Muslim forum wants religion based quota in Parliament
A Muslim group demanded that the Congress nominate 12 percent candidates from Muslim Community.
Mumbai/Coimbatore, Mar 29 (ANI): A Muslim forum has demanded representation in Parliament proportional to their community''s population.
The All India Ulema Association called upon the Congress party to nominate atleast 12 per cent candidates from the Muslim community in the upcoming general elections.
"Under the banner of All India Ulema Association, there are around 30 to 35 Muslim organisations including the All India Milli Council, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the All India Ulema Council and many others. All organisations have unanimously decided that during upcoming parliamentary elections, we will support Muslim candidates if Congress failed to accept out demands," said Maulana Syed Ather Ali, President of the association.
"This is our right. We constitute 12 per cent here and we want proper representation on the basis of our population in Parliament. Besides this, we also decided to support the candidate of non-Congress and non- NCP in some places," added Maulana Syed Ather Ali.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu State United Minority Front, a forum of mainly Christian and Muslim communities, appealed for a secular government.
"In this election, we want a neutral government, not like BJP, Communists or Congress. We want those who prefer and support minorities," said A S M Maria Nallu, General Secretary of the forum, in Coimbatore. (ANI)
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Prmises BJP must keep
Promises BJP must keep
Francois Gautier
Pioneer, Mar 25, 2009
Sending a clear message to divisive forces, the BJP must come out with a ‘nation first’ agenda of governance and fulfil the promises it has made to the masses
The curse of Hindus has always been disunity and betraying each other to the enemy. Today we see this trend again in the BJP where sometimes the highest party office-bearers can’t even say hello to each other. As far as one can remember, the BJP had three pillars: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr LK Advani and Mr Murli Manohar Joshi.
Mr Vajpayee is no longer able to lead an active life due to health concerns and thus Mr Advani and Mr Joshi, who was president of the BJP in the early-1990s and had hoisted the Indian Tricolour in Srinagar at a time when no other leader gave a damn about Jammu & Kashmir, are two pillars of the party today. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has risen to the stature of a national-level leader, not only because he is an ironman but also because he has made his State a model of economic efficiency.
The BJP should make it known that it will really build the Ram Mandir, protect temples, stop Christian conversions, honour India’s gurus and impose some guidelines on media, which have a pre-conceived notion about Pope and Islam but always see Hindu godmen and sadhvis through the eyes of ‘secularism’.
On the external affairs side, the BJP should reaffirm its commitment to keep Arunachal Pradesh, stand-up to China’s bullying, and support Tibet to counteract Beijing, which is propping up Maoist Nepal and covertly using Burma as a military base.
The party should also make it clear that it will keep Jammu & Kashmir with India, hang terrorists (and not translate 11,000 indictment pages into Urdu for terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab), punish Pakistan by launching surgical strikes next time it attacks India through a proxy war and keep the United States at bay as long as America supports and provides arms and ammunition to Pakistan.
But you would say: What about the NDA? The BJP should not bother about its allies who are anyway jumping the ship as they think the Congress will win the election. If Mr Advani stands true to the aspirations of Hindu voters, the BJP can come to power on its own at the Centre and thus be able to implement the changes which India so urgently needs: Adopt a Uniform Civil Code, repeal Article 370, reform the judiciary, and switch over to a Parliamentary system of governance.
The BJP should reiterate that it considers all Indians equal and that it is always attentive to the demands of the Muslim community.
Unfortunately, the media always feels closer to the Congress and flaunts this proximity blatantly. It is gleeful every time the BJP is in trouble. For instance, the media and the Congress have been much more severe with Mr Varun Gandhi than Kasab (the former didn’t say anything provocative while the latter went on a shooting spree).
As for the West’s opinion, French Ambassador Jérome Bonnafont, an otherwise courteous diplomat, summed it up very well when he said: “The RSS and the BJP are dangerous fascists and Muslims in India are persecuted, not having the same opportunities as Hindus.” He also genuinely feels that the burning of Hindus in the Sabarmati Express never happened, but that “the anti-Muslims riots in Gujarat were a crime against humanity”.
As Indians worship their country as the ‘mother’, the BJP should reintroduce the notion of ‘Mother India’ in its election manifesto. If US President Barack Obama can be sworn in on the Bible, then all future Indian Prime Ministers can take the oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita. Those who are Christians can use the Bible and the Muslims the Quran. That should satisfy everybody.
-- The writer is a senior French journalist who lives in India.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/164839/Promises-BJP-must-keep.html
Francois Gautier
Pioneer, Mar 25, 2009
Sending a clear message to divisive forces, the BJP must come out with a ‘nation first’ agenda of governance and fulfil the promises it has made to the masses
The curse of Hindus has always been disunity and betraying each other to the enemy. Today we see this trend again in the BJP where sometimes the highest party office-bearers can’t even say hello to each other. As far as one can remember, the BJP had three pillars: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mr LK Advani and Mr Murli Manohar Joshi.
Mr Vajpayee is no longer able to lead an active life due to health concerns and thus Mr Advani and Mr Joshi, who was president of the BJP in the early-1990s and had hoisted the Indian Tricolour in Srinagar at a time when no other leader gave a damn about Jammu & Kashmir, are two pillars of the party today. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has risen to the stature of a national-level leader, not only because he is an ironman but also because he has made his State a model of economic efficiency.
The BJP should make it known that it will really build the Ram Mandir, protect temples, stop Christian conversions, honour India’s gurus and impose some guidelines on media, which have a pre-conceived notion about Pope and Islam but always see Hindu godmen and sadhvis through the eyes of ‘secularism’.
On the external affairs side, the BJP should reaffirm its commitment to keep Arunachal Pradesh, stand-up to China’s bullying, and support Tibet to counteract Beijing, which is propping up Maoist Nepal and covertly using Burma as a military base.
The party should also make it clear that it will keep Jammu & Kashmir with India, hang terrorists (and not translate 11,000 indictment pages into Urdu for terrorist Ajmal Amir Kasab), punish Pakistan by launching surgical strikes next time it attacks India through a proxy war and keep the United States at bay as long as America supports and provides arms and ammunition to Pakistan.
But you would say: What about the NDA? The BJP should not bother about its allies who are anyway jumping the ship as they think the Congress will win the election. If Mr Advani stands true to the aspirations of Hindu voters, the BJP can come to power on its own at the Centre and thus be able to implement the changes which India so urgently needs: Adopt a Uniform Civil Code, repeal Article 370, reform the judiciary, and switch over to a Parliamentary system of governance.
The BJP should reiterate that it considers all Indians equal and that it is always attentive to the demands of the Muslim community.
Unfortunately, the media always feels closer to the Congress and flaunts this proximity blatantly. It is gleeful every time the BJP is in trouble. For instance, the media and the Congress have been much more severe with Mr Varun Gandhi than Kasab (the former didn’t say anything provocative while the latter went on a shooting spree).
As for the West’s opinion, French Ambassador Jérome Bonnafont, an otherwise courteous diplomat, summed it up very well when he said: “The RSS and the BJP are dangerous fascists and Muslims in India are persecuted, not having the same opportunities as Hindus.” He also genuinely feels that the burning of Hindus in the Sabarmati Express never happened, but that “the anti-Muslims riots in Gujarat were a crime against humanity”.
As Indians worship their country as the ‘mother’, the BJP should reintroduce the notion of ‘Mother India’ in its election manifesto. If US President Barack Obama can be sworn in on the Bible, then all future Indian Prime Ministers can take the oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita. Those who are Christians can use the Bible and the Muslims the Quran. That should satisfy everybody.
-- The writer is a senior French journalist who lives in India.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/164839/Promises-BJP-must-keep.html
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Petition to the Congress and the BJP
Petition to the Congress and the BJP
I strongly endorse this petition which i received from Surekha Venugopal of the India Awakwening Society and I urge all those who are eligible to sign this petition . It is a matter of great shame that India, has more than 100 criminals Parliamentarians, who have the responsibility to frame and make laws for the country
Pl. click on the title to take you to the website of www.india-awakening.com where you can sign the petition or directly to the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/IAS2009/petition-sign.html
Quote"A group of us from Bangalore and Hyderabad have set up an organisation India Awakening Society, and a National Movement INDIA AWAKENING that are entirely apolitical , with an agenda to move people to be change -agents of a Better Tomorrow for our India.
We have been trying to initiate rallies, meets, cleaning campaigns, India-related events and trying to gather membership, help create a critical mass so that if not this election, at least by the next, we may be in a position to have a voice that can affect a few positive changes inthe country. (Do kindly go to www.india-awakening.com )
In this context, even if it is only a drop in the ocean (though we all know that it is all the little drops that make the mighthy ocean ..) we have drawn up this petition (actually i have personally drafted it) to Ms SG and Mr LKA to please stop immediately the fielding of criminals in the coming election.
After we have some thousands of signaures can we actually physically hand over he petition to Ms SG and Mr LKA (or their reps) both in Delhi and in local city-offices of the Congress and the BJP.
So, while Kosal, you have your view-point about personalities and the politics of criminalisation in India, I am only asking you to join us to voice our protest through this public petition. "
I strongly endorse this petition which i received from Surekha Venugopal of the India Awakwening Society and I urge all those who are eligible to sign this petition . It is a matter of great shame that India, has more than 100 criminals Parliamentarians, who have the responsibility to frame and make laws for the country
Pl. click on the title to take you to the website of www.india-awakening.com where you can sign the petition or directly to the petition at
http://www.petitiononline.com/IAS2009/petition-sign.html
Quote"A group of us from Bangalore and Hyderabad have set up an organisation India Awakening Society, and a National Movement INDIA AWAKENING that are entirely apolitical , with an agenda to move people to be change -agents of a Better Tomorrow for our India.
We have been trying to initiate rallies, meets, cleaning campaigns, India-related events and trying to gather membership, help create a critical mass so that if not this election, at least by the next, we may be in a position to have a voice that can affect a few positive changes inthe country. (Do kindly go to www.india-awakening.com )
In this context, even if it is only a drop in the ocean (though we all know that it is all the little drops that make the mighthy ocean ..) we have drawn up this petition (actually i have personally drafted it) to Ms SG and Mr LKA to please stop immediately the fielding of criminals in the coming election.
After we have some thousands of signaures can we actually physically hand over he petition to Ms SG and Mr LKA (or their reps) both in Delhi and in local city-offices of the Congress and the BJP.
So, while Kosal, you have your view-point about personalities and the politics of criminalisation in India, I am only asking you to join us to voice our protest through this public petition. "
Friday, March 20, 2009
Vast Rural India Sparkles As an Expanding Market
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/19/AR2009031903621.html?wpisrc=newsletter
THE WASHINGTON POST
Vast Rural India Sparkles As an Expanding Market
By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 20, 2009; Page A15
DHORKA, India -- With her face wrapped in a pink veil, Suman Yadav squatted on the mud floor of her village home washing clothes, next to her family’s gleaming new possession -- a silver-gray, $10,000 car called Swift. She said they bought it on an auspicious January harvest-festival day and drove it straight to the village temple for a blessing before bringing it home.
"My husband’s new automobile spare-parts shop is doing well. The mustard and wheat from the farm is fetching good money, too," said Yadav, 30. "We already had a motorcycle and a tractor, but now could afford a car, too. We paid the full amount in cash. We drive everywhere now."
The global economic crisis that has slowed the growth of urban middle-class consumption in India is highlighting a new opportunity for businesses -- the vast, untapped and expanding rural market. Some analysts call it a mere "re-balancing" of market focus away from the big cities; others see it as the fortune at the bottom of the Indian economic pyramid.
About 72 percent of India’s billion-plus people live in rural areas. For years, the poverty of rural India was seen as reining in the country’s economic growth. But today, analysts say, rural India is a critical audience for marketers because it has been relatively insulated from the crippling blow of the global slowdown.
India’s rural destiny still depends on good monsoon rains and robust agricultural production, but four years of bumper crops and heavy government investment in rural infrastructure have given birth to what some analysts call an emerging economy within India.
In the dusty market along a bumpy road in Yadav’s village, 40 miles south of New Delhi, sales of microwave ovens, washing machines and 32-inch, flat-screen plasma televisions have risen in the past year. Branded-clothing stores called Rich Look and Charlie Outlaw have sprung up, looking to attract upwardly mobile farm youths.
"People have just begun getting the taste of spending money in these areas," said Ramesh Kapoor, a television salesman. "I hear of a slowdown on the TV news, but I do not see any here."
India’s dizzying overall growth levels of 8 to 9 percent, fueled by urban consumption and a boom in the manufacturing and services sectors, may slump to less than 7 percent this year, economists say. But even during the slowdown, companies’ sales are rising in rural and semirural India.
"Things have changed in the last one year. Today, 60 percent of our car sales are coming from rural and small-town India. The big farmers, small traders and shopkeepers are buying them," said P. Balendran, vice president of corporate affairs at General Motors India, which launched an aggressive rural marketing drive for its small cars in the past year.
About 60 percent of new cellphone connections are in rural areas, according to telecommunications industry figures. Passenger-car sales rose by almost 22 percent and motorcycle sales by 15 percent in the rural areas last month, compared with last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Textile and clothing retailers that focused on small towns grew faster than those that focused on urban areas, and sales of consumer goods grew by 20 percent in the rural market, compared with urban growth of 17 percent, according to Technopak, a research firm that tracks consumption patterns.
The statistics raise an intriguing question for economists: Can the growth of business in rural areas and small towns help offset drops in big cities?
"There is no impact of the credit crisis and the stock market in rural India. Most purchases are made in cash," said Raghav Gupta, president of Technopak’s consulting practice. "It will not rescue us from the slowdown, but it provides us a steady cushion because it is just taking off."
A recent report, titled "Kisan Is King" ("Farmer Is King") by the financial services firm India Infoline, found that the number of rural middle-class homes has grown by 135 percent since 2001 and accounts for 45 percent of total national demand for many consumer products.
"The rural economy, consisting of 56 million households with annual incomes of $2,000 every year, represents a significant market that cannot be ignored," the firm said.
Next week, the Nano, an ultra-small, ultra-cheap vehicle being billed as the "people’s car," will be launched in Mumbai, with an eye on small-town India. It will sell for about $2,500.
Retailers say the growth opportunities are so vast because the rural market has been so neglected.
"The rural market has still not yet reached a level where there is any room for a slowdown. Cellphone usage covers only 12 percent of rural India," said Sanjay Kapoor, president of the mobile phone division of the telecom company Bharti Airtel. He said the "overwhelming" growth in cellphone usage in rural areas has spurred a thriving retail market for accessories.
In the past four years, the Indian government has invested heavily in programs aimed at boosting rural income, which grew at 4 percent annually, according to government reports. Government prices for rice and wheat have jumped nearly 65 percent over that period; about $38 billion has been pumped into rural development programs and more than $9 billion into building rural roads.
According to census data, rural migration to big Indian cities has slowed in the past decade. Instead, villagers are moving to smaller market towns nearby.
"To cut costs, new industries are moving to smaller towns and creating jobs locally. People don’t always have to go to the big city to find a non-agricultural job now," said Veena Mishra, a senior economist with Mahindra & Mahindra, an automobile and tractor giant.
Some fear, however, that the economic slowdown may have an indirect and delayed impact on rural India. Burdened with a huge deficit, the government may not be able to sustain public investment. Nearly 5 million jobs have been lost nationwide since the downturn, many of them in India’s export industry.
"Many of the jobless workers from export companies are returning to villages," said Shri A. Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations. "Eventually, rural India will have to bear the brunt, too."
___________________________________
PS: (*)This update is being sent to you because we believe you welcome it. If, however, you prefer not to receive similar information updates on India, US-India relations and related security issues, please reply to this message with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" on the subject field.
THE WASHINGTON POST
Vast Rural India Sparkles As an Expanding Market
By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, March 20, 2009; Page A15
DHORKA, India -- With her face wrapped in a pink veil, Suman Yadav squatted on the mud floor of her village home washing clothes, next to her family’s gleaming new possession -- a silver-gray, $10,000 car called Swift. She said they bought it on an auspicious January harvest-festival day and drove it straight to the village temple for a blessing before bringing it home.
"My husband’s new automobile spare-parts shop is doing well. The mustard and wheat from the farm is fetching good money, too," said Yadav, 30. "We already had a motorcycle and a tractor, but now could afford a car, too. We paid the full amount in cash. We drive everywhere now."
The global economic crisis that has slowed the growth of urban middle-class consumption in India is highlighting a new opportunity for businesses -- the vast, untapped and expanding rural market. Some analysts call it a mere "re-balancing" of market focus away from the big cities; others see it as the fortune at the bottom of the Indian economic pyramid.
About 72 percent of India’s billion-plus people live in rural areas. For years, the poverty of rural India was seen as reining in the country’s economic growth. But today, analysts say, rural India is a critical audience for marketers because it has been relatively insulated from the crippling blow of the global slowdown.
India’s rural destiny still depends on good monsoon rains and robust agricultural production, but four years of bumper crops and heavy government investment in rural infrastructure have given birth to what some analysts call an emerging economy within India.
In the dusty market along a bumpy road in Yadav’s village, 40 miles south of New Delhi, sales of microwave ovens, washing machines and 32-inch, flat-screen plasma televisions have risen in the past year. Branded-clothing stores called Rich Look and Charlie Outlaw have sprung up, looking to attract upwardly mobile farm youths.
"People have just begun getting the taste of spending money in these areas," said Ramesh Kapoor, a television salesman. "I hear of a slowdown on the TV news, but I do not see any here."
India’s dizzying overall growth levels of 8 to 9 percent, fueled by urban consumption and a boom in the manufacturing and services sectors, may slump to less than 7 percent this year, economists say. But even during the slowdown, companies’ sales are rising in rural and semirural India.
"Things have changed in the last one year. Today, 60 percent of our car sales are coming from rural and small-town India. The big farmers, small traders and shopkeepers are buying them," said P. Balendran, vice president of corporate affairs at General Motors India, which launched an aggressive rural marketing drive for its small cars in the past year.
About 60 percent of new cellphone connections are in rural areas, according to telecommunications industry figures. Passenger-car sales rose by almost 22 percent and motorcycle sales by 15 percent in the rural areas last month, compared with last year, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Textile and clothing retailers that focused on small towns grew faster than those that focused on urban areas, and sales of consumer goods grew by 20 percent in the rural market, compared with urban growth of 17 percent, according to Technopak, a research firm that tracks consumption patterns.
The statistics raise an intriguing question for economists: Can the growth of business in rural areas and small towns help offset drops in big cities?
"There is no impact of the credit crisis and the stock market in rural India. Most purchases are made in cash," said Raghav Gupta, president of Technopak’s consulting practice. "It will not rescue us from the slowdown, but it provides us a steady cushion because it is just taking off."
A recent report, titled "Kisan Is King" ("Farmer Is King") by the financial services firm India Infoline, found that the number of rural middle-class homes has grown by 135 percent since 2001 and accounts for 45 percent of total national demand for many consumer products.
"The rural economy, consisting of 56 million households with annual incomes of $2,000 every year, represents a significant market that cannot be ignored," the firm said.
Next week, the Nano, an ultra-small, ultra-cheap vehicle being billed as the "people’s car," will be launched in Mumbai, with an eye on small-town India. It will sell for about $2,500.
Retailers say the growth opportunities are so vast because the rural market has been so neglected.
"The rural market has still not yet reached a level where there is any room for a slowdown. Cellphone usage covers only 12 percent of rural India," said Sanjay Kapoor, president of the mobile phone division of the telecom company Bharti Airtel. He said the "overwhelming" growth in cellphone usage in rural areas has spurred a thriving retail market for accessories.
In the past four years, the Indian government has invested heavily in programs aimed at boosting rural income, which grew at 4 percent annually, according to government reports. Government prices for rice and wheat have jumped nearly 65 percent over that period; about $38 billion has been pumped into rural development programs and more than $9 billion into building rural roads.
According to census data, rural migration to big Indian cities has slowed in the past decade. Instead, villagers are moving to smaller market towns nearby.
"To cut costs, new industries are moving to smaller towns and creating jobs locally. People don’t always have to go to the big city to find a non-agricultural job now," said Veena Mishra, a senior economist with Mahindra & Mahindra, an automobile and tractor giant.
Some fear, however, that the economic slowdown may have an indirect and delayed impact on rural India. Burdened with a huge deficit, the government may not be able to sustain public investment. Nearly 5 million jobs have been lost nationwide since the downturn, many of them in India’s export industry.
"Many of the jobless workers from export companies are returning to villages," said Shri A. Sakthivel, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organizations. "Eventually, rural India will have to bear the brunt, too."
___________________________________
PS: (*)This update is being sent to you because we believe you welcome it. If, however, you prefer not to receive similar information updates on India, US-India relations and related security issues, please reply to this message with the word "UNSUBSCRIBE" on the subject field.
Criminals in the 14th Lok Sabha
Murder, rape, loot: We’re talking MPs
Tuesday, 10 March 2009 16:24 Times of India
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CRIME INFESTED: It’s not just about a few parties and states anymore. TOI finds that the rot of criminalisation in politics runs deep, with roots spread far & wide
TOI, 10.03.2009, Times Insight Group
You have probably heard before that of the 543 men and women elected to the Lok Sabha in May 2004, 125 had criminal charges against them. Many among us have consoled ourselves with the notion that only a few of these 125 would have been charged with serious offences. Further, the malaise was largely restricted to a couple of states and finally that only certain parties were guilty of encouraging such ‘tainted’ candidates.
The reality is that each of these assumptions is seriously wrong. A large chunk faced serious charges including murder, rape, dacoity, kidnapping and corruption. The 125 MPs were from 17 different states and two Union territories which between them account for 499 of the Lok Sabha’s 543 seats. Also, these MPs belonged to 17 different parties. Clearly, the rot is spread — both spatially and politically — much worse than we normally think it is.
Of the 125, there were at least 96 who faced charges with potential sentences of two years or more. Under the Representation of the People Act, a person sentenced for two years or more is disqualified from contesting elections. The number could be even larger than 96, since in several cases the affidavits filed by the candidates detailing charges against them were either vague or illegible.
In the five years since then, some of the 125 — like Navjyot Singh Sidhu — may have been acquitted, while others have died. But we believe it remains relevant to analyse the situation as it was in April-May 2004, since that was what was available to parties when they nominated these candidates and to the electorate when it voted for them.
We analysed the charges faced by candidates and broke them up into categories based on the maximum potential sentence for each charge. Sections of the IPC which attract a life sentence, death or 14 years we treated as one category and at least 27 of those elected in May 2004 faced such charges at the time.
Another 14 faced charges which had a maximum of 10-year sentences. Apart from these, those with maximum 7-year potential sentences if convicted numbered 16. In other words, at least 57 had really serious charges against them.
We looked at which parties accounted for how many of the 96 MPs whom we could categorise based on the maximum possible sentence. It turned out that the BJP headed the list with 23 followed by the Congress with 17. It is true that the RJD’s seven, the SP’s nine and the BSP’s five constitute a much larger proportion of those parties’ MPs, but what is clear is that these smaller parties have no monopoly on MPs with criminal charges pending against them. What should be more worrying is the fact that all the parties that fielded candidates with criminal charges against them won 494 of the 543 seats in the April-May 2004 elections.
An analysis of which states these MPs come from was also revealing. While UP and Bihar did top the charts, as most would expect, the only states which had none of their MPs figuring in the list were the eight north-eastern states and the three northern states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Barring Assam, which has 14 Lok Sabha seats, what is noticeable is that these are among the smallest states.
It is also worth pointing out that many of 125 winners who faced criminal charges were not becoming MPs for the first time. Several among them had already served more than one term in Parliament. More than a quarter of them had already done three or more terms.
All of the data, in other words, points to the same conclusion. Criminalisation of politics is no longer a matter for minor worry, if it ever was that. With virtually every party and every state embracing such candidates, the trend is getting more and more established.
Last Updated on Thursday, 12 March 2009 10:49
Meanwhile in the land of the Pure
Famed Pakistani gang-rape victim gets married
by KHALID TANVEER, Associated Press Writer Khalid Tanveer, Associated Press Writer – Wed Mar 18, 2:57 am ET
In this June 29, 2005 file photo, Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai speaks AP – In this June 29, 2005 file photo, Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai speaks to the Associated Press …
MULTAN, Pakistan – A Pakistani gang-rape victim who shunned custom and rose to global fame by speaking out about her case has defied another local taboo — she just got married.
Mukhtar Mai is now the second wife of Nasir Abbas Gabol, a police officer who was assigned to protect her as her case gained notoriety. He said she was reluctant to accept his offer and that he threatened suicide when she turned him down.
Mai was gang raped at the order of a tribal council in the eastern province of Punjab in 2002 to punish her family for her brother's alleged affair with a woman from a higher-caste family. There were also allegations that the boy had been molested by members of the other family, and that the accusations of the affair were used to cover up the crime.
Rape victims in Pakistan face severe social stigma and diminished marriage prospects, prompting many to commit suicide. But Mai went public and challenged her alleged attackers in court, attracting international attention and becoming a women's rights activist.
She was named Glamour magazine's Woman of the Year, and now runs a school in her southern Punjab province village of Meerwala. The case against her attackers is still in the court system.
Mai told AP Television News after the nuptials that she'd never completely ruled out marriage.
"When you do marriage you have to have faith in your partner," she said.
Her new husband told the AP on Wednesday that he was enraptured by Mai's "extreme courage."
"I will do whatever is possible to help my wife in her efforts aimed at raising her voice for the rights of women," he said.
Mai initially refused his offer because Gabol was already married and discouraged him from divorcing his first wife. Pakistan is a majority Muslim nation, and Islamic law allows men to have up to four wives.
Gabol said he was so desperate to marry Mai that he threatened to kill himself unless she relented. Fearing he would carry out his threat, Gabol's first wife met with Mai and persuaded her to marry.
The wedding took place Sunday and a reception is planned for the weekend.
by KHALID TANVEER, Associated Press Writer Khalid Tanveer, Associated Press Writer – Wed Mar 18, 2:57 am ET
In this June 29, 2005 file photo, Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai speaks AP – In this June 29, 2005 file photo, Pakistani gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai speaks to the Associated Press …
MULTAN, Pakistan – A Pakistani gang-rape victim who shunned custom and rose to global fame by speaking out about her case has defied another local taboo — she just got married.
Mukhtar Mai is now the second wife of Nasir Abbas Gabol, a police officer who was assigned to protect her as her case gained notoriety. He said she was reluctant to accept his offer and that he threatened suicide when she turned him down.
Mai was gang raped at the order of a tribal council in the eastern province of Punjab in 2002 to punish her family for her brother's alleged affair with a woman from a higher-caste family. There were also allegations that the boy had been molested by members of the other family, and that the accusations of the affair were used to cover up the crime.
Rape victims in Pakistan face severe social stigma and diminished marriage prospects, prompting many to commit suicide. But Mai went public and challenged her alleged attackers in court, attracting international attention and becoming a women's rights activist.
She was named Glamour magazine's Woman of the Year, and now runs a school in her southern Punjab province village of Meerwala. The case against her attackers is still in the court system.
Mai told AP Television News after the nuptials that she'd never completely ruled out marriage.
"When you do marriage you have to have faith in your partner," she said.
Her new husband told the AP on Wednesday that he was enraptured by Mai's "extreme courage."
"I will do whatever is possible to help my wife in her efforts aimed at raising her voice for the rights of women," he said.
Mai initially refused his offer because Gabol was already married and discouraged him from divorcing his first wife. Pakistan is a majority Muslim nation, and Islamic law allows men to have up to four wives.
Gabol said he was so desperate to marry Mai that he threatened to kill himself unless she relented. Fearing he would carry out his threat, Gabol's first wife met with Mai and persuaded her to marry.
The wedding took place Sunday and a reception is planned for the weekend.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The realist Imperative
I fail to see the logic of this argument. What is Mr. Tripathi trying to tell us ? That gloating (personally i do not have time to indulge in such childishness) over the self imposed terrorism of Pakistan is as big a crime as the act of terrorism in which a hardened criminal kills innocent babies and women whom he does not even know . It is this kind of mushy thinking that has reduced India to an ignorable cipher on the world scene and encourages mediocrities like President Sarkoszy of France to lecture us from an imaginary moral high ground.
Let us face facts. The facts are that Pakistan is a formidable enemy that has never reconciled itself to the loss of what was once Dar ul Islam and does not let an oportunity pass by to remind us that they do not consider India a nation state. The fact that ordinary Pakistanis do not subscribe to extremism (I should hope not that is a minimum that one should expect from a nation and a people if they wish to be regarded as a member of the civlized world), as a rationale for excusing that nation is an incredibly naive statement.
I am reminded of the Patrician Roman senator Cato (234 BC, Tusculum–149 BC) aka Cato the elder. According to Appian, the historian. Senator Cato usually finished his speeches on any subject in the Senate with the phrase ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam, which means "Furthermore, it is my opinion that Carthage must be destroyed".
He was opposed by senator Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum,who favoured a different course, one that would not destroy Carthage,and who usually convinced the Senate.
We should be far more sophisticated than the Roman Empire and I do not recommend that Pakistan be obliterated, simply that it be emasculated by dividing into four parts (Baluch, Sindh, the Punjab and Pushtoland) and defang it of its weapons. It is important to see this as a major problem of India, in the clearest possible terms, and adopt a realist imperative, that would emulate Shri Krishna or Kautilya. Furthermore this is not something India should palm off on others to do. The Indians must take the responsibility of ensuring their own security unilaterally, or it will never get done.
http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/04215728/Pakistan-an-ordinary-nation....
That’s the universe many Pakistanis inhabit—caught between intransigent generals, incompetent politicians and intolerant mullahs. They don’t need reminding what terrorism is; they live with it. They have lost thousands of civilians and soldiers in the past decade. They live with the consequences of cynical, cold, political choices and compromises their leaders have made on their behalf.
.. And yet, many in India don’t see that reality, and see all Pakistanis > as extremists, as if all of them accept at face value the rants of
Zahid Hamid on Pakistani television—who believes everything that’s evil is because of “Hindu Zionist” conspiracy. We must then learn to separate that sinister fringe from the Pakistani men and women who don’t believe in juvenile jihadis. We must not succumb to the idea—as Simi Garewal momentarily did (though she was hardly alone) —that if only we bomb Pakistan, all problems will be solved. Starting a war is a not a choice as easy as sending a “Yes” SMS to a television channel desperate to improve ratings, and which wants politicians to announce foreign policy manoeuvres on live television. It also means we must prevent our own saffron Taliban, which wants to empty our bookshops of Pakistani writers, and prevent Pakistani artists from performing in our theatres, the heartland of the Indogangetic plain.
Let us face facts. The facts are that Pakistan is a formidable enemy that has never reconciled itself to the loss of what was once Dar ul Islam and does not let an oportunity pass by to remind us that they do not consider India a nation state. The fact that ordinary Pakistanis do not subscribe to extremism (I should hope not that is a minimum that one should expect from a nation and a people if they wish to be regarded as a member of the civlized world), as a rationale for excusing that nation is an incredibly naive statement.
I am reminded of the Patrician Roman senator Cato (234 BC, Tusculum–149 BC) aka Cato the elder. According to Appian, the historian. Senator Cato usually finished his speeches on any subject in the Senate with the phrase ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam, which means "Furthermore, it is my opinion that Carthage must be destroyed".
He was opposed by senator Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum,who favoured a different course, one that would not destroy Carthage,and who usually convinced the Senate.
We should be far more sophisticated than the Roman Empire and I do not recommend that Pakistan be obliterated, simply that it be emasculated by dividing into four parts (Baluch, Sindh, the Punjab and Pushtoland) and defang it of its weapons. It is important to see this as a major problem of India, in the clearest possible terms, and adopt a realist imperative, that would emulate Shri Krishna or Kautilya. Furthermore this is not something India should palm off on others to do. The Indians must take the responsibility of ensuring their own security unilaterally, or it will never get done.
http://www.livemint.com/2009/03/04215728/Pakistan-an-ordinary-nation....
That’s the universe many Pakistanis inhabit—caught between intransigent generals, incompetent politicians and intolerant mullahs. They don’t need reminding what terrorism is; they live with it. They have lost thousands of civilians and soldiers in the past decade. They live with the consequences of cynical, cold, political choices and compromises their leaders have made on their behalf.
.. And yet, many in India don’t see that reality, and see all Pakistanis > as extremists, as if all of them accept at face value the rants of
Zahid Hamid on Pakistani television—who believes everything that’s evil is because of “Hindu Zionist” conspiracy. We must then learn to separate that sinister fringe from the Pakistani men and women who don’t believe in juvenile jihadis. We must not succumb to the idea—as Simi Garewal momentarily did (though she was hardly alone) —that if only we bomb Pakistan, all problems will be solved. Starting a war is a not a choice as easy as sending a “Yes” SMS to a television channel desperate to improve ratings, and which wants politicians to announce foreign policy manoeuvres on live television. It also means we must prevent our own saffron Taliban, which wants to empty our bookshops of Pakistani writers, and prevent Pakistani artists from performing in our theatres, the heartland of the Indogangetic plain.
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