[Reader-list] Opening J&K-PoK borders without Pakistan changing its policy is dangerous.

[Aditya Raj Kaul]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr. Jagan N. Kaul <drjagankaul at rosenet.net>
Date: Oct 12, 2008 9:11 AM
Subject: *KPNetwork* Opening J&K-PoK borders without Pakistan changing its
policy is dangerous.


 *Letter against dangerous suggestion for making "Kashmir-PoK Borders
Irrelevant"*

**

*FORUM FOR SECULARISM & DEVELOPMENT (USA)*

*3145 Gilbert Ave.**, Roseburg, OR 97471*

Phone and Fax 1-541-957-841


October 11, 2008



Hon'ble Political Leaders,

Hon'ble Community and Religious Leaders, and

Hon'ble Nationalist activists:



Subject:* Study by Peace Institute suggesting to make "Kashmir-PoK Borders
Irrelevant" is toxic to National Security & dangerously misleading.*



          Being overwhelmingly influenced by naivety and an inherently
impulsive mindset the Indian establishment seems once again at the verge of
doing some thing extremely dangerous and highly unthinkable, i.e. opening
the Kashmir border for free travel and trade not only with Pakistan occupied
Kashmir (PoK) but also with the Islamic republic itself. Utilizing its usual
undemocratic and non-transparent mode of operation as a tool it has denied
any role to the national Parliament, judiciary, media and above all to the
Indian public for arriving at this risk laden, full of pitfalls decision of
historic nature.



          Taking such adventurous decisions without analyzing costs
and benefits, void of pragmatism and pregnant with enormous risks and
threats to the welfare of the citizenry and the integrity of the state
itself, is nothing new for the modern rulers of India. In the past, during
the early years of India's independence, they similarly invoked the mantra
of "Hindi China Bhai Bhai" signifying the great brotherly relations between
India & China. In the ultimate context the outcome of that questionable
philosophical dogma is universally known – loss of Tibet's independence and
its occupation by the People's Republic of China (PRC); two Sino-Indian wars
and loss of territory and its occupation by PRC in India's North Eastern
Region; loss of territory and its occupation by PRC in J&K's Ladakh region.
Recently even Nepal has fallen prey to the Chinese supported Maoists
rendering the north-central India vulnerable to external penetration. But
the official India, holding contempt for real democracy and transparency,
intoxicated with absolute power, refuses to learn from its past mistakes.



        1)*From its very inception, during the past sixty plus years, three
full-fledged armed confrontations and the illegal occupation of nearly half
of the J&K State, Pakistan's territorial, religious, demographic, economic,
ideological and political war against India has never ended.* Even today
when another armed conflict is only a matter of time, the Islamic State's
entire politics continues to be organized around anti-Indianism and
anti-Hinduism. Through its Jihad brigades and terrorists, Hindus by the
thousands are killed and bomb blasts and violent agitations have become an
every day phenomenon in the targeted country of India. The ethnic cleansing,
illegal occupation of the properties of the dislodged people, murder of
Hindus and destruction of their religious infrastructure is a common
occurrence. The Indian Home Minister has confessed that there were upwards
of 800 terrorist cells and other such networks existing and operating in
every nook and corner of India. Needless to emphasize that all these
outfits, which are capable of paralyzing if not blowing up India at will,
are either directly created or indirectly supported by Islamabad. India can
ignore these realities only at her own peril.



          Furthermore, has Pakistan taken any administrative, judicial,
legislative or political measures towards normalizing the relationship with
India? Has it defeated and outlawed any terrorist organizations? Has it
abrogated the treaty with the Taliban establishing a virtual independent
state for Al Qaeda in Waziristan? Has it defeated and captured Osama bin
Laden, Ali Zachary and Mullah Omar, the worst enemies of USA & India? Has it
outlawed Al Qaeda, Taliban, Mujahideen and other such outfits and put behind
the bars their operatives? Did it declare a new policy to vacate the
aggression and occupation of Kashmir? Did it declare Pak's intention to
disband 25, 000 Madrassas, terrorist training camps, Jihad factories and
Jihad itself as a tool for bringing about change? If the Islamic Republic
has not taken any of these measures then why should India be foolishly so
magnanimous and open her doors to welcome the members of the Wahabi culture
from the epicenter of the Islamic Jihad?



          2)* A few sugar coated words uttered by Pak's new President
Mr. Zardari due to eco-political compulsions and internal volatility
prevailing in his country and casually describing the Islamic separatists of
Kashmir as "terrorists" does not represent the change of policy by the
Islamic Republic*. Pakistan must take concrete administrative, judicial and
legislative steps to destroy the Islamic, terrorist, and anti-India culture
created and perpetuated during the past sixty years before expecting India
to adopt an open door policy. Until then New Delhi must feel duty bound to
strictly follow the policy of Ronald Regan towards Mr. Gorbachev's Russia -
the policy of "trust but verify". Anything short of that will be foolhardy
and outright dangerous for India.



          New Delhi cannot ignore the call for a "100 year war" against it
and declarations to take Kashmir forcibly given by President Zardari's
father-in-law and the former Pak-premier Z.A. Bhutto and a similar call
given by his recently assassinated wife Benazir Bhutto. After all the new
Pak President has not invented or made public any new magic approach for
normalizing his country's relations with India? To stay in power he has no
choice but to follow the populist policies formulated by his wife and
father-in-law and those policies have always been anti-Kashmir, anti-India
and anti-Hindus.



          3)When the rest of the world including the super powers -- USA,
UK, France, Germany, Russia, China, Australia, Israel, Canada, NATO above
all the United Nations are engaged in effectively combating the Pak
generated Islamic terrorists and are taking every conceivable action to
destroy them and squeeze the life out of them how can India, whose security
and territoriality are already in jeopardy, in the name of peace and
friendship open her borders and doors to facilitate their entering and
operating from her soil?



          Doesn't New Delhi realize that as the US led NATO forces increase
their attacks on Taliban & Al Qaeda strong holds and use guided drones to
blow them up both in and out side Afghanistan and Pakistan the only logical
place for these subversives is to slip into India where they have already
built self sustaining organizations and cultivated a mass support system.
Opening the border posts for traffic, without first Pakistan having
destroyed its terrorist organizations and their infrastructure under its
jurisdiction, will actually facilitate and make considerably easier their
transit into India which will in turn more seriously threaten India's peace,
tranquility and safety of her people.



          4)With intent to legitimize the reckless yet irrational decision
of New Delhi a recent study "*Making Borders Irrelevant*," undertaken by the
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi, aided and
published by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a research
institute based in Washington DC with Pak researchers on board, exploring
the possibility of permitting the cross-LoC trade from five crossing points
in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), has simply ignored the history of partition,
Islamic violence, separatism and the goals of the Pan Islamic Movement in
this region (Attachment A).



          The conclusion erroneously drawn by this politically motivated
study supports Islamic Jihadists in their quest for eventual Talibanization
and secession of J&K. The present truncated nature of J&K is the result
of Pakistan's unprovoked aggression and occupation despite Kashmir's
voluntary and enthusiastic accession to India. The Indian part of the state
has been flourishing. If the other side has remained unattended to and
backward that is due to Pakistan's intentional neglect and bad policies. The
unification of the state can be realized by simply removing the illegal
occupation by Pakistan.



*          5) In their eagerness to draw the designated conclusion these **
unlettered** Institutes in New Delhi and Washington have completely ignored
the Islamist crusade in Kashmir and its links with Pan-Islamic militancy and
systematic terrorist violence spread by Pakistan and the mounting Jihadist
terror attacks across India.*  "*Making Borders Irrelevant*" is an
idealistic objective but possible only where people of the neighborhood
believe in equitable rule of Law, respect for each others boundaries and
freedom of personal faith. There exists any thing but those characteristics
in Islamic states. The conclusions of the study drawn under a scholastic
façade seem intended to mislead the Hindus while engineering some Islamist
pathways for advancing the cause of the exclusivist Dar- ul- Islam. If
Borders could be made irrelevant or even porous why was Yugoslavia divided
into seven tiny parts with dependable borders, East Timor separated from
Indonesia and Pakistan and Bangladesh sliced away from India. Why is the US
fortifying its long southern border with Mexico?



          In the sphere of "geopolitical world" the concept of irrelevant
borders cuts at the very roots of sovereignty and territorial integrity of
states. Additionally the inability of Islamists to coexist in peace with
other religionists is well known. With contempt and animosity they call
Hindus "*Kafirs*" and express hatred for their "*idolatrous*" ways. How can
India with a population of 85% Hindus disregard this dangerous mindset and
ideological indoctrination of Pakistani Islamists? In fact historically it
was the religious intolerance and incompatibility of Islamists that was at
the center of India's partition in 1947.



*          6) Opening more travel & trade points (transit) will only make
it easier for Jihadists to walk in and create havoc in India.* It must be
noted that after the so-called normalization process enforced by UPA with
Pakistan the infiltration of terrorists into India has multiplied. The
Jihadists have created a formidable infrastructure in the country giving
them capacity to attack anywhere anytime. Earlier they snuck into India
through Nepal and Bangladesh but now they come by the bus, truck and train
loads direct from the Islamic republic to Hindustan. Opening more points for
trade across the line of control (LOC) without first neutralizing the
culture of Jihad, anti Hinduism and anti-Indianism in Pakistan, will blow
the security interests of India and the harmonious conduct of her civil
society into the thin air. Overlooking these interests could take India back
to the days of "Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai" thus extracting from her an
excruciatingly painful cost. Are Indians born to suffer due to the naivety
of their decision makers?



*          7) Currently the dominant issue in Kashmir is that of human
rights violations and atrocities on Hindus and Sikhs* committed by Islamists
and the total indifference exhibited by its Muslim led Govt. – an authority
that did not allow even the use of 100 acres of land for building temporary
shelters in summer for Amarnath bound Hindu pilgrims. The idealistic authors
of the study ignore the fact that atrocities in Kashmir were actually
committed by Islamists who killed tens of thousands of Hindus and Sikhs in
the region since 1989 (over 65,000 by some estimates) and drove out more
than 350,000 of them into exile, after thousands were tortured and maimed
and thousands of Hindu females were molested and forcibly converted to
Islam. This was in addition to the complete ethnic cleansing in PoK from
where more than 700,000 Pandits, Dogras and Sikhs were driven by the
Jihadis.



          India cannot forget the process of desecration, loot, vandalizing
and destruction of Hindu temples that took place in J&K under the anti-Hindu
Islamic rule through generations. The intent of committing these crimes was
to wipe out all traces of religious and cultural symbols of Hindus. After
Kashmir's accession to India the destruction of Hinduism and its
infrastructure under the new Islamic regimes wearing secular turbans
received added impetus and acceleration. Consequently during the past two
decades with the help of Al Qaeda, Taliban and Pakistan trained
terrorists hundreds of more temples were destroyed.



*          8) Due to stringent measures taken in the US, not a single
terrorist act has occurred after the devastating one on the World Trade
Center in New York on September 11, 2001.* However, by comparison there have
been relentless terrorist bomb explosions killing as many Hindus in India as
Americans were in five years of war in Iraq. Apart from the multiple
explosions in New Delhi major terrorist strikes have taken place in
Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Ayodhya, Mumbai, Varanasi, Hyderabad, Malegaon,
Panipat, Ajmer, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Faizabad, etc. killing Hindu men, women
and children by the hundreds. In these terrorists attacks nothing not even
Govt. offices, Parliament,  court houses, hospitals, police, railway and bus
stations and above all Hindu temples, homes and market places were spared.



          And now these crimes take place almost every day. Thanks to the
Govt. failure in preventing the establishment of deep rooted terrorist
networks, the bomb blasts in India with indigenous operators and materials
seems to be happening regularly and the authorities are doing precious
little to stop it. Of course as usual there is no dearth of condemnatory and
bombastic statements by the people in charge blaming others for such violent
acts. The official policy of indifference towards Hindus, who generally are
the victims in these blasts, has made their blood the cheapest and risk free
in the entire world. Unlike the US and other countries taking seriously and
respecting the security and welfare of their citizens India has miserably
failed in setting up even a national security or anti-terrorism wing for
combating and uprooting this menace.



            9) *Before giving any credence to the irrational academics dogma
of "Irrelevant Borders" which inescapably supports the Islamists agenda,
India's painful history and experience with inhumanities inflicted by
Islamists must not be dismissed summarily.* Some of the treacherous examples
of that genocidal era include:



          a) killing of 50-100 million Hindus during the 700 years of
Islamists rule by terror, plunder, arson and building 98% of the Islamic
population by forcible conversions; b) wiping out more than 20,000 people in
Calcutta by Islamists in 1946 to force partition on Congress; c) Elimination
of millions of Sikhs & Hindus during the partition in 1947; d) Putting to
death over three million Hindus in East Pakistan; driving out some 9 million
Bangladeshi Hindus into India; and the illegal infiltration by an additional
30 million Bangladeshi Muslims; e) Expulsion of the entire Hindu-Sikh
population from Kashmir and PoK; f) Ethnic cleansing of Hindus and Sikhs in
Pakistan where they are now less than 1% reduced from over 25% in 1947. In
Bangladesh where the non-Muslims were more than 30% in 1947 they have been
reduced to less than 8%. These one sided anti-Hindu crimes committed by
Islamists do not justify India's unconditional change of policy towards
Pakistan – the epicenter of Islamic terrorism, unless India too has a
contempt for its population of which 85% is Hindu. (Foot notes 1 & 2)

*          10)"The jihad in Kashmir by the terrorists is not just for
independence. Its real goal is to form a Darul Islam with Kashmir as a part
of the Caliphate.* Considering its implications upon the region and national
security India cannot allow the emergence of such a lawless and militant
entity at a close proximity to her frontiers. Therefore, the suggestion of
parting with Kashmir is simply unthinkable. The constitutions of J&K State
and India do not provide any provisions allowing separation of any part of
the country. Accordingly India should concentrate on doing every thing
possible to maintain it as an integral part of the country in which people
of all ethnicities and religious formations particularly the Hindus (which
include Pandits, Dogras, Buddhists & Sikhs) and Muslims can live in peace
and harmony sharing power equally in its reorganized form.

*          11) Hon'ble National Leaders and Activists:* These ultras have
targeted the entire Indian subcontinent for Islamic subversion. Their goal
is to destroy the very fabric of India's traditional society and culture.
The citizens of the county must understand that the prescribed
recommendation by the irrational and unlettered academics for making borders
irrelevant has the potential of fundamentally altering the complexion of the
ground realities to the detriment of India. Under the prevailing political
environment when Kashmiri Muslims by the millions have marched in city
centers, villages and towns raising slogans like "we are Pakistanis and
Pakistan is ours" while carrying Pakistani flags and burning the tri-colors,
opening the doors for their possible integration with Pakistanis will
effectively lead Kashmir into the enemy Islamic camp thus irreparably
harming the country's sovereignty and territoriality.

          In such an environment opening the gates to the Islamists and
terrorists under the garb of free travel and trade, without conditions and
without first seeking a radical political, ideological and policy
transformation in Pakistan for shunning her claim on Kashmir and for
renouncing her anti-India and anti-Hindu policies, could be tantamount to a
repeat grand betrayal of mother India. Patriotic Indians cannot and must not
allow such a transformation to take place at any cost.



          Because the Hurriyat, the multi-party conglomerate (Islamists) in
Kashmir, is an organization that cannot go against Pakistan, India has a
very short period of time at her disposal, as suggested by Dr. Subramanian
Swamy, to prepare for a decisive and defining war with Pakistan and she must
plan and prepare to win it to avoid the balkanization of the country. She
should, therefore, refute those Indian columnists, academicians and
politicians who are desperately desirous and are seeking being popular in
Pakistan by sounding reasonable and secular on the issue of Kashmir.



          12)*"Kashmir is our defining identity and a touchstone for our
resolve to preserve our national integrity.* The population of that state
may be majority Muslim, but the land and its history is pre-dominantly
Hindu. For our commitment to the survival of the ancient civilization of
India and the composite culture that secularists talk about, we have not
only to win that coming inevitable war but also to never part with Kashmir"
(Subramanian Swamy).  Furthermore, we could not be oblivious of Pakistan's
overwhelming expenditure on military and her obsession for a war with India.
Therefore, the cleverly designed tactical move aiding the Islamists agenda
for "irrelevant borders" through irrational and unlettered Institutes must
summarily be rejected as it will alienate the Muslims of Kashmir and make
them vulnerable for being gobbled up by the Pan Islamic Movement. It might
even trigger a domino effect and encourage a chain of secessions leading to
the eventual disintegration of India. At this pivotal point in the history
of modern India the brave people of Jammu, during the recent unprecedented
struggle on Shri Amarnath Land issue, have shown the way for preventing such
a thing from happening.





Dr. Jagan Kaul

Krishan Bhatnagar

Forum for Secularism and Development (USA)

October 11, 2008

email: *krishan.kb at verizon.net*



Note: This message will soon be posted on : *http://www.bharatjagran.com/*

==============

Footnote 1:



 *The Leaders and the public must beware of the Islamists subtle moves: *"A
will to eliminate the weeds and face the wrath of malevolent elements with
the confidence of a victor is the prerequisite to be a ruler and, yes, to be
a citizen. If it's there, you build a nation. If not, civilizations vanish.
If citizens encourage and harbour the wicked, forget dates like December 13
that should be remembered, forget to take revenge on anti-nationals,
continue with their late-night parties when dead bodies of their fellow
citizens lie splattered in busy fashion markets, no one can save that
deadwood society" (Tarun Vijay).



Footnote 2:



*The single line, "Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah" -- "Non - Violence is the greatest
Dharma"  in its over - emphasis, has sapped both initiative and energy in
our millions, *and, instead of making us all irresistible moral giants, we
have been reduced to poltroons and cowards. And banking on this cowardly
resignation of the majority, a handful of fanatics have been perpetrating
crimes which even the most barbarous cave dwellers would have avenged.
..........Today when looting, arson and rape are the dharma of a few, it is
rank cowardice for the many to suffer the tyranny of the unprovoked violence
in meek submission. In the battlefield, when violence is rampant, it is the
dharma of everyone to meet that maniacal violence with determined,
restrained, violence not only in self - defence but also to convince the
aggressive vicious few that 'it rarely pays to be violent.' (Swami
Chinmayananda, Attachment B).



==============================================

Attachment A



*From**:* Kavita Suri

*Sent:* Friday, October 03, 2008 3:44 AM

*Subject:*VERY IMPORTANT IPCS PRESS RELEASE



*                                      *VERY IMPORTANT IPCS PRESS RELEASE



*"Permit cross-LoC trade from five crossing points in J&K", suggests a joint
Indo-Pak study*



NEW DELHI, OCT 03: While India and Pakistan are all set to start cross-LoC
trade from Uri-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakote roads from October 21
later this month, a recent study supported by a US-based research institute
has suggested exploring the possibility of permitting the cross-LoC trade
from five crossing points in Jammu and Kashmir which were opened for
earthquake relief when a massive quake had hit the region in 2005.





"The possibility of border trade being permitted at the five crossing points
opened for earthquake relief is worth exploring for the convenience of
people living on both sides of the LOC," recommends the research study
entitled, "Making Borders Irrelevant," undertaken by the Institute of Peace
and Conflict Studies (IPCS), New Delhi, supported and published by the
United States Institute of Peace (USIP), a research institute based in
Washington DC.

Making an interesting observation for "border trade", which is different
from normal bilateral trade, the study says that the roads that lead to
these crossing points could be upgraded to permit truck traffic, assuming
that such traffic is found to be commercially viable and official fears
about smuggling can be overcome.

Besides looking into the traditional export route for timber from the Valley
before partition, which was through the Jhelum river, which flows into
Pakistan, the study also asks to explore the possibilities of riverine
transportation, as Cross-LoC cooperation in this area might prove
productive, though the river would need considerable de-silting before it
could once again carry significant traffic.

Undertaken by two leading scholars from India and Pakistan - PR Chari, a
Research Professor at the IPCS, a leading think tank in New Delhi and Hasan
Askari Rizvi, a leading defence expert from Pakistan who is now a visiting a
Professor in Washington DC, this study is supported by two parallel surveys
carried out by Suba Chandran and Rashid Khan, on both sides of the Line of
Control.

Calling for re-opening of pilgrimage routes on all parts of J&K, including
Ladakh and Northern Areas, the study also suggests the "the establishment of
rail links between Jammu and Sialkot, and between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad
(and from there onward to Abbotabad and Rawalpindi)."

Regarding cross-LoC travels, it asks the governments of India and Pakistan
to expand the eligibility criteria to include other categories of travelers
such as tourists, persons requiring medical treatment, traders, and even
dissident political leaders. Besides, it says that there is also a need to
simplify permit procedure, through shortening the process of obtaining
travel documentation.

Chari and Rizvi make recommendations under four broad categories: promoting
people-to-people contact; increasing trade and commerce across the LoC;
encouraging humanitarian aid and development; and improving governance,
including security administration.

The study provides specific recommendations under each of the above four
categories. Under promoting people to people contacts between the two parts
of J&K, the study concludes, "the roads do not presently carry enough
traffic to make commercial bus services viable, but their opening would
allow people to move across the LOC by private transport and might
eventually generate enough traffic to permit commercial bus services."

The study is based on the premise that "neither India nor Pakistan has been
able to impose its preferred solution on the long-standing Kashmir conflict,
and both sides have gradually shown more flexibility in their traditional
positions on Kashmir, without officially abandoning them. This development
has encouraged the consideration of new, creative approaches to the
management of the conflict."

The study also recommends a multi-campus university straddling the LoC.
According to Chari and Rizvi, "two campuses could be situated in
Muzaffarabad and Srinagar, with other campuses established subsequently in
other cities on both sides of the LOC. This would facilitate the exchange of
teachers and students."

This report also calls for the restoration of telephone landlines that were
cut in 1965, besides asking for an expansion of mobile telephone services
across the LoC. Even today, people in J&K are not allowed to make direct
telephone calls across the LoC. According to the authors of the study, "this
prohibition makes little sense, for calls can of course be made via mobile
phones and satellite-linked communications."

Besides, the study also calls for enhanced access to the Internet on both
sides of the LOC, as it "would greatly stimulate contact between people on
both sides of the border, allowing them to exchange e-mail, post and respond
to blogs, and stay abreast of developing news stories." More importantly,
internet access would also allow journalists for electronic and print media
to develop closer cross-border contacts with one another. Also, television
programs broadcast from one side of the LOC can usually be watched on the
other side, and some attract large audiences, reflecting the common culture
of the people on both sides of the LOC.

The study also considers sharing of information between both parts of J&K on
weather conditions, seismic activity, and flow of water in rivers, which
will help to generate early warnings of floods and other natural disasters.
Such cooperation, the report says, could evolve into a long-term process of
monitoring and researching the retreat of glaciers, the incidence of
earthquakes, and other environmental concerns.

The study says, "No steps, whether short term or long term, can be taken
until the tensions between India and Pakistan erode. This will not happen
suddenly. The reality is that India-Pakistan relations cannot be
dramatically improved over the short run, nor can all their outstanding
problems be resolved quickly. Unrealistic expectations that progress in
making borders irrelevant in Kashmir will be swift and that India-Pakistan
relations will rapidly improve could lead to frustrations. Moreover, the
task of making borders irrelevant in Kashmir cannot be considered in
isolation from ongoing efforts to do the same thing elsewhere along the
international border between India and Pakistan."

"As all sides are coming to recognize, the present borders cannot be
changed, but they can be made more porous, and a larger measure of
self-governance devolved" to both J&K and PoK," the study concludes.

- -----



For any further information, please contact Dr. D. Suba Chandran, Deputy
Director, IPCS, *subachandran at gmail.com*, 91-11-4100-1900 (O) & 93126-80858
(M)



_________________________________________________

*KAVITA SURI **
Ph.D*
Associate Professor/Assistant Director

Centre for Adult, Continuing Education & Extension (CACE&E)

University of Jammu, Jammu, J&K, India

www.jammuuniversity.in/academics_aeducation.asp

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

*Columnist*

The Statesman, J&K, India

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

*Editor-in-Chief*

Kashmir Perspective

A weekly print & an online daily newspaper of J&K

www.kashmirperspective.org



=========================================



Attachment B



*http://www.chinmaya.org.nz/Articles/Swami%20Chinmayananda/11.htm*

*DHARMA HIMSA TATHAIVA CA*
by Swami Chinmayananda

Personally, I am no advocate of violence. But violence, too, has its
rightful place in life, life does not preclude death. The average Indian has
been moulded into a particular national mentality of quixotic tolerance. His
attitude is shaped into its distinct pattern by the ideologies and
moralities preached in our national literature. And no single work in our
classics has gained such a wide influence on our people as the Bhagawad
Gita: and in, this century, no other single message had such a universal
appeal to our countrymen as the single line, "Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah" -- "Non
- Violence is the greatest Dharma."

This line in its over - emphasis, has sapped both initiative and energy in
our millions, and, instead of making us all irresistible moral giants, we
have been reduced to poltroons and cowards. And banking on this cowardly
resignation of the majority, a handful of fanatics have been perpetrating
crimes which even the most barbarous cave dwellers would have avenged. To
clothe our weaknesses, we attribute to them glorious names and purposefully
persuade ourselves to believe that they are brilliant ideologists !

Let us for a moment go to the original sacred verse and investigate the
significances of the moral precept: Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah. This is the
opening line of a stanza, and the very next line reads: Dharma himsaa
tathaiva cha. "So too is all righteous violence." Indeed, non - violence is
the supreme policy to be adopted by man to foster enduring peace in the
world; but there are certain dire moments in the life of individuals, as of
nations, when we will have to meet force with force in order that justice be
done.

To every individual his mother, wife and children are the nearest dependents
and to guard their honour and life is the unavoidable first moral duty of
each head of the family. This is an obligation whether the victim be a
member of the majority or of the minority class within a country, province
or city.

By the over - emphasis laid on non - violence we have come to witness the
pathetic situation of today, when thousands, in cowardly fear take to
precipitate flight, leaving their innocent children to be butchered and
their unarmed helpless women to be dishonoured or converted or killed. Under
the cloak of glorified non - violence, an entire nation of cowards fly from
their homes, when a small sect of fanatic barbarians boldly stalk in and out
of their open undefended thresholds to kill, to rape, and to loot. When will
we learn to fully interpret our Vedas, scriptures and Upanishads. If only we
all learn that dharma - himsa is equally noble as ahimsa.

To me it seems that the only solution for the day's internal chaos is to
bring home to the people the significance of the much neglected teaching of
dharma - himsa. As it is, a misled and over - excited minority in the
country has the sole monopoly of violence; and non - violence is a dangerous
folly. However ideal a moral precept may be, so long as, in a society,
innocent children, helpless women and defenceless old are left to be
butchered dishonoured and tortured, while the youth of the land is made to
watch impassionately the hellish scene, we are to conclude that either the
idea is a dangerous one, or that we have not rightly understood the full
meaning of the precept.

Under the present available scheme of chaos in this country, when under the
planned instigation of a few power blind, reckless men, a minority community
is rendered into a murderous gang of fanatics, it is the duty of the
majority to win back the erring thousands. The cure depends upon the
disease; the potency of the medicine is decided upon the virulence of the
illness. Today when looting, arson and rape are the dharma of a few, it is
rank cowardice for the many to suffer the tyranny of the unprovoked violence
in meek submission. In the battlefield, when violence is rampant, it is the
dharma of everyone to meet that maniacal violence with determined,
restrained, violence not only in self - defence but also to convince the
aggressive vicious few that 'it rarely pays to be violent.'

__,_._,___