[Reader-list] "India can’t afford to fall victim to psywar" - Open Statement

[Vivek Narayanan]

Hi,

Because of plain text mangling, the signatories to this "either you're 
with or you're against us" letter below got a little bit squished 
together and unclear.  I thought I would copy and repost the names of 
the signatories at the top so we can clearly see who they all are:

(update after having disaggregated this-- my god, it's a scary list!)

Signatories to the open statement:

1. Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group

2. Maj Gen Afsir Karim (retd)

3. Ajit Doval, KC, former Director, IB

4. MJ Akbar, Renowned journalist

5. Anil Baijal, former Union Home Secretary

6. Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) former Navy Chief

7. Air Marshal S.R. Deshpandey (retd)

8. Dhirendra Singh, former Union Home Secretary

9. G Parthasarthy, IFS (retd) former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan

10. Rajiv Sikri IFS (retd) former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs.

11. CD Sahay, former Secretary (RAW)

12. Lt. General R.K. Sawhney (retd), former Dy Chief of Army Staff

13. Satish Chandra IFS (retd) former Deputy to National Security Advisor 
and Secretary National Security Counsil

14. Lt General Shantanu Chaudhary (retd), former Vice Chief of Army Staff

15. Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi (retd) former Air Chief

16. Ved Marwah, former Director General National Security Guard and 
former Governor, Manipur and Jharkhand

17. Vijay Kapoor, former Lt. Governor, Delhi

18. Vikram Sood, former Secretary (RAW)

19.Sudhir Agarwal, Director Dainik Bhaskar Group

20. K Memani, Chairman-Emeritus, Ernst & Young.




Aditya Raj Kaul wrote:
> India can't afford to fall victim to psywar 19 Sep 2008 01:11:00 AM IST Link
> -
> http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?artid=n3%7CNyKscLu8=&Title=India+can%E2%80%99t+afford+to+fall+victim+to+psywar&SectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&MainSectionID=XVSZ2Fy6Gzo=&SEO=KASHMIR&SectionName=m3GntEw72ik=
>  SOME stray voices in the media have been questioning, with surprising
> nonchalance and lack of depth, the wisdom and expediency of retaining
> Kashmir as a part of India. This matters not because such voices reflect any
> growing view in our country but because they play into the hands of enemies
> of the nation. Their suggestions embolden subversive forces both within and
> outside the country, and encourage our adversaries to entertain the hope
> that with a little more effort, Kashmir will secede from India. National
> will is a critical component of state power. In the absence of military
> might, psychological warfare is the weapon of choice of a devious adversary
> to attempt to break national will, and to also confuse and demoralise the
> Indian state. No nation aspiring to become a major player in global power
> dynamics can afford to fall victim to such psywar. India cannot and must not
> give any signal that could be misinterpreted to mean that its national
> resolve to preserve its unity and integrity is crumbling. The legal validity
> of Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India is unquestionable and was in
> accordance with the popular will. There is no basis on which any change in
> the political status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir could be considered.
> The UN itself has accepted that in the vastly changed circumstances the UN
> Resolutions of 1948 and 1949 are no longer relevant. In any case, there is
> no provision for holding a referendum only in one part of the undivided
> state of Jammu and Kashmir or for holding separate referenda in the three
> geographically distinct sections of the state. Like the other states
> included in the First Schedule of the Constitution of India, Jammu and
> Kashmir is clearly an integral part of India and will remain so. There is an
> unanimous resolution of the Indian Parliament of February 22, 1994 to the
> effect that "the state of Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and shall be an
> integral part of India and any attempts to separate it from the rest of the
> country will be resisted by all necessary means." It further adds that,
> "Pakistan must vacate the areas of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir,
> which they have occupied through aggression." Section 3 of the Constitution
> of Jammu and Kashmir also plainly asserts that "the state of Jammu and
> Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India." Section 147
> of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution prohibits any amendment of Section 3
> by the state legislature. Kashmir is an inalienable element of India's
> civilisational identity and symbolises the fundamental principles on which
> the modern Indian state has been built. We take pride that India is a
> prospering economy, but the pursuit of wealth should not make us forget the
> values that keep our nation one. India has successfully overcome all
> secessionist threats faced by it. No responsible government can ever
> compromise India's territorial integrity by even contemplating the secession
> of Kashmir. This is not a trifling issue. If the Indian state is seen as
> weak enough to let Kashmir go, other states and disaffected groups within
> India will only get emboldened, leading to the unraveling of India. Secondly,
> as borders in the plains of northern India are not defensible, Kashmir is
> vital for India's security. Finally, communal harmony could be seriously
> compromised. Detractors of secular, democratic India tend to forget that the
> overwhelming majority of Indian Muslims, who constitute over 15 per cent of
> the population, has absolutely no sympathy for the partisan few who still
> fan a tired idea called secession. It is distressing, indeed alarming, that
> these seditious views, which question India's unity and integrity, are being
> freely aired by a section of the intelligentsia. It is regrettable that the
> print and electronic media are giving undue space and prominence to these
> views. India is a free and democratic country with a vibrant media and we
> are proud of it. But freedom of expression does not mean unbridled licence
> to flout the law of the land by airing or fanning seditious views. Such
> views also do a disservice to the people of Kashmir.We call upon the
> intelligentsia that has the power to shape public opinion to use their power
> with wisdom and maturity. Irresponsible slogans do immense damage in open
> and democratic polities and can mislead people to take partisan positions
> without understanding the grave implications. We also urge the media to
> exercise restraint and show responsibility in the larger national interest. As
> proud and patriotic Indians who strongly believe that the unity and secular
> democratic fabric of our republic must be preserved at all costs, we call
> upon the Government of India to make it unequivocally clear at the highest
> level that under no circumstances will the government and people of India
> countenance any compromise with the integrity of the nation. We also call
> upon the people of India and all political parties to raise their voices and
> come out unambiguously against secessionism in any form whatsoever. Signatories
> to the open statement: 1. Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group 2. Maj Gen
> Afsir Karim (retd) 3. Ajit Doval, KC, former Director, IB 4. MJ Akbar,
> Renowned journalist 5. Anil Baijal, former Union Home Secretary 6. Admiral
> Arun Prakash (retd) former Navy Chief 7. Air Marshal S.R. Deshpandey (retd) 8.
> Dhirendra Singh, former Union Home Secretary 9. G Parthasarthy, IFS (retd)
> former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan 10. Rajiv Sikri IFS (retd)
> former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs. 11. CD Sahay, former
> Secretary (RAW) 12. Lt. General R.K. Sawhney (retd), former Dy Chief of Army
> Staff 13. Satish Chandra IFS (retd) former Deputy to National Security
> Advisor and Secretary National Security Counsil 14. Lt General Shantanu
> Chaudhary (retd), former Vice Chief of Army Staff 15. Air Chief Marshal SP
> Tyagi (retd) former Air Chief 16. Ved Marwah, former Director General
> National Security Guard and former Governor, Manipur and Jharkhand 17. Vijay
> Kapoor, former Lt. Governor, Delhi 18. Vikram Sood, former Secretary (RAW) 19.
> Sudhir Agarwal, Director Dainik Bhaskar Group20. K Memani,
> Chairman-Emeritus, Ernst & Young.
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