On Sun, Jul 12, 2009 at 11:29 PM, Feroze Mithiborwala <feroze.moses777@gmail.com> wrote:
...
AWAMI BHARAT
"Boycott Israel", 30th March - Terror attack in Lahore - another date - another coincidence ??
Posted: 30 Mar 2009 09:53 PM PDT
YES, 5 INSTANCES OF TERROR - THAT LEAD BACK TO DATES IMPORTANT TO ISRAEL AND ITS ALLIES.
Dear All,
The ongoing terror attack on a police training complex near Lahore, has once again transfixed the eyes of the global population to millions of TV screens. Another case of "Islamic terror" and the chaotic nature of the region.
Needless to say, that the doctrine of "controlled chaos" is part of the NeoCon-ZioCon doctrine, and has been adopted by the Obamacons as well.
Again it is the "political timing" of the terror attack and it's scale that we must analyse.
The coincidences are now far too many to be negated anymore.
YES, 5 INSTANCES OF TERROR - THAT LEAD BACK TO DATES IMPORTANT TO ISRAEL AND ITS ALLIES.
Consider the following:
1) February-April 2002 - Gujarat (India) & Jenin (West Bank - Palestine):
The state sponsored Gujarat genocide ran parallel to the Israeli carnage in the refugee camps in Jenin, in the West Bank of Palestine. Bulldozers ran over the camps, burying people in their wake.
The perpetrators of the anti-Muslim pogroms deployed tactics and skills horned by their Israeli trainers.
2) July 11, 2006 - Mumbai (India) - Israel attacks Lebanon:
Serial terror bomb blasts in seven trains kill more than 350 ordinary Indians.
On this very day Israel launches it's war on Lebanon.
The channels & print media across the world for the next 7 days were giving top billing to Mumbai and the threat of "Islamic terror", "Al Qaeda" rent the air.
So whilst the world is captivated by another instance of Islamic terror in Mumbai, Israel terrorises Lebanon.
The calculation of the Israeli political leadership led by Olmert and Barak and the Military leadership led by Halutz had calculated that 7 days was all that they would need to defeat the Hezbollah and capture all of South Lebanon till the borders of the Litani river. They were proved wrong and the Israeli war machine had to beat an ignominous retreat. And we will all recall that the Lebanon war of 2006 was pre-planned by their own admission, with the tacit backing of the Bush administration.
Another terror attack, another date and another date of importance on the Israeli calendar.
3) May 13, 2008 - Jaipur (India) - 60th Anniversary of the NAKBA - Catastrophe for Palestine:
Serial terror attacks across Jaipur.
This attack occurred on the eve of the 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CREATION OF ISRAEL ON MAY 14, 1948. it was also the EVE OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE WHO RIGHTLY REFER TO THAT DAY AS THE AL-NAKBA OR THE CATASTROPHE.
Another terror attack, another date and another date of importance on the Israeli calendar.
4) November 26, 2008 - Mumbai (India) - Israel's war on Gaza - December 27 '08-'09:
It was in the backdrop of the terror attack of 26/11 that Israel launched it's genocidal war on Gaza on December 27, during the Christmas festivities and ended the same, two days prior before Obama the supposed saviour took the oath.
We have clearly stated our position on the 26/11 terror attack and we believe that they were basically mercenary-terrorists brought in from Pakistan. Our RAW, IB had informed the government well in advance and the targets and the timing of the attacks were known. The CIA too had warned India, but did not warn their Pakistani friends to whom they give billions of dollars in aid to fight "terrorism".
Post Mumbai 26/11, a new form of "Islamic terror" was discussed across the airwaves and the possibility of similar attacks in any city in America or Europe was also played out.
It was with the backdrop of Mumbai 26/11, that Israel played out it's hand whilst unleasing it's entire arsenal on the Palestinian-Gazan population.
But 26/11 - Mumbai and 27/12 - Gaza ??, some would say.
Yes, the Mumbai terror attack served it's own strategic purposes for the larger agenda of the Indian elite within the Congress and the BJP, both of whom are committed to a strategic allaince with the US and Israel and thus these attacks occured just prior to the elections across 5 states.
Amongst the other objectives were:
a) Put an end to the investigation into the Brahmanical terror network led by the Abhinav Bharat with its roots in the various fronts of the RSS as well as sections of the Military and the Intelligence.
b) To prepare the Indian people for a War. The US despeartely needs Indian troops to be sent into the Afghan war theatre and thus the TV commentators and the print media have been screaming and shouting that the Taleban poses a threat to India as well and is barely a 100 odd kms away. Indian troops will also then be sucked into the coming war on Iran, as Iran has common borders with Afghanistan.
c) Israel was the greatest benefactor and so was America. It would have been unthinkable in India, but now we have the FBI running amok across the country. The MOSSAD as well as the CIA are developing a very strong presence. So now we have the FBI active in both India and in Pakistan and investigating terror attacks that they themselves plan. And not a word of dissent from any political party or social organization or Trade Union or the media.
d) The Congress government has signed a Weapons deal worth a whopping Rs10,000/- CR ($1.4 Billion) with Israel, right on the eve of the elections. Israel also continues to move deep into the security networks and tieups with private security firms especially in corporate security.
d) It was the Interpol that should have been given the exclusive domain to pursue the matter. The Interpol has stated that the 26/11 attacks were planned and executed across 7 countries. Interesting, as we can atleast think of 5 as of now.
There are other factors as well and they have been stated earlier and we stand by our stated positions.
Another terror attack, another date and another date of importance on the Israeli calendar.
5) & Now today, March 30, 2009 - Lahore (Pakistan): Today is the International Call for the Boycott of Israel
and again today a bewildered world looks on as the terrorists lay siege.
Undoubtedly the global demonstrations calling for the "Boycott of Israel" will recede into the background and Lahore will captivate audiences across the world.
Also another strategic objective is to basically state that Af-Pak is totally out of control.
Obama is on record saying that the next terror attack on America will emerge from Pakistan.
Interestingly Mr.Obama, hope your predictions are as wrong as they are on the economy and your ill fated bailouts with 10,000 daily foreclosures and more than 20,000 Americans losing jobs whilst your buddies in the banks help themselves to perks and vacations.
Interestingly 80% of Hitler's army was constituted of the legions of unemployed across Germany!!
Richard Holbrooke (an expert on Balkanization), another Obama appointee, yesterday stated on CNN that the reason they were going ahead with the surge and for the deepening of the war across Af-Pak was that "unlike Vietnam that never posed a direct threat to the American Homeland, Af-Pak does". Then he went into a drawl over 9/11 and Al Qaeda (which is a undercover CIA-MOSSAD-MI5-ISI operation according to the leading honest experts) and Bin Laden (who is dead !!).
And as we had previously stated that with Obama having boycotted Durban II along with Israel, Canada, Italy and a growing number of Anglo-Saxon & European countries, stands to be exposed & thus expect a major upheveal in this period as Obama's absence from the world's most important stage against racism and apartheid will further expose Obama as a tool of the ZionCons and NeoCons.
This, my dear friends in the media is breaking news, but not a word apart from a jubilant Israeli media, on Obama having boycotted Durban II. This is headline news, but not a word.
Why, may we ask ??
Obama, who symbolised the aspirations of the African American people, who had tears in their eyes as he took the oath, will be boycotting the most important international conference against racism, where the question of reparations for the victims of more than 500 years of African slavery will dominate the proceedings along with Palestine / Israel.
Having lost the script within two months, with "Hope", "Change" & "We Can" sounding very hollow and boring and with the increasing opprobrium & ridicule that Obama faces, due to his connivance with the interests of the Banking-Corporate elite and the Military-Industrial Complex, Obama has begun to play the TERROR & WAR CARD.
Obama & Cheney & Rumsfeld and Juval Aviv & Fox News have all "predicted" a major terror attack on US soil.
Netanyahu who predicted 9/11 & was present in New York on that day and was also present in London during the Tube bombings of 7/11, has now predicted (Jan 28, '09) that "Al Qaeda" will target the "Church of the Holy sepulchre"in Jerusalem.
So we are not the only ones who are making the predictions. All of the above are & have the wherewithal to plan, finance and execute their "predictions".
As General Ivashanov (ex-chief of Staff, Russian Army) has stated that,
"International terror cannot operate without the manipulation of the major powers".
"The global war on terror is a hoax"
"Terrorism is an instrument to establish the rule of a global elite".
"and it is precisely this elite that constitutes the key element of world terrorism, it's ideologists and it's godfathers".
"Todays international terrorism is a phenomenon, that combines the use of State and Non-State political structures as a means to attaining political objectives".
"It is the secret services that create, finance and control extremist organizations. Without the support of the secret services, these organizations cannot exist, let alone carry out operations of such magnitude inside countries so well protected as in America and Europe (in context of 9/11 WTC and London 7/11)
Media: "Terrorism is the weapon used in this new type of war. At the same time, International terrorism in complicity with the media becomes the manager of global processes. It is precisely the symbiosis between the media & terror, which allows 'modifying' international politics and the existing reality".
With now Netanyahu-Lieberman-Barak in power, the combination in Washington DC and Tel Aviv along with Brown in London, Merkel in Berlin, Sarkozy in Paris and Berloscuni in Rome as well as Rudd in Canberra and Harper in Ottawa, it's all very perfect as all of the above are beholden to their commitment to the Imperial project and to Israel.
ANYWAYS - 5 TERROR ATTACKS & 5 IMPORATANT DATES THAT LEAD BACK TO ISRAEL-USA, WHEN EITHER WARS WERE UNLEASHED OR "BOYCOTT ISRAEL" CALLS WERE DROWNED OUT IN THE CACOPHONY OF "ISLAMIC TERROR" is too much of a coincidence as our woerst detractors would agree.
THINK AND ANALYSE & THEN DECIDE.
All of the 5 as coincidences, we think not, once maybe, twice possible, but 5 times, not impossible.
THE WORLD IS BEING PUSHED INTO WW III AND THE TARGET IS PALESTINE AND THE TOTAL ETHNIC CLEANSING OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE FROM ALL OF HISTORIC PALESTINE.
The fear for India is that we will be sucked into this war. They are desperate but they also know that they cannot win the war, without the millions of soldiers that India can provide !!
Due to the media hype, ordinary Indians have begin to believe & fear that the Taleban possesses a nuclear bomb, that it will unleash on India !!
The dominant sections of the intellectuals as well the political leadership as well as the media are committed to parroting out the US-Israeli line without any independent political analysis of the larger Imperial-Zionist agenda of the global oligarchy.
Very few are aware that it is Dick Cheney who possesses a Nuclear bomb and at a confrontation at barksdale airforce base (Aug 2007), one missile out of six went missing. It was Cheney who said that soon after Obama takes power he can expect the worst.
The Washington Times (owned by Rev. Moon - a Christian Zionist) & The Sun (owned by Rupert Murdoch - a Jewish Zionist) have recently claimed that the Al Qaeda has access to Biological and chemical weapons. Both these newspapers have very dubious credentials.
A systematic attempt is being made to demonize the Muslim community and Islamophobia, which it's backers want to end with a "Muslim Shoah-Genocide", exceeding the "Jewish Shoah."
In the last 5 years the alliance between the Israeli Zionists and the Indian Brahmanical elite has increased manifold. Brahman conferences - sammelans, attended by hundreds of thousands are being held and the name of Parshuram, the mass murderer of Kshatriyas and Shudras, is being invoked.
Both the ideologies of Zionism and Brahmanism are supremacist and in allaince with Imperialism will prove deadly.
Today itself, Shri Sharad Pawar (Founder-President of the Nationalist Congress Party) has stated in the Marathi daily "Prahar" that ever since the role of the brahmanical terror network was uncovered, the instances of terror across India have decreased.
After, 26/11, an politically estranged Narayan Rane, a senior leader of the Congress Party in Maharashtra, had said that he was aware of the politicians who were involved in the 26/11 terror attacks. He refused to divulge the names and was soon accomadated within the party echelons with an important post in the cabinet.
After Mumbai july 11, 2006, Mr. Pasricha the then Director General of Police, who was known to be both effecient and honest, had similarly stated that he too was aware of the local politicians who were involved in the Mumbai terror attack. There was an uproar against him and then he was silenced.
The questions regarding all the terror attacks are far to many. From the massacre of Chittispora, to the Parliament, to the Red Fort, to Malegaon (twice), Ajmer, Samjhauta express, Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), Beed, Jalna, Parbhani, Kanpur, Nanded, to the fake encounters in the hundreds, the torture and victimization of Muslim youth, the exceedingly low rate of conviction on terror attacks by the Courts (a paltry 1-2%), yes the list is long . . . .
Even though the political class within the Congress and the BJP is complicit and the corporate media very docile due to
various factors and interests, the common Indian, the AAM AADMI across communities is asking questions and seeking answers and we have some of them.
It's all is very simple actually.
The reason for the wars, resistance and terror across South Asia is the presence of the US-Israeli-NATO warmachine.
Apart from the Central Asian - Afghanistan Pipelines routes that the US seeks to control, the US strategists are also very deeply involved in resource rich Baluchistan.
This region is also meant to be balkanized so as to create a "Greater Baluchistan", comprising the Baluchi region of both Pakistan & Iran. The US is funding and arming extremist Wahabbi groups within Pakistan to infiltrate Iran and who also attack Pakistani Shia's, so as to further weaken Pakistani society, spread chaos and anarchy and thus lead to it's disintegration.
The appointment of Richard Holbrooke, who oversaw the balkanization of Yugoslavia, is meant to play a similar role here as well as he is well acquainted with this art.
Similar links exist between the CIA and the Lashkar-i-Taiyaba as well, when they worked together in Bosnia and Kosovo.
the Indian media and intellectuals also seem totally unaware of the links between the much dreaded Dawood Ibrahim and the CIA. Today Dawood looks after the CIA's drug smuggling and weapons operations across this entire war theatre. maybe we should now ask the CIA to hand over Dawood, that may be more wothwhile.
The battle or the "Great Game" also further centres around the Caspian region and the countries thereof, due to the OIL rich resources.
The single most important issue though is the centrality of the Palestine-Israel conflict. It is clear that the Israeli leadership is committed to the total ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian nation. This, after their losses to the Hezbollah (2006) & the Hamas (2009) is not possible, if until the US is directly involved in the war theatre to nuetralize Iran that stands as the only fortress in the region.
Thus the need for WW III and for which massive terror attacks will be enginerred by the NeoCon-ZionCons, with unthinkable consequences.
It is the armageddonists and the MIC that we are up against and they have a confluence of interests though to a certain degree.
In anycase for South Asia, the solution lies in the total withdrawal of all these forces and for an International peace keeping force under the auspices of the UN, with troops drawn in from the Non-Aligned countries to bring peace to the region.
It is a battle for the sovereignty of the South Asian people and their nations.
It is a battle for the survival and safety of the people of India.
This can only be achived if the people and the governments of South Asia work in tandem to restore peace in Afghanistan, end the drugs and the weapons trade and work to establishing the roots of secular-democracy and economic and social equality across the region.
The attack has "again" occurred on the day of the International call for the "Boycott of Israel."
This attack has also fortutiously occured at the right time for the ObamaCons who are all set to deepen the war in the Af-Pak region.
This terror attack provides further justification for the ill concieved strategy, which is a further extension of the Bush-neoconservative policies.
This too we had predicted that whilst Obama will talk the language of peace, he will deepen the Neocon agenda.
As we had earlier stated, the terrorists that struck Mumbai on 26/11 and Lahore 3/3 (with their terror attack on the Sri Lankan team), came from the same pool. The terrorists both in Mumbai & in Lahore had the same appearance, training, weapons etc.
There is a common hand that is pulling the strings across the entire region.
The penetration of the CIA, MI5 and the MOSSAD into the terrorist organizations within both Pakistan and Afghanistan are recorded facts.BOYCOTT ISRAEL - 30th MARCH - INTERNATIONAL CALL
Posted: 30 Mar 2009 09:52 PM PDT
AWAMI BHARAT
IN SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE
BOYCOTT ISRAEL - 30th MARCH - INTERNATIONAL CALL
VENUE: JANATA KENDRA, TULSIWADI, TARDEO, NEAR BOMBAY CENTRAL STATION (WEST)
DATE: 30TH MARCH '09 / TIME: 6-9pm
VARIOUS POLITICAL PARTIES AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS HAVE AGREED TO ATTEND AND OFFER THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE CAUSE.
THEY INCLUDE THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (CPM), COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (CPI), RASHTRIYA SAMAJ PAKSH (RSP), COMMUNIST PART OF INDIA (M-L), BAMCEF, JAMAT-I-ISLAMI--I-HIND, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF INDIA (RPI), SAMAJWADI PARTY (SP), BAHUJAN SAMAJ PARTY (BSP), JANATA DAL (S), RASHTRIYA JANATA DAL (RJD), LOKRAJ SANGATHAN, NAPM, DALIT SENA, VIDYARTHI BHARTHI, YUVA SARKAR,
PHULE-AMBEDKAR VICHAR MANCH, PAKISTAN-INDIA PEOPLE'S FORUM FOR PEACE & DEMOCRACY,
MARATHI BHARTI, QUAMI MAJLIS-I-SHURA, JHUNJHAR & YASHWANT SENA.
After more than 60 years, Zionist Israel continues with it's brutal occupation and ever expansionist colonization of Palestine. Israel is a racist-apartheid state, closely aligned & currently at the core of US Imperialism. The recent Israeli wars in Gaza ('08-'09)and in Lebanon ('06), have once again reaffirmed to fascist nature of the Israeli state and it's war machine.
Also the fact lies that the Congress led UPA is on the verge of signing another major weapons contract worth Rs 10,000/- Crores. Under the guise of security, Israel continues to penetrate into our innermost systems and undoubtedly Israel has been the greatest benefactor of the terror attacks across India. Israel is to now launch an Indian spy satellite, more so during the ensuing elections. To our shame, we are now the biggest purchasers of Israeli weapons and thus it is our money and increasing political co-operation led by both the Congress and the BJP, that sustains Israeli the occupation of Palestine, hegemony and expansionist designs for the region.
But the Israeli record across the world has been despicable and we are clear that it poses a threat to our unity and democracy. It is the deadly combination of US and Israeli Imperialism that are at the core of the policies of global terror and wars.
Solidarity with the anti-colonial struggles across the Third World, especially Palestine has been woven into the very fabric of our history. Thus the current bonhomie between the Indian ruling Brahmanical caste-class elite and the Israeli Ashkenazim constitute the very betrayal of the values of our Independence movement.
We thus call upon all to our friends and comrades to attend the meeting to express our solidarity with Palestine
Posted by arif at 9:43 PM 0 commentsDEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN PAKISTAN AND IT'S CONSEQUENCES FOR SOUTH ASIA
Posted: 16 Mar 2009 07:15 AM PDT
By Feroze Mithiborwala,
Mumbai, India
Yes, truly !! I was up at 3am last morning and was extremely, though pleasantly surprised to see the Breaking News when the government agreed to the demands of the Pakistani people.
This mass democratic movement as of now seems to be the only hope for Pakistan. It is finally sowing and spreading the seeds of a democratic culture that is remarkably non-violent and built on the People's power and mass mobilization. It's also a counter to the culture of violence and terror that is corroding the foundations of that beleaguered nation.
Over the last few days, once again we sat in front of our TV screens, captivated by the teeming hundreds of thousands who took to the streets across Pakistan, challenging the might of the state and shouting slogans, similar to those that we chant in our country. I was also surprised to learn that the police had enforced Section 144 to stop the people from congregating. For a moment I laughed and then realised that it was part of our common colonial legacy.
The people refused to be provoked by the police and sat down in thousands of dharnas (demonstrations) across the streets and chowk's of Pakistan, when they were stopped from proceeding to gherao or rather lay siege to their Parliament in Islamabad. The police by and large sensed the popular mood and decided not to take on the the masses, but there were a spate of midnight knocks, house arrests and also we were witness to tear gas shells to disperse the crowds, but the People carried on undaunted.
Remarkably Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister kept on threatening the exuberant crowds and warned them of the possibility of terror attacks. Thus he said that the police presence was there to protect the people from possible suicide bombers. What a laugh !! Even during the time of the anti-Musharraf agitations, suicide bombers had attacked the rallies of both the opposition PPP and the PML-N as well as that of the lawyer's. But not a single attack on the political meetings of Musharaff's own party the PML-Q.
Remarkable !! It is very clear as to how the Pakistani state also uses terror as a weapon to control the masses.
As the agitation proceeded on the 12th of March, on the very next day, a deal was sought to be struck to restore the PML-N government in Punjab, but Nawaz Sharif refused to fall for that bait. He had decided to go all the way and he clearly has now arisen as the most popular leader in Pakistan with strong democratic credentials. The fact that he is now the "Lion of Punjab" is also important because he will have to take on the gauntlet of the spreading ideology of the Taliban in the south of Punjab as well.
In the last two years or so, the people of Pakistan have taken on the Military and Musharraf and won. Then a corrupt President Zardari and the state power that he could unleash - and won. These are victories that can and will change the trajectory of political events and the history of South Asia.
This movement again has galvanized the Middle classes and have included all classes, the women who were there on the streets of Lahore till early in the morning, the students & youth, the media and the overwhelming majority of civil society. Undoubtedly the PML-N, the Imran Khan led, Tehreek-i-Insaf and the Jamaat-I-Islami led by Qazi Ahmad Hussain, were also part of this struggle and this shows the complex political and social forces that constitute the democratic struggle in Pakistan.
Within the PPP, the schisms showed up early as this was the very party that has time and again spearheaded the democratic struggle and has made numerous sacrifices. The resignation of Sherry Rehman, the Minister for Broadcasting and Communications, when there was a clampdown on the media was admirable. Even the differences between the PM Gilani and President Zardari were there for all to see. In the end the democratic core of the PPP & it's cadre prevailed and Zardari had to relent. Many hope to see the back of him and soon.
The venerable Wali Khan of the Awami National Party, too played a major role in pressuring the PPP to relent and from the very first day he took a position to both restore the government in Punjab and reinstate the Chief Justice and the Judges.
The legacy of Mahatma Gandhi & Abdul Ghaffar Khan - the Frontier Gandhi still endures and the "stayagrahis" on the streets of Lahore, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Karachi & across Pakistan are a testament to their vision of a South Asian people with common bonds of language, culture, religion, resistance and a glorious history.
Also the total absence of the clergy and other religious elements in this struggle was very visible and rather telling.
It is the secular and the modernist elements who are leading this struggle for the democratization of Pakistan and this should be noted by all those who try to reduce Pakistani society to a Talibanized society with no hope whatsoever.
I beg to differ.
The Taliban are a result of the dehumanization of a society wracked by more than three decades of war and mayhem. The intervention by the USSR and then the resultant role and disastrous policies of the USA to establish an Imperial stronghold in a region, that by reason of geography has been victim of the "great game" on a "grand chess board" strategies, of all the Empires of recent years or rather centuries.
The Taliban are abnormal in their understanding of human nature and I am convinced that Pakistani civil society has both the will and the vision to redeem Pakistan from this obscurantist and backward version of Islam, that has no roots in the Quran & it's message of emancipation, universal brotherhood, respect for all religions, the rights of women and their empowerment and a God of all creation that is merciful, loving and gracious.
The Taliban is far removed from the core of the Quranic message and thus they are an exception and not the rule. As Pakistani society begins to rebuild itself on priciples thus enunciated, Talibanization will wither away. But they will not go away without a sustained struggle and the withdrawal of the US from the region, for this is a must.
As we in India do not need the US to fight the RSS-Bajrangdal-ization of our society, similarly each society has the latent power within to combat the forces of obscurantism and religious extremism.
The collective & inexorable trajectory of human society is for democratic and secular societies where religions have a role in adherance to universal principles. the secularism of Asia, Africa and South America is about the principle of "Sarva Dharma Samabhava" and where religion is a living force within the people and their culture.
The reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary will have once again established the Judiciary and the rule of law as one of the pillars of Pakistani democracy. The media and the people are playing their role to perfection. The military has withdrawn to the barracks. It is now upto the political class and leadership to play and honest role and not fritter away the gains of this struggle. If this historic opportunity is lost, they will be solely to blame.
But the price of liberty is eternal vigilance and the people of Pakistan will have to continue to play that role if democracy & freedom have to strike deep roots across Pakistan.
On our part, we the people of India, should come out in public support of the Pakistani people and offer our solidarity with their struggle. This will further strengthen the resolve of the Pakistani nation to resist and triumph.
The Indian media was trying to portray it all as further proof of the seeming "march into chaos & turmoil", but fortunately we had some very good experts (KS Singh for example) who stated that this was in fact the need of the hour for Pakistan and the fact that this democratic struggle needs to be welcomed and supported by the Indian people.
For all those who though that the Pakistani military would step in, they have been proved wrong. The military is far too hated and far more corrupt than even the political class.
This democratic movement has the capacity to fight three battles that are now crucial to the future of Pakistan:
1) The fight for the deepening of the democratic roots that have been time and again weeded out either by the military or a myopic & corrupt political elite.
2) The battle against religious obscurantist forces led and symbolized by the Taliban. The battle is between a modernist egalitarian, gender just and democratic Islam vs the revanchist version propagated by the Taliban &
3) The battle against US-Zionist Imperialism that has been the bane of both Pakistan and Afghanistan & all of South Asia for that matter. The Pakistani civil society movement that is now at the forefront to restore democracy in their country will now have to focus their power of mass mobilization to force the US from:
a) Ending its bogus war on terror, that has only led to the destabilization of the Pakistan, Afghanistan as well as India and all of South Asia. It is not a War ON Terror that the US and it's allies are pursuing, but it is a War on the people and nations of the World BY Terror.
and
b) Finally evict the US and NATO from our region.
This will thus require an alliance between the anti-imperialist masses and political forces of India and Pakistan and the rest of the South Asian nations. This movement will have to build fraternal bonds with the resistance movements across the Middle East as well and with Russia, China, Iran and the Central Asian nations. The larger struggle is for the freedom of the Asian people and our continent that has been the cradle of all of the major civilizations, religions and cultures. This is the Asian century and will give rise to a egalitarian and multi-polar world order. A new international architecture will emerge and Asia will be at the core of this.
The key is to fight these battles, both against the forces of religious extremism, casteism, chauvinism and Imperialism & they will have to be fought simultaneously for the simple reason that the attacks are varied and none of these struggles can be postponed.
Across South Asia, their all welcome winds of change. The democratic struggle in Nepal has broken the back of the monarchy and the casteist hierarchy. The Maoist democratic revolution has liberated the masses of Nepal.
In Bangladesh, the recent elections gave a defining victory to the forces of secularism and defeated the anti-liberation forces backed by the military and the forces of religious extremism.
In Sri Lanka though, we hope to see a political and a federal solution to emerge, one that can finally resolve the Tamil - Sinhala issue.
In Afghanistan, the US by it's own admission has lost the war. In what manner will the US extricate itself from a quagmire of it's own making, will also determine the course of events in our region. Though clearly the solution is political and not that of a military nature.
A political solution and dialogue that involves and includes all of the ethnic, religious and sectarian diversities in Afghanistan will go to ensure a move towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
For this to happen the withdrawal of the US and NATO from Afghanistan and the rest of the South Asian region is a must.
In order to maintain peace, between the warring parties, UN peace keeping troops drawn in from Third World nations, should be asked into to move in and take over the task.
Troops from all European nations as well as allies like Japan and South Korea will have to leave.
From this position, a system of drafting a new constitution to ensure sharing of power, protection of minorities as well as the key questions of women's rights and the basis for a federal polity, will have to be mirrored in the Constitution.
I am sure that the Indian experience and our constitution will prove of immense help to the Afghan quest for a collective nationhood that can address the complexities as well as the recent violent history of the Afghan people.
The key is India thou.
Unfortunately whilst in the rest of the region, the US and Israel stand exposed, the Indian elite with its erred vision is intent on embracing the US Imperial designs for the region, as it's junior partner as was evident during the shennanigans over the Indo-US nuclear deal and the plethora of joint military exercises.
But again the hope here lies in the Indian people and they are aware of the destruction that the US has wrought on Pakistan as well the potential for the same to happen to our very own nation.
Moreover in India, the Parliamentary forces themselves led by the LEFT as well as Socialists and regional parties constitute a formidable challenge and opposition to the US and Israeli designs. For India to free itself from the talons of the Eagle is critical, not only to South Asia but also to the balance global geo-politics.
The people of India and the rest of South Asia have a common & glorious anti-colonial history and it is back to those common roots that we have to delve and seek our unity.
The need is of the hour is to create a South Asian Union from Afghanistan to Bangladesh and from Nepal to Sri Lanka. The seven countries back as a Union, is the solution which will resolve most of the major outstanding issues ranging from religious fanaticism to extreme poverty plaguing each of our nations.
We once again congratulate & salute the People of Pakistan in their hour of triumph, which is a victory for all of South Asia.
Jai Ho !!
South Asia ki Ekta Zindabad !! Zindabad !!Posted: 07 Feb 2009 10:02 PM PST
51A. It shall be the duty of every citizen of India—
(a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its
ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the
National Anthem;
(b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which
inspired our national struggle for freedom;
(c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity
and integrity of India;
(d) to defend the country and render national
service when called upon to do so;
(e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common
brotherhood amongst all the people of India
transcending religious, linguistic and regional or
sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory
to the dignity of women;
(f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our
composite culture;
(g) to protect and improve the natural environment
including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to
have compassion for living creatures;
(h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and
the spirit of inquiry and reform;
(i) to safeguard public property and to abjure
violence;
(j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of
individual and collective activity so that the nation
constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and
achievement;Posted: 30 Jan 2009 08:44 PM PST
EDITORIAL
A muzzled and shackled watch dog.
Happy Republic Day. Probably the best festival of all, and a day that should be celebrated with pride but also with a little introspection. India became a Republic with a great deal of idealism, optimism and happiness. She had struggled for her freedom and while partition was bitter she reveled in her independence and the conviction that she would grow to lead the world. But there is a flip side to her story of success and growth, and unfortunately that side affects the majority of her population that continue to live in poverty and oppression. This time there is little cause for cheer as the shining India has completely forgotten those who have grown old waiting for the dream to happen, and who look ahead with no hope and no dreams. The slums of Mumbai, the beggars of Delhi, the villages without drinking water and electricity, the children without access to education, the women without access to doctors and medicines, the youth without access to jobs---it is a frightening story and makes the lights on this national festival day dim when they should be burning bright. In the midst of all this the media that should have been in place to report the stories, to expose corruption, to check the governments from authoritarianism is crumbling. Today in Delhi alone hundreds of journalists are on the roads scrambling for jobs. Even as Padma Bhushan's are conferred on journalists by the government ---amazing as a journalist should be the last person to receive awards from governments who should actually be terrified of his or her existence----the corporate houses affected by the financial meltdown have closed the doors on any number of scribes without warning. Journalists with decades of experience arrived at their offices to find that they had been sacked, and guards prevented them from going inside to even collect their belongings. They had to quietly retreat, not even sure whether they will be paid their dues at all.
There was a time when the management quaked before the reporters, and while exploitation is an age old story, the powerful journalists trade unions ensured a level playing field and prevented the owners from sacking and humiliating journalists. And instead of fighting to keep the trade unions, we joined the management and the governments to attack these unions and to happily accept fatter pay checks as contract labour and not as permanent employees. We joined the corporate houses in pandering to the wishes of the governments and attacking each other in a bid to join the exclusive club of official government stenographers. We frowned on those who exposed the government, we embraced those who embraced the government, and we became gradually but surely our own worst enemies.
On this Republic Day the lights will glow if at least the press is able to come together, to form a vibrant union, to insist on good terms and conditions of employment, and to demand the freedom and the space to write the truth. Unfortunately, there is no sign of that as yet but then perhaps the year will bring new hope, and a new realization that India cannot survive as a democracy if its watch dog is muzzled and shackled to a point where the thieves walk in and walk out unchallenged.
Do keep in touch with letters, suggestions, news.
It is your Front Page.
thefrontpage.in
Seema MustafaPosted: 30 Jan 2009 08:33 PM PST
By Seema Mustafa
Peace was a message that was heard after weeks of anger, hate, threats, allegations and some really base rhetoric by both the governments of India and Pakistan. It took a delegation of Pakistanis to New Delhi to bring home the fact that peace is an ideology that has no parallel, and is the only way through which concrete, far reaching solutions can be found. And that it was time that the peaceniks, activists, bleeding hearts---call them what you will---stepped up the pressure on their governments to stop the acrimony and the war talk and move towards a solution that might seem difficult at this point in time but will not be out of reach if the correct course is taken.The Pakistan delegation comprised persons---academics, activists, journalists---whose commitment to peace is well known. Led by I.A Rehman and Asma Jehangir they were put through a hectic programme over three days during which they met political leaders, participated in television shows, met the media, met former diplomats and others and tried to convey one message:
morePosted: 30 Jan 2009 08:31 PM PST
Orissa:
The decadal growth of the Sangh Parivar in Orissa from the martyrdom of Graham Stuart Staines and his sons on January 22, 1999, and of Father Bernard digal in the violence of August 2008
RSS the mother organization now has 6,000 shakhas with a 1,50,000 plus cadre.
The VHP has 1,25,000 primary workers in Orissa.
The Bajrang Dal has 50,000 activists working in 200 shakhas.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has above 4,50,000 workers.
The Durga Vahini, the women's group has 7,000 outfits in 117 sites.
The Rashtriya Sevika Samiti, another gender group, has 80 centres
Bharatiya Majdoor [labour] Sangh manages 171 trade unions with a cadre of 1,82,000 members.
The strong Bharatiya Kisan [farmers] Sangh has 30,000 in 100 blocks.
Other Sangh front organisations include Friends of Tribal Society,
Samarpan Charitable Trust, Sookruti, Yasodha Sadan, Eklavya Vidyalayas [schools], Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams and Parishads , Vivekananda Kendras, Shikha Vikas Samitis and Sewa Bharatis.
Kandhamal district, one of Orissa's thirty, has 2,415 villages, the two towns of Phulbani and Balliguda. Orissa's 36.8 million population has a mere 2.4 per cent Christians, 2.1 per cent Muslims.
[Data courtesy Census of India, Survey of India, Prof Angana Chatterji [US] and others]
VIOLENCE IN THE STATES SINCE AUGUST 2008
ORISSA:
14 (of 30) Districts hit 315 Villages destroyed
4,640 Houses burnt [State government estimates 4,215]
54,000 Homeless initially
120 People murdered
7 Priests/ Pastors killed
10 Fathers/Pastors/Nuns injured
2 Rapes confirmed [One of Nun]
252 Churches destroyed [estimated by State government]
13 Schools, colleges destroyed
2. KARNATAKA
8 (of 29) Districts affected
33 Churches attacked update again
53 Christians injured in attacks, including Nuns assaulted by state police.
3. TAMIL NADU
12 Churches attacked
4. MADHYA PRADESH
5 Churches damaged
5. KERALA
4 Churches damaged
6. DELHI
2 Churches damaged/destroyedJOINT STATEMENT ON THE BARBARIC ASSAULT IN MANGALORE
Posted: 30 Jan 2009 07:55 PM PST
JOINT STATEMENT ON THE BARBARIC ASSAULT IN MANGALORE
Bangalore: 9 p.m., 29 January 2009
We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the horrific and unprovoked assault by a group of 40 hooligans, reportedly members of the Sri Rama Sene, on young women in a pub in the coastal city of Mangalore, Karnataka, during the afternoon of Saturday, 24 January 2009. We are saddened by the inaction of the public who looked on as the brutal attack unfolded. But we appreciate the attitude and actions of the staff of the pub, who tried to intervene, and the young man who stood up to the attackers.
We are shocked by the tardy action of the State administration, police, and political leadership, some of whom have dismissed this is as a "minor incident". We believe that violent threats to the democratic freedoms and human rights of citizens, whether women or religious minorities, cannot be trivialised as "unfortunate".
We are deeply disturbed by the sharply escalating trend of political and social violence against women in public and private spaces as a means to enforce a particularly regressive interpretation of culture in the name of "religion and country" that has been seen in several parts of India. We condemn all such forms of gender-based violence against women and children and the attitudes that make such violence acceptable, whether in the family or in the social and public spheres.
We believe that the Mangalore assault was not an isolated episode by self-appointed "moral police" and their sympathisers who criminally took the law into their own hands, but that it is part of a pattern in the profoundly contested political struggle over what constitutes Indian traditions, religions and cultures. It is evident that in this instance the attackers were emboldened to carry out the unprovoked assault in a political environment that supports a particularly narrow and fanatical view of Indian culture as also a repressive attitude towards women.
We recognise the role of the media in bringing the assault to public notice and their unrelenting efforts to get the State to act against those immediately responsible for it. However, we are gravely concerned that those members of the media who had prior notice of the planned assault did not deem it their responsibility as citizens to inform the police.
We strongly believe that the State and democratically minded citizens must stand up to the violent targeting of women and re-affirm our commitment to the human rights and civil liberties of all people. There can and should be dialogues on what constitutes "Indian-ness", but regardless of the interpretations of Indian culture and traditions, the beating and molesting women cannot be condoned.
All Signatories:
1. Sumi Krishna, Bangalore: Coordinator: sumikr@gmail.com
2. Ammu Joseph, Bangalore
3. Soma K.P., New Delhi
4. U. Vindhya, Hyderabad
5. Joy Ranadive, Ahmedabad
6. Mary E. John, New Delhi
7. Gopa Samanta, Burdwan (West Bengal)
8. Anuradha Prasad, Bangalore
9. Sharad Lele, Bangalore
10. Prajval Shastri, Bangalore
11. Ajit Menon, Chennai
12. Cynthia Stephen, Bangalore
13. M. Indira, Mysore
14. Meera Velayudhan, Ahmedabad
15. S. Anandi, Chennai
16. Kumkum Roy, New Delhi
17. Jaya Bhattacharjee Rose, New Delhi
18. Claire Noronha, New Delhi
19. Anuradha De, New Delhi
20. Meera Samson, New Delhi
21. Hrangthan Chhungi, Bangalore
22. Ratna Sudarshan, New Delhi
23. Rukmini Sen, Kolkata
24. Anomita Sen, New Delhi
25. Pushpa Achanta, Bangalore
26. Shobita Rajagopal, IDS, Jaipur
27. Anita Ghai, New Delhi
28. Samir Ghosh, Pune
29. Leo Saldhana, Bangalore
30. Padmini Swaminathan, Chennai
31. Megha Shenoy, New Haven,US /Bangalore
32. Fahim Kemal, Hyderabad
33. Kiran Kamal Prasad, Bangalore
34. Bharati Jagannathan, Faridabad, Haryana
35. Uma Iyengar, New Delhi
36. Deepa Dhanraj, Bangalore
37. Anuradha Kapoor, Swayam, Kolkata
38. Jayashri Murali, Bangalore
39. George Pulikuthiyil, Kerala
40. Mahesh Bhat, Bangalore
41. Nagesh Hegde, Bangalore
42. Lawrence Surendra, Mysore
43. Chaman Pincha, Chennai
44. Anupama Bijur, Bangalore
45. Shampa Sengupta, Kolkata
46. Joesph Xavier, Bangalore
47. Apurba K. Baruah, NEHU, Shillong
48. Mangai, Chennai
49. Deepak, K. Mishra, JNU, New Delhi
50. Abha Sur, MIT, Boston (US)
51. Siddharth Narrain, ALF, Bangalore
52. Chhaya Datar, Mumbai
53. Ramesh Dodamani, Mysore
54. Rashna Batliwala Singh, Colorado Springs, (US)
55. Uma Chakravarti, New Delhi
56. Sumantra Nag, New Delhi
57. Madhu Sarin, Chandigarh
58. L.C. Nagaraj, Bangalore
59. Pritam Baruah, Kolkata
60. Ishani Roy, Mumbai
61. Shilpa Phadke, Mumbai
62. Pradeep Esteves, Bangalore
63. Sangeeta Dutta, London
64. Anjali Monteiro, TISS, Mumbai
65. K.P. Jayasankar, TISS, Mumbai
66. Meena Gopal, Mumbai
67. Shashi Deshpande, Bangalore
68. Ramapriya Gopalakrishnan, Chennai
69. Manisha Gupte, MASUM, Pune
70. Ramesh Awaste, MASUM, Pune
71. Kamala Ganesh, Mumbai
72. Indira Pathak, Vikalp, Baroda
73. Maya Sharma Parma, Baroda
74. Manjula Padiyar, Nari Adalat, Baroda
75. Jatin Joshi, Chotudepur (Gujarat)
76. Sakhi Sanghatan, Thilakvada (Gujarat)
77. Leela Fernandez, Rutgers Univ. New Brunswick (US)
78. Ammel Sharon, TISS/ Samadhan, Mangalore
79. Shakun, Vimochana, Bangalore
80. Deepti Sharma, New Delhi
81. Anita Mathew, Alto Porvorim,Goa.
82. Chandita Mukherjee, Mumbai
83. Kamayani Bali Mahabal, ARROW, Kuala Lumpur
84. Jeanne Subramaniam, Bangalore
85. Arun Subramaniam, Bangalore
86. Wilfred Dcosta, INSAF, Ahmedabad
87. Rebecca Abraham, Hongkong
88. Maj. Gen. Sudhir Vombatkere, Mysore
89. Fr. Joe Xavier, sj., ISI, Bangalore
90. Vijayathilagam, ISI, Bangalore
91. Lorraine Moreira, ISI, Bangalore
92. Mercy Kappen, Visthaar, Bangalore
93. Saswati Ghosh, Kolkata
94. Molly Furtado, Mysore
95. Sasi Kumar, New Delhi
96. Lena Ganesh, Mumbai
97. Saumya Uma, Mumbai
98. Samita Sen, Kolkata
99. Jashodhara Dasgupta, Health Watch Forum, Lucknow
100. Saba Dewan, New Delhi
101. Rahul Roy, New Delhi
102. Vineeta Bal, Saheli, New Delhi
103. Krishna Shukla, Hyderabad
104. Cavery Bopiah
105. Kathyayini Chamaraj, Bangalore
106. Brinda Adige, GCI, Bangalore
107. Rakhi Pande, Mumbai
108. Christina Kantharaj, Mysore
109. Ellora Puri, Jammu
110. Sadhna Arya, Saheli, New Delhi
111. Amrutha Valli, Bangalore
112. Cheryll Pereira, Mumbai
113. Kumkum Lal, New Delhi
114. Ashok Lal, New Delhi
115. Sunita Srinivasan, Bangalore
116. Ritu Dewan, Bombay Univ, Mumbai
117. Rini Ralte, Bangalore
118. Tarshi (Radhika Chandiramani), New Delhi
119. Natalie Pereira, Bangalore
120. Amar Jesani, Mumbai
121. Rajesh Ramakrishnan, New Delhi
122. Monica Narula, New Delhi
123. R. Sukanya, Bangalore
124. Indu Agnihotri, New Delhi
125. Nidhi Agarwal, New Delhi
126. Manshi Agarwal, Himachal Pradesh
127. Purnima McCutcheon, LEED AP, Chennai
128. Dolphy D'souza, Bombay Catholic Sabha, Mumbai
129. Alwyn D'Silva, Mumbai
130. Biplab Mukherjee, Kolkata
131. J. Devika, Thiruvanthapuram
132. Sukla Sen, Ekta, Mumbai
133. Wandana Sonalkar, BAmbedkar Marathwada Univ, Aurangabad
134. Aftab Kamal Pasha, JNU, New Delhi
135. Yoganandan Krishnan, Bangalore
136. Anjula Gurtoo, IISC, Bangalore
137. Jith Chacko, Ostersund, Sweden
138. Shwetha Vachani, New Delhi
139. Sudha Narasimhachar, Bangalore
140. Arunesh Maiyar, Bangalore
141. Jamila Verghese, New Delhi
142. Gita Madhu, Kuala Lumpur
143. Vijayshri Iyengar, Akshara, Bangalore
144. Payal Dhar, Bangalore
145. Vineetha Mokkil, New Delhi
146. Utsav Banerjee, Hyderabad
147. Sudeshna Mukherjee, Bangalore
148. Malathi Velamuri, Wellington, Newzealand
149. Harish Sadani (Men Against Violence and Abuse), Mumbai
150. C. G. Manjula, Bangalore
151. Markus Pfefferer, Bangalore
152. Bonita Aleaz, Kolkata
153. Sourindra Ghosh, New Delhi
154. Sumati Surya, Bangalore
155. Gita Chadha, Mumbai
156. Javed Malick, New Delhi
157. Neeraj Malik, New Delhi
158. Mariola Menezes, Nigeria
159. Sampreethi Aipanjiguly, Khatmandu
160. Thomas Nielsen, Khatmandu
161. Pramod A. Pullarkat, RRI, Bangalore
162. Ponni Arasu, Bangalore
163. Partners for Law in Development, New Delhi
164. Nirantar, New Delhi
165. Saheli, New Delhi
166. Seema Siddique, London
167. Walter Fernandes, NESRC, Guwahati
168. Suresh Parekh, Mumbai
169. Anagha Sarpotdar, Mumbai
170. Mukul Dube, Delhi
171. Nandini Manjrekar, Mumbai
172. Aurina Chatterjee, Mumbai
173. Anushree Banerjee, Mumbai
174. Lina Krishna, Bangalore
175. Harkant Mankad, Mumbai
176. Niruj Mohan R., Bangalore
177. Jayant Radhakrishnan, Chicago
178. Swathi Sivanand, Mumbai
179. Maithili Gupte, Mumbai
180. Ammu Abraham, Mumbai
181. Jagori, New Delhi
182. Di Cooper, Mumbai
183. Tanushree Gangopadhyay, Bangalore
184. Gayatri Sunil Phadke, Mumbai
185. Rajesh Ranjan, Hyderabad
186. Sana Rizvi, New York
187. Vikram Ahuja, Bangalore
188. Renjini Varghese, Pune
189. Sandeep Krishna, Copenhagen/ Bangalore
190. V. Uday Bhanu, San Francisco
191. Reama Ramachandran, New York
192. Roshan Suvarna, New York
193. Aasha Ramesh, Bangalore
194. Atuk Bhutia, New Delhi
195. Agnel Pereira, Bahrain
196. Lakshmi Lingam, Mumbai
197. Subodh S. Gupta, Sewagram, Wardha
198. Revathi Laul, New Delhi
199. Subhashini Muthukrishnan
200. Rajika Shukla, New Delhi
201. Lynne Henry
202. Renu Ramnath, Kochi
203. Rakesh Sharma, Mumbai
204. Sai Thakur, Mumbai
205. N. Devadasan, Bangalore
206. Kalpana Kannabiran, Asmita, Hyderabad
207. Vasanth Kannabiran, Asmita, Hyderabad
208. Volga, Asmita, Hyderabad
209. Vanaja, Hyderabad
210. Shyamala Shiveshwarkar, New Delhi
211. Hartman de Souza, Pune
212. J.M.K. Sekar, Chennai
213. Rajeev Kalekar
214. CEHAT (Sana Contractor), Pune
215. Sheelu, Women's Collective, Tamilnadu
216. Sundari, TNRT, Chennai.
217. V.Chandra, WEED, Chennai
218. Sharmilee Nielsen, Chennai
219. Klaus Nielsen, Chennai
220. Shewli, Mumbai
221. Naresh Fernandes, Mumbai
222. Anita Cheria, Openspace, Bangalore
223. Prafulla Mishra, Nairobi
224. Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Kolkata
225. Ravi Vasudevan, New Delhi
226. Satnam Kaur, Saheli, New Delhi
227. John Kurien, CLR, Pune
228. Kumud Sharma, New Delhi
229. Tilottama S. Misra, Guwahati
230. Sapna Shahani, Mumbai
231. Mohan Haridas, Nagpur
232. Kumara Swamy H., Mysore
233. Jason Keith Fernandes, Goa
234. John Dayal, New Delhi
235. Dileep Simeon, New Delhi
236. Smitha S. Pendharkar, WUNRN Revere, MA (US)
237. Pradeep Narayanan, New Delhi
238. Citizens' Inititiative for Peace (Jatin Desai), Mumbai
239. Vrinda Grover, New Delhi
240. Abhisheka, New Delhi
241. M. Rajkumar
242. Saraswati Raju, JNU, New Delhi
243. Philomena Lydia Fernandes, Goa
244. Aariz Mohammed, CSJ, Hyderabad
245. Beena, [all Asmita, Hyderabad]
246. Sharifa Siddiqui
247. Pallavi Gupta
248. Meera
249. Vaishali
250. Nagamma
251. Rajyalakshmi
252. Asha
253. Santhi
254. P. Anuradha
255. T. Anuradha
256. Padmalakshmi
257. Nikhat
258. Kranthi
259. Padmini
260. Subbalakshmi
261. Sujatha
262. Sarah
263. Sudha
264. Neela
265. Nivedita Menon, JNU, Delhi
266. Amrita Dhar, Kolkata
267. Feroze Mithiborwala, Awami Bharat, Mumbai
268. Kishore Jagtap, Ganai Sanskritik Andolan, Mumbai
269. Jyoti Badekar, Marathi Bharti, Mumbai
270. Varsha V V, Sameep Pratishthan, Mumbai
271. Amol Madame, Sameep Pratishthan, Mumbai
272. Sayeed Khan, Awami Bharat, Mumbai
273. Arif Kapadia, Awami Bharat, Mumbai
274. Gaurav Karia, Awami Bharat, Mumbai
275. Jagdish Nagarkar, Phule-Ambedkar Vichar Manch, Mumbai
276. Mulniwasi Mala, Indian Social Movement, Mumbai
277. John Fernandes, Rajahmundry (Andhra)
278. Rita D'Silva, Mumbai
279. Sudha Rajagopalan, Univ of Utrecht, Netherlands
280. Concerned for Working Children (Kavita Ratna), Bangalore
281. Malini Gurbaxani, Pune
282. Rohini Hensman, Mumbai
283. Suma Embar, Mysore
284. Rajani Konantambigi, Mumbai
285. Aryakrishnan Ramakrishnan, Kochi
286. Veena, Bangalore
287. Anchita Ghatak, Kolkata
288. Kirtiwan. D. Morarji, Mumbai
289. Daya Varma, McGill Univ. Montreal
290. Natasha Koshy, TISS, Mumba
291. Navneeta Majumder, Mumbai
292. Monika Mehta, TISS, Mumbai
293. Shubhobrato Ghosh, AIM, Manila
294. Paul Heron, Pune
295. Farida Gazdar, Mumbai/Paris
296. Vidya K.S., Mumbai
297. Shruti Chakravarty, FAOW, Mumbai
298. Nachiket Joshi, New YorkHumanitarian Disaster In Sri Lanka
Posted: 29 Jan 2009 06:43 AM PST
Humanitarian Disaster In Sri Lanka
By Sarath Kumara & K. Ratnayake
The Sri Lankan military offensive aimed at destroying the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has produced a humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the fighting. While journalists are barred from the front lines, reports are filtering out of hundreds of civilian deaths, with many more injured and in need of urgent medical help
Tamils Gagged, Gunned And BombedIn Tamil EelamBy Dr C P Thiagarajah
Tamilnet services reported on 26 Jan that 300 civilians among 250000 IDPs waiting for safety in the government declared safe zones or secure zone in Mullaitivu were killed when the Sri-Lankan armed forces bombed and shelled the area. Several hundreds were bleeding to death in the last 24 hours. This death toll was ten times more than the horrific death count for a day on the 22rd January military assault on MullaitivuMovement against Terrorism and War
Posted: 29 Jan 2009 06:36 AM PST
HUDA SOCIAL FRONT
Public Meeting
Movement against Terrorism and War
Condolence Meeting on the day of Mahatma Gandhiji's day of martyrdom.
To Pay Homage to the courageous and brave Police Officers and Military Personnel who were slain in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack.
Shri Hemant Karkare / Shri Ashok Kamte / Shri Vijay Salaskar / Shri Unnikrishnan and Shri Tukaram Omble.
Venue: Alama Latifi Hall, Saboo Siddik College, Shepherd Road, Byculla (W), Mumbai 400 008.
Date: January 30, 2009 / Time: 5 - 8pm
The Programme will be presided over by Ghulam Pesh Imam.
Chief Guest: Dr. Akhtar Rizvi
Speakers will include:
Mr. Aziz Burney, Mr. K L Prasad (JC), Mr. Mahesh Bhatt, Mr. Abu Asim Azmi, Mr. Shamim Tariq, Mr. Amaresh Misra, Col. Sudhir Sawant,
Mr. Feroze Mithiborwala, Mr. Akhtar Kazmi, Mr. M M A Azmi, Mr. Sarfaraz Arzoo, Mr. Suhail Lokhandwala, Mr. Habib Fakih,
Mr. M H Sayyed Atahar Ali, Mr. A Majid Memon, Mr. Tahir Ashrafi and Mr. Haroon Mojawala.
Guests of Honour:
Mr. A Q Sopariwala, Dr. M A Patankar, Dr. Zahir Kazi, Mr. Owais Ahmed, Mrs. Razia Ashraf, Mr. Iqbal memon, Mr. Baba bhai Sopariwala,
Mr. Surjan Singh, Mr. Safdar Karmali, Mr. Arshad Siddiqui, Mr. Dawood Khan, Dr. Azimuddin, Mr. Aziz Makki, Mrs. Naseema Surty,
Mr. Shebaaz Siddiqui, Mr. Farid Khan, Mr. Mufti Salim Akhtar, Mr. Nalin Shah, Mr. Nizamuddin Raeen, Mr. Mehmood Hakimi,
Mr. Sayeed Khan, Mr. Mufti S. Akhtar, Mr. Raees Ahmad, Dr. A R Sumar, Maulana Ismail Qasmi, Dr. Matcheswala, Dr. Sayyed Badre Alam.
the function will be hosted by Mr Iqbal Patni
RSVP: Mustaqeem MakkiPosted: 28 Jan 2009 06:10 AM PST
Gaza: The Indian Example
By Radhika Sainath
In Gaza, Palestinians have once again been blamed for their own deaths. The British made a similar argument 151 years ago when they killed thousands of Indian civilians -- 1,200 in a single village -- in response to the largest anti-colonial uprising of the 19th century. If Israel truly desires peace with the Palestinians and safety for its citizens, it should look back to one of the greatest, and misunderstood, independence movements in historyMalegaon: The Israeli Connection
Posted: 28 Jan 2009 06:11 AM PST
By Mustafa Khan
Countercurrents.org
It is grim reading how Lt Col Srikant Purohit and others wanted to establish a Hindu Rashtra with the help of Israel. The RSS and Jan Sangh did not whole heartedly join the national juggernaut that Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had started for the foundation of a democratic liberal state of India in which all could live. The same could be said of the neighbouring Pakistan whose founder Jinnah had created his country for all the people irrespective of their religion but this was systematically undermined and then President Ziaul Haq hijacked it in the name of Sharia. The grudge Purohit and his ilk was that the British did not leave India as a Hindu Rashtra while they took Pakistan as a theocratic state based on Islam. The only state established on theocracy was, of course, Israel. The recent Gaza incursion of the Israeli army is the most recent and vivid murderous effort in the long history of establishing a theocratic state of Israel. Its birth in 1948 was catastrophic for the native Palestinians of the erstwhile Palestine. Such a visualized state has been the cherished dream of the right wing groups of the RSS and its offshoots who have never been content with the democratic, secular republic of India.
There have been many occasions when extreme Hindutva leaders like Bal Thackeray and the leaders of the sangh parivar have expressed their desire for a Hindu Rashtra, nay they have de facto lived and worked as though India is already one. Their angst is that there are many in India, overwhelmingly Hindus, who do not want India to be just that. The right wing organizations have used every opportunity to divide the people on religious lines and have craftily created situations which could virtually subvert the whole system of governance into what their cherished dream has been.
It is in this context that Purohit made the bold attempt albeit with a difference after 9/11, camouflaging his plan by joining what the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband calls "the mistaken war on terror". Believing all acts of terrorism in the country as Islamic terrorism he designed his own terrorism to fight terrorism. The Samjhauta express attack and the attacks in Mecca mosque of Hyderabad and the one in Ajmer shrine fall in line with this design. He picked up the thread where VD Savarkar had left it and so revived the organization that Savarkar had disbanded and took the name of the newspaper which Nathuram had started, "Hindu Rashtra". The Jewish connection cannot be stretched any further although Aston David was principal of Wadia college where the two professors taught their subjects and also taught making bombs to Rakesh Dhawde and others. Aston's being a Jew cannot be taken to mean that he too is involved as are two of his professors. But that does not dispel suspicion that "the safe houses in Israel" Purohit had arranged for could not be there waiting for any eventuality that he had in mind. Inquiry is still on...Posted: 28 Jan 2009 06:03 AM PST
By Subhash Gatade
Countercurrents.org
(A Karnataka dacoit with links to a radical Hindu rightwing group has confessed to having carried out the Hubli district court bombing of May10, 2008.
The blast took place as the first phase of polling for the Karnataka Assembly elections was on - in a magistrate's courtroom where cases against top SIMI leaders including Safdar Nagori were scheduled to be heard two days later.
- Dacoit with Hindu Outfit links behind Hubli blast, Indian Express, January 13, 2009)
Does anybody remember the bomb blasts in Hubli (Karnataka, May 2008) courts last year when preparations were on for the coming state assembly elections ? These blasts which took place on a holiday did not witness any casuality although they extensively damaged the court premises. But the most important part played by these blasts was the atmosphere it created in favour of the BJP.
As it always happens after any such mysterious sounding blasts, many innocents belonging to minority community were illegally detained and quite a few among them also were booked for their 'role' in the blasts. The police had promptly claimed that 'sleeper cells belonging to LeT and SIMI' had executed the blasts.
One still remembers the manner in which Sangh Parivar had tried to exploit the bomb blasts in its favour. The former Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, had even used the bomb blasts case to attack the Congress led UPA government at the centre for 'soft-pedalling the issue concerning terror' and accusing it of responsibility' for the increase in terrorist activities in the country'.
The Hubli bar association had followed many other bar associations in different parts of the country to immediately pass a 'unanimous' resolution that they would not defend any 'terrorists' supposed to be involved in the blasts. And when a conscientous lawyer named Ibrahim Jalagir tried to file bail application on behalf of the detained he came under organised attack. His office was vandalised and he alongwith his colleague were badly beaten up by these hoodlums.
Now when the BJP government is firmly in the saddle and the accused in the bomb blasts case have already spent months together behind jails, has come a news which is definitely not soothing to the ears of the the saffron commanders.The IGP of North Karnataka Ragavendera Auradhkar recently addressed a press conference telling the media that the mysterious bomb blasts which had struck the Hubli courts last year were the handiwork of a criminal gang led by one Nagraj Jambagi .
According to the IGP it was the same team which had planted a bomb on the Belgaum-Hubli highway last year.However, this bomb failed to explode as it was raining heavily. After high drama, the bomb squad had finally retrieved the bomb.In fact Nagraj had led the gang which was also involved in seven murder cases in North Karnataka and several cases of abduction also. Interestingly the police had stumbled upon this gang while investigating the murder of a Bagalkot businessman.
Reporting about the incident, Mailtoday writes (13 Jan 2009)
Hindutva terror has struck Karnataka. The Karnataka police arrested nine persons with Sangh Parivar links for allegedly setting off a bomb in the court of the junior first class magistrate in Hubli May 2008. They were also accused of planting a live bomb on the Dharwad-Belgaum road. This points to the presence of Hindutva terror suspects in the state.
The police had initially blamed SIMI for both the Hubli court blast and the planting ofthe live bomb.
Police have also seized live bombs, gun powder, lethal weapons, Rs 11.08 lakh in cash, gold, silver and two motorbikes from them. Apart from Nagaraj Jambagi (24), a resident of Heggur Plot in Bilagi taluk; the arrested persons include Ramesh Pawar (24), Basavaraj Diggi (22), Manjunath Binjawadagi (19), Deepak Govindakar (28), Lingaraj Jalgar (24) - all from Bagalkot; Basavaraj Rugi (20) of Honakuppi village in Gokak taluk; Hanamanth Sainasakali (22), and Channabasappa Hunasagi (35) of Indi taluk in Bijapur.
Ofcourse although the police do not seem to be forthcoming on divulging the political connections of the group and sharing the important information about its alleged Sri Ram Sena connections anyone familiar with the Hubli-Dharwad region would have many other details about the gang of criminals, their political affiliations and their other deeds.
Many residents of Bagalkot have been witness to the Trishul Deekshe ceremony in the area wherein many of the arrested had wholeheartedly participated. For the uninitiated it may be told that VHP international secretary Praveen Togadia had popularised this trident-wielding programme as part of mobilising Hindus. Nagaraj Hollbasappa Jambagi, the gang's leader has also been closely associated with Sri Ram Sene,(SRS) a 'saffron front'.
A social worker from Hubli told 'Mailtoday' (Jan 13, 2009) that the '[b]ombings were part of an effort to set up a militant Hindutva organisation.' "Jambagi is the right hand man of SRS chief Pramod Mutalik (known as Karnataka's Togadia), who is setting up a Rashtra Raksha Army. He does not believe in the police or the armed forces. His people are given weapon's training. There are several such groups here. They had a five-day training camp in Koodala Sangama recently."
It may be known that Pramod Mutalik happened to be the former Convener of the South India Unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and of the Bajrang Dal. He was dismissed 2005-06 following inflammatory speeches made by him on the Baba Budan Giri issue and is presently the founder and National President of the Rashtriya Hindu Sena and of the Shreerama Sene, active in Karnataka. Mutalik had recently affiliated with the Shiv Sena of Bal Thackeray.
Few months back when Karnataka witnessed anti-Christian violence.Shreerama Sene had publicly claimed credit for the attacks and desecrations of Christian churches, schools and convents and thereafter for the attacks on protesting Christian youth, women and children by invading Christian properties.This open violence had forced Christians taking to blocking the streets in protest against police complicity and inaction against the fanatics.
The fact that the Karnataka happens to be a BJP ruled state where the police allegedly face political pressure and were unwilling to go on record about the Sangh Parivar links of the accused, the establishment would not be too willing to expose the real connections of the criminal-terrorists. Taking into consideration this dilly-dallying on part of the government organisations who had been fighting for communal harmony have raised a strong demand 'to arrest the National President of SRS Pramod Mutalik'.(Hubli court blast: Demand to arrest Shri Ram Sena chief, S.O. News service, Tuesday, 13 January 2009)
Koppal: There was a strong demand in Koppal by All Progressive confederation (Pragati Sanghatana) demanding the state to arrest the National president of Shri Ram Sena Pramod Mutalik immediately whose organisation is responsible for the blasts carried out in Hubli court.
Speaking on the occasion, the State president of Karnataka Sauharda Vedike Basavraj Suli bhavi said that Pramod Mutalik is responsible for creating an atmosphere of disharmony and hatred in the state. He is a liability in a peaceful and his organization can cause a lot of harm in the society. His organization is involved in Hubli court blast and a failed attempt to blast the NH Bridge in Dharward. It is very much possible that the Shri Ram sena is positively involved in this. ..
He also expressed his anger that only the activists are arrested and not the chief of the Shri Ram Sena. It should be noted that Pramod Mutalik was an active activist of Bajarang dal earlier, later he left that organisation to form Shri Ram Sena. He also had declared that he will form a suicide bomber for which he already has enrolled many of them.
With pressure building up for his arrest, Pramod Mutalik has flatly denied any knowledge of Jambagi and his gang. Much on the lines of his Sangh veterans who were put on the defensive when their links with Sadhvi Pragya and others in the Malegaon bomb blast case became apparent, he declared that they do not hold SRS membership, although he promised legal aid to the accused. . It is a different matter that none from the Sangh Parivar network maintains any membership register which suits them in dissociating the 'parent organisation' from any wrongdoing of its associates. Inadvertently or so Pramod Mutalik was imitating his other Sangh Parivar veterans especially BJP leadership which had denied any knowledge of the Malegaon accused but had readily agreed to defend them.He was even ready to 'start an agitation to defend them.'
Indian Express (13 Jan 2009) further adds that according to IGP Auradkar Jambagi had procured the bombs from one Hanumant Sainsakali. a 22 year old technical diploma student from Indi on the Maharashtra border. It is worth noting that investigations in the aftermath of the bomb blasts in the Hubli courts had shown that the bomb was similar to the one used in the May 18, 2007 blast at Hyderabad's Mecca Masjid.
One needs to remember that when the Malegaon investigations had started involvement of Hindutva terrorists in similar incidents had also come under scanner. The Mecca Masjid blasts as well as blasts in Samjhauta Express which had remaind unsolved were further investigated. Although initially the ATS Maharashtra had not deciphered any connection with Karnataka with the Malegaon blasts as of now there seems to be a qualitative change in the picture.Karnataka connection to the Malegaon blast is also being explored.
As we go to the press a team from ATS, Maharashtra is camping in Karnataka to hunt for one Pravin Mutalik. A report filed by a reporter of the Times of India tells us that ( TOI, Jan 18, 2009, ATS team in K'taka to nab suspect) Mutalik could be 'one of the three bomb planters in the Malegaon case.' "As per our investigation Mutalik was very much present in Malegaon alongwith wanted accused Ramji Kalangasara and Sandeep Dange.' Mutalik has been termed as a technical expert.
There is no denying the fact that Hubli, which happens to be a small town situated 425 km northwest of Bangalore, and which had remained more famous for many stalwarts of Hindustani and Karnataka classical music living in its environs, is a pale image of itself today. No lover of classical music would have ever imagined in their wildest dreams that a day would arise when it would be witness to a music of a different kind.
But as things stand today Huballi (Hubli's new name, the name Hubballi literally means "Hu" - flower and "Balli" - creeper in Kannada.) seems to be metamorphosing into 'birthplace' of Hindutva terror in Karnataka and a strong link in the emerging pan Indian network of Hindutva terror.THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM
Posted: 28 Jan 2009 05:57 AM PST
29-Aug-06
Local Heads of Churches In Jerusalem
"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)
Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. The Christian Zionist programme provides a worldview where the Gospel is identified with the ideology of empire, colonialism and militarism. In its extreme form, it places an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today.
We categorically reject Christian Zionist doctrines as false teaching that corrupts the biblical message of love, justice and reconciliation.
We further reject the contemporary alliance of Christian Zionist leaders and organizations with elements in the governments of Israel and the United States that are presently imposing their unilateral pre-emptive borders and domination over Palestine. This inevitably leads to unending cycles of violence that undermine the security of all peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world.
We reject the teachings of Christian Zionism that facilitate and support these policies as they advance racial exclusivity and perpetual war rather than the gospel of universal love, redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus Christ. Rather than condemn the world to the doom of Armageddon we call upon everyone to liberate themselves from the ideologies of militarism and occupation. Instead, let them pursue the healing of the nations!
We call upon Christians in Churches on every continent to pray for the Palestinian and Israeli people, both of whom are suffering as victims of occupation and militarism. These discriminative actions are turning Palestine into impoverished ghettos surrounded by exclusive Israeli settlements. The establishment of the illegal settlements and the construction of the Separation Wall on confiscated Palestinian land undermines the viability of a Palestinian state as well as peace and security in the entire region.
We call upon all Churches that remain silent, to break their silence and speak for reconciliation with justice in the Holy Land.
Therefore, we commit ourselves to the following principles as an alternative way:
We affirm that all people are created in the image of God. In turn they are called to honor the dignity of every human being and to respect their inalienable rights.
We affirm that Israelis and Palestinians are capable of living together within peace, justice and security.
We affirm that Palestinians are one people, both Muslim and Christian. We reject all attempts to subvert and fragment their unity.
We call upon all people to reject the narrow world view of Christian Zionism and other ideologies that privilege one people at the expense of others.
We are committed to non-violent resistance as the most effective means to end the illegal occupation in order to attain a just and lasting peace.
With urgency we warn that Christian Zionism and its alliances are justifying colonization, apartheid and empire-building.
God demands that justice be done. No enduring peace, security or reconciliation is possible without the foundation of justice. The demands of justice will not disappear. The struggle for justice must be pursued diligently and persistently but non-violently.
"What does the Lord require of you, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)
This is where we take our stand. We stand for justice. We can do no other. Justice alone guarantees a peace that will lead to reconciliation with a life of security and prosperity for all the peoples of our Land. By standing on the side of justice, we open ourselves to the work of peace - and working for peace makes us children of God.
"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:19)
His Beattitude Patriarch Michel Sabbah
Latin Patriarchate, Jerusalem
Archbishop Swerios Malki Mourad,
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate, Jerusalem
Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal,
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East
Bishop Munib Younan,
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy LandLetter from the former PM of Malaysia to Obama
Posted: 28 Jan 2009 05:54 AM PST
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January 1, 2009
Dear Mr. President,
I did not vote for you in the Presidential Election because I am Malaysian.
But I consider myself one of your constituents because what you do or say will affect me and my country as well.
I welcome your promise for change. Certainly your country, the United States of America needs a lot of changes.
That is because America and Americans have become the most hated people in the world. Even Europeans dislike your arrogance. Yet you were once admired and liked because you freed a lot of countries from conquest and subjugation.
It is the custom on New Year's day for people to make resolutions. You must have listed your good resolutions already. But may I politely suggest that you also resolve to do the following in pursuit of Change.
1) Stop killing people. The United States is too fond of killing people in order to achieve its objectives. You call it war, but today's wars are not about professional soldiers fighting and killing each other. It is about killing people, ordinary innocent people by the hundreds of thousands. Whole countries will be devastated.
War is primitive, the cavemen's way of dealing with a problem. Stop your arms build up and your planning for future wars.
2) Stop indiscriminate support of Israeli killers with your money and your weapons. The planes and the bombs killing the people of Gaza are from you.
3) Stop applying sanctions against countries which cannot do the same against you.
In Iraq your sanctions killed 500,000 children through depriving them of medicine and food. Others were born deformed.
What have you achieved with this cruelty? Nothing except the hatred of the victims and right-thinking people.
4) Stop your scientists and researchers from inventing new and more diabolical weapons to kill more people more efficiently.
5) Stop your arms manufacturers from producing them. Stop your sales of arms to the world. It is blood money that you earn. It is un-Christian.
6) Stop trying to democratize all the countries of the world. Democracy may work for the United States but it does not always work for other countries.
Don't kill people because they are not democratic. Your crusade to democratize countries has killed more people than the authoritarian Governments which you overthrew. And you have not succeeded anyway.
7) Stop the casinos which you call financial institutions. Stop hedge funds, derivatives and currency trading. Stop banks from lending non-existent money by the billions.
Regulate and supervise your banks. Jail the miscreants who made profits from abusing the system.
8) Sign the Kyoto Protocol and other international agreements.
9) Show respect for the United Nations.
I have many other resolutions for change which I think you should consider and undertake.
But I think you have enough on your plate for this 2009th year of the Christian Era.
If you can do only a few of what I suggest, you will be remembered by the world as a great leader. Then the United States will again be the most admired nation. Your embassies will be able to take down the high fences and razor-wire coils that surround them.
May I wish you a Happy New Year and a great Presidency.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad
(Former Prime Minister of Malaysia)Posted: 25 Jan 2009 07:28 AM PST
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPECIAL ENVOY'S, SO WHERE IS THE CHANGE ??
Posted: 24 Jan 2009 10:01 PM PST
by Feroze Mithiborwala
23rd January 2009
President Obama in his urge to show the world that one of the first acts of
[Message clipped]
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited.blogspot.com/
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