Frontline
July 1999
Breaking Barriers

NEW DELHI

Citizens Against War

Citizens Against War, a newly-formed Delhi-based initiative took birth in the capital last fortnight to deplore the war hysteria "whipped up" by the rulers in India and Pakistan.At the meeting, members of the organisation called for an end to the armed

intrusion, threatening military postures by both sides, the use of sophisticated, conventional weapons resulting in the loss of lives of civilians and jawans on both sides, and uprooting of innocent people from their settlements along both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).

Stating that escalation of this conflict carried the risk of a nuclear holocaust in the sub-continent, the Citizens Against War called for an immediate cessation of armed hostilities; the withdrawal of infiltrators as also both Indian and Pakistani troops; the demilitarisation of the LoC; and immediate resumption of talks between the two governments for a peaceful settlement of all outstanding disputes including Kashmir "where the democratic aspirations of the Kashmiri people should be honoured".

The organisation has urged fellow citizens to oppose "war hysteria and the danger of reimposition of Emergency under the garb of `internal security’".

Citizens Against War was formed in New Delhi on June 18, 1999 at a meeting called by the Pakistan India Forum for Peace and Democracy. The anti-war forum at present consists of 12 Delhi based human rights groups, women’s groups, environmentalists, lawyers, trade unions, university and school teachers, cultural workers, and other mass organisations.


PAKISTAN, INDIA

Plea for Peace

One among the series of citizens’ actions and statements issued all over the sub-continent urging the governments of both India and Pakistan to adopt dialogue and debate to resolve any conflict, the Association of Peoples of Asia has, in a press statement demanded an end to the hostilities on our borders.

"We, the members and friends of both the India and Pakistan chapters of the `Association of Peoples of Asia’, make an earnest appeal to the governments of India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and stop hostilities on the Kashmir front, and save our valuable resources for the betterment of the people, specially the poor and the needy of both the countries.

Both the countries cannot afford such adventures. We also appeal to the people of both the countries to build up a strong peace initiative to bring moral pressure on their respective governments. Human life on both sides is precious; any killing is a loss to both our countries. Let us follow the path of sanity and develop good neighbourly relations in order to solve our problems."

The signatories from the India chapter include: B. K. Nehru, former governor and diplomat, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (director, Centre for Islamic Studies), Mrinal Sen (MP and film director), Kuldip Nayar (MP and senior journalist), Shabana Azmi (MP and film actress), Nirmala Deshpande (MP and Gandhian), Dr. Kartar Singh Duggal (MP and writer), Jayant Malhotra (MP and industrialist), Asghar Ali Engineer (scholar), Sonal Mansingh (artiste), Imtiaz Ahmad (academic), M.H. Qureshi (academic), K. D. Gangrade (academic), N. Radhakrishnan (Gandhian scholar), Valson Thampu (theologian), Sumit Chakravarti (editor, Mainstream), Kedar Nath Singh (academic and poet), Akhtarul Wase (dean, Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia, Vedpratap Vaidik (journalist), Namwar Singh (academic), Syeda Hameed (writer), Fr. Bento Rodrigues (educationist), Dr. Gangaprasad Vimal (writer).

From the Pakistan chapter, the signatories include: Shakil Ahmed Baloch (member, national Assembly of Pakistan), Dr Zaki Hasan (vice-chancellor), Dr. Mubarak Ali (historian), Tahir Muhammad Khan (former federal minister), M.B. Naqvi (journalist), B. M. Kutty(convenor, Pakistan Peace Coalition), Abdul Khaliq Junejo (prominent Sindhi leader), Rochi Ram (advocate), Maulana Obaidullah Bhutto, Akhtar Hussain (advocate), Anis Haroon (women rights’ activist), Iqbal Sultana (women rights’ activist), Farid Awan (Pakistan workers confederation), Karamat Ali (trade unionist), Usman Balochy (trade unionist), Sharafat Ali, Mujahid Barelvi (writer and journalist), Basir Naveed (social activist), Dr. Aly Ercelawn, Ghulam Kibria, Farhat Parveen, Dr. M. A. Mehboob,. Dr. A. Aziz, Naseer Rizvi, and Ms. Sarah Siddiqui.


LAHORE AND DELHI

Armed hostilities must end

The Pakistan and India chapters of the Pakistan-India Peoples’ Forum for Peace and Democracy have issued a joint statement from Lahore and Delhi in response to the recent hostilities in the Kargil sector of Kashmir:

"The military flare-up in Kargil has worsened the continuing tensions in Jammu and Kashmir. The claim that the possession of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan would create a situation of deterrence and hence of peace has been falsified and the hopes raised by the Lahore declaration have been belied. In the nuclear environment in the region this development has escalated the danger of war in the sub-continent.

The resort to aerial bombings so close to LOC has escalated the military tensions between India and Pakistan. What is alarming is that these bombing and armed operations are taking a toll of innocent civilian lives. This flare-up coming so soon after the Lahore Declaration exposes the fragility of the two governments’ commitment to peace. So long as the Kashmir question remains unresolved such flare-ups are likely to recur and threaten to escalate in to full–fledged war including the danger of nuclear holocaust.

The forum demands immediate cessation of armed hostilities, bombings and withdrawal of Indian and Pakistan troops and militants and the demilitarisation of the LOC and creation of a demilitarised zone along the LOC. Steps must be taken urgently to start discussions on the outstanding issues with active participation of people from both sides of the LOC".


AHMEDABAD

Fascism at our doorstep

Commemorating the twenty-fourth anniversary of the day that Emergency was declared by the then Congress Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi on June 26, 1975, the Gujarat unit of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties used the occasion, fittingly, to release a book, Fascism at our Doorstep, in Gujarati.

This timely collection, that contains articles by a wide spectrum of writers including V.M.Tarkunde, Girish Patel, Dinesh Shukla, Father Francis Parmar and Aseem Roy, is a welcome contribution to the literature on the subject. Apart from theoretical explorations on the concept of fascism in the Indian context, the collection contains valuable documentation on the rise of fascist tendencies under the BJP government in Gujarat, taking the form of physical attacks on the state’s Christians and Muslims, their social boycott in both urban and rural areas, and their experiences of discrimination and exclusion; key facets of lived fascism in any society.

The occasion was used to organise a public meeting in Ahmedabad that was well attended. Copies of the book are available with Gautam Thakar, PUCL, Atman, 4, Sanmitra Society, Opposite Malavatan Talav, Jeevraj Park, Ahmedabad 380 051, Rs.30.

 

DEHRADUN

Secular values and youth

Values are what we believe and do when we have a number of choices available. Values represent our personal attitudes and influence our thoughts, feelings and actions. Being central to our personality, these affect every aspect of our life. Our youth today is in the grip of confusion due to conflicting signals emanating from rapid socio-cultural changes. For example, the Indian Constitution proclaims a secular polity but religious fundamentalism is increasing in society.

A two-day national seminar on ‘Secular Values and Youth’, recently organised under the auspices of the Campus Diversity Initiative in the D.A.V. College, Dehradun (U.P.), discussed some key issues relating to secularism. Students and teachers from eight institutions of higher education from all over the country participated in this academic meet.

Teesta Setalvad, editor Communalism Combat, and Asghar Ali Engineer, director, Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai, addressed the students and gave presentations on the interpretations and meanings of the word secularism, explaining its importance for a country like India whose intrinsic strength lies in its vast socio-cultural diversity and pluralism. During the presentations, the Meaning and Scope of Secularism were discussed. The word secularism was discussed and interpreted as maintaining equal distance from all religions at the level of the state and giving equal respect to all religions at the level of society.

These diversities may be religious, lingual, caste-based or any other. Importantly, secularism is a western concept and we do not have its exact equivalent in any Indian language. Secularism is a way of life. It teaches us to be liberal in outlook, tolerant in attitude, rational in thought, restrained in actions and respectful in behaviour. We cannot respect our own selves unless we learn to respect others. Reciprocity is the spirit of secularism. The message of secularism is that all minorities (racial, religious, and lingual) should find adequate opportunity to develop their respective cultures.

The majority community should ensure that minorities do not feel insecure or threatened and that their cultural, social, religious and economic rights are not jeopardised.

Secularism is not an antithesis of religion. It is not being irreligious or lacking faith in God. Religion is a matter of one’s personal choice.

Every citizen should be free to worship his/her own God. But religion should not interfere in political matters. Exploiting religion to meet political ends ultimately destroys both religion as well as politics. Religion, most of the time, is the greater sufferer.

The speakers also threw light on the causes behind the rise in intolerance and bigotry among the majority community in India and genesis of militancy in Kashmir and the north–eastern states.

The seminar unanimously resolved that secular polity was a compelling necessity for a country like ours in view of its pluralistic character as well as geographical location. It was strongly felt that efforts should be made to help our youth to clarify and develop secular values through academic studies on secularism and related issues.

Dr S.K. Kulshrestha, Project Director, Campus Diversity Initiative, D.A.V. College, Dehradun (U.P.)


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