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
VII, No.10, October 6, 2004, Next Issue, November 3, 2004
Announcement-Change Of Editors
*Strategies for Supporters of Peace in
South Asia, Pritam K. Rohila, Ph. D.
Peace & Harmony
Organizations
*Peace Train from Pakistan to India
*Peace Melas at Jalandhar
& Lahore by the Association of People of Asia (India) and Anjuman
Asiayee Awaam ( Pakistan)
*DOSTI 2004,
Houston, Texas, USA
*Tenth Anniversary of
Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy
*2004
Declaration of Guiding Principles for Civil Society
Feature
*Ultimately, WHAT is India? Shashi Tharoor
Peace Awards
*Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer
Peace Books & Manuals
*Conflict Transformation
by Peaceful Means: The UN/TRANSCEND Manual, Johan Galtung
*After Violence: The 3Rs
– Reconstruction, Reconciliation and Resolution, Johan Galtung
*Toolkit for
Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation in Nepal
*Searching
for Peace: the Road to TRANSCEND, Johan Galtlung, Carl Jacobsen and
Kai Frithjof
Petition For A Peace Memorial
(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)
Bangladesh
No Country is SAFE Anymore, Mollica Dastider, India
Press, September 22, 2004
Books
Rethinking the National Security of Pakistan: The
PRICE of Strategic Myopia, Ahmad Faruqui
India
Look Beyond the CAMEL, Dr Rafiq Zakaria, The
Asian Age
Manipur: Mismanaged CRISIS, P Phanjoubam, South Asia Intelligence Review, Sep 13, 2004
Operation Bluestar: 'Right decision, WRONG
implementation,
Rediff.com, Septembetr 14, 2004
Indian Muslims must JOIN mainstream, Mohammed Wajihuddin,
September 21, 2004
TEXT of
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's speech at the UN General Assembly, Sep 23, 2004
India-Pakistan
Indo-Pak peace: The McDonald's THEORY, Rediff.com, September 13,
2004
For Whom the Bells TOLL: Let's shake hands on the
ice, then let's have some cream, Sankarshan
Thakur, Tehelka.com, October
09, 2004
The Great Peace HOAX, Pavan Nair
Kashmir
Hurriyat opens Andorra's BOX
on Kashmir crisis, Sep 27, 2004
Nepal
Political Pilgrimage in Search of SECURITY, S.D. Muni, South Asia Intelligence Review, Sep 13,
Pakistan
Pakistan: Miracles, WARS, and Politics, Pervez Hoodbhoy
Peace
Three Years LATER: Peaceful
Tomorrows 9/11/04 Statement, Sep 11 Families for Peaceful
Tomorrows
Religion
400 years of
GURU Granth Sahib, Ishtiaq Ahmed , Daily Times,
Tuesday, 07 September 2004
South
Asia
SAFTA: A Critique, Dr Saman Kelegam, South Asian Journal ,6 July 2004
NEO-liberal Reforms, Jayati Ghosh, South Asian
Journal, 6 July 2004
The Crises Of Governance In SOUTH Asia, Javed Iqbal, The News
International, May 28, 1999.
Demons from the PAST, Irfan Husain, Daily Times,
August 30, 2004
USA
Riding for a FALL, Peter G. Peterson , Foreign Affairs,
September/October 2004
Women
HALF Crescent: The new Muslim face is now showing, Saba N Bhaumik , Outlook India.com Oct
ANNOUNCEMENT-CHANGE OF EDITORS
Starting with the November 2004 issue of ACHA Peace
Bulletin, David A Campion, Ph. D. will be
its primary editor.
Dr. Campion is assistant professor of history at
Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon (USA), where he teaches courses on
Modern South Asia and Britain. He received his PhD from the University of
Virginia where he wrote his dissertation on the policing of Colonial North
India. He has lived in Delhi and Lucknow and has traveled extensively in
South Asia.
He has been a member of ACHA for the last few years, and currently serves on its Board of Directors.
He can be reached at dave_campion@hotmail.com
*Strategies for Supporters of Peace in South Asia, Pritam
K. Rohila, Ph. D.
In spite of the current negotiations, India and Pakistan are not very
close to peace. Military conglomerates, political hawks and illegal traders,
who benefit from war and conflict, appear to be too entrenched in the
officialdoms of the two neighbors to allow them to live peacefully.
For supporters of peace, it is not enough to organize a peace
rally now and a peace march then, or hold a peace conference here and a peace
lecture there. Rather they need to mobilize public opinion in favor of peace.
If they can have a few thousand people marching, rallying or doing other
appropriate things everyday to demand peace, in all major towns, not only in
India and Pakistan, but everywhere Indian and Pakistanis live, the governments
will have to take the matter more seriously.
To accomplish this mission, they need to be more passionate about
it. Also they should be more careful about their strategies, and better
organized, more systematic, more willful, and more persistent in their efforts.
They must realize that working for peace between India and
Pakistan is more like running a marathon, than doing a hundred-yard dash. Only
those who last till the end have a chance to win. Therefore, they have to pace
ourselves. Also they need to develop intermediary goals to keep them motivated
till the end.
They should carefully look at their goals. Goals, which are well
articulated, would help them choose appropriate methods, and avoid knee-jerk
reactions.
From time to time, they need to evaluate how well they are doing.
They should revise their objectives and/or ways, if they are not doing well.
They cannot be efficient, if they take each and everything issue
equally seriously. They need to choose their battles carefully, and use their
time, their money and other resources, effectively.
When people do not show much interest in their activities, they
cannot afford to make excuses. Rather, they should carefully plan what and how
they say and do. They need to examine the text and the style of their messages.
They should make sure that the language, the medium and the timing of their
message is appropriate for the target audience. Limiting their messages to the
English language media is not very likely to be most effective.
They need to widen their support base and increase the breadth of
their resources. They need to learn to cultivate relationships with other
like-minded individuals, and to build coalitions with other groups. In this
respect, at least in the United States, they should not limit themselves to
Indian and Pakistani organizations.
(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-India
Bangladesh, India agree to combat terrorism http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/17bang.htm
DHAKA: A Home Secretary level meeting between
Bangladesh and India begins today (Thursday) in the city with some contentious
issues on the table. THE NEW NATION | September 16,2004
Delhi for joint
anti-terror steps with Dhaka
NEW DELHI: In a bid to make Dhaka agree to a joint
assault by the Border Security Force and
Bangladesh Rifles, New Delhi has offered to have a joint operation or
inspection to eliminate the camps of Shanti Vahini activists, who are alleged
to be operating out of India. The Pioneer | September 14,2004
*Bhutan-India
India sends two expert
delegations to Bhutan
NEW DELHI: The Government has agreed to send two
expert delegations to Bhutan for preparation of draft proposals for extending
suitable technical and other assistance in the areas of Animal Husbandry and
Dairying and Agricultural Marketing. PIB |
September 01,2004
*Bhutan-Sri Lanka
Lankan help for Bhutan's
health service
COLOMBO: Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal
Siripala de Silva has pledged to extend assistance and technical expertise to
improve Bhutan's health service. DAILY NEWS
| September 04,2004
*India
Rare scenes of communal harmony during
Ganesh procession
HYDERABAD: For the first time, a Muslim
minister and a Muslim police officer welcomed the Ganesh procession at the
historic Charminar, which is also one of the sensitive points in the walled
quarters, and at Moazzam Jahi Market. For the third consecutive year,
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), which has a strong base in the old city,
erected a special dais to welcome the idols. Peace committee comprising both
Hindus and Muslims also supplied drinking water to devotees. IANS Sept 27 2004
Why Muslims gearing up for Ganpati
immersion
MUMBAI, September 25: It isn't about
religion, it's about preventing accidents, say YMCA lifeguards who have been
involved with the services since 1996. In a city of past conflagrations, this
is a refreshing initiative. Thirty-three lifeguards with the Young Men's
Christian Association (YMCA) will watch over the crowds at Girgaum Chowpatty on
the final day of Ganpati immersion on September 27. Of these, 22 are Muslim. Indian Express
Sept 25 2004
Cabinet approves repeal of POTA http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/17pota.htm
Hindu-Muslim discord theory proven wrong
PUNE: Half the
members of Taboot Street Tarun Mandal in Camp are Muslims by faith. But they
feel the joy and delight in wholeheartedly participating in Ganeshotsav—from
doing up the pandal, aarti preparations, attending aarti to taking the idol for
immersion. ‘‘It is only natural. When we live together, why can’t we enjoy
together,’’ says treasurer Imaduddin Sayed, who even pieces together the Ganesh
stories. With Muslim members also donating to the mandal’s fund, president
Dilipkumar Saraf says, ‘‘Every theory about Muslim-Hindu discord is proved
wrong here. We respect each other’s beliefs and yet don’t let that come between
us.’’ Incidentally, the 37-year-old mandal also comes together for Moharram
when its Hindu members join the tazia procession.
Nation, September 17, 2004
Panel to probe Godhra
train fire
NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet Thursday approved the
setting up of a high-level committee, headed by the former Supreme Court Judge,
U.C. Banerjee, to probe the fire on the Sabarmati Express at Godhra, Gujarat,
in which 58 persons were killed in February 2002. The Hindu | September 03,2004
PM gets siropa at Golden
Temple
AMRITSAR: On a visit to the holy city on the occasion
of the 400th anniversary of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib, Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh paid obeisance at the Golden Temple on Wednesday
morning and took part in karseva for its gold plating. Hindustan Times | September 02,2004
PM, wife visit
Golden Temple
The PM announced fulfilment of many long pending demands of the Sikhs.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/01guru1.htm
*Kashmir
Singh's roadmap includes
Kashmiris in talks
NEW DELHI: The Indian prime minister’s decision to
partially shift the Kashmir file from the home minister’s office to his
internal security advisor might give impetus to Indian efforts to negotiate
peace directly with Kashmiris, sources said Wednesday. DAILY TIMES | September 23,2004
'Allow Kashmiris to freely cross LoC'
Moulvi Abbas Ansari lauded the Indian government's
gesture of allowing a group of Pakistani journalists to report from Kashmir. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/28jk1.htm
*Nepal
Govt to invite Maoists for
talks in a month
KATHMANDU: The source said the government may also
work out a framework for the Maoists’ political agenda before the High-level
Peace Committee (HPC) headed by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba invites the
rebels to the talks table. THE HIMALAYAN TIMES September 21,2004
'Only peace can solve
economic crisis’
KATHMANDU: Minister, high-level government officials
and businesspersons involved in tourism sector have observed that unless the
country achieves lasting peace, the economic crisis would not be over. THE HIMALAYAN TIMES | September 14,2004
*Nepal-India
India, Nepal join hands
against terror
NEW DELHI: India and Nepal Sunday expressed their
determination in combating terrorism as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured
Kathmandu of further strengthening security forces, including the Nepal police
to curb the Maoist insurgency. INDIAN EXPRESS | September 13,2004
Nepal, India sign
cooperation deals
NEW DELHI: India Thursday agreed to provide Nepal two
Advanced Light helicopters to help fight the Maoists, a day after Prime
Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba arrived here on a working visit. THE HIMALAYAN TIMES |September 10,2004
Indo-Nepal oil pipeline
accord on the cards
NEW DELHI: The project from Raxaul in Indian state of
Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal has been hampered due to unresolved issues despite
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) having been signed nine years ago. THE HIMALAYAN TIMES | September 08,2004
*Pakistan
NA approves nuclear
controls bill
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday evening
passed a bill that will apply export controls on goods, technologies, material
and equipment related to nuclear and biological weapons and their delivery
systems. DAILY TIMES | September 15,2004
Lahore braces for 10th
PIPFPD’s anniversary
LAHORE: An Indian delegation of peace activists,
social workers and artistes will cross the border at Wagah today (Friday) to
participate in the 10th anniversary of the Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for
Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) from September 3 to 5. PIPFPD activists from both
countries will participate in the celebrations titled ‘Peace and democracy now’
and Pakistani PIPFPD activists have started reaching Lahore. DAILY TIMES | September 03,2004
*Pakistan-India
Safma thanks Indian,
Pakistani govts
LAHORE: South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA)
has thanked the Pakistani and Indian authorities for allowing visas to
journalists visiting the Kashmirs administered by Pakistan and India. The
exchange programme would provide an opportunity to journalists to assess the
real situation in both Kashmirs. The journalists will be free to seek public
opinion on the issue. DAILY TIMES September 30,2004
Natwar, Kasuri to review
peace process today
The structured SAARC ministerial meeting on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session would be followed by a
one-to-one meeting between Kasuri and Natwar Singh. The two sides are expected
to discuss the future roadmap for talks and evolve a strategy to expedite the
peace. INDO LINK September
30,2004
Top India, Pak officials to meet
National security advisers of India and Pakistan are
expected to meet in October to follow up on the meeting between Manmohan Singh
and Musharraf in New York.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/29indpak.htm
Meeting with Singh a
victory for peace: Musharraf
AMSTERDAM: Addressing a gathering of the Pakistanis
living in the Netherlands, President Gen Pervez Musharraf on Sunday described
his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York as
"positive" and a victory for peace. He added that efforts would be
made to find an acceptable solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute for
durable peace in South Asia. THE NEWS | September 27,2004
India opens up Kashmir to
Pakistani scribes
NEW DELHI: Reversing India's long-standing policy of
keeping Kashmir strictly off-limits for journalists from across the border, the
United Progressive Alliance Government has issued visas for Jammu, Srinagar,
Anantnag and Gulmarg to 18 Pakistani scribes. The journalists, who are part of
the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), will spend five days in Jammu
and Kashmir and will be free to meet anyone they wish to during their stay. THE HINDU | September 27,2004
Musharraf says talks historic
'We have decided that confidence-building measures
as well as all disputes, including the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir, need to be
addressed,' he said. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/25mush.htm
Meeting with Musharraf significant: PM
In his hour-long press conference, the prime
minister fielded questions on a range of issues covering Indo-Pak relations,
emerging strategic partnership with the US and his government's determination
to make India an attractive investment destination. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/25pm.htm
Musharraf takes Singh by surprise
Among other things, he produced a copy of Singh's
school report card.
http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/25indpak.htm
Pakistan to reciprocate
Indian visa CBMs
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to reciprocate the
Indian announcement that visa facilities will be eased for various categories
of Pakistani citizens and a formal announcement in this regard will be made by
the Pakistani government soon “but this requires direction from Prime Minister
Shaukat Aziz,” highly-placed official sources told Daily Times on Tuesday. DAILY TIMES | September 22,2004
Rangers, BSF to survey
areas along LoC
JAMMU: Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security
Force (BSF) will survey the disputed areas along the Line of Control (LoC).
Previously, Rangers and BSF had declared 12kms of LoC including Balad, Lari
Killa, Barmabari, Mangral, Sangral, Baboa and Mangoch disputed after 32 columns
disappeared from the locality. DAILY TIMES | September
16,2004
Indian envoy calls on Pak
Opposition leader
ISLAMABAD:
The Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, Shiv Shankar Menon, has said that
the composite dialogue is progressing 'very well' and Kashmir is one of the
important issues to be resolved between the two countries. DAWN |
September 16,2004
India to unveil more Pak CBMs
NEW
DELHI: India is likely to unveil some more Confidence Building Measures (CBMs)
vis-a-vis
Pakistan
later this week ahead of two important meetings. TRIBUNE | September 15,2004
Dixit-Aziz meetings
generate hope
So far, there have been three Dixit-Aziz meetings,
away from the glare of media attention. According to a foreign office aide, Mr.
Dixit is said to have described Mr. Aziz as the "most reasonable"
Pakistan interlocutor in his three decades of contacts with Pakistan officials
and diplomats. The assessment is that Mr. Aziz can deliver and has delivered.
He is deemed to have the trust and confidence of the Pakistan President, Pervez
Musharraf. Also, the two Advisers seem to have hit it off. Because of the
chemistry between the two, New Delhi has chosen not to take too harsh a view of
Gen. Musharraf's latest remarks in Quetta where he was reported to have said
that "we will not give up Kashmir."
If Mr. Dixit and Mr. Aziz find the time and place to get together for a quiet
chat before the Manmohan-Musharraf meeting, they could possibly shortlist a
number of "options," mutually acceptable to India and Pakistan, on
Kashmir. THE HINDU | September 14,2004
Indo-Pak group tourism
allowed
NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan on Wednesday opened up
their countries to group tourism for the first time while announcing a series
of high-level contacts to push forward the peace process.
Islamabad and New Delhi also reiterated the confidence that composite dialogue
would lead to peaceful settlement of all bilateral issues, including Jammu and
Kashmir, to the satisfaction of both sides.
September
09,2004
Games bind Punjabs
CHANDIGARH: The bonhomie between India and Pakistan
on the international border and the Line of Control will be extended to the
games arena. The Indian Olympic Association and its Pakistani counterpart have
agreed to get sportsmen from both the Punjabs to flex their muscles against
each other.
“The games, the first of its kind since Independence, would be held from
December 5 to 11 at Patiala to begin with. It would be a yearly affair with
sportspersons, including women from both the Punjabs, meeting once in each
other’s countries. Sportsmanship, not bullets, will settle the score,” Punjab
chief minister Amarinder Singh announced today.TELEGRAPH INDIA | September 09,2004
Indo-Pak accord on free visa
for journalists
NEW DELHI: Yielding to a long pending demand of
journalists from both countries, the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan on
Tuesday promised them prompt visas to travel anywhere in each other's country.
THE HINDU |September 08,2004
The two sides agreed to continue dialogue to find a
peaceful negotiated settlement of all bilateral issues including Jammu and
Kashmir. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/08talks.htm
Kasuri extends 'hand of friendship'
I want to send a message to all the Indian people
that the people of Pakistan want friendship with you, the Pakistan foreign
minister said. http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/07kasuri.htm
No headway, but dialogue
continues
NEW DELHI: The composite dialogue process was saved,
despite the hardening of positions on Kashmir and cross-border terrorism, due
to the sagacity shown by the two foreign ministers.
THE NEWS | September 07,2004
Amritsar-Lahore bus
service soon
NEW DELHI: After two-day talks between External
Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood
Kasuri, the leaders announced that a `Special Day’ bus-service will be operated
between Amritsar and Lahore for visits to religious places there like Nankana
Sahib on special occasions. TRIBUNE INDIA September 07,2004
Indo-Pak forum demands
demilitarisation
LAHORE: The Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace
and Democracy (PIPFPD) celebrated its tenth anniversary this year and called
for a citizen-friendly Pakistan-India visa procedure, demilitarisation in the
two countries and a solution of the Kashmir dispute that was based on the
wishes of its people.
DAILY TIMES | September 06,2004
India, Pakistan to deepen
peace
NEW DELHI: Setting a positive tone on the eve of a
crucial ministerial meeting, the foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan held
'productive' discussions on the composite dialogue process in New Delhi on
Saturday. They came up with 'useful' ideas while highlighting the need to
'broaden' engagement between the two sides. REDIFF
September 04,2004
Pakistan ‘Theme Country’ at Delhi Book Fair
NEW DELHI: An 80-member Pakistani delegation,
comprising 20 publishers from the neighboring country, is taking part in the 10th
annual Delhi Book Fair, which began here August 21 with Pakistan as the ‘theme
country.’ India
West September 3, 2004
India ready to make LoC in J&K 'softer'
New Delhi is looking forward to 'realistic progress'
in the composite dialogue process when External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh
meets his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid M Kasuri on September 5-6.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2004/sep/02indpak.htm
Safma advocates strong
Indo-Pak trade ties
LAHORE: Trade and good relations between Pakistan and
India, particularly between East and West Punjab, are vital for regional
progress and the implementation of SAFTA (South Asia Free Trade Area) in 2007.
This was stressed by speakers at a seminar titled ‘Punjab-Punjab Consultation:
Finding complementarities’ arranged by the South Asia Free Media Association
(SAFMA) at a local hotel on Wednesday. The seminar was part of SAFMA efforts to
promote peace between Pakistan and India. The speakers read papers on the scope
of trade in agriculture, industry and tourism. Most of the papers were read in
Punjabi. DAILY TIMES |September 02,2004
Indo-Pak parliamentary
forum established
NEW DELHI: Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath
Chatterjee on Monday announced the formation of an India-Pakistan Joint
Parliamentary Friendship Forum to promote people-to-people contact between the
two countries.Mr Chatterjee, who met a 19-member delegation from Pakistan’s
National Assembly led by former speaker Gohar Ayub Khan, said bilateral
relations would improve through sports, culture and exchange of
parliamentarians, according to IANS news agency.DAILY TIMES August 31,2004
India, Pakistan mapping
peace strategy
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan are working on a
strategy for a crucial meeting between their foreign ministers early next
month, officials said Saturday. TIMES
OF INDIA August 29, 2004
*South Asia
Saarc states to mull
investment regime
ISLAMABAD: A three-day meeting of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) sub-group on Investment and
Arbitration will begin in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Sources said there was an
understanding among member states to set up an investment regime and adopt a
dispute settlement mechanism in order to increase economic cooperation among
member states. DAILY TIMES | September 27,2004
SAARC summit in Dhaka Jan
9-11
DHAKA: The next summit of the leaders of seven South
Asian countries including historic rivals India and Pakistan will be held in
Dhaka from January 9-11, officials said Friday, reports AFP.
THE NEWS TODAY | September 04,2004
3-way mode for Saarc
bourses integration
ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Securities and Exchange
Commission of Pakistan has proposed a three-pronged approach for regional
capital market integration in the Saarc region. Dr Tariq Hassan made the comment
in a speech delivered on his behalf at a conference organised by the South
Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) and the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of India on “the Integrated Financial Sector in the SAARC Region”
in New Delhi, an SECP statement said on Monday. DAILY TIMES | August 31,2004
South Asia bound by a
shared destiny: India
NEW DELHI: Reaffirming India’s commitment to
multi-sectoral and multi-faceted regional cooperation, Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh Monday said the people of South Asia are bound together by a shared
destiny. “South Asia needs a new vision for the future backed by credible
strategies that have the backing of the common people and can reverse the
adverse tide of strife and suspicion”, said Dr. Singh while speaking to a
delegation of senior South Asian policy analysts from seven institutions in the
region here.
He said the future belongs to the “shared management of our inevitable
interdependence”. He asked scholars in the region to come forward with ideas
that will help the region develop together, conquering the scourge of poverty
and disease. He said “a new climate of opinion has to be created that
cooperation has immense possibilities. The leadership in the region has an
obligation to create a congenial atmosphere for cooperation in our common
struggle for development.” He extended his support to any forward looking
initiative for greater regional cooperation. August 31,2004
Steps mooted for
integrating Saarc bourses
NEW DELHI: Securities and Exchange Board of India on
Saturday proposed a slew of steps, including harmonisation of listing
requirements, clearing and settlement systems, as part of efforts to integrate
capital markets in the Saarc (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation)
region.
TIMES OF INDIA | August 29,2004
*Sri Lanka
Canadian Tamils pledge support for peace
CANADA: Canadian Tamils are organizing a "Pongu
Thamil" (Tamil upsurge) awareness festival in Toronto on September 25,
2004, to demonstrate their support for the current peace process and to request
the Canadian government to take an active role in the peace process in Sri
Lanka, Tamil community activists in Canada said Sunday. TAMIL
NET | September 20,2004
*Sri Lanka-India
India, Sri Lanka to
finalise defence deal
COLOMBO: A defence cooperation agreement between Sri
Lanka and India is to be finalised next month, state radio announced here
Monday. Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation quoted defence officials as saying
that the agreement would be finalized in October. XINHUA September 20,2004
India promises help to Sri Lankan military
NEW
DELHI: India's Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash has promised Sri Lanka of all
cooperation to its armed forces. "The focus of the visit is to boost
bilateral military cooperation, which includes more training programmes for Sri
Lankan military personnel, possible sale of military equipment and joint
patrolling of Palk Straits," said an officer. TIMES OF INDIA September 14,2004
India assures help for Sri Lanka peace
COLOMBO: India says it is ready to help its neighbor
Sri Lanka in its peace process, but in its separation.
Indian media quoting Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “India is
doing whatever it can to help neighboring countries facing major problems.” COLOMBO PAGE |
September 06,2004
Indian trade team meets
Lanka FM
COLOMBO: A delegation of members of the Southern Region Office of the Confederation Of Indian Industry (CII) representing a variety of business enterprises called on Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday to discuss ways and means of facilitating interaction between the South Indian business community in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, Sri Lankan business and relevant government agencies. THE ISLAND | September 02,2004
*Sri Lanka-
Pakistan
Final Pak-Lanka talks on
free trade in Sept
KARACHI: The final round of talks on free trade
agreement between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is expected to be held in Pakistan by
the end of September 2004, said Sri Lankan Consul General Manel De Silva while
addressing a press conference along with Niraj de-Mel, chairman Sri Lankan Tea
Board here Monday at the Consulate. DAILY TIMES | August 31,2004
*World
War declines and peace mission rise, study says
The Stockholm International Peace Research
Institute’s 2004 Yearbook reports that 19 major armed conflicts were under way
worldwide in 2003, a drop from 33 wars counted in 1991. The report, produced in
collaboration with Sweden’s Uppsala University estimated battle-related deaths
worldwide at 15,000 in 2002, and, because of the Iraq war, 20,000 in 2003, The
figures are sharply down from annual tolls ranging from 40,000 to 100,000 in
1990s. Statesman Journal August 30, 2004
PEACE &
HARMONY ORGANIZATIONS
(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)
*Peace Train
from Pakistan to India
A group of human right activists has organized a
'peace train,' which will leave from Pakistan for India on October 5. Starting
at Rawalpindi the train would visit 71 stations in both countries to muster
support for relaxing visa requirements and promoting friendly visits between
the two countries. It aims to promote the ideas of an 'entry system' instead of
visas, ending of the nuclear weapons race, resolving of economic issues and
starting meaningful talks over the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.
Prominent personalities from both countries will
join the train including Anil Shastri son of the former Indian prime minister
Lal Buhadar Shastri. Representatives of the Pakistan People's Party, Labour
Party Pakistan, Pakistan Peoples Party (Shaheed Bhutto group), South Asia
Fertility, National Trade Union Federation and Women Workers Help Line will
represent Pakistan on the train.
*Association of People of Asia (India) and
Anjuman Asiayee Awaam ( Pakistan)
One thousand peace lovers from Pakistan will cross the Wagha Border on Nov 23 to participate in the Indo-Pak Peace Mela to be held on Nov 24 at Jalandhar. On Nov 26 one thousand friends of peace from Indian side will cross Wahga Border to participate in Indo Pak peace Mela at Lahore on Nov 27. The Melas are being organized jointly by the Association of People of Asia (India) and Anjuman Asiayee Awaam (Pakistan). More info from Diep at Lahore saeedadiep@yahoo.com
*DOSTI 2004,
Houston, Texas
“Celebrating
Our Heritage Together for Peace and Prosperity” was the theme of the Second
Annual Indo-Pak Independence Day Peace Celebration organized by Indian and
Pakistani Communities and by local South Asian physicians in collaboration with
community activists was held at the Holiday Inn Select in Houston on September
4, 2004. Over 250 participants attended the conference.
The evening began by the showing of a documentary film CROSSING THE LINES:
KASHMIR, PAKISTAN AND INDIA by Parvez Hoodbhoy. Speeches and interactive
discussion with audience participation followed this. The Panelists were Dr.
Kamran Asdar, Mr. Amit Panday, Dr. Khalid Riaz, Pritam Rohila, and Ms. Bapsi
Sidhwa. The moderator of this discussion was Dr. Nusrat Malik of KPFT 90.1
program Border Crossings.
*Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, [India Secretariat], A-1/125, FF, Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110 029. www.pipfpd.org
A seventy member delegation of the Pakistan India People's Forum for Peace and
Democracy (PIPFPD) crossed over to Pakistan at the Attari-Wahga border
September 3, to participate in the three day joint celebration of the Forum's
10th Anniversary, being organized in Lahore. The program was also
expected to finalize the Peace Marches in India and Pakistan, culminating at
the border points of Munabao (Rajasthan) and Kokhrapar (Sindh region) and the
Joint Indo-Pak Peace March prior to the PIPFPD's 7th Joint Convention in New
Delhi.
*2004 Declaration of Guiding
Principles for
Civil Society,
New York, NY, USA
Taken from the universal wisdom of Sri Guru Granth
Sahib compiled 400 years ago, Sikh attendees of released the 2004 Declaration
of Guiding Principles for Civil Society at the fifty-seventh annual Conference
of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the United Nations Department of
Public Information (DPI) at the UN Headquarters in New York. More than
1,800 representatives from 540 organizations based in 93 countries had come
together for three days to assess the progress and consider the way forward to
achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The leaders felt that the initiatives taken by the
compiler of the Aadi Granth were clearly to establish world peace through
understanding, gratitude, and reverence for nature, and that the ancient wisdom
of the Aadi Granth would be of value to the modern world when they are
considering its future.
FEATURE
*Ultimately, WHAT is India? Shashi Tharoor
Shashi
Tharoor, a senior United Nations official, commentator and novelist delivered
this address in Madras a few weeks ago.
Let's talk about the whole notion of majority and minority in India. I intend
to affirm that we are all minorities in India. I know that the less industrious
of our journalists like to speak of the so-called
majority community but where is this majority community?
Let's take a typical representative of this majority community, a good UP Hindu
stepping off a train in any one of India's crowded railway stations. Now this
chap may well think he belongs to the majority
community but of course even though UP, if it were independent, would be the seventh largest country in the world and
even if you were in UP, you would be forgiven for thinking that the majority of
Indians were there, the fact is that UP does not represent a majority of India.
In fact if this railway station that this archetype stepped out in happened to
be in my home state of Kerala, well, a majority in Kerala is not even male.
So which of these various categories shall we choose? Shall we choose his
language? Well, Hindi is not spoken by a majority of Indians. Should we choose
his caste? If he is a Brahmin, then I'm afraid 89 per cent of Indians are not
Brahmins. If he is a Yadav, 85 per cent of Indians are not of that so-called
backward caste and so on and so forth. But you get my point? In our country we
have diversities, we can cut this majority community in a hundred different
ways and find minorities lurking within.
You also have to look in terms of what makes the national. Now, in our country,
it is an absolute fact that you could have a Haryanvi Jat on one hand and a
Tamil Brahmin on the other and the two of them notionally belong to the same
majority Hindu community. But they have almost nothing in common in terms of
dress, appearance, language, culinary taste and these days, political opinions.
Whereas a Tamil Muslim, a Tamil Hindu and a Tamil Christian would have far more
in common with each other than other co-religionists from some other part of
the country.
Why is it that I harp on these differences? It is not to divide the notion of
Indianness, it is rather to affirm a notion of Indianness that is larger than
the sum of its parts. Let's take these classic theories of what makes a nation.
What are the various things that unite a country to create a nation? In fact
when I talk about India in this context, I'm often reminded of the wonderful
argument that two political scientists are having about a problem. The first
political scientist says, how do we solve the problem, the second one gives a
solution to the problem and the first one replies that the solution will work
in practice, but the question was if it would work in theory!
You can ask the same question about Indian nationalism. The national idea has
worked very well in practice but it doesn't hold up in theory. After all, we
don't have nationalism that is based even on geography because the natural
geography of the subcontinent was hacked by the Partition of 1947. It's not
language, as we have 17 official languages, 35 depending on whether you follow
the Constitution or the
ethnolinguists. It's not ethnicity because by most definitions of ethnicity,
there are Indians who have nothing in common with other Indians and there are
Indians who have more in common with foreigners
than with other Indians.
For example, an Indian Punjabi or Bengali has more in common with a Pakistani
and a Bangladeshi respectively than they do with, let's say, a Bangalorean. And
it is not based on religion because we are a country that is home to every
religion known to humankind with the possible exception of Shintoism. And
Hinduism is in many ways as much a reflection of our cultural heritage and our
national diversity as a
factor that under guards the notion of Indianness. So ultimately, what is
India?
India, I would argue, is an idea. It is an idea of a nation, as I mentioned
earlier, which has a civilisational unity, a historical commonality with
overlapping histories in different parts of the country, a geographical space
not complete because it has been affected by the century's politics but common
geographical space nonetheless in which to work this out and a democracy within
which this diversity is enshrined, supported and ultimately plays itself out.
And in that sense one can argue, one can stand Peter Pan on his head that ours
is indeed an 'Ever-ever land'. A nation, an idea, a country, a civilization
that has always existed but which has found a new space and new shape since
1947. A space which transcends the various diversities of which it is
comprised.
I mention this because I've been living for some years in New York in the
United States and we have this wonderful notion of the United States as a
melting pot. In my book I've actually written that if the phrase
'melting pot' had existed 1,500 years ago, India might have had better claim to
that title because of the various waves of migration into India at that time
that created the ethnic mix that we all represent today.
But today, I would argue to Americans that if they are a melting pot, we are a
thali. We are a collection of different dishes in different bowls on one common
plate. These dishes may not necessarily mix with each
other, which is why they are in different bowls but they combine on the palate
to produce a satisfying repast. That, to me, is the notion or metaphor of the
Indian identity.
Of course, I understand that many of you will say that is an excessively
idealized view of Indianness and I'm particularly aware of the differences, the
divisions, the pitfalls of misunderstanding, the
arguments. And I am also aware of my vulnerability to criticism as someone who
has parachuted down from far away to come and spout wisdom to you. In fact, one
of my favorite Indian stories is the story not of the NRI but of the American
agricultural aid expert who comes to India to give advice on agriculture, in
the 1960s.
This man comes and visits this small Indian farm in Punjab where land holdings
aren't very large and land reforms have worked in some parts of the country better
than in others. But this Sikh farmer welcomes him
very proudly and says, 'My land extends all the way to the national highway
there.' (To the American it looks like a dirt road.) 'Do you see that bunch of
trees out there? My land goes as far as that. Can you see
that little irrigation canal?' (The canal is barely a trickle from the
American's point of view.) 'My land goes all the way there.' Then he turns to
the American and says, 'How far does your land go'?
Now this American is a farmer from the mid-western prairie states like Kansas,
with huge holdings. He smiles and says, 'Well, in the morning I get into my
tractor and I drive six hours south, to the southern
boundary of my farm, and then I turn west in my tractor and I drive another
three-and-a-half hours to the western boundary of my farm and I break for a
sandwich and afterwards I get into my tractor and it's four
hours north to the northern boundary of my farm and finally at sun-down, I
spend another couple of hours in my tractor getting back to my farm house.'
The Sikh farmer smiles very sympathetically and says, 'I know, I know, I too
used to have a tractor like that.' So it is possible to speak the same language
and understand different things. The whole point about
Indianness is that we can speak different languages and understand the same
thing.
And that brings me, of course, to the developments in recent years of what is
been, inaccurately in my view, dubbed as Hindu fundamentalism. I say
inaccurately because Hinduism is uniquely a diversity of religious practices
within Hinduism which have no single sacred book but many. Hinduism is, in many
ways, predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages and of
divinity cannot be confined to a single sacred book and we have no compulsory injunctions
or obligations. We don't even have a Hindu Sunday, let alone an injunction to
pray at specific times and frequencies. Instead, what we have is a faith that
allows each believer to reach out his or her hands to his or her notion of the
creative Godhead of divinity. A faith which uniquely does not have any notion
of heresy in it, you cannot be a Hindu heretic because there is no standard set
of dogmas from which you can deviate that make you a heretic. Here is a faith
so unusual, so unique, that it is the only major religion in the world that
does not claim to be the only true religion. I find that incredibly congenial.
For me, as a believing Hindu, it is wonderful to be able to meet people from
other faiths without being burdened by the conviction that they are embarked
upon a
wrong path.
Hinduism believes that there are various ways of reaching the ultimate truth.
To me, the fact that adherence of this faith in a particular perversion of its
tenets has chosen to destroy somebody else's sacred
place, has chosen to attack others because of the absence of foreskin or the
mark on the forehead, this ultimately makes me, as a Hindu, deeply sorrowful
and, in a very fundamental way, ashamed. Build Ram in your hearts is what
Hinduism has always enjoined. If Ram is in your heart, it would matter very
little what bricks or stones Ram can also be found in, but this is a pluralist
notion of Hinduism, this eclectic tolerance,
which was very much in the minds of the believing Hindus in the nationalist
movement as well as of those emerging from this Indic Civilization, who shared
this pluralist national conviction.
That this notion of Indianness has somehow been reduced to a sectarian notion
of so-called Hindutva is, to me, a travesty of what Hinduism really is. I too,
as a Hindu, can say when people tell me garv se kaho
ki tum Hindu ho, that I'm proud to be a Hindu, but in what is it that we ae to
take pride? I take pride in the
openness, the diversity, the range, the lofty metaphysical aspirations
of the Vedanta; of the various
ways in which Hinduism is practiced, eclectically, tolerantly, that is what I
take pride in.
Unfortunately, there are those who take pride in
Hinduism the way in which one might support a football team, (these days one
can't support the cricket team, so let's leave that aside!) -- as a badge of
identity,
rather than as a set of values, principles and beliefs, and so Hinduism becomes
reduced in their retelling to nothing more than a label.
The word for Indian has almost become Hindu. All the latter meant was the
people living across the river Sindhu or the Indus. Of course, the Indus now
flows in Pakistan but nonetheless, the fact is that the notion
of Indianness and Hinduness is very much caught up in what Dr.Radhakrishnan so
memorably spoke of as a way of life. That way of life has very little room for
intolerance, for dogma, for attacks on
others because of what they don't believe.
And this brings me back to the notion of political democracy in India because
ultimately that political democracy is what has been the saving grace of the
Indianness that I talked about. Because if those who have ridden to power
through the political support of others who advocate extreme notions of Hindu
fanaticism, if those who have come to power have learnt anything through the
process of working with others, it is that you can only rule India in alliance
with people who are not like you. That you will not be able to rule India only
by speaking Hindi, only by impositions, only ultimately by deciding that those
who do not worship a certain kind of Hinduism are the only first class citizens
in our country.
That discovery is vital because to reduce any other Indian, anyone else who
lives on this soil, who carries an Indian passport, has no other notion of an
extraterritorial loyalty to turn to, to deny any of those people the same first
class citizenship that these Hindus claim as their birthright, would be a
second Partition, this time not on the Indian soil but in the Indian soul. That
partition would be in negation of this fundamental notion at the core of Indian
nationalism that India is greater than the sum of its parts.
As I said, I would not want to bore you excessively, I would much say, in
conclusion, that this is why I believe that whatever the political merits of
Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, whether you wish to vote for her or not, whether you wish to
vote for her party or the parties with her or not, that ultimately is a matter
of your political preference. It is ultimately a matter of what the electorate
believes she is capable of doing. I hold no brief for her politics or that of
any other politician in our country.
But what I do want to say to Sharad Pawar, Tariq Anwar, Purno Sangma and others
like them is that, as an Indian, I cannot accept the right of any politician or
any group of politicians to tell me who is an Indian. The notion of Indianness
is something that is far greater, far larger, far more fundamental, far more
rooted in 5,000 years of legislators can reduce. To me, the territorial,
sectarian or other notions of Indianness
are essentially irrelevant. This is a society, a culture that has embraced
anyone who has wanted to be a part of it, whether it was the Parsis who came in
the seventh century, the Muslims who came peacefully
to Kerala in the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries, or the other communities
who have evolved on the soil or come to the soil. We have not questioned
anyone's right to be a part of us. The notion of 'us' is more important than
allowing any set of people to start dividi