Desicritics Category: Politics: South Asia

A Letter to Our Neighbour

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:34:27 EDT

With a sense of deep foreboding, I am observing the same old story repeat itself again in Pakistan. The attack on the Sri Lankan Cricket team, the situation in Punjab, the corruption allegations, the threats from the military, the chatterati returning to their old way of thinking that its the military's or the rotten politicians' fault or that Pakistan needs Jinnah again or blaming Zia or needing Allah.

And this opinion is, by and large, found across the spectrum. Always the easy way out, reaching for the army!. I am reading messages which seem to say that President Musharraf was better than the existing leadership. Or it would be good that the current Army Chief should step in or when would be a good time for them to step in. But no, that’s not going to work. Here’s a question. Zardari is a corrupt man. So? What are your choices? Tell me an available choice that means that in 5 years time, you will have a better state?

It does not matter if its Zardari or Sharif really. What I am trying to say is that you have to stick with your leaders. Who are on the second rung? Have you seen your Nazims? How about the third rung of leaders? Say the chaps who are in University right now? Who will be the leader making decisions in your old age? Or for your children or grand-children?

What kind of politicians and leaders are you creating and developing? Look at your political landscape! It is shattered, but it is the only one you have. Stick with your civilian government and try to improve it rather than replace it, because you tried replacing your governments so many times before. Every time you replaced a government either through that silly Doctrine of Necessity or through a coup or what have you, the leader turned out to be not what you expected.

What else do you expect? That you will have messiah's? That somebody will drop down from Jannat to lead Pakistan into the heavenly kingdom? No Sir, I am afraid it wont happen that easily. You have to work hard - very hard indeed starting with tiny steps. Very small steps, which mean trying to improve things little by little and yes, having faith in your democracy. You have an elected government, work with it. Try to improve it. The Army is not meant for governing but is meant for security purposes. If the army is going to govern, will the politicians fight? A rather silly notion!

Don't give up, neighbours, keep on working, keep the army where it belongs, namely in the barracks, not in your parliament or in your municipal corporations. You also do not want to do regicide. I know there were 4 sessions where you had BB and Sharifs alternating in ruining your country, but that does not mean you let the army back in. It just means that you try for a while longer so that the politicians improve. Allow the 2nd and 3rd rung of leaders to start moving up into positions of influence, so that you can improve the political system.

But the sheer amount of cynicism? Come on, folks, life is tough enough. Instead of moaning and whining, try your best to think positive about your country, who else will?

All Visitors are Gods, But Some Visitors are Higher Gods

Vinod Joseph — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:23:23 EDT

Recently, an Indian I know suffered verbal abuse of a racist nature at a public place in the UK. Commiserations from friends and well-wishers flowed in. Amidst all the support and handholding, which were all on the usual lines (not every Brit is racist, it’s the recession which makes people so nasty, don’t let a sicko disrupt your life), one comment stood out and set me thinking: ‘We (Indians) treat these people so well when they come to India.’

My initial reaction was to agree with that comment. I could think of so many instances when I used to work in Mumbai or study in Bangalore when I have gone out of my way to help foreign visitors. I have taken detours so that I could walk visitors to destinations they had trouble finding. I have spent valuable minutes answering questions in painstaking detail, questions on everything ranging from why Indians defecate in public to why Indian trains are usually late.

My initial reaction was buttressed by this blog post by Peter Foster, one-time Telegraph reporter based in Delhi who has very recently moved to Beijing with his family. In his post, Foster tells us of a recent experience in Beijing where an old man saved his life (from his kids) by doing some carpentry work for free. Foster goes on to wonder if he would be just as helpful to a newly arrived Chinese immigrant in London asking him for help in broken English.

So, on the fact of it, one gets the impression that Indians and other Asians and possibly even Africans are very helpful and friendly towards foreign visitors whilst nasty westerners are not. But is this true? Is this the full story, the whole truth?

How do Indians treat illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in India? You might well say that an illegal immigrant does not deserve any respect or warmth. Fine (though throwing them out of the country without even the semblance of a trial is not, in my opinion, the right thing to do), let’s look at the case of Nepalis in India. How do we treat them? I have known restaurants in Colaba (Mumbai) which has a small floating population of working class Africans, treat poor African customers shabbily (the treatment Indians reserve for servants) and at peak times, even turn them away. African students in India are frequent targets of racist abuse as are people from India’s north-east.

Arabs are legendary for their hospitality, (force) feeding their guests even after they say No, even when they don’t have enough food for themselves. Hospitality is supposed to be a duty and a matter of honour. However, this hospitality rarely extended towards the hundreds of thousands of Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Filipino and African workers in Arab lands.

In short, the fabled Indian or Arab hospitality is restricted to prosperous, white Western visitors. This phenomenon can be seen throughout Asia.

Bhutan is a country which strives for Gross National Happiness rather than GDP. However, it has always treated its Nepali-speaking population as second class citizens even though Nepali migration to Bhutan started in the beginning of the 20th century at the invitation of Bhutan’s rulers. Many Nepalese have been forced to leave Bhutan for refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

After the Chinese revolution, the Chinese government gave scholarships to African students to study in China. As elaborated in this article, the Chinese government’s enthusiasm for Chinese students was not shared by the Chinese populace. African students in China were frequent targets of racist abuse. Hatred towards African students was the focal point which helped galvanise Chinese students into organising themselves, which ultimately led to the student demonstration at Tienanmen Square.

Foster is right in saying that if a Chinese immigrant speaking broken English looks for help in London, he is unlikely to receive the sort of assistance which Foster (speaking broken Mandarin) received in Beijing. However, an African immigrant in China is unlikely to get more any help than a Chinese or Indian immigrant in London.

Prosperous Singapore, Hong Kong or Japan are no better than their poorer Asian neighbours in this regard.

I am not for a moment saying that a coloured person in the West who is the victim of racism doesn’t have the right to protest. However, Asians treating White people so well and treating other Asian minorities and Africans so shabbily, is a manifestation of the racism that is so deeply entrenched in the Asian psyche. In my opinion, if Asians can learn to treat all their visitors with respect and dignity, (rather than treating a few select ones as Gods and feeding them till they burst), if Asians can bury their prejudices and work with poor African countries in improving their common lot, they will be able to deal a death blow to racism.

How Should India Respond to the Attack on Pakistan?

Sandeep Bansal — Thu, 5 Mar 2009 09:23:21 EST

Everyone – politicians, the media, or even common people on both sides of the border – revel in the pain of others. For the last two decades, Pakistan and its citizens have ridiculed India's claim that Pakistan was the epicenter of regional terrorism. Several Pakistani newspapers and websites have often ridiculed India's ambition of becoming a superpower. Surprisingly, very few of them have actually criticized their own Govt. and its achievements of the last 60 years. Even now, if you visit the homepage of Dawn, it has a link to an article titled India - not Shining, which ridicules the achievements of Slumdog Millionaire at the Oscars. Surely, even one of the most respected newspapers of the country feels it necessary to hit out at India rather than talk about the turmoil of their own country.

The Economist rightly puts it,

"IF PAKISTAN’S leaders had ever united against Islamist militancy as they have against India over the past three weeks, their country would not be the violent mess that it is. They are united against India because fulminating against India is more fun"

In such a scenario of extreme hatred and mistrust, it wasn't surprising at all when some sections in Pakistan blamed Indian agency RAW for these attacks. A minister in the Pakistani Govt. claimed that this was India's response for the Mumbai Attacks. Some Pakistani channels played Sonia Gandhi's recent election speech where she said that "Hum muhtodd jawaab denge"(We will give them an appropriate response). But how should India respond to these attacks in Pakistan. Do we also celebrate in the same manner as our neighbor has been doing for the last two decades or do we behave differently?

If 26/11 was termed as an attack on the very idea of India by P. Chidambaram, the latest attack on the Sri Lankan Cricketers is surely an attack on the whole of Pakistan. Pakistan is a country which has faced an identity crisis right from the very beginning. Pakistan neither has any history or any distinct culture of its own that unites its citizens as a nation. There are only two things that unite its people together - religion and cricket. Imran Khan once famously said that terrorists would never dare to target Cricketers. But even he has unfortunately been proved wrong.

Pakistan may provide ideal fodder for our politicians’ election speeches,but ideally, they should resist such temptations. The history of Pakistan suggests it is hatred for India that unites Pakistan. The only entity that has benefited from the 26/11 attacks is the Pakistani military. Now they could become even stronger and perhaps the stage is set for another coup. At such a time when the civilian government is struggling to manage the economy, containing extremists in Swat, and also facing the ire of lawyers and opposition, India just cannot allow democracy to fail in Pakistan.

It’s not just Pakistan that is the problem. India's other neighbors such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are also facing internal troubles and Nepal although stable for the moment is undergoing radical change. With trouble spots in our neighborhood, we cannot turn a blind eye towards them. Islamic Fundamentalism is on the rise even in India, particularly in certain districts of UP like Azamgarh. Though it is still restricted to small pockets, incidents like Babri Mosque and Godhra riots don't help the Indian democracy.

In hindsight, the UPA government’s. decision to resist war mongering and using coercive diplomacy to great effect is commendable. Going forward, India should strongly dismiss all suggestions that point to a foreign hand in the Lahore attacks. At the same time it should not make matters worse for the weak civilian govt. If possible, confidence should be built along the border so that Pakistan's armed forces can be deployed in larger number in the troubled areas of SWAT and NWFP and Pakistan cannot blame tensions with India for not deploying enough troops.

India should not forget that the latest attacks are not just going to affect cricket in Pakistan, but the entire sub-continent. Jacob Orab has already expressed his reservations on the IPL. The Asian Block is known to have been united for a long time now. It should be recalled that in 1996, when several teams refused to visit Sri Lanka due to security concerns, a joint Indo-Pak cricket team led by Azhar played a match with the Sri Lankans. Therefore it is in our own interests that the Asian block pushes for the return of cricket to Pakistan as soon as conditions return back to normal.

Perhaps the IPL would have to bear the immediate impact of these attacks. It will be nearly impossible to provide continuous security to eight teams each of almost 25 members plus the coaching and supports staff and umpires over a period of one month, at a time when the General Elections will be taking place. The Indian Government won't be willing to take any chances during the elections. Any attack on IPL would be raised by the opposition as a failure of the Govt. This is particularly the case after the Mumbai attacks and was visible when the Indian tour to Pakistan was canceled. The problem is that postponing IPL is not an option because then the IPL might interfere with the Future Tours Program and the foreign players might not be available.

India is going to host the Commonwealth Games next year. The security of the Games village and the visiting athletes and officials will be crucial. This will be an important milestone for India as the success of the Games might give India a future opportunity to host Olympics. The Games are also important because they offer India a great opportunity to showcase itself as a tourist destination with its heritage and culture. But without adequate security, this will not materialize.

Without ensuring regional stability, we cannot hope to remain as an attractive destination for FDI as India would continue to be labeled along with the rest of the troubled South Asia. It is therefore in India's own interest to take the lead and ensure stability in the region.

This is Not Cricket

temporal — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 22:19:19 EST

The Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked in Lahore yesterday by terrorists. SSS terms this a "shift". I think it is a "deterioration" or "escalation" of lawlessness. If Pakistan is to retain its independence this tide will not be curbed easily by a solitary act (like the restoration of the judiciary) nor by the efforts of one individual or one institution. Both Zardari led government and the Army under Kayani have appeared ineffective to stem this.

More pertinent is to view Tuesday's attack in the context of the peace deals in the Swat Valley and the tribal areas .. Prior to the signing of the deals, the matter of the release of militants who did not belong to the Swat area was raised, that is, non-Pashtun militants... However, after deciding on the level of compensation packages for the families of militants killed or injured by the security forces and other matters related to Swat and the tribal areas, the matter of non-Pashtun militants was deferred and the peace agreements were signed. In effect, non-Pashtun militants have been ignored and the attack in Lahore could be a bloody message to the government that the "Punjabi militants" have the capacity to cripple urban centers at any time and place of their choosing. Syed Saleem Shahzad

So what should the ordinary citizen do? Packing up and leaving is NOT an option. Burying their heads in the sand? More prayers to Allah? Joining the orthodox fringe? Or if not joining, then fighting them for their rights?

If the citizenry continues to be uninvolved, then by default the grounds will be left for a battle royale between forces of status quo and those of orthodoxy.

There is no dearth of external players who want to nudge and support these dark forces.

The Saudi Wahabi sponsorship of the fringe groups in Pakistan is hushed up or swept under the rug. Their role should be examined more closely. They have supported the orthodox fringe in the past (Afghanistan-Mujahideen nexus) and continue to do so to date.

Right now, collectively, (media, bloggers, political parties and government) all search for escape goats elsewhere - primarily the focus of their diatribes (not in any order) is the US Administration, the Talibans, the Indians (Raw...if you hear Hamid Gul croaking after the CID report was released) and the euphemistically termed Agencies.

But the blame game should be exposed for its fallacies.

If the ordinary citizen remains detached and uninvolved, then the march into disarray would continue unabated till it reaches the edge of the precipice - a rather uncomfortable and disturbing thought for all the players in the region.

And the world.

Is the World Ready for Prabhakaran's Death?

Vinod Joseph — Sun, 1 Mar 2009 01:52:35 EST

Warning: Speculation, Not Fact

31 March 2009

The Sri Lankan army has finally captured the last few square kilometres of jungle in Mullaitivu controlled by the LTTE. Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the all-powerful head of the LTTE, has been found dead in his bunker, pink froth around his lips, an empty potassium cyanide capsule on the floor near him. Dozens of surviving LTTE cadres have thrown down their weapons and melted into the civilian population that has been streaming out of the jungle, after having been kept hostage and used as human shields by the LTTE for many months. Some of the LTTE fighters who couldn’t take off their uniforms fast enough have been taken prisoner by the Sri Lankan army. A few die-hard LTTE men and women seem to have escaped from the dragnet with the intention of continuing their fight. It is believed that both Pottu Amman and Prabhakaran's eldest son Charles Anthony Seelan have survived, but it is not clear who will be the numero uno in the 'Prabhakaran-less' LTTE.

There is pandemonium among LTTE supporters in Sri Lankan Tamil enclaves in London, Toronto, Paris and various other parts of the world. Many Sri Lankan Tamils who had till then been coerced into making regular contributions to the LTTE’s coffers have stopped making those payments. Fighting has broken out among gangs of LTTE supporters for control of the many millions of dollars, pounds and euros stashed away in multiple bank accounts. More importantly, a tussle is going on for control of the many corner shops, petrol stations, motels and restaurants owned by LTTE front men all over the world. Open street fights have broken out among LTTE supporters in places like East Ham in London, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis and Metro Gard du Nord in Paris and Scarborough in Toronto.

The scale and magnitude of the fighting and theft has taken western law enforcement agencies by surprise. Even though the crackdown on LTTE’s fund raising activities started some years ago following the branding of the LTTE as a terrorist group, and has picked up speed in recent times, western police forces have never been too keen to dig deep into the Sri Lankan Tamil community for fear of hurting cultural sentiments, though it’s well known that LTTE supporters within the Sri Lankan Tamil community have forced members of this community in the UK, France and elsewhere to donate money to the LTTE’s coffers. LTTE supporters have also been involved in various other money making scams.

31 December 2009

The Sri Lankan government is yet to make good its promise to devolve power. Even though Prabhakaran is no more, small groups of LTTE have continued to resist from their jungle hideouts. Since the devolution of power is yet to take place, Sri Lankan Tamils continue to sympathise with the LTTE and its off shoots.

So far there have been three suicide attacks in Colombo and tourists continue to stay away from Sri Lanka.

30 June 2010

Shanmugalingam Sivashanker, also known as Pottu Amman, former head of the LTTE’s intelligence wing has broken off from the LTTE which is now led by Charles Anthony Seelan, Prabhakaran’s eldest son and formed his own group, which he said will be true to the ideals promoted by V. Prabhakaran. Pottu Amman has denounced Charles Anthony Seelan as a traitor who is not committed to Tamil Eelam and is misusing donations made by overseas Sri Lankan Tamils. There have been minor skirmishes between the two groups.

20 February 2011

Following intense pressure from various western countries and India, the Sri Lankan government agreed to convert itself to a federal system where Tamil dominated areas will have considerable autonomy. However, Tamils in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka have demanded that the East be kept separate from the North since Tamils from Northern Sri Lanka ‘discriminate’ against Tamils from the East. Colonel Karuna, the ex-LTTE leader from the Eastern Province, has threatened to take up arms once again if Tamils from the East are forced to be subservient to those from the North.

Back to the Present

I’m sure none of us would want to see the possibilities detailed above to materialise. It is not too late to take remedial action. Western law enforcement agencies ought to prepare themselves for the infighting that is bound to break out immediately if Prabhakaran were to die or be captured and the iron discipline he wields over the LTTE disappears. LTTE supporters in the west have accumulated vast amounts of money and control many businesses and properties. A detailed dossier of LTTE front men and front organisations and LTTE controlled businesses must be prepared. Any property of business or bank account that is derived from terrorism or terrorist activity can be confiscated by the government. However, I would call upon the governments of Western European countries, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and any other country where LTTE front men hold assets, to donate the proceeds of those properties for the rebuilding of Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka.

India and all western governments ought to insist that the devolution of power to Tamil dominated provinces of Sri Lanka take place immediately rather than later. Both financial aid and military assistance to the Sri Lankan government should be tied to such devolution of power. If the Sri Lankan government fails to make good its promise in this respect, peace will continue to elude Sri Lanka.

Dining with the Terrorists - Phil Rees in Sri Lanka

Vijay Sappani — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 08:44:38 EST

Award winning journalist Phil Rees is popularly known for his series called dining with the terrorists. Phil has made a recent video on the situation in Sri Lanka . The video is 10 minutes long and gives a good historical perspective of how consecutive Sinhalese governments have handled rebellion by the Sinhalese and Tamils. It has an interview with the current president Mahinda Rajapaksa now and in 1988 when he is clearly seen to be sympathetic to the Sinhalese JVP rebels fighting against the then Sri Lankan government. He is also clearly anti-India, when he hails India as his best friend today.

It also has an interview with Suresh Premachandran, a Tamil MP in Sri Lanka who gave up arms decades back to choose the democratic path. He is clearly frustrated with the process and wants to give it up, which is sad.

We want to convince the Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan government to get to the negotiation table and resolve their grievances without violence and more deaths in that island nation, but when we see people who gave up violence to choose the democratic path wanting to go back, it is very sad.

Canada can and should play a role in Sri Lanka in convincing both the warring groups to find a political solution outside the battle ground in the best interest of the civilians. Canada should appoint a special envoy and form a non partisan group of advisers on the Sri Lankan issue to work with UN, the Tokyo Co- chairs and India to bring a permanent peaceful resolution to the conflict.

BBB Inc. - With Bare Hands If Necessary

temporal — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 07:33:38 EST

Rehan Ansari's lament is passionately articulated. It exposes the growing sub-continental fault line. He writes about the subversive elements, the interest groups, the politicians, leaders and government honchos who may not be in collusion but who certainly appear to favour lack of detente:

Partition has resulted in nationalism, borders, and visa regimes that make sure that people know even less about each other. As a result, they are more likely to be taken for a ride by the agendas of lashkars , fascists, and the realpolitik of Islamabad and New Delhi. A United India – or even an India and Pakistan that were friendly states, much like contemporary France and Germany – would never have been vulnerable to an American agenda of jihad in Afghanistan and Pakistan against the Soviets. Better relations would also have negated this ‘problem’ of Kashmir.

On those (now increasingly rare) occasions, when individuals and groups from one country visit the other, they invariably follow up with glowing praises. They discover the commonness ignored by the government and media in their respective countries. They instinctively discover the common ground and find the warmth and friendliness in the other not revealed and expressed openly in their home country.

And this causes dismay and consternation in the groups and lobbies in both India and Pakistan who want the enmity, suspicion and hostility maintained. That such efforts are nudged and aided from other powers in the region and the world can be argued another time.

While the extremist fringes in India and Pakistan can be identified, there are many others that are harder to identify. But their maneuverings are easily discernible. It is good for business - their business. Hatred, intolerance and suspicion must be kept brewing. Peace and amity must be kept at bay.

BBB

These three have a common interest to ferment and instigate the chasm between India and Pakistan:

Big Business: They see profit big ticket defense expenditure. Peace is bad business. If only they realise that peace has its own dividends, and can add more to their bottom line than selling instruments of death and destruction.

Big Beards: The religious fringe do not want amity and friendship between people. Bad for their business - these Babas in green and saffron revel in hatred and enmity.

Bureaucratic Babus: The bureaucrats have lost their sheen and magic and are now in cahoots with big business and MNCs.

The irony is each one of these three think of the other two as their puppets.

Each time the two countries try to come close by, a force generated by the BBB Inc. pulls them away. The past sixty years are rife with such examples. Three generations have grown apart. The unstated goal of nourishing and maintaining a wall of suspicion, enmity and intolerance towards each other is growing taller, wider and deeper.

In India, amidst a plethora of cable TV channels available, there is no Pakistani channel available for subscribers. Likewise, in Pakistan there is a ban on Indian channels, naach-gaana channels are surreptitiously allowed though.

What is good for BBB Inc. is bad business for the majority of middle classes on both sides of the divide. And it is not only middle class that suffers as Rehan argues, but the common person is victimised too.

Barring past six decades, for centuries they drank the water from the same well, participated in each others religious and cultural celebrations, fought against the colonizers and invaders.

This wall is an artificial construct that needs to be brought down - with bare hands if necessary - one brick at a time.

Meeting The Congressman For The Sri Lanka LTTE Crisis

Kalugu — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 01:21:20 EST

Well finally I have met a US Congressman - I mean a personal meeting with a politician for the first time in my life.

Living in the relatively remote Midwest region of USA with a very small Indian community, the inaction of the Indian government over the human sufferings in Sri Lanka has been a factor of frustration for quite some time now, not just for me but for quite a few family friends here. Watching the human suffering and the brutality of the Sri Lankan forces for several weeks has finally thrust me to swing into action. Consultation with friends lead us to conclude that meeting the district Congressman and presenting the evidences for human rights violations would be the most logical step.

After launching a swift online signature campaign with area residents of Indian origin, we started working with the congressman's office to get an appointment. We were hoping to have a personal meeting at the Congressman's office so that we can show the videos and images that have bothered us much. However the scheduler/Office Manager of the Congressman informed me that the Congressman is busy until a month or so and asked if I would be interested in meeting him at an event in two days. I was aware that the US Senate foreign relations committee is planning to discuss the Sri Lanka crisis in a week and thought the timing would be perfect.

With a decent number of signatures by several area Indians (Not just Tamils, but the entire Indian community signed it displaying a sign of solidarity) and the disturbing videos and images burned to a CD, six of us were all set to meet the Congressman.

We were quite apprehensive about discussing the issue openly since the Tamil rebels are still proscribed in the USA. We all agreed that we will not make any references to the rebels in our discussion but focus on the excesses committed by the Sri Lankan forces.

The meeting was to take place at the Health Care field hearing scheduled at the downtown church. We arrived early and were waiting for the District Director & Staff Agent who was supposed to brief us about the standard procedures of meeting the Congressman and facilitate the meeting.

The Staff Agent arrived and was indeed very helpful and appreciated us for bringing the issue to the Congressman's attention. He also appreciated us for having run the signature campaign. After listening to the information we provided, the Staff Agent collected the file folder with the signed petition and the CD's and informed us that we will be able to meet the Congressman prior or after the event. He also advised us to forward the petition and evidences to other committee members, especially members on the foreign relations committee.

The Congressman arrived and was greeted by few public that were waiting to meet him just like us. The Congressman engaged in a long conversation with a lady who appeared to be in despair due to a loss of a family member. The Congressman was very polite and listened to her long story and hugged her to offer some solace. We knew then that we will have to sit through the meeting and will be able to meet the congressman only at the end of the event. Some of my friends decided to drive home and come back later, while three of us decided to stay.

We found the Health Care field hearing very informative. I was very impressed at the way the hearing was organized.

I started comparing the meeting with that of meetings involving Indians. Be it in India or the USA a meeting involving similar crowd would have been really noisy and full of confusion and chaos. I think we have to accept that confusion and chaos have become part of the Indian culture.

Americans sure have mastered the art of organizing events. Simple process's put in place by the organizers made the event progress in a smooth fashion. The Congressman was very polite and had a fair sense of humor and handled the questions well. A native Indian member who was full of humor asked the Congressman if he needed a job, referring to the acute shortage of doctors and paramedics in his clinic operating in the nearby Indian reservation. The Congressman also did not hesitate to ask for assistance from the folks in the crowd when he was not sure of some statistics.

Finally the meeting got over and we got the opportunity to talk to the Congressman. When I introduced myself and my friends, I mentioned that our roots are in India and we wanted to highlight the crisis in the South Asian nation of Sri Lanka. The congressman immediately said "I have a Tamil Tiger in my office". Looking at our blank reaction, he continued "That was a Joke...". He was making a reference to a Sri Lankan Tamil who works in his office. The Congressman seemed to be very knowledgeable about the happenings in Sri Lanka (obviously).

We informed about the evidences we have compiled and requested the Congressman to take up the issue appropriately and help bring justice to the people. The Congressman said before ending the conversation that he would like to one day visit Sri Lanka and have a vacation there.

That day may be too far away with the approach taken by most involved parties that have a stake in the region.

We all left home with a sense of relief that we have done the right thing. We do not know if the Congressman will be able to stop the terror faced by the people in the war zone, but we are happy based on what is mentioned in Bagavath Geethai - "Do your duty, Do not expect returns".

Changez - Alive in Pakistan

Ms. Anona — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:02:26 EST

As the pages of history are turned, it can be difficult to envision the same emphatic characters learned through books and in classrooms fitting into the saga of modern times. Names such as Genghis “Changez” Khan are often spoken about in folklore as if history exists in its own unattainable dimension, distinct from the perils of today. Over seven hundred years have passed since the peak of the Mongol Empire, the most influential and contiguous dynasty to exist in Central Asia in all time, but the legacy remains still.

To many, it may be difficult to understand why Changez Khan, a man with an insatiable appetite for blood could be looked at as such an admirable figure. His name in many circles has become synonymous with lying, killing and betrayal. He was quoted to have exclaimed that his greatest joy came after seeing the ashes of the cities and the tears of the people he conquered. But there is yet another side of the story, one of great humanity and rule of law (‘Yaza’) that is still applicable. It can be said without too much stretch of the imagination that the same roots laid out by his governance are encoded in the modern-day manifestation in at least one of the countries touched by his empire, that being the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Pakistan, in many ways borders on contemporary democratic ideals, but remains a theocracy at heart, and at times colluding in conflict. Throughout its sixty plus years of existence, it has seen its share of despots and warlords engaging in corruption and broken promises. On the political turf, not much seems to have changed in Pakistan since barbarians ruled. Its leaders seem to have forgotten Yaza and abandoned it for their own ad hoc interpretation of moral conduct. This is apparent in the recent developments at Lal Masjid where under former President Pervez Musharraf up to a thousand people were massacred for following a most fundamental adherence to Islamic Law and abandoning the state over something that would be considered First Amendment rights in the United States. Historically, nearly the same thing happened when Changez conquered Baghdad in his time. He entered the religious center in modern day Iraq and killed a few hundred people, some praying, others hiding. Both leaders claimed they were killing militants, but in the most recent case, they were almost all women and children.

Today Pakistan has a new President, Asif Zardari, formerly known as Mr. 10%, based on his infamous and unlawful taxing schemes and extortion. The President claims to be a follower of Yaza and used his knowledge superiority to defeat opponents when they were least expecting it in the latest election. The problem is that when he was elected he made a staunch promise to the party and the people of Pakistan that he would free the judiciary and restore the suspended judges that had been removed under President Musharref. This is a situation of utmost concern to the people of Pakistan and without it freedom towards granting a fair trial is impeded regularly. Only with a free judiciary will no single entity be treated as above the law. Right now, powerful landlords or certain members of the armed forces can easily be granted impunity from the law.

The dilemma with Pakistan, as seen from history’s eyes, is that our leaders instead of confronting the turmoil of our era prefer to bow down before individual situations and submit, many times abandoning the will of the people. These same leaders will easily thwart anyone who vocalizes criticisms towards the differing regimes. If someone who is not part of the elitist rank and file rises amongst the way, that man is seen as a hindrance to the structure and his voice is easily suppressed. Islamic law, although it may be difficult for the outside world to see at times, has its roots in democracy and makes a clear attempt to disable hierarchies where influential people become above the law. It is the hope of the people that Pakistan becomes democratic in nature, while still adhering to a higher purpose obtained through Islamic Law. These ideals, although difficult to pursue, need not be conflicting.

It is ultimately up to the people of Pakistan to join together and fight for their unalienable rights, a daunting task nonetheless. As seen today, the hope of a nation to balance democracy with Islamic Law may lie in one man, former Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharief, who is currently leading the popular party. Pakistan needs a leader who is well-versed in the political landmines that lay before it, but someone who will not abandon the people’s voice when the time comes. During Sharief’s previous reign, he never forgot his elected role in providing education to all people, creating party networks fighting for labor rights, and ending feudal societies. The economy through the industrial sector rose and was successful. He made Pakistan a nuclear power, a source of pride for the Pakistani people. He did this not to threaten other countries, but for the purpose of defense.

Pakistan, although in the midst of mass international tensions, is comparatively a homogeneous nation of immense ideological solidarity throughout the overwhelming majority. The will of the people will not anytime soon separate or distinguish between the codes of ethics laid out in religion from that of the political arena. The conflict comes when leaders in Pakistan are boasted as sort of messianic figures, embodying the image of a god-like figure, much closer to divinity than any common man. This type of thought is dangerous and goes against a nation backed up by the concepts of old, Yaza. Pakistan as a nation needs to get back on track and find the roots of their ideology and interpret it in their own unique way that will be beneficial and yet not contradictory to modern political thought.

After Changez Khan passed and the empire was given to his descendants and successors, the new leaders became spiritually depraved, no longer wanting to follow Yaza, and the empire fell apart. They lacked the ability to commit to something that demanded high morals and unswerving loyalty and dedication to rigid principles. They instead concerned themselves with the pursuit of material riches and short-term goals of this world. Changez Khan warned about this in his time and his words are as true today as much as at any time in history. "If the great, the military leaders and the leaders of the many descendants of the ruler who will be born in the future, should not adhere strictly to the Yaza, then the power of the state will be shattered and come to an end, no matter how they then seek Genghis Khan, they shall not find him….. Be of one mind and one faith, that you may conquer your enemies and lead long and happy lives."

Guest post by Shahzeb Mughal and Malika Zafar.

Movie Review: Ramchand Pakistani

Aditi Nadkarni — Mon, 9 Feb 2009 01:03:04 EST

The name caught my attention. It is not every day that we hear the title of a revered Hindu god and Pakistan in the same sentence. I almost wondered why there hadn't be news of effigies being burnt in India based on the name of the film alone. Has the economy stolen effigy-burners of their job or were they just busy with the upcoming anti-Valentine's Day projects, I wondered. As I began to watch the movie, I was surprised that I had not heard much about this beautifully crafted story based on true events.

Ramchand Pakistani encompasses in a relatively simple plot serious issues such as social reform and border security and yet manages to engage us at times in the complex maze of a woman's emotions and then in the mixed humor that always accompanies a boy's coming of age. This is the story of Ramchand, an eight year old Hindu-Dalit Pakistani boy who strays across the border and into India at a time when relations between the two nations are strained by an ongoing war. His father runs after him like any parent would and the duo is immediately suspected of being spies or terrorists from across the border. They land in a prison in India where they are interrogated and every day their hopes of ever returning to their country slowly dwindle. Amidst this tragic tale of separation are the little stories of triumph and Ramchand's adventures.

As Ramchand grows up in a less than ideal environment, the film introduces us to some grim realities. Caste relations in India have formed the basis of historical injustice as well as current politically-charged events that grow volatile every now and then. In the rural areas the poor treatment of Dalits and the issue of untouchability lives on even as our nation plants a flag on the moon. In the cities we hardly think of these issues because they don't affect us and then a film like Ramchand Pakistani reminds us that we can grimace and fume at the mentions of our dirty underbelly but we cannot do away with the precious lives that this underbelly houses. Ramchand's identity represents irony at several levels. He is a Hindu Pakistani Dalit imprisoned in India, a pluralistic nation where Hindus make up the majority, Pakistanis the perceived enemy and Dalits, the "untouchable" lower castes who have for long borne injustice. We have found superficial answers in terms of reserved seats and quotas assigned for these deprived and oppressed classes. However, the rift formed by discrimination at a social and cultural level may take years to bridge or even longer if we refuse to even acknowledge it.

Just as the hopelessness of little Ramchand's circumstances grips us towards the intermission, the film captivates us with the most basic of human emotions. The woman, a mother and a wife, who was left behind by these two pilgrims, struggles with being separated from her spouse and longs for love. The boy grows up in a prison surrounded by the most diverse group one can imagine. Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi all live as one big dysfunctional family, their lives occasionally punctuated with hope and despair alike.

A child in the dangerous world of adults always makes for a plot that keeps viewers on their toes. Being in a prison, little Ramchand is surrounded by adults whom society has deemed criminal and unacceptable. Knowing that the film is based on true events, I watched the film with constant questions of what would eventually happen to Ramchand and his father. Would they return to Pakistan and reunite with the woman who waited for so long to see her loved ones? Has she waited or has she moved on? Knowing that the film is based on true events, I anticipated the worst and yet was suprised by the film's ending.

Watching a film directed by a woman has always been very interesting for me. Female directors deal differently with humor and emotion in a film. Good female directors, I have noticed, are like deft chefs who balance flavor. They carefully toy with each sentimental nuance of the film, not letting one get ahead of the other. The humor is subtle and even tragedy is somewhat muted under shifting curtains of periodic triumph. The end result for a viewer can be either detached neutrality or a perfectly satisfying adventure infused with a gamut of emotions. Mehreen Jabbar, the New York based Pakistani director treats us to the latter. Cinematographer Sofian Khan compliments Jabbar's directorial genius by capturing the stark contrast of the pale scorched desert region with the richly colorful couture of the women. There are scenes within the film that seem out of an oil painting.

I will never quite fathom the politics and bureaucracy that tempers the otherwise untamed flight of art and so it is beyond my understanding why this film would not be Pakistan's submission for an Oscar this year. I must add, that the lack of an Oscar nomination and presumably inadequate publicity does not stop Ramchand Pakistani from being a deeply moving film.