[Reader-list] Joint India-Pakistan Statement on Mumbai

[Shumona Goel]

I'm sorry for mistaking Mr. for Ms.



Please read Biju Mathew's article when you have time.


On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 3:13 PM, Aditya Raj Kaul <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>wrote:

> Dear Shumona,
>
> How did you come to this conclusion of 'Ms. Kaul' ? Anyways, he is
> Kshmendra
> Kaul, as I can see.
>
> Secondly, lets not close our eyes to reality, truth; though it does indeed
> pain to hear out these strong and hard facts put out in detail by Mr.
> Kshmendra Kaul.
>
> We've certainly seen enough violence, but we'll continue to if we don't
> raise our voice together against it, and end this menace, once and for all
> times to come. Lets not again tolerate this bull-shit and forgive them..
>
> Thanks
>
> Aditya Raj Kaul
>
> On 12/2/08, Shumona Goel <shumonagoel at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Ms. Kaul,
> >
> > Your emails are full of hatred and violence.  We have seen enough
> violence
> > -- it is upsetting to read your emails, we are upset enough.  Where do
> you
> > live?  Certainly not in Bombay.
> >
> > Please read this:
> >
> >
> >   As the smoke lifts from Mumbai, skepticism must prevail over those
> > conjectures which support the official state narrative. It is crucial to
> > increase the pressure for transparency and accountability at this moment
> to
> > ensure that India doesn't slide into the same state as post-9/11 USA.
> >
> > By Biju Mathew
> >
> > This piece originally appeared in Samar 31, published online December
> 1st,
> > 2008.
> > The deaths continue even as I write this. The death toll stands at 195.
> And
> > of the several hundred injured some may not survive. It is now official.
> > The
> > siege is over. The last of the gunmen inside the Taj Hotel has been shot
> > dead. The Oberoi/Trident hotel was cleared earlier today and the Nariman
> > House Jewish Center at the corner of Third Pasta Lane on the Colaba
> > Causeway
> > was stormed close to 24 hours ago. The other targets - the Leopold Cafe
> (a
> > popular tourist hangout), the CST railway terminus (also called the
> > Victoria
> > Terminus), the Metro Cinema, the Cama Hospital, all seem to be targets
> the
> > gunmen attacked as they zoned in on the hotels and Nariman House. In the
> > end
> > this has become a story of two sets of men with guns.
> > The human story of the innocents who died, the hotel staff who kept their
> > cool and moved guests around the hotel through the service entryways and
> > exits, those who helped each other escape, will not really make it to the
> > headlines. The maintenance worker at the Oberoi who shielded guests and
> > took
> > the bullets in his stomach will remain unsung. The hospital orderlies who
> > ran in and out with stretchers carrying the wounded - each time not
> knowing
> > if they will make it back themselves to the ambulance, will not be noted.
> > The several trainee chefs at the Taj who fell to bullets even as other
> > kitchen workers escorted guests away from the firing and hid them inside
> a
> > private clubroom will not be written up in the book of heroes. The young
> > waiter at Leopold who was to leave to work in a Cape Town restaurant will
> > soon be forgotten. The two young men who dragged an Australian tourist
> shot
> > in the leg away from the Leopold entrance and carried her to a taxi will
> > not
> > even identify themselves so that she can thank them. These stories, in as
> > much as they are told, will remain on the lips of only the workers, the
> > guests and the tourists who helped each other. The officials will try and
> > produce a clean story to tell the world. And we know the clean story is
> > untrue.
> > The official story that has already begun to emerge is one that may have
> > some facts embedded in it. But we must remember that between every two
> > facts
> > is a lot of conjecture. The conjectures that unite the few facts (16
> > gunmen,
> > AK47s, grenades, passports of multiple nationalities, boats on which at
> > least some of them arrived, a dead Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) chief, Hemant
> > Karkare, who was heading the investigation against the Hindu Right wings'
> > terror campaign, the gunmen trying to identify British and American
> > citizens) makes the story. The story then is as much a product of the
> > conjecture as it is of the facts. And there are certain stories that we
> are
> > already oriented towards. The conjectures that create that story - the
> > story
> > we are already prepared for - is the one the State will dole out for our
> > consumption. Already the conjectures that will serve the State, are out
> > there in great profusion.
> > Several reporters have noted that the gunmen were clean-shaven, dressed
> in
> > jeans and T-shirts. The silent conjecture is that they were expecting and
> > were surprised by the fact that these men did not have beards and did not
> > sport the Muslim prayer cap. Every newspaper worth its salt - the Times
> of
> > India, the Jerusalem Post, the Independent from the UK, among scores of
> > others - have already run commentary on the unsecured coastline of India.
> > The conjectural subtext is that securing the coastline is possible and if
> > India had done so, this attack would have been prevented.
> > There is also a quick labeling going on -- India's 9/11. The subtext is
> > that
> > India could and should act as the US did after 9/11 - decisively and with
> > great aggression. There is also the subtext that the Indian State is soft
> > on
> > terror that adds to the US-tough-on-terror contrast. Sadanand Dhume,
> > writing
> > in the Wall Street Journal, has castigated the Indian government for
> > withdrawing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) and for preventing
> > states
> > like Gujarat from passing their own version of the draconian
> > worse-than-Patriot Act legislations. Neither Mr. Dhume, nor the several
> > reporters who will now write stories about how the POTA repeal represents
> > the Indian State's soft attitude towards terror will ever feel the need
> to
> > explain how POTA could have prevented this attack.
> > The dead are on the floor. The vultures are moving in. The conjecture
> will
> > try to unite the country into a series of unexamined positions. That POTA
> > must be recalled. That States must be allowed to pass even more draconian
> > laws. That Hindu terror is not a big issue and must be forgotten for now
> -
> > especially now that we may not find an honest policeman or woman to head
> > the
> > ATS. That the defense budget must go up. That the coastline must be
> > secured.
> > None of the well educated masters of the media will write that the 7000
> odd
> > kilometer coastline cannot be protected - that all it will translate to
> is
> > billions in contracts for all and sundry including Israeli and American
> > consultants. Nobody will write that a hundred POTAs will not prevent a
> > terror attack like this one; that Guantanamo Bay has not yielded a single
> > break through. Nobody will write that higher defense budgets have been
> more
> > often correlated with insecure and militarized lives for ordinary
> citizens.
> > Nobody will write that almost without exception all of US post 9/111
> > policies have been disasters. Bin Laden is still around, I am told and so
> > is
> > the Al Qaeda. The number of fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, Hindus
> and
> > Jews have probably gone up over the last decade. So much for good policy.
> > But the conjecture will go on.
> > The foreign hand and its internal partner will be floated without ever
> > naming anything precise. But the country will read it just as it is meant
> > to
> > be read - Pakistan and the Indian Muslim. Everything will rest on the
> > supposed confession of the one gunman who has been captured. A Pakistani
> > from Faridkot, I am told. Why should we believe it? Didn't the same
> Indian
> > State frame all the supposed accomplices in the Parliament attack case?
> > Didn't the same Indian State claim that the assassins of Chattisinghpura
> > were from across the border until that story fell apart? And more
> recently,
> > didn't the same Indian State finally agree that all the accused in the
> > Mecca
> > Masjid bombings were actually innocent? And even if Mr. Assassin
> supposedly
> > from Faridkot did say what he did say - why should we believe him? Why is
> > it
> > so difficult to believe that he has his lines ready and scripted? If he
> was
> > willing to die for whatever cause he murdered for, then can he not lie?
> Oh
> > the lie detector test - that completely discredited science that every
> > militarized State trots out. And the media love the lie detector test
> > because it is the best scientific garb you can give to conjecture.
> > I certainly don't know the truth. But I do know that there is more than
> > enough reason for skepticism. The problem is that we need a new theory of
> > the State. We need to re-understand the State.
> > There is such unanimity when it comes to analyzing the Pakistani State -
> > that the ISI, and if not all of the ISI, at least a segment of it, is a
> > rogue element Furthermore, that its bosses may not be sitting in
> Islamabad,
> > but perhaps elsewhere in the country or even abroad. If we can accept
> that
> > about the Pakistani State, why is it so difficult to accept it about the
> > Indian State? We all know that Colin Powell was a kind of a patsy - a
> fall
> > guy, who trotted out some lies on behalf of a segment of the
> > neo-conservative movement firmly entrenched within the American State
> > (which
> > Obama will not touch). We also know that if the ISI has a rogue element
> in
> > it, it was in good part created by the CIA. Then why do we think that the
> > same guys couldn't render another State - such as the US - itself hollow
> > from the inside.
> > The contemporary State is a different being. For every story of
> > money-corruption you hear, there could just as well be one of
> > political-corruption. Every vested interest who locates himself inside
> the
> > State apparatus is not just a vested interest going after money but could
> > just as well be securing the space for creating a certain politics. The
> RSS
> > has a long history of trying to take over the bureaucracy, doesn't it? So
> > do
> > the neo-cons and so do the jamaatis. Then why do we believe in a theory
> of
> > the State that is unified and with liberal goals?
> > The history of the liberal State and its relationship with capitalism of
> > all
> > types is a simple one. The longer that relationship persists the more
> > corrupt and hollow the liberal State gets, leaving the space open for
> > political ideologies to occupy its very insides. The logic for this is
> > inherent in the very system. If profit is above all, then given the power
> > the State has, it must be bought. Cheney is no different from Shivraj
> > Patil,
> > and Ambani is no different from Halliburton. They are both part of the
> > story
> > of hollowing the State out. And once the hollowing process begins, every
> > ideological force can find its way in, as long as it has resources. The
> > archetypal bourgeois liberal State is over. It never really existed, but
> > what we have at the end of four decades of neo-liberalism bears no
> > resemblance to the ideal formulation whatsoever. What we have instead is
> a
> > series of hollowed out States with their nooks and crannies, their
> > departments and offices populated with specific neo-conservative
> > ideological
> > interests. The US has its variant. India has its. And Israel its very
> own.
> > It is incapable of delivering the truth, and not just the truth, it is
> only
> > capable of producing lies.
> > If this story of skepticism makes sense then we have only one choice. To
> > understand that it is crucial to increase the pressure for transparency
> at
> > this moment, to be relentless in our demand for openness and detail, in
> our
> > call to ensure that no investigation or inquiry that was in place be
> halted
> > and that every one of these be subjected to public scrutiny. It is our
> > responsibility to reject the discourse of secrecy based on security and
> > demand specific standards of transparency. What we should demand is that
> > every senior minister and every senior intelligence officer be examined
> and
> > the records be made available to the public. What we must demand is that
> an
> > officer of impeccable record be found to replace Hemant Karkare. What we
> > must demand is that we get explanations of how a POTA clone would have
> > stopped this crime. What we must ask is how POTA or the Patriot Act could
> > have ever helped prevent terror? What we must do is support the Karkare
> > family in their demand for a full investigation of his death in the
> company
> > of the encounter specialist- Salaskar. What we must have is an open
> debate
> > on every single case of terror over the last decade in India.
> > When I am in Bombay, I always stay at a friend's on Third Pasta Lane.
> Each
> > afternoon I would walk out and see the Nariman House. I have wondered
> what
> > the decrepit building was. I have always contrasted the drabness of the
> > building with the colorful sign on the next building that announces
> Colaba
> > Sweet House. The next time I won't wonder. I will know that it was one of
> > the places where the drama that inaugurated India's renewed march towards
> > fascism unfolded. Unless we act. Unless we act with speed and
> determination
> > demanding transparency and accountability and a careful rewriting of the
> > story of terror in India. Only a renewed movement can ensure that India
> > doesn't slide into the same state as post 9/11 USA.
> > Biju Mathew is a member of the Campaign to Stop Funding Hate and the
> > Coalition Against Genocide and is a co-founder of the New York Taxi
> Worker
> > Alliance.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Dec 2, 2008 at 2:47 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> >
> > > Dear Naeem
> > >
> > > I fully realise what I wrote and reaffirm the statement. If you find it
> > > unfair, it is perhaps because you are not familiar enough with the
> > realities
> > > in Pakistan.
> > >
> > > Let me repeat what I said (slightly edited):
> > >
> > > " Hate Agendas run deep in the veins and psyche of the overwhelming
> > > majority of Pakistanis"
> > >
> > > The 'danger' is not in what I said but in ignoring what I said.
> Ignoring
> > > that reality has led to allowing the dangers emanating from Pakistan to
> > go
> > > unchallenged.
> > >
> > > I do not hate Pakistan as presumed by you. Hate clouds well-informed
> and
> > > well-reasoned evaluations.
> > >
> > > The 'violent minority' that you refer to is not the totality or
> > > completeness of expression of the "Hate Agendas" I spoke about. The
> > > 'National Psyche of Pakistan' is the breeding ground for such partial
> > > (violent) expression.
> > >
> > > Naeem, I suggest to you Sir that Pakistan was created "For Muslims" or
> > "In
> > > the name of Islam" (take your pick), the institution that has held it
> > > together since 1947 is the Military Establishment and the 'ideology'
> that
> > > has held it together is not Islam but "Hate for India".
> > >
> > > To that "National Hate for India" they have managed to add through the
> > > years "National Hate for USA". In fact "National Hate for Everyone
> Else"
> > > including (surprise, surprise) Arabs.
> > >
> > > The "Hate Agendas", in keeping with Pakistan's federated structure
> extend
> > > themselves to the mutualities of "Hate Punjabis", "Hate Sindhis", "Hate
> > > Mohajirs", "Hate Balochis", "Hate Pathans", "Hate Kashmiris".
> > >
> > > Let us not forget the packed pockets of "Hate" based on their own
> > > convoluted interpretation of Islam and not just directed towards
> > > Music,Dance, Films and Barbers and Girls' Schools but also "Hate
> Shias",
> > > "Hate Sunnis", "Hate Ahmedis, "Hate Barelvis", "Hate Deobandhis", "Hate
> > > Wahabis", "Hate Sufis", "Hate Dargahs".
> > >
> > > We are talking about HATE in it's most intense and degraded forms of
> > > expression and not milder attitudes like dislikes or disagreements.
> > >
> > > What you say is true (and it is not much different in India) that the
> > > "overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are struggling for
> > roti-kapra-makaan".
> > > But we are not talking about the needs of the body here. Those needs
> are
> > > common for all humans.
> > >
> > > There is a uniqueness in the food (or blood) that satisfies those minds
> > and
> > > psyches  that are conditoned to "Hate" or in some cases the menus
> sought
> > for
> > > "liberating the soul" through the 'destruction of others'. Study
> Pakistan
> > to
> > > understand and realise that.
> > >
> > > Kshmendra
> > >
> > > --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Naeem Mohaiemen <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > From: Naeem Mohaiemen <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: Joint India-Pakistan Statement on Mumbai
> > > To: kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
> > > Cc: "taraprakash" <taraprakash at gmail.com>, reader-list at sarai.net
> > > Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 10:55 PM
> > >
> > > Kshmendra
> > > It's deeply unfair and dangerous to say " 'hate agenda' runs
> > > in the
> > > veins and psyche of the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis."
> > >
> > > I think overwhelming majority of Pakistanis are struggling for
> > > roto-kapra-makaan and don't have time for fantasies of hate and death.
> > > Unfortunately it only takes twenty to forty believers in a mad killing
> > > vision to put a shadow of suspicion over populations of millions.
> > >
> > > And by the way I'm Bangladeshi, so I should have far more reasons to
> > > hate Pakistanis than you (how many Bengalis died in 1971? At least a
> > > million more than have ever died in India-Pakistan conflicts/wars).
> > > But I'm still not willing to let the violent minority pretend to speak
> > > for the majority.
> > >
> > > On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 10:12 PM, Kshmendra Kaul <
> kshmendra2005 at yahoo.com
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > > > Dear Naeem
> > > >
> > > > Here is a thought for everyone
> > > >
> > > > A Terror-Strike of the scale and complexity that has been witnessed
> > would
> > > > require quite a bit of advance planning and in all probability it's
> > > > execution set in motion well in advance of D-Day.
> > > >
> > > > Isnt' it rather idiotic of the signatories to the Statement to even
> > > suggest
> > > > a linkage between the Terror-Strike and it's taking place having been
> > > timed
> > > > to (to quote):
> > > >
> > > > """"" ..... the day the Home Secretaries of the
> > > two countries concluded
> > > > their talks in Islamabad and announced several concrete steps to move
> > > > forward in the peace process, such as the opening of several land
> > routes
> > > for
> > > > trade – Kargil, Wagah-Attari, Khokhropar etc –, relaxation in the
> visa
> > > > regime,  a soft and liberal policy on the issue of release of
> prisoners
> > > and
> > > > joint efforts to fight terrorism? Again, is it just a coincidence
> that
> > on
> > > > this fateful day the Foreign Minister of Pakistan was in the Indian
> > > capital
> > > > holding very useful and productive talks with his Indian counterpart?
> > > > """""""
> > > >
> > > > These idiots seem to suggest that the Terror-Strike would not have
> > taken
> > > > place if the ongoing talks between the two countries were not taking
> > > place
> > > > amicably and moving towards "concrete steps to move forward in the
> > > > peace process". The past history of Terror-Strikes emanating out of
> > > Pakistan
> > > > dismisses any such notion.
> > > >
> > > > Some people on both sides of the border seem to think that the
> > realities
> > > of
> > > > attitudes in both countries lie in the much touted "People to people
> > > > contact" and the accompanying "peace noises" in the
> > > seminars and the
> > > > (alcoholic or not) cocktail circuits. They are either foolish enough
> to
> > > fool
> > > > themselves into believing so or devious enough to try and fool others
> > > into
> > > > beleiving so.
> > > >
> > > > Rather than putting forward a conspiracy theory about the conspiracy
> of
> > > the
> > > > Terror-Strike and make such pompous statements of little value, it
> > would
> > > > serve the Pakistanis well to look inwards and try and set things
> right
> > in
> > > > their country.
> > > >
> > > > It would serve the Indians well to realise how deep the "hate
> > > agenda" runs
> > > > in the veins and psyche of the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis.
> > > >
> > > > Kshmendra
> > > >
> > > > --- On Mon, 12/1/08, Naeem Mohaiemen <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > From: Naeem Mohaiemen <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> > > > Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Joint India-Pakistan Statement on Mumbai
> > > > To: "taraprakash" <taraprakash at gmail.com>
> > > > Cc: reader-list at sarai.net
> > > > Date: Monday, December 1, 2008, 7:25 PM
> > > >
> > > > Accha bhai, everyone is hurt, bewildered, mourning, shocked, and
> > > > finally angry. But can you not take even one minute pause to welcome
> a
> > > > Joint India-Pakistan Statement of Mourning/Support for Mumbai as a
> > > > positive development (even though it's miniscule)?
> > > >
> > > > Was there anything in the statement that denied Daud, that spewed
> > > > venom? Since there was not, why does this Statement also have to be
> > > > greeted by the same language?
> > > >
> > > > On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 7:49 PM, taraprakash <taraprakash at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >> There may not be clear evidence of Daud but Pakistani media has
> > > several
> > > >> times covered the rallies addressed by those who were returned (by
> BJP
> > > >> government) in exchange for the hijacked plane in Kandhar. They spew
> > > venom
> > > >> against all the Qafirs which include the moderate Muslims who are
> > > friends
> > > >> with the qafirs or are not friends with the misguided Jihadis.
> > > >>
> > > >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "rashneek kher"
> > > > <rashneek at gmail.com>
> > > >> To: "Naeem Mohaiemen" <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> > > >> Cc: <reader-list at sarai.net>
> > > >> Sent: Monday, December 01, 2008 6:16 AM
> > > >> Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Joint India-Pakistan Statement on Mumbai
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>> All this is fine.
> > > >>> Let Pakistan only admit that they gave/are giving shelter and
> > > refuge
> > > > to
> > > >>> Dawood(not handover him to India),have terrorist camps in POK and
> > > > other
> > > >>> parts of Pakistan.We have to first accept truth before the process
> > > of
> > > >>> reconciliation can be started.
> > > >>> Pakistan Govt may not be involved in this Mumbai thing but can it
> > > > refute
> > > >>> what Sheikh Rashid writes in his book on Taliban,that Kashmiri
> > > > terrorists
> > > >>> had camps run by ISI in Pakistan and Afgahnaistan.
> > > >>> Can they refute that they sent army regulars to be killed in
> > > Kargil
> > > > and
> > > >>> did
> > > >>> not even accept their dead bodies saying they are Kashmiris and
> > > not
> > > >>> Pakistanis.Tell me please,I may be ignorant but but have the
> > > composite
> > > >>> dialogue process or the opening of trade,routes or anything else
> > > > achieved
> > > >>> any thing close to peace.(Incidentally not even one Kashmiri
> > > Pandit
> > > > was
> > > >>> allowed into PoK despite thousands of applications to visit the
> > > sacred
> > > >>> shrine of Sharda.)
> > > >>> I wish there is lasting peace so that I can atleast go home if not
> > > to
> > > >>> Sharda
> > > >>> but for all that to happen,Pakistan must act on terrorists on its
> > > side
> > > > and
> > > >>> India should stop blaming Pakistan before they have credible
> > > evidence.
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Rashneek
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> On Mon, Dec 1, 2008 at 4:01 PM, Naeem Mohaiemen
> > > >>> <naeem.mohaiemen at gmail.com>
> > > > wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>>> This Joint Statement was released to the press
> > > >>>> simultaneously in Pakistan and India on November 30
> > > >>>> 2008.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Mumbai bloodbath
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> We are deeply shocked and horrified at the bloody
> > > >>>> mayhem in Mumbai, which has claimed more than a
> > > >>>> hundred and ninty lives and caused grievous injuries
> > > >>>> to several hundred people, besides sending a wave of
> > > >>>> panic and terror across South Asia and beyond. We
> > > >>>> convey our profound feelings of sorrow and sympathies
> > > >>>> to the grieving families of the unfortunate victims of
> > > >>>> this heinous crime and express our solidarity with
> > > >>>> them.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> As usual, all sorts of speculations are circulating
> > > >>>> about the identity of the perpetrators of this act of
> > > >>>> barbarism. The truth about who are directly involved
> > > >>>> in this brutal incident and who could be the culprits
> > > >>>> behind the scene is yet to come out and we do not wish
> > > >>>> to indulge in any guesswork or blame game at this
> > > >>>> point. However, one is intrigued at its timing. Can it
> > > >>>> be termed a coincidence that it has happened on the
> > > >>>> day the Home Secretaries of the two countries
> > > >>>> concluded their talks in Islamabad and announced
> > > >>>> several concrete steps to move forward in the peace
> > > >>>> process, such as the opening of several land routes
> > > >>>> for trade – Kargil, Wagah-Attari, Khokhropar etc –,
> > > >>>> relaxation in the visa regime,  a soft and liberal
> > > >>>> policy on the issue of release of prisoners and joint
> > > >>>> efforts to fight terrorism? Again, is it just a
> > > >>>> coincidence that on this fateful day the Foreign
> > > >>>> Minister of Pakistan was in the Indian capital holding
> > > >>>> very useful and productive talks with his Indian
> > > >>>> counterpart?  One thing looks crystal clear. The
> > > >>>> enemies of peace and friendship between the two
> > > >>>> countries, whatever be the label under which they
> > > >>>> operate, are un-nerved by these healthy developments
> > > >>>> and are hell bent on torpedoing them.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> We are of the considered opinion that the continued
> > > >>>> absence of peace in South Asia - peace between and
> > > >>>> within states - particularly in relation to India and
> > > >>>> Pakistan , is one of the root causes of most of the
> > > >>>> miseries the people of the region are made to endure.
> > > >>>> It is the major reason why our abundantly
> > > >>>> resource-rich subcontinent is wallowing in poverty,
> > > >>>> unemployment, disease, and ignorance and why
> > > >>>> militarism, religious and sectarian violence and
> > > >>>> political, economic and social injustice are eating
> > > >>>> into the very vitals of our societies, even after more
> > > >>>> than six decades of independence from colonial rule.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> At this moment of unmitigated tragedy, the first thing
> > > >>>> we call upon the Governments of India and Pakistan to
> > > >>>> do is to acknowledge the fact that the overwhelming
> > > >>>> majority of the people of India and Pakistan ardently
> > > >>>> desire peace and, therefore, the peace process must be
> > > >>>> pursued with redoubled speed and determination on both
> > > >>>> sides. The sooner the ruling establishments of India
> > > >>>> and Pakistan acknowledge this fact and push ahead with
> > > >>>> concrete steps towards lasting peace and harmony in
> > > >>>> the subcontinent, the better it will be not only for
> > > >>>> the people of our two countries but also for the whole
> > > >>>> of South Asia and the world. While the immediate
> > > >>>> responsibility for unmasking the culpritsof Mumbai
> > > >>>> and taking them to task surely rests with the
> > > >>>> Government of India, all of us in South Asia have an
> > > >>>> obligation to join hands and go into the root causes
> > > >>>> of why and how such forces of evil are motivated and
> > > >>>> emboldened to resort to such acts of anti-people
> > > >>>> terror.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> It is extremely important to remind the leaderships of
> > > >>>> Pakistan and India that   issuing statements and
> > > >>>> signing agreements and declarations will have meaning
> > > >>>> only when they are translated into action and
> > > >>>> implemented honestly, in letter and spirit and without
> > > >>>> any further loss of time. It assumes added urgency in
> > > >>>> the prevailing conditions in South Asia , with the
> > > >>>> possibility that so many different forces prone to
> > > >>>> religious, sectarian and other forms of intolerance
> > > >>>> and violence may be looking for ways to arm themselves
> > > >>>> with more and more sophisticated weapons of mass
> > > >>>> murder and destruction. The bloodbath in Mumbai must
> > > >>>> open the eyes of our governments, if it has not
> > > >>>> already happened.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> We urge upon the governments of India and Pakistan to
> > > >>>> immediately take the following steps:
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>  1. Cessation of all hostile propaganda against each
> > > >>>> other;
> > > >>>>  2. Joint action to curb religious extremism of all
> > > >>>> shades in both countries;
> > > >>>>  3. Continue and intensify normalization of
> > > >>>> relations and peaceful resolution of all conflicts
> > > >>>> between the two countries;
> > > >>>>  4. Facilitation of trade and cooperation between
> > > >>>> the two countries and in all of South Asia . We
> > > >>>> welcome the fact that the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and
> > > >>>> Poonch-Rawlakot borders have been opened for trade and
> > > >>>> that the opening of the road between Kargil and Skardu
> > > >>>> is in the pipeline.
> > > >>>>  5. Immediate abolition of the current practice of
> > > >>>> issuing city-specific and police reporting visa and
> > > >>>> issue country-valid visa without restrictions at
> > > >>>> arrival point, simultaneously initiating necessary
> > > >>>> steps to introduce as early as possible a visa-free
> > > >>>> travel regime, to encourage friendship between the
> > > >>>> peoples of both countries;
> > > >>>>  6. Declaration by India and Pakistan of No First
> > > >>>> Use of atomic weapons;
> > > >>>>  7. Concrete measures towards making South Asia
> > > >>>> nuclear-free;
> > > >>>>  8. Radical reduction in military spending and end
> > > >>>> to militarisation.
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Signatories:
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> Pakistan
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>  1. Mr. Iqbal Haider, Co-Chairman, Human Rights
> > > >>>> Commission Pakistan and former federal Minister of
> > > >>>> Pakistan
> > > >>>>  2. Dr. Tipu Sultan, President, Pakistan Doctors for
> > > >>>> Peace & Development, Karachi
> > > >>>>  3. Dr. Tariq Sohail, Dean, Jinnah Medical & Dental
> > > >>>> University , Karachi
> > > >>>>  4. Dr. A. H.. Nayyar, President, Pakistan Peace
> > > >>>> Coalition, Islamabad
> > > >>>>  5. Justice (Retd) Rasheed A. Razvi, President,
> > > >>>> Sindh High Court Bar Association
> > > >>>>  6. Mr. B.M.Kutty, Secretary General , Pakistan
> > > >>>> Peace Coalition, Karachi
> > > >>>>  7. Mr. Karamat Ali, Director, PILER, Karachi ,
> > > >>>> Founding member, PIPFPD
> > > >>>>  8. Mr. Fareed Awan, General Secretary , Pakistan
> > > >>>> Workers Confederation, Sindh
> > > >>>>  9. Mr. Muhammad Ali Shah, Chairman , Pakistan
> > > >>>> Fisherfolk Forum, Karachi
> > > >>>>  10. Mr. Zulfiqar Halepoto, Secretary, Sindh
> > > >>>> Democratic Front, Hyderabad
> > > >>>>  11. Professor Dr. Sarfraz Khan, Area Studies Centre
> > > >>>> ( Central Asia), Peshawar University
> > > >>>>  12. Syed Khadim Ali Shah, Former Member National
> > > >>>> Assembly, Mirpur Khas
> > > >>>>  13. Mr. Muhammad Tahseen, Director, South Asia
> > > >>>> Partnership (PAK), Lahore
> > > >>>>  14. Mrs. Saleha Athar, Network for Women's Rights,
> > > >>>> Karachi
> > > >>>>  15. Ms. Sheema Kermani, Tehreek-e-Niswan, Karachi
> > > >>>>  16. Ms. Saeeda Diep, President, Institute of Secular
> > > >>>> Studies, Lahore
> > > >>>>  17. Dr. Aly Ercelan, Pakistan Labour Trust, Karachi
> > > >>>>  18. Mr. Suleiman G. Abro, Director, Sindh
> > > >>>> Agricultural & Forestry Workers Organisation,
> > > >>>> Hyderabad
> > > >>>>  19. Mr. Sharafat Ali, PILER, Karachi
> > > >>>>  20. Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, PILER, Karachi
> > > >>>>  21. Mr. Ayub Qureshi, Information Secretary ,
> > > >>>> Pakistan Trade Union Federation
> > > >>>>  22. Ms. Sheen Farrukh, Director, Interpress
> > > >>>> Communication Pakistan , Karachi
> > > >>>>  23. Mr. Zafar Malik, PIPFPD, Lahore
> > > >>>>  24. Mr. Adam Malik, Action-Aid Pakistan , Karachi
> > > >>>>  25. Mr. Qamarul Hasan, International Union of Food
> > > >>>> Workers (IUF), Karachi
> > > >>>>  26. Prof. Muhammad Nauman, NED University , Karachi
> > > >>>>  27. Mr. Mirza Maqsood, General Secretary, Mazdoor
> > > >>>> Mahaz-e-Amal
> > > >>>>  28. Ms. Shaista Bukhari, Women Rights Association,
> > > >>>> Multan
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>> India
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>
> > > >>>>  1. Kuldip Nayar, journalist, former Indian High
> > > >>>> Commissioner, UK., Delhi
> > > >>>>  2. S P Shukla, retired Finance Secretary, former
> > > >>>> Member, Planning Commission, Delhi
> > > >>>>  3. PEACE MUMBAI network of 15 organisations, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  4. Seema Mustafa, Journalist, Delhi
> > > >>>>  5. Manisha Gupte, MASUM, Pune
> > > >>>>  6.  Dr. Ramesh Awasthi, PUCL, Maharashtra
> > > >>>>  7. Jatin Desai, journalist, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  8. Prof. Ritu Dewan, University of Mumbai
> > > >>>>  9. Prabir Purkayashta, DSF, Delhi
> > > >>>>  10. Prof. Pushpa Bhave , Mumbai
> > > >>>>  11. Paromita Vohra, filmmaker, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  12. Achin Vanaik, CNDP, Delhi
> > > >>>>  13. Meena Menon, Focus on the Global South, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  14. Romar Correa Professor of Economics, University
> > > >>>> of Mumbai
> > > >>>>  15. Anjum Rajabally, film writer, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  16. Anand Patwardhan, filmmaker, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  17. Kamla Bhasin, SANGAT, Delhi
> > > >>>>  18. Dr. Padmini Swaminathan, MIDS, Chennai
> > > >>>>  19. Sumit Bali, CEO, Kotak Mahindra Prime Limited
> > > >>>>  20. Dr Walter Fernandes, Director, North Eastern
> > > >>>> Social Research Centre , Assam ,
> > > >>>>  21. Rabia, Lahore Chitrkar
> > > >>>>  22. Rakesh Sharma, filmmaker, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  23. Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
> > > >>>>  24. Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, JNU, Delhi
> > > >>>>  25. P K Das, architect, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  26. Neera Adarkar, architect, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  27. Datta Iswalkar, Secretary, Textile Workers
> > > >>>> Action Committee, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  28. Madhusree Dutta, filmmaker, Majlis, Mumbai
> > > >>>>  29. Amrita Chhachhi, Founding member, PIPFPD
> > > >>>>  30. Mazher Hussain, COVA, Hyderabad
> > > >>>>  31. Prof. Manoranjan Mohanty, Delhi
> > > >>>>  32. Prof. M C Arunan, Mumbai
> > > >>>> _________________________________________
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> > > >>>> List archive:
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> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>>
> > > >>> --
> > > >>> Rashneek Kher
> > > >>> Wandhama Massacre-The Forgotten Human Tragedy
> > > >>> http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
> > > >>> http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com
> > > >>> _________________________________________
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> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > > _________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _________________________________________
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>
>
> --
> Aditya Raj Kaul
>
> Freelance Correspondent, The Times of India
> Cell - +91-9873297834
>
> Campaign Blog: http://kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com/
> Personal Blog: http://activistsdiary.blogspot.com/
> _________________________________________
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