---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Niloufer Bhagwat <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 11:53 AM Subject: Re: [humanrights-movement:2265] Whatever the source of violence andwhoever is killed condemnation must be unequivocal ,sympathy cannot be selective depending on the religion ,caste or nationality of those killed To: [email protected]
Whether Sikhs are killed by the Taliban or the people of Afghanistan and Iraq among other countries are killed by direct attacks or through drones or otherwise by the Occupying powers or the people from North India are killed or attacked in Mumbai or citizens are murdered by bomb blasts planted by covert organizations politically associated with the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi or by other covert groups or individuals whether Muslims , Hindus, or foreigners whatever the reality may be as in Pune , manipulated for this purpose by funded covert organizations receiving foreign funding or whether people are killed by state terror in encounters or custodial deaths ,or innocent people die in violence such as in the Kashmir Valley , in regional agitations such as in Telengana/Hyderabad or Maharastra or at the hands of so called Maoists; or whether Tribals are tortured or shot by Salwa Judum or para military organizations in the course of Operation Green Hunt or when honest police officials performing their duty to investigate Malegaon bomb blasts among other covert conspiracies and lawyers performing their duty to represent those accused of offences are assassinated , all these acts must be unequivocally condemned . Whether people are killed by bomb blasts in our own country or in other countries it is equally to be condemned . Whereas on Television we see selective condemnation and hysteria depending upon the religion or class or caste or even nationality of the person or persons killed . The assassination of lawyers , the framing up of innocent members of the minority community in India misutilizing the propaganda of the 'WAR ON TERROR ' which served a political purpose , the caste related hate crimes have not been covered as comprehensively . Discussions on crimes are also used for selective propaganda purposes with' Intelligence Assets' used during the discussion both from Pakistan and India . It is almost as though both sides need the hate to justify the existence of the two nation states. If India continues to be tagged along with Pakistan which was created by British Imperial policy and served this policy for decades in South Asia and we do not rise above the pettiness of the rhetoric while securing firmly our frontiers and our secular foundations , we will find itself degenerating into a banana Republic with no 'Rule of Law ' , with institutions we had constructed and established fast eroding , we are in serious and imminent danger of this happening . Even as China advances to new technological heights and culture , we are degenerating in our discourse and the Scientific Spirit has been abandoned for some crude religious symbolism and vulgar ritualism by many . Let us not create Indian Talibans we have some incipient ones already . However let us distinguish the Taliban in Afghanistan from the national liberation movement from military occupation of foreign powers . To emphasise it is necessary to develop according to our own ethos,needs and economic and social circumstances . We are not in competition or rivalry with any other nation state or society , we wish them all well , their own path . However without a higher civilizational perspective harnessing not only science and technology , permitting necessary and essential development and industrialization in consultation with affected people and interests , revitalising agriculture , small scale and rural industries , investing in priority infrastructure for those below the poverty line assuring livelihod and food security , we will be reduced to barbarism . We have to expand resource creation even as we have to redistribute , for this we need a society free from terror of every kind, with all issues open to dialogue . There must be an adequate understanding in society that all over the world , through selective or large scale violence there is an attempt to divide and rule , to obliterate from human understanding that man's /woman's first loyalty is to humanity and humanity is indivisible .However those who are imposing the violence will reap the consequences, as violence finally engulfs those who resort to it is the lesson of history . The Intelligence Agencies of Pakistan trained the Mujahideen against the PDP government for decades from 1979 financed and armed by the USA , UK , Saudi Arabia among other powers , to -day they are paying the price with large scale violence engulfing all their cities and regions . If we support covert terror against our citizens , we too will pay the price and this will not be limited to those immediately affected . The world as a whole is changing . Everything even as the financial and economic system of many countries of the G7 are collapsing . It is time to dialogue on the direction we should take , accepting that economic organization of society cannot be static just as social organization cannot be frozen reflecting out dated feudal and casteist values and that the life style of the American dream was a bubble and cannot and should not be replicated as this kind of consumption directly depletes the resources of the planet which have to be renewed and passed on renewing its beauty by reviving its green cover and all sources of plant and animal life . Niloufer Bhagwat ----- Original Message ----- From: ram puniyani To: ram puniyani Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 8:45 PM Subject: [humanrights-movement:2259] article Indo-Pak Peace Talks and Taliban Provocations Ram Puniyani There are reports (February 23) in Indian media that two Sikhs were killed by Pakistan based Taliban militants in Khyber and Orakzi areas near Peshawar. These Sikhs were part of a group of many Sikhs who had been kidnapped by the Taliban over a month ago. The Taliban had demanded Rs 30 million as ransom for the release of this group and killed two of them after the expiry of the deadline for the payment of the ransom, Jizya. Two persons, Gurvinder Singh and Gurjit Singh amongst others are still believed to be in the custody of the militants. Some reports suggest that these Sikhs were killed after their refusal to convert to Islam. Indian Government has reacted strongly to this mindless act by Taliban. Many an Indian political groups and a group of Muslim intellectual activists have also condemned this barbaric act in no uncertain terms. The group of Muslim intellectuals/activists in their statement point out, “The inhuman and un-Islamic act of killing innocent civilians has once again exposed the true face of the terrorists whose only aim is to use the name of Islam, the religion of peace and mercy, for their nefarious designs, ulterior motives and worldly pleasures. These are the people who denigrate the name of Islam and bring disrepute to all Muslims of the World. No civilized Muslim would accept the logic of killing innocents in the name of religion. Safeguarding the lives of its minorities from lawlessness, mayhem and protecting their lives and property is the paramount duty of an Islamic State. The continuous pressure on the Sikh community in Pakistan is alarming and demands urgent attention of civil society, religious leadership and the establishment in Pakistan.” The other aspect of this brutal act is that it is coming just in the wake of the Secretary level talks between India and Pakistan to begin this 25th (Thursday). Earlier also there has been a correlation between the improving Pak-India relations and such acts of insanity which put a great amount of pressure on Indian Government to put off the talks. There are numerous such incidents which one recalls. The first such major incident was the Kargil occupation by Pakistan army under Pervez Musharraf in the wake of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Bus Yatra which aimed to break the ice of coldness between the two neighbors. This was done without the knowledge of Nawaz Sharif, the President. The second major act had been the Mumbai 26/11, 2008, before which Asif Ali Zardari had been giving positive signals of improving the relations between India and Pakistan. Today one is clear that there are multiple power centers in Pakistan. The democratic Government is trying to establish its writ, but the army and Taliban are doing their best to thwart the return of democracy, democratization process in Pakistan and betterment of Pak-India relations. One must compliment the Indian Government to keep its cool, and firmness in the face of these deliberate provocations. The need to distinguish between the civilian Governments, army-mullah-Taliban complex is mandatory if we want to understand Pakistan today. >From the decades of 1980s multiple processes have gripped Pakistan and these had adverse impact on the whole of South Asia, India in particular. One recalls the rise of Zia Ul Haq with the support of US and Maulanas, led by Maulana Maududi. The formulations of Maulana Maududi provided ideal foil to the military dictatorship in Pakistan. At the same time US could merrily support Madrassa’s which were training Muslim youth as its cannon fodder for its plans to boost anti Soviet forces in Afghanistan, which was occupied by Russian army. Since US army was deeply humiliated due to its defeat in Vietnam, US masterminded to indoctrinate Muslim youth to be trained as terrorists. These were the one’s who joined anti Russian forces, which got defeated and since then these Taliban’s/Al Qaeda are creating havoc. Not only in India, they have also wrecked the life in Pakistan, several terrorist attacks, one of which killed the Pakistan ex-Prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Today Taliban/Al Qaeda types are like cancer eating into the vitals of Pakistan. Their impact is also felt here in India. Pakistan in a way is caught in a pincer movement, on one hand the Al Qaeda-Taliban creating havoc and on the other Army trying to remain as the major power center. India has a tough task to remain calm and firm in the face of this massive turmoil in the region. We must see clearly that in this situation Pakistan civil government’s hand must be strengthened so that it can deal effectively against the army highhandedness and terrorist nuisance in the region. One also must make it clear that what Taliban is doing has nothing to do with Islamic teachings as such. As per Islam, there can’t be force or compulsion in matters of religion. To force somebody to convert by force is not acceptable as per Islamic teachings. Also to kill the innocent people also goes against teachings of Koran. As far a Jizya is concerned it was a tax levied on non Muslims in Muslim rule. This was in lieu of exemption from military duties and was a small proportion of the income of the person. It was mostly lesser than the Zakat, which is mandatory in Islam. Today to talk of Jizya is a political abuse of worst order; those using this language need to be restrained in the democratic society. The million rupee question remains, will civilian rule prevail over the fissiparous forces operating within Pakistan. Indian Government must take up the issue of protection of minorities in Pakistan without any compromise. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
