2004
LTTE, Army agree to continue truce in east
COLOMBO, APRIL 15. At a meeting, chaired by the head
of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
(SLMM), Trond Furuhovde, the two sides agreed to restore relations in the east
and continue to uphold the ceasefire agreement. http://www.hindu.com/2004/04/16/stories/2004041605771400.htm
Sri Lankan memorial for Indian Peace Keeping Force
The IPKF was deployed for 32 months in the island
nation. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/mar/16sri.htm
*Belgian Association For Solidarity With Jammu And Kashmir (BASJAK),
Middenheide 126, B - 9120 Beveren, Belgium, Telephone and Fax: ++ / 32 / (0)3 /
775 26 61, e-mail: info@basjak.org website: http://www.basjak.org
BASJAK made the following Presentation to the Sixtieth Session of
the Commission On Human Rights held in Geneva, Switzerland, 15 March – 23 April
2004
The
Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief was proclaimed by a General Assembly
resolution in November 1981.
One of the
basic principles of the Charter of the United Nations is that of the dignity
and equality inherent in all human beings.
In addition the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
International Covenants on Human Rights proclaim the principle of
non-discrimination and equality before the law and the right to freedom of
thought, conscience, religion and belief.
The disregard
and infringement of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in particular of the
right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or whatever belief, have
brought, directly or indirectly, wars and great suffering to mankind,
especially where they serve as a means of foreign interference in the internal
affairs of other states and amount to kindling hatred between peoples and
nations.
This is for
example, the case in Jammu and Kashmir where, since the end of 1989, a spiral
of violence erupted resulting in endless suffering of the Kashmiris. Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the
Kashmiris are violated by both foreign jehadi fighters, or holy warriors, with
the constant support from across the border and by the Government.
What could be
considered as a normal striving for more autonomy or even for independence of
the Kashmiris is funnelled by foreign mercenaries and turned into a jehad, a
holy war and promotion of religious intolerance. At the beginning of last decade hundreds of thousands of Pandits,
being an important Hindu minority in the Kashmir Valley, had to flee because they
were the target of religious cleansing.
They are still living as refugees under inhuman conditions in camps and
waiting for better times to come. But,
not only members of the Hindu community in Jammu and Kashmir, also moderate
Moslems who propagate tolerance and peaceful co-existence are the target and
the victims of the so called mujahideen, the holy crusaders. Instead of bringing the dispute closer to a
solution, this interference is in fact blocking any progress towards a lasting
peaceful solution. The activities of
the jehadi groups, having the blessings and the support of some corners from
across the border, are inimical to the interests of the Kashmiris and to a
resolution of the Kashmir issue.
But of late,
there are some positive signs. After
the summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation held in
Islamabad in January 2004 the Indian Prime Minister and the President of
Pakistan made a joint statement. This
was a pleasant surprise because both the leaders had undertaken to bury their
hatchets by announcing their will and readiness to start negotiations in order
to settle their differences and to fight terrorism.
Proposals on
taking confidence building measures like activating a bus link between
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir, and Srinagar, the summer capital of
the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir, and activating other ferry services and
rail links between the two countries are welcomed by the population as they
will enable people to people contacts and improve cultural exchange and
co-operation. In addition the offer of
talks with the All Parties Hurriyat Conference, an umbrella for separatist
organisation, by the Indian Prime Minister have endorsed the peace
initiatives.
Our
Association wants to stress the need for dialogue for resolving all contentious
issues for which the Shimla Agreement concluded in 1972 between India and
Pakistan provides the necessary framework.
Our Association also calls for an end to bloodshed in the region and for
cooperation rather than confrontation.
Therefore our Association calls for
-
India and Pakistan to expedite the dialogue process at the
level of states and people and approach all requisites of confidence building,
conflict management and conflict resolution through an integrated,
uninterruptible, result oriented and well structured process;
-
The pursuit of a ‘holistic vision that does not ignore any
divisive issue’. While Kashmir issue
and India’s concern for ‘cross border terrorism’ needed to be addressed on a
priority basis, no purpose would be served by ignoring possibilities of
co-operation in various fields;
-
All unreasonable restrictions on travel between the two
countries to be expeditiously dismantled;
-
Political parties to give priority to mobilising their ranks
for peace and good neighbourly relations and to allow greater space for civil
society organisations to support the process;
-
The desirability of strengthening relations between
parliamentarians, journalists, academics, businesspersons, experts,
professionals, students, workers, farmers, artists and sportspersons of the two
counties, and
-
Efforts to resist the forces of fanaticism, extremism and
violence.
The Kashmir
conflict, which less then two years before almost sparked a war between two
nuclear powers, is reaching a kind of nadir.
Kashmiris are exhausted by 14 years of violence and only want peace.
Our
Association is of the opinion that a solution only can be found through
peaceful means in an atmosphere of friendship and harmony. Peace talks should continue and its pace
should be accelerated. All parties
involved in the dispute must seize the present opportunity to go to the finish
and to find a lasting solution of the long-standing political conflict. The leadership of India and Pakistan has the
right opportunity to demonstrate to the people of the subcontinent and to the
world that the two hostile neighbours are now willing to settle their
differences peacefully, live side-by-side for the stability of the region and
greater peace of the world.
Now is the
time for the people of Kashmir to be allowed to live in dignity and peace, and
without fear of oppression. This is the
only way for the people of India and Pakistan to enjoy a better quality of life
and to have a bright future.
FEATURE
*Peace and friendship memorial or Bab-e-Pakistan,
Ishtiaq Ahmed, Daily Times, Sunday, 18 April 2004,
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=story_18-4-2004_pg3_2
The author is an associate professor of Political
Science at StockholmUniversity. He is the author of two books. His email
address is Ishtiaq.Ahmed@statsvet.su.se
Nobody has been charged for crimes against humanity and the 1947 genocide
remains unrecognised by international law. The monsoons of August 1947 proved
to be exceptionally atrocious and took their own toll of life.
On April 1, Daily Times in its editorial (Unilateral message of Bab-e-Pakistan)
criticises the plan announced by President Pervez Musharraf to build a
unilateral Bab-e-Pakistan (Gateway to Pakistan) at
Walton outside Lahore. Bab-e-Pakistan is to commemorate the suffering and
tragedy of millions of Muslims who in 1947 escaped death, injury, abduction and
rape from East Punjab and other parts of northern India, arriving profoundly
traumatised and shattered at the Walton Refugee Relief Camp. The editorial
argues that such a monument would capture only the Muslim side of a huge human
tragedy that burst out in unprecedented ferocity upon hapless humanity not
sparing any community. Hindus and Sikhs also suffered like the Muslims.
Therefore, why mourn the suffering of only one side?
I strongly support this standpoint. My ongoing research on the 1947 events
shows that the political entrepreneurs of the main political parties, Congress,
Muslim League and the Akalis as well as the British
Government showed almost complete apathy to what might happen to the
common people if the partition of India was not properly supervised and
accomplished.
Moreover, it seems that Hindu, Muslim and Sikh
leaders deliberately misled their co-religionists into believing that the
partition will be effected in accordance with their wishes. For example, the
Congress let
the Hindus and Sikhs of Lahore believe that the city would be awarded to India
although it had a clear Muslim majority. The Sikh leaders believed that Lahore,
Nankana Sahib and some other portions of western Punjab would be kept in India
because their holy shrines were located in them. Hindu and Sikh leaders gave
the impression that the canal colonies of Lyallpur (Faisalabad) and Montgomery
(Sahiwal) would be included in India because Hindus and Sikhs owned most of the
property in these cities and that this would over-rule the Muslim claim based
on numerical majority. The Muslim leaders were even more irresponsible. They
gave the impression to their community that the whole of Punjab would be
awarded to Pakistan.
Such false hopes were complicated by the fact that both the Congress and Muslim
League were urban-based parties. Their leaders of Punjab were based mainly in
Lahore. The Akalis had a presence in both Lahore and Amritsar. None of these
parties were in contact with the thousands of villages of Punjab. Consequently
the rural populations had little or no clue as to what was happening and how
their lives would be affected by the decision to partition India and Punjab and
Bengal.
To this must be added the biased nature of the administration that was involved
in peacekeeping and transfer of population. The British had established and
groomed police, judicial and military functionaries in the tradition of
communal neutrality. However, Hindu, Muslim and Sikh government employees from
the highest to the lowest level were advised to opt either for India or Pakistan.
With a few exceptions, Muslims opted for Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs for
India.
However, some Hindus and Sikhs had reconciled themselves to living in Pakistan
because they saw a modern, secular leader in Jinnah. Some Muslims opted for
India because not everyone supported the Muslim League. They believed that
secular India represented continuity with historical communal pluralism that
prevailed in all parts of Punjab and in the Indian subcontinent as a whole.
However, once power was handed over to the Indian and Pakistani governments the
officials were not always able to maintain the neutrality expected of them.
Official figures of riot victims run into only a few thousands before August
14-15. One can argue that those figures are not very reliable because from July
onwards the writ of the British government was confined only to a few cities
and towns. Anarchy and chaos prevailed elsewhere.
What is worse is that neither India nor Pakistan have given a count of the
people killed or wounded after British rule ended in mid-August. Rioting peaked
during July-August and remained high until the middle of
September. Criminals, political fanatics, police and lower functionaries of the
judicial system often conspired to wreak havoc upon innocent human beings from
the enemy community.
In most cases the villagers were given at most a few hours to prepare for a
journey that could be 20 to 350 and more kilometres until safety was reached on
the other side. The old, pregnant women and small children were put on bullock-carts
while the rested trudged along on foot. If the various caravans were escorted
by military personnel of their own community they could reach safe havens
without suffering any
major loss of life. But those caravans which were not escorted at all became
easy targets. Human beings were cut into pieces, children were pierced with
spikes and the private parts of women were split open in
fiendish ways. Nobody has been charged for crimes against humanity and the 1947
genocide remains unrecognised by international law.
The monsoons of August 1947 proved to be exceptionally atrocious and took their
own toll of life. Thousands who escaped the dagger were fatally struck by
epidemics such as cholera, malaria and typhoid. In the end well over a million
people may have died.
On the Indian side of the Attari border opposite Wagah, there is a small
monument which has been dedicated to The one million Punjabis who died during
partition but since it is on the Indian side it does not
represent a common symbol of commemoration. Moreover, nationalities other than
Punjabis also suffered loss of life and injury during that period.
The past few weeks have amply and incontrovertibly demonstrated that given a
chance the peoples of India and Pakistan are willing not only to live in peace
but also establish friendship and solidarity.
President Musharraf has courageously been changing the direction of Pakistani
foreign policy from an anti-India and anti-Hindu stance to a good neighbourly
equation. The Indian government also seems ready to
reciprocate.
Keeping these facts in mind, it would be in the order of things if both states
agree to build a memorial at equidistant between the Wagah-Attari to all the
dead and the survivors of the 1947 holocaust. It should
represent the tragedy of 1947 as well as the spirit of friendship and
solidarity of the current times.
*Kashmir Issue:
Historical Wounds Healing and Reconciliation is Possible, Sardar Aftab A.
Khan, April 22, 2004
Sardar Aftab A. Khan,
is the President of Kashmir Freedom Movement (KFM). With its headquarter at
Dadyal, District Mirpur, Azad Jammu Kashmir, KSF is a non-violent people’s
resistance movement for complete independence and reunification of all parts of
Jammu Kashmir. Sardar Aftab A. Khan can be contacted by E-mail at aftab787@yahoo.com or by snail mail at
Gulkot, Pallnadri, Sudhnuti, Azad Jammu Kashmir (via Pakistan).
Kashmir! Heaven on
earth in the folds of great Himalayas exist as a distinct political and geographical
entity from before B.C with varying borders and sovereignty.
This beautiful country
has always been a peaceful and picturesque destination for those who want to
rediscover their souls, comfort and peace of mind.
For the last half a
century the people of Jammu Kashmir have been suffering from enormous economic
hardships, conflict, turmoil and uncertainty about their future.
The rapidly changing
geopolitical situation of the world has dramatic impact on the struggle of
Kashmiri people for peace, security, stability, honour and independence. There
is a lot of confusion in the western world about whether the movement is a
freedom struggle, a cross-border incursion or terrorism.
There are many
stakeholders in Kashmir and many more are profiting from the conflict. There
are
many proposals, formulas and road maps
for a solution to this conflict.
Jammu Kashmir is
currently divided in three different administrative units, i.e. Indian held
Kashmir (IHJK), Semi autonomous Azad Kashmir (AJK), and Pakistan held part of
Kashmir (Gilgit Baltistan). People do
not have the freedom of movement among different parts of Kashmir. They cannot
freely interact with each other to discuss their political future and evolve a
unified political agenda and leadership.
Some historical wounds
and some misconceptions have disturbed the socio-ethnic and multi-religious
co-existence in Jammu Kashmir, and add to the complexity of Kashmir issue.
There is a serious need
for a process of healing and reconciliation among people of all faiths and
political
political viewpoint in Jammu Kashmir.
To start with Kashmiri
should overcome misconceptions about Amritsar Treaty, two-nation theory,
the end of sovereignty of Jammu Kashmir on October 27, 1947, January 05, 1949
U.N resolution which has limited the right of self-determination of the
Kashmiris, Tashkent and Simla agreements, Lahore and
Islamabad declaration of January 06, 2004.
Jammu Kashmir with its
current geographical boundaries and a total area of 2,22,336 Square Kilometre
with a population over 12.5 million came into being as an autonomous state on
March 16, 1846 by virtue of the Treaty of Amritsar between Maharaja Gulab Sing
and Mr. Frederick Currie, Esq., acting under order of Rt. Hon. Sir Henry
Harding Governor General of the Possessions of East India Company. This
autonomous status changed to that of a sovereign state on august 13, 1947 when
British rule ended in south Asia.
Alas! This sovereignty and independence were
soon lost when Indian armed forces invaded Jammu Kashmir and at the same time
Pakistan armed forces also got there and both the armies clashed to occupy the
whole state. In 1948-49 United Nations mediated a ceasefire and resolved to
arrange a plebiscite to determine the future status of Jammu Kashmir according
to the wishes of the people of the state. However, both India and Pakistan
refused to withdraw their armed forces and did not fulfilled their obligation
to hold a free plebiscite under the auspices of U.N.
This status quo
continues till today. Pakistan and India both have adopted positional
bargaining tactics to resolve this issue.
But "principled negotiations" among the people of Jammu
Kashmir need a process of healing and reconciliation among Muslims, Hindu Dogras,
Pundits, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians. This can be done by properly
identifying and eliminating the misconceptions about historical wounds,
accepting
responsibility of all the misdeeds that
different ethnic and religious groups had done to each other and
rendering a proper apology for them.
There must be a commitment from all sides not to repeat the bloody chapter of
violence against each other in future.
One of the biggest
historical wounds of Kashmiri nation is the myth "Amritsar Treaty was a
sale deed of Kashmiri Nation". This misconception has been the main source
of mistrust among Muslims and
non-Muslims in Jammu Kashmir. The
reality is that Maharaja Gulab Sing being son of soil had paid the ransom money
to East India Company in 1846 and regained autonomy and statehood for the
people of
Jammu Kashmir. His misdeeds and those
by his successors towards their people are another chapter and should be
analysed separately.
To start a process of
healing and reconciliation among people of all faiths and religions in Jammu
Kashmir I would suggest that Dr. Karan Sing being legal heir to throne of last
ruler of Jammu Kashmir should extend an apology for all the misdeeds his
ancestors had done to the people of Jammu & Kashmir,
particularly the Muslims. Similarly,
Mirwaz Umer Farooq being religious leader of the Muslims and Sardar Abdul
Qayyum being the one of the main living leader of people resistance movement in
1947 should apologize for all the misdeed which Muslims had done to non-Muslims
during 1947-49 in Azad
Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and also during
last 16 years in Indian held Jammu Kashmir.
I hope by these
gestures for social justice and commitment for non-violence we can restore the
multi-ethnic and multi-religious social fabric of our tolerant harmonious
society. This will help us to stand united under one flag, one leadership and
one resolve for independence. We will soon join the community of nations as
torchbearers for peace, love, and harmony. And once again our land, the
paradise will welcome all those who love nature to soothe their souls in the
folds of Himalayas.
AWARDS
*Reebok Human Rights Award, established in
1988, this Award honors young people from the United States and around the
world who have made significant contributions to the cause of human rights,
often against great odds. The purpose of the Award is to shine a positive,
international light on each awardee and to support his/her work in human rights
with a $50,000 grant. Individuals who will be 30 years of age or younger on
December 31, 2004, and working on an issue that directly relates to the United
Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights are invited to submit application
form (available at www.hri.ca/hraward/application_english.html),
with a letter of nomination, and three reference letters by May 31, 2004, to
The Reebok Human Rights Award Program, 1895 J.W. Foster Blvd., Canton, MA
02021, USA, T: 1-781-401 4910, F: 1-781-401 4806, Email: Rhraward@reebok.com, Website: www.reebok.com/humanrights (Via
Coexistence Network www.coexistence.net).
*The Journal of Bhutan Studies http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/journal/journal.htm
*Indian Arrival Day magazine. The
Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council invites articles, reviews, short stories and
poems for a special of the magazine, which seeks to commemorate the 120th
anniversary of the 1884 Hosay massacre. More info from Dr. Kumar Mahabir,
Editor, Swami Avenue, Don Miguel Road, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago, West
Indies, Tel: 868/675-7707, 868/756-4961, E-mail: mahab@tstt.net.tt
*The Babri Masjid Question, 1528-2003 - A Matter
of National Honour, (2 Volumes), Editor A.G. Noorani, Tulika Books (35A/1,
Third Floor, Shahpur Jat, New Delhi-110049, India). Rs. 750 (Vol. 1), Rs. 550
(Vol. 2). (Excerpts from a review “A defining moment in history” by Parvathi
Menon in The Hindu, April 06, 2004)
In a situation of systematic obfuscation by the Sangh Parivar of the historical
background and goals of the Ayodhya movement, the task of placing the Babri
Masjid question on record has been done by A.G. Noorani, the well-known lawyer,
historian and political commentator. He has marshaled the most important
primary source material on the Babri Masjid question in this edited two-volume
publication.
The documents in the first volume deal with the historicity of the
Ramjanmabhoomi legend and have been arranged chronologically and thematically
starting in from an excerpt from the will of Babar, which he left for his son
Humayun. The second volume presents documentation - primarily from journalistic
writing and other eye-witness accounts - on the destruction itself, its
pre-planned course, the foreknowledge that the police had of the event, and the
implication of top leaders of the BJP and the RSS in its destruction.
*The End of India, Khushwant Singh, Penguin Books: New Delhi, 2003.
Price US$17.95 (Rs200), 163 pages. (Excerpt from a review by Piyush Mathur,
March 13, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FC13Df01.html)
On the face of it, The End of India
provides a fearless, sometimes vulgar, admission and realistic portrayal of the
cumulative growth of Hindu extremism in India, especially through the past two
decades. "India is going to the dogs," he screams, adding, "and
unless a miracle saves us, the country will break up. It will not be Pakistan
or any other foreign power that will destroy us; we will commit hara-kiri"
(pp 3-4).
The immediate cause for Singh's despondence is the Gujarat riots of 2002 and
the politics that followed them. No religious community or political
constituency is spared criticism in Singh's account.
*Across the
Wagah: An
Indian's Sojourn in Pakistan, Maneesha Tikekar, Promilla & Co., Publishers
& Bibliophile South Asia (C-127 Sarvodaya Enclave, New Delhi - 110 017, India,
Phones : 91-11-26864124, 51829329, Fax : 91-11-26853894, Abutani@Biblioasia.Com, Www.Biblioasia.Com), Hardback,
360pp, 17 b/w photos, 2 maps, ISBN 81-85002-34-7, Rs. 750.00
The book makes two valid points: firstly,
we must learn to distinguish between people, nation and state, and secondly,
territorial boundaries and cultural frontiers do not necessarily coincide. It
is about the people of Pakistan, their cities and history, their complex social
fabric and their search for harmonised cultural identity from an Indian's
perspective. Pakistani society is at once plural and monolithic. Its
biradaries, tribes and tribal codes of conduct, ethnic groups and languages,
and racial mixtures make the Pakistani society an anthropologist's delight.
*September 27 - October 5, Dakar, Senegal:
WORLD YOUTH LEADERSHIP JAM, an annual week-long event that connects, supports
and inspires committed young leaders (ages 15-30, from 20 nations) whose lives
are dedicated to building a thriving, just, and peaceful world for all. The
World Youth Jam provides a healing and transformative context for community
building, networking, rejuvenation, and expanding the effectiveness of
outstanding young co-existence leaders. Cost: $0-$2000 (sliding scale). More
info from Michele Robbins, YES! 420 Bronco Rd. Soquel, CA 95073 USA. Email: michele@yesworld.org, Website: www.yesworld.org (Via Coexistence
Network www.coexistence.net).
*February 11-12, 2005, Berkeley, California, USA:
University of California’s 20TH ANNUAL SOUTH ASIA CONFERENCE invites Panel
Proposals by September 10, 2004, from scholars in any field related to
South Asia. Guidelines for panels and more info from 20th Annual South Asia
Conference, Center for South Asia Studies, 10 Stephens Hall MC2310, University
of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2310, Telephone: 510-642-3608. Fax:
510-643-5793, Website: http://ias.berkeley.edu/southasia/conference.html
EDUCATIONS & TRAINING
*June 28-July 16, Washington, D.C. USA: 2004
Summer Peacebuilding & Development Institute of
American University will offer following three courses each week for tree weeks
and participants will have to choose one class each week. More info and
applications from pcrinst@american.edu
or http://www.american.edu/sis/peacebuilding