[Reader-list] About Accusations on this List

[Shuddhabrata Sengupta]

Dear All,

I have noticed a curious and remarkable phenomenon of late on our  
list, and am wondering whether or not any of you have noticed it too.  
Unfortunately it is not without precedent.

We know well by now that when those who speak for 'Panun Kashmir' and  
'Roots in Kashmir' run out of arguments, especially when faced with  
detailed and cross referenced material that does not support their  
'case', habitually retort with abuse, invective and insinuation. They  
express their desires to 'spit' on people's faces, exactly as their  
ABVP / Sri Ram Sena  goon allies spit on the faces of university  
lecturers invited to speak at the university.

Of late, there has been another kind of 'spitting' going on in this  
list, and in the online communications emanating from individuals  
associated with 'Panun Kashmir' and 'Roots in Kashmir'.

  I am speaking about a curious pattern of a specific kind of  
insinuations emanating mainly from Pawan Durani (but also of late  
from Aditya Raj Kaul) that suggest that whosoever does not agree with  
the PK/RIK gospel or the broad hardline Indian nationalist position  
on anything must be doing so because they are actively doing the  
bidding of their 'foreign masters' and further, because they are  
being 'paid' to do so. Since their ethical horizons are severely  
limited and compromised, the makers of these accusations cannot  
imagine that some of us take a principled position against the things  
that they hold sacrosant. And so, failing to account for the ethical  
basis of our opposition, they leap to accuse us of being adversarial  
purely for the sake of private and pecuniary gain. So, 'writers' and  
journalists are paid by their terrorist masters, I am a paid agent,  
Sanjay Kak was paid by Yasin Malik (this is a charge that was made  
when the debate on Jashn-e-Azadi began) and Prakash Ray is 'Sanjay  
Kak's propoganda agent on the payroll of Yasin Malik' , and so on.

This allegation that ones critics are ones critics because they are  
being paid to be critics and that too by devious foreign powers or  
their local clients is the time tested 'foreign hand' and 'agent of  
the foreign hand' theory that is the Brahmastra (secret lethal  
weapon) that Indian politicians (and not only Indian politicians)  
resort to when all else fails. It is the true hallmark of a failure  
of reason, a profound disconnect with reality and dismal poverty of  
the political imagination. It attempts to hide but fails to conceal a  
rancid, rabid, raucous politics.

Of course, as is evident from the emails forwarded by Sonia Jabbar on  
to the list recently, some of the illustrious company that Mr. Durani  
keeps, such as the gentleman known as Ashish Zutshi, another 'Roots  
in Kashmir' luminary, himself offered her a 'reasonable sum of money'  
to write for their cause. Perhaps the sleazy language of bribery is  
the only one that these gentlemen understand, because at least in  
this case, they seem to be doing precisely what (offering a bribe)  
that they accuse us of being beholden to. Rather, this is a case of  
one kind of influence peddlers admitting to the fact that they lament  
not having their current adversaries as their own 'paid agents'. Why  
else would they offer to pay someone who doesn't agree with them a  
'reasonable amount' to change her mind.

In the last two weeks there have been several specific occasions when  
either I, or someone broadly willing to question the PK/RIK hard line  
nationalist gospel has been called a paid 'agent'. Further, Aarti has  
been accused of selling herself 'cheaply' and Sanjay Kak has been  
accused of taking money from Yasin Malik. And there have also been  
two specific occasions when people (Aman and me, by implication) have  
been called 'puppets of the Chinese'.

Now this is something that I take quite seriously. I do not take this  
casually, as I do not think that these accusations are made casually  
either.

The allegations suggest, basically, that some of us are writing what  
we are writing on this list because some 'foreign power'  or  
'terrorist' is greasing our palms. Since I am included in this list,  
I am willing to take on this matter personally. Notwithstanding the  
fact that my bank accounts suggest otherwise, I am insulted to know  
that Pawan Durani should think that my political convictions and  
reflections are available for purchase at such low rates in the  
market, or, more fundamentally, that I am a hired hack who writes not  
out of conviction but  for the sake of crumbs and leavings from my  
'masters' table. The Reader List is a space of freedom. No one is  
paid by the hosts  or the administrator of the list to write  
anything. No payments are sought from the hosts or administrator for  
any kind of writing either. My professional responsibilities at Sarai  
do not include writing on the Reader List either.

I consider this an insult to the community of the reader list, to the  
Sarai programme at CSDS and a serious affront to my reputation and my  
professional standing. I do not wish to ignore this or take it  
lightly, especially as this has been made on a very public forum. I  
may have been willing to ignore the odd barb of this nature (and it  
is not that it has not been thrown in the past) but when we get seven  
defamatory missives in two weeks, then we are looking at a serious  
and determined pattern that I do not think deserves to be ignored or  
overlooked.

Let's look at each one of these instances. I have tagged each quote  
with the subject header and the date of the posting from which it is  
taken, so that they can be traced easily by all list members. My  
comments follow each quotation. Certain portions within each  
quotation have been capitalized for reasons of emphasis (mine).

--------------------------
1.

Re: [Reader-list] When will Muslims join the mainstream?
Date: 21 October 2008 6:21:56 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"...Notwithsatnding a well CALCULATED EFFORT BACKED BY A FOREIGN  
COUNTRY , so called intellectuals and so called jornalists who  
created a disinformation campaign, such as in Jamia Encounter ,  
Parlaiment case are being followed more closely.

Number of people are supposed to be under close scanner and their links
ascertained. Hoping the truth and the DETAILS PAYOUTS will come out  
soon..."

MY COMMENT: Pawan Durani claims to know the following -
(a) that those raising questions about the Jamia Encounter and the  
Parliament Attack case are party to a 'well calculated effort backed  
by a foreign country'
(b) that they are 'under a close scanner', their 'links are being  
ascertained'
(c) that the 'details' of 'payouts' will come out soon...

In all fairness, either he should furnish the list with details of  
how he can substantiate (a - which foreign country?), (b) & (c)  
above, or stand charged of making baseless allegations designed to  
malign the character and reputation of people in a public forum.

In the event that he cannot prove (a), (b) & (c) I would like to know  
whether or not list members believe that this alone ought not to  
count as sufficient reason for his expulsion from the list ?

2.

Re: [Reader-list] When will Muslims join the mainstream?
Date: 25 October 2008 3:53:21 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"...I know I am not a master of mixing words NOR IS THIS A FULL TIME  
JOB FOR ME  FOR WHICH I GET PAID FOR..." (sic)

MY COMMENT: This is specifically addressed to me. Since I am neither  
employed nor monetarily compensated to write posts on the Reader List  
on any subject whatsoever, and do so entierly of my own free will, I  
want to know what Pawan Durani means when he implies that writing on  
the Reader List is a 'full time job for which I get paid'. Again, if  
he cannot substantiate this, it will amount to defamation because it  
will imply that I say what I do, or have the political convictions  
that I have because I am paid for this. In other words, that I am a  
'mercenary'. If he cannot substantiate this charge, I would again  
like to ask whether he should be expelled from this list, or allowed  
to continue to make allegations without basis?

3.

Re: [Reader-list] Thinking Through Figures on Internal Displacement  
from Kashmir
Date: 1 November 2008 2:11:09 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"...Mind it , we are fighting for ourselves and IT IS A UNPAID JOB,  
UNLIKE SOME SURROGATES WHO ACT PROXY for secessionists in Kashmir and  
support their
cause by trying to create an opinion..."

MY COMMENT: If what he is doing is an 'unpaid job' it implies, from  
reading this and the previous quote, that I am doing a 'paid  
job' (again because this is addressed to me). Once again, the  
questions I have asked immediately before this still hold.

4.

Re: [Reader-list] Thinking Through Figures on Internal Displacement  
from Kashmir
Date: 1 November 2008 5:17:49 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"...I dont have time like Shuddha for writing such a long mail, and  
also IT IS NOT MY PAID JOB."

MY COMMENT: Implication - it is Shuddha's "paid job" to write in the  
way he does. See my previous two comments above. Same question holds

5.

Re: [Reader-list] Thinking Through Figures on Internal Displacement  
from Kashmir
Date: 2 November 2008 12:37:24 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"We dont need him or his lip service. LET HIM SERVE HIS MASTERS and  
we would continue to counter their agenda..."

MY COMMENT: So providing a detailed set of arguments amounts to me  
"serving" my "masters". Who are these "masters"? Does Durani have a  
list of my "masters" or  any proof for the allegation that he is  
making here that I write on the list at the bidding of "masters"? If  
he does not have this proof, then again, I am constrained to ask  
whether or not he should be expelled from the list for reasons of  
defamation.

6.

Re: [Reader-list] Kashmiri Pandits demand ‘internally displaced  
persons’ status
Date: 3 November 2008 1:33:03 PM GMT+05:30

(from Pawan Durani)

"...At least WE ARE NOT PUPPETS OF CHINESE IDEOLOGY. You know what I  
mean."

MY COMMENT: The implication here is that those who do not agree with  
Pawan's position are the puppets of "Chinese ideology"? What does  
"Chinese ideology" mean? Does it mean, Confucianism, Taoism, Maoism,  
Kuomintang Thought, Dengism, Falun Gong tendencies or an unnatural  
preference for Chinese cuisine?

I take it (though, who knows, I could be wrong)  that Pawan is  
referring to a willingness to act at the behest of 'Chinese' masters,  
specifically those in positions of power within the Chinese Communist  
Party and the government of the Peoples Republic of China.

If so, how would he explain the fact that several of the people he  
would identify as his adversaries (me, for instance) have been vocal  
critics of Maoism (all varieties), the Chinese Communist Party and  
the government of the Peoples Republic of China on this list. We have  
in fact gone on record to point out the similarities between the way  
in which the government of mainland China deals with Tibet, and the  
way in which the Government of India deals with the occupation that  
it undertakes in Kashmir.

In the light of this fact, the above allegation is rendered baseless.

7.

Re: [Reader-list] Kashmiri Pandits demand ‘internally displaced  
persons’ status
3 November 2008 1:42:34 PM GMT+05:30

(from Aditya Raj Kaul)

"It has become so usual now to SEE THESE PUPPETS SPEAK THEIR MASTERS  
TONE..."

MY COMMENT: Here, Aditya Raj Kaul echoes Pawan Durani's insinuation  
that anyone who questions them (him and Durani) are "puppets" who act  
at the behest of their masters.

-----------------

Re: [Reader-list] SIMI Activists found with SAR Geelani CDs
9 November 2008 14:14:12 IST 2008

(from Aditya Raj Kaul)

"dear SANJAY KAK'S PROPOGANDA AGENT ON PAYROLLS OF YASIN MALIK

MY COMMENT: None
__________________________

I am giving Pawan Durani and Aditya Raj Kaul exactly one day (from  
the date and time of this posting) to furnish detailed,  
substantiatable proof for what I consider to be the allegations in  
their defamatory and scurrilous postings aimed at me and others on  
this list.

If they are not able to furnish these proofs within this one day. Or,  
if the proofs they furnish are found to be insubstantial, motivated  
and inadequate to the charges that they make, then I would request   
the list administrator that both of them be expelled from this list  
with immediate effect.

Let me clarify one thing in closing. I am and have always been in  
favour of freedom of expression. And I have defended (over the last  
year and a half) the right of Pawan Durani and Aditya Raj Kaul and  
their allies (in serious offline discussions) to continue to torment  
this list with their rubbish time and time again when demands have  
been made for his expulsion on grounds of 'hate speech'. I am willing  
to go the extra mile to give the benefit of the doubt when someone  
stands accused of 'hate speech' especially when I do not agree with  
them, because I think that even things said in anger need a hearing.  
And I have gone that extra mile with Pawan Durani, Aditya Raj Kaul  
and their allies.

But defamation and libel are offenses, not opinions. The harm that  
they can do is objectively verifiable, not a matter of speculation or  
conjecture. Opinions, no matter how vile they may be can be countered  
by arguments and better formulated opinions. But the lies that attack  
peoples personal lives and conduct, especially when they are uttered  
on public fora, spread poison if they are not dealt with exemplary  
and immediate severity. There have to be consequences for such  
conduct, no matter who does it.

If someone says that I am paid to speak in the way that I do by a  
foreign power, then there is no ambiguity in this statement. EIther I  
am, or I am not. I know I am not. The mails that I am referring to  
above suggests that I am, and several others on the list are. And  
since this is a statement about concrete people, not about some  
abstractions . then the only way to settle this is to demand that the  
person or persons making the allegation proves what they say, or  
faces the consequences of bearing false witness. The reason I am  
saying this is because there actually are very serious consequences  
to being thought of as a 'paid' agent of a 'foreign power' in this  
country, at a time like what we are going through, today. Such  
accusations and labels cannot and must not be taken lightly.

Either he is lying, or I am. And an untruth about a person is libel  
and cannot by any stretch of imagination be subject to protection on  
the grounds of freedom of expression. This forum would be betraying  
itself and the reasons why it was founded if it confuses the license  
to defame a person or persons with the freedom of expression.

I hope I have made myself abundantly clear. I have nothing to conceal.

regards

Shuddha