[Reader-list] Is Antulay really pro-Pakistan?

[taraprakash]

Hi Fatima. I can understand that. Most of us have no regard for politicians 
but when they say things which we want to hear, they do make think us a lot.

For sometime the voices of the liberal Muslims were getting stronger and 
stronger. Of course those who have made a business of dividing the country 
on communal lines were feeling marginalized. A large conference declared 
terrorrism anti-Islamic. The Hindutva supporters thought this is not how the 
majority of Muslims think; they are supporters of Jihad. Muslim Council of 
India refused to burry the the terrorists in their graveyard as they 
considered such inhuman barbarians cannot be Muslims. Some people agreed 
with them. Others again thought it as a sham of a community that always was 
after the nonmuslim blood. Yet others, probably including the person whose 
mail you forwarded, linked it to the conspiracy theories, meaning the 
council believes that they were not Muslims, but Hindus, Jews or Christians.

But the prominent voices in the Muslim communities were refusing to fall in 
to the trap of the conspiracy theories. They were getting out of hands of 
the divisive powers. Their votes can be better controlled, if they keep 
considering themselves first as Muslims and then anything else. That kind of 
othering would help all the politicians. So the reigning in was necessary. 
And there goes the senior member, cabinet minister, minority minister of the 
divisive parties of this country.

It was safe to speak now and not earlier as the previous administration had 
not resigned. Once the chief minister and his deputy were gone, the 
suspicion would not look like suspecting the congress government. It is 
suspecting those who had become irrelevant and it was started by somebody 
who would become irrelevant if he did not raise this issue. The old Antule 
was not likely to get a ticket from Congress party which was supposedly 
focusing on the young blood. He is very likely to remain in the fray. If he 
doesn't contest for Congress, he will join some other party. He might start 
a new party, Muslim Nationalist party,  to win back the Muslims who feel 
cheated by all the political parties. Only to form the government with 
Congress as a UPA ally.

All this drama is possibly going to happen because Antule said not what a 
lot of people are hearing. The mail you forwarded seems to suggest that 
Antule believes in the conspiracy theories about the Mumbai terror attacks 
as propounded by a lot of Muslims throughout the world. He is  just saying 
that some people took the opportunity of having Karkare murdered in the 
shadow of the terror attack. Such conspiracy was also suspected when the 
officer who conducted probe in parliament attack case was shot during Jamia 
encounter.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Fatima फ़ातिमा" <fatimaschool45 at gmail.com>
To: "Reader-list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 20, 2008 2:10 AM
Subject: [Reader-list] Is Antulay really pro-Pakistan?


> Dear friends
> I have no sympathy for politicians usually, but this case has made me
> think a lot. I am amazed that Antulay is being hounded by all
> including the Congress for expressing a doubt. The truth is that a
> majority of Muslims in India have this doubt any way - but that does
> not prove that they supporting Pakistani viewpoint. Why is everything
> to be seen as anti-India and pro-Pakistan terms? I am really wondering
> if there is no non-Muslim in this country who is ready to ask the same
> question which Antulay asked? Not even on this list?
>
> Please see this interesting view from another "supporter of Pakistan"
>
>
> From: "zohra javed" <zohra83 at rediffmail.com>
> To: zohra83 at rediffmail.com
>
> A.R.Antulay's remark about a thorough probe into the causes of ATS
> Chief Hemant Karkare's martyrdom have drawn a lot of flak
> from the most expected quarters. It should have been surprising though
> for anyone to oppose a proper investigation specially
> into the deaths of Mr.Karkare and the other two officers who were
> killed along with him. Mr.Antulay has raised a valid point
> and instead of bashing him down and asking for explainations on the
> issue from the PM everyone must support Antulay on this
> point. Narender Modi offered a crore of rupees to Mrs.Karkare, but his
> party is opposing someone who wants a thorough probe
> into the tragic and untimely death of Mr.Karkare...what kind of
> sympathy is this? In all probablity Mrs.Karkare would much
> appreciate if the killers of her late husband are brought to justice
> rather than accepting a political charity.
> Asking for new laws is fine. But as Advani has admitted in the
> Parliament that there is no law that has not been misused, I
> wonder why the existing laws are not implemented in letter and spirit
> to begin with. It is very important to understand that
> laws are for the smooth running of a system and for the protection of
> the weak. They are neither prestige issues nor a matter
> to make election issues out of them or score political and social
> points. Indeed that political party is best which can
> implement laws and ensure a rule of law without any bias or double 
> standards.
> The common people have time and again proved their innocence and
> smugness by allowing the politicians to confuse them. Every
> time some pertinent questions are raised a smoke-screen comes up
> beyond which the path becomes blurred. What is more ironical
> is that anyone daring to venture beyond is bogged down as being either
> foolish or a traitor.
> Einstein said, "the important thing is not to stop questioning".
> Indeed it is by raising questions and finding their true
> answers that one can reach a satisfactory conclusion. But most of the
> time people are not encouraged to raise their doubts.
>
> And if some stray questioning voices become loud they are branded as
> anti-national.
> Fighting terror is a serious matter. Every angle must be probed.
> Nothing must be left to chance. But even after so many
> blasts in various Indian cities and now the carnage in Mumbai our
> investigating agencies, media and the political parties do
> not seem to have woken up to the real danger. There are too many
> loopholes and loose ends in the theories that are being put
> forward. What is wrong in probing the Israeli angle a bit more
> thoroughly? Or ponder a little more over the fact that there
> was a person called Ken Heywood, whose name had come up in connection
> with some blasts in the past. However, not only was he
> allowed to travel at will, he almost instantly got a "clean chit".
>
> If we are genuinely concerned about our nation's security and
> integrity, we have to rise above bias. And it will be the
> common man who has to do this because it is the common man who suffers
> in these tragedies that reap rich harvest of votes for
> one coalition or the other, but nothing changes on the ground for the
> common man. It is not just a matter of what Antulay
> said. He is a seasoned politician and a die-hard Nehru-Gandhi
> loyalist. In such a scenario I don't understand how he could
> even utter a word of embarassment for his bosses. Hence his remarks
> cannot be only his own nor can he be speaking for his
> community.
>
> The point is who benefits from all of these activities. Are we
> supposed to believe that the so called religious leaders
> rolling in luxuries, blessing politicians before and after elections,
> are really true to their religion? Can there at all be
> any love of God behind brutal killings of the innocent? And why on
> earth do these so called religious leaders not take on the
> "non-believers" themselves? The nationality or the religion of a
> person involved in terrorist activities has ceased to be a
> pointer as to the cause. It will indeed be worthwhile to take every
> detail into account before coming to conclusions as we
> must all remember that only those who fear the outcome would oppose an
> unbiased probe into the "business of terror".
>
> Zohra Javed
> _________________________________________
> reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city.
> Critiques & Collaborations
> To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request at sarai.net with 
> subscribe in the subject header.
> To unsubscribe: https://mail.sarai.net/mailman/listinfo/reader-list
> List archive: &lt;https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>