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 .
Let us also be ready to forgive all those who declare their desire to alter
course and preserve instead of destroying .
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.
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