BENAZIR AND INDIA: Francois Gautier

She resorted to anti-Indianism to please voters (rediff.com) http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/dec/31gautier.htm

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday described her as “one of the outstanding leaders of our sub-continent, who always looked for reconciliation between India and Pakistan.”

It is a sad that a mother of three children was so brutally killed and we all mourn her terrible death. Nevertheless, truth must be told. For, as usual, what the press says is not exactly what happened. Firstly, under Bhutto, anti-Indian terrorism in the Kashmir region was fostered and increased. Benazir was also directly responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir. “She was instrumental in sponsoring jihad, openly inciting militants to intensify terrorism in India,” says Ajai Sahni, the executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management. “I find it very difficult to discover a single element with her relationship to India that is positive and for the betterment of her country or the region”, he adds. Remember how she was shouting her slogans of azaadi, and exhorting the people of Kashmir to cut Jagmohan, then governor of the state, into pieces, as in “jag-jag, mo-mo, han-han”. She would say this while making chopping motions with her right hand as it moved from her left wrist to the elbow, leaving nobody in any doubt as to what she meant.

Secondly, under Benazir Bhutto, the Taliban formed and, helped by Pakistan’s intelligence service, swept across Afghanistan and later hosted Osama bin Laden. It is a bit of an irony that she may have been killed by the very people she helped foster if at all she was murdered.
Thirdly, she deliberately increased tension levels and then threatened India with a pre-emptive nuclear strike. The tension peaked when Benazir repeated her late father’s immortal boast of waging a thousand-year war against India and even Rajiv Gandhi was forced to mock her in Parliament, asking if those who talked of a thousand-year war could last even a thousand hours.
And fourthly, in her last speech before she died, she alluded to India as one of the threats Pakistan had to face, implying that if she was elected she would deal firmly with it. Then why is it that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calls her a friend of India and that Indians mount candle light vigils in India Gate for her ?

I interviewed Benazir Bhutto twice, the last one as she was campaigning to be re-elected for a second term.

The first question I asked, was about Kashmir, as she was the one who had called for ‘Azad Kashmir’, a Kashmir free from India, which had triggered the ethnic cleansing of most Hindus of the Valley of Kashmir, 400.000 of them having to flee their ancestral land.

– You know, she answered, you have to understand the Pakistani point of view on Kashmir. If one goes by the logic of Partition, then at least the Kashmir valley, which is in great majority Muslim – and it should be emphasised that for long the Hindus Pandits in Kashmir exploited and dominated the Muslims, who are getting back at them today – should have reverted to Pakistan. But let us say that officially we want to help grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination

– That’s the only reason, I continued ?

– No, answered Benazir, it should be clear also that Pakistan never forgot the humiliating loss of Bangladesh at the hands of India, although India claims it only helped Bangladesh to gain its freedom in the face of what the Bangladeshis say was Pakistani genocide. Zia’s emergence was a result of that humiliation.

– But Zia hanged your father, I interrupted…

– Yes and I hate him, and God the Almighty already punished him for that, said Benazir (alluding to Zia’s death in a plane crash). But Zia did one thing right, he started the whole policy of proxy war by supporting the separatist movements in Punjab and Kashmir, as a way of getting back at India.

– What about Pakistan’ nuclear bomb, I asked?
-That’s my father’s work she said proudly. He realized, after having lost the 1965 and 1971wars with India, that both numerically and strategically, we can never beat India in a conventional conflict. Thus he initiated the programme by saying that “we will get the nuclear bomb, even if we have to eat grass”.

– But is it not a dangerous weapon if it falls in the hands of the fundamentalists of your country, I asked?
No such danger, Benazir answered. Anyway, it is not only a deterrent against India’s military conventional superiority and an answer to India’s own nuclear capability, but also the ultimate weapon to reassert Islam’s moral superiority.

– We in Europe are going to unite in a Common Market, why don’t Pakistan and India forget their differences and form some kind of confederation with other South Asia countries, instead of killing each other?
– Pakistan and India were never one country, answered the imperious lady. They were only kept together by force, whether by Mauryan, Moghul or British rule. Hindus have recognised the reality of Islam, and we needed our own country to feel free.

I was flabbergasted:
here was a lady educated in Oxford and Harvard, who mouthed such irrational statements. She spoke good English, was pretty, articulate and pleased the Press. But when in power, she had to resort to anti -Indianism to please her voters, her husband was known as Mr 10% and she was hounded out of power twice for incompetence and corruption. What then, Mr Manmohan Singh ? History will tell.

FranÁois Gautier

The Legacy of Benazir Bhutto: Pakistan’s Proxy Wars, Islamic Jihad and the Taliban

The most horrific acts of terror in recent times has just been in the neighbouring pakistan. Benazir Bhutto the former PM of Pakistan has been killed in an allegged Alqaida attack. FACT prays for peace to her soul.

Another high profile victim for the fundamentalism and another round of applause for the fundamentalism from the stupidity.

The Legacy of Benazir Bhutto: Pakistan’s Proxy Wars, Islamic Jihad and the Taliban
by Dr. Subhash Kapila

Benazir Bhutto twice ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan, prompted by fears of arrest is presently in self-imposed exile in Dubai for the last two years. Sensing that elections may be held by the Pakistan Army next year and with a political vacuum existing due to banishment of the last Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, she has been active in running around Western countries subtly projecting that she is the only viable civilian alternative to head Pakistan. With the inauguration of President Bush in Washington, she has already visited Washington in February and embarking soon on a second outing. Her campaign on Capitol Hill is aimed at impressing the American law makers and the think-tanks in Washington that she is a moderate Pakistani leader having nothing to do with Islamic fundamentalism, proxy war in Kashmir or with Taliban. Such a line carries conviction to the Americans when coupled with her personal charm and western education eloquence.

In India too, there are many advocates of Ms. Bhutto amongst retired diplomats of Nehru-Gandhi vintage, Track II participants and Generals/Admirals turned peaceniks. The Indian media glitterrati as is their wont, do not take pains to delve deep in to the political background of such leaders.

In the current security environment obtaining in South Asia in the India-Pakistan context, Indians are led to believe by opinion makers that Islamic fundamentalism, proxy war and Jehadi terrorism and the Taliban were and are the creations of Pakistan military rulers beginning with General Zia and now General Musharraf. This is only partly true.

The significant fact that has not been brought out by the Indian media and opinion makers is that Benazir played a significant role in drawing Pakistan deep into the Islamic fundamentalism morass, in escalating the Pak proxy war in Kashmir and giving active encouragement to the formation of the Taliban.

The aim of this paper is to highlight the active involvement of Ms. Benazir Bhutto in these activities as Prime Minister of Pakistan. Revelations in a recent book authored by the Director of the United States Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare eloquently highlight Ms. Bhutto’s complicity. (1)

Other published works stand referred to in order to substantiate Ms. Bhutto’s involvement in setting up the Taliban.For the record and also to enable readers to correlate contemporary events in South Asia, the two tenures of Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan were1.

1 December 1988 to August 1990.

2. October 1993 to November 1996.

Benazir Bhutto’s Islamic Fundamentalisation of PakistanBenazir Bhutto’s first advent as Prime Minister coincided roughly with the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan where Pakistan was spearheading the American effort. Since strategic aims had been met, it would have been logical for the self-proclaimed Pakistani democrat Prime Minister to wind up the Islamic fundamentalist Mujahideen bases in Pakistan and their nurseries. No such thing happened.

On the contrary “Benazir Bhutto, who became the Prime Minister in 1989 had a profoundly different perception of the role and utility of Islamist terrorism. Convinced that Pakistan’s destiny lay in strategic alliances with such countries as Syria, Iran, China (PRC) and North Korea, Benazir Bhutto’s Islamabad re-examined all aspects of Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan and the world of State-sponsored terrorism became an instrument of crucial significance for Pakistani policy. Islamabad now committed to furthering Islamism in the heart of Asia . . . Islamabad recognized the growing specter of confrontation with the United States over strategic posture in the region. Still Islamabad shifted to active support for militant Islamism.”(2)

As a follow-up of Benazir Bhutto’s policy of exploiting Islamic fundamentalist terrorism as a state-sponsored tool, Pakistan was flooded with about 16000-20000 Islamist militants from over 20 countries all freely given visas for Pakistan. The Soviets had withdrawn from Afghanistan and surely they had not come for Afghanistan’s liberation. They had come for training in Pakistan and to fight for Pakistani state-sponsored Jehads from Kashmir to Central Asia.

General Zia as military ruler of Pakistan for eleven years preceding Prime Minister Bhutto could not achieve what she achieved in terms of Islamic fundamentalisation of Pakistan: ” In the quest for Islamic violence the camps of the Islamist Afghan resistance in Pakistan became to Sunni Islamist terrorism what Lebanon had been for radical leftist terrorism. Pakistan became a place of pilgrimage for aspiring Islamist radicals.” (3)

Benazir Bhutto on return to power in 1993 had not lost her zeal for Islamic fundamentalisation : “By the end of 1993, after her round of visits to Beijing, Pyongyang and Tehran, Bhutto clearly demonstrated her determination to implement these policies (Islamic terrorism as state-sponsored foreign policy tool) and realise this strategic posture as soon as possible. Markedly increasing Pakistan’s participation in the Islamist international terrorist system was an integral part of Bhutto’s new strategy.” (4)

Benazir’s active linkages with Pan-Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organisations stands adequately exposed in the book referred: “In mid-December 1993, Turabi (Sudanese Islamic fundamentalist leader) organised another “Popular Arab and Islamic Conference (PAIC) in Khartoum to discuss the next phase of the Islamist struggle . . . The PAIC conference focussed on the role of Pakistan . . . in particular Pakistan’s future active support for Islamist armed struggles and international terrorism. The official Pakistan delegation was led by two other Bhutto confidants (the other was a close Bhutto adviser from her party PPP) General Mirza Aslam Beg, the former Chief of Staff of Pakistani Armed Forces and Lt. General Hamid Gul, the former chief of ISI (Pakistani intelligence) . . . Their participation in the Khartoum conference and leading role in the formulation of Pakistan’s relations with the PAIC and the Islamist (read Islamic fundamentalist) world was proof that Bhutto’s Islamabad would continue to pursue Islamist policies.” (5)

Benazir Bhutto’s Duplicity with the United States: Forming a Trans- Asian anti-USA Alliance

Since Benazir Bhutto’s current visits to USA are related to garner US support for her installation as Prime Minister on return to civil rule, it is pertinent to highlight her duplicity with the United States and formation of a Trans-Asian and anti-US Alliance.

Washington should note that: ” The Islamist surge coincided with Benazir Bhutto’s return to power in Islamabad. Behind a facade of pro-Western and pro-democracy rhetoric she initiated a program designed to make Pakistan a central member of both the Islamic bloc and the Trans-Asian axis, an anti-US radical alliance stretching from the Mediterranean to North East Asia . . . Islamabad emerged from these alliances with distinct roles.” (6)

The roles assigned to Pakistan, can be summarised as follows:

*Pakistan would serve as centre for defence production for the Islamic bloc. This would also incorporate nuclear weapon technologies.

* Pakistan would be the financial centre for laundering Islamist drug money.

* Pakistan would acquire legally or illegally sophisticated western technology for its Islamic and other allies.

“Islamabad and its allies were convinced that Bhutto’s rise to power, especially in view of her pro-democracy rhetoric, would relax the western guard” and that “Pakistan would be able to acquire the necessary items . . . ” (7)

It seems that USA and the West were taken in by this approach.Bezazir Bhutto’s apologists may argue that all this was done under Pakistan Army’s pressure. It does not seem so as Bodansky clarifies that: “Pakistan’s growing role in the anti-US build up was one of Bhutto’s personal priorities (note ‘personal priorities’). Immediately after return to power in fall 1993, she embarked on a series of political moves that would formulate the new grand strategy for a post-Cold War and post- Gulf crisis Pakistan.” (8)

Benazir Bhutto’s Intensification of Pak Proxy War in KashmirIt needs to be noted that: “From 1972 to December 1989, Kashmir was not an issue of high crisis in Indo- Pakistan relations, though Pakistan continued to harp on it during this period.”(9)

It would be obvious from this that both in her father’s tenure as Prime Minister and that of eleven years of President Zia no major escalation took place on the Kashmir issue.

Kashmir was whipped up as an emotive and frenzied issue only by Benazir Bhutto when she came into power in 1989 and thereafter in1993. Never before had Kashmir been made such a provocative issue in Pakistani elections as done by Benazir Bhutto. She outdid what Islamic fundamentalists uttered on Kashmir. “Indo-Pak relations were to go off into a spin from the end of 1989” and that “The tenuous hopes of a new beginning (friendly Indo- Pak relations) came to a somewhat abrupt end in December 1989” (10).

This was mid-way in Benazir Bhutto’s first tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan.The following need to be noted in relation to Benazir’s escalation of proxy war in Kashmir:* “Violence in Kashmir increased between December 1989 and February 1990. India had firm information about a quantum increase in the flow of arms and infiltration by trained terrorists.”(11)

* Benazir Bhutto visited POK for the first time as Prime Minister on 13 March 1990. She gave a historical speech at a public meeting in Muzzafarabad declaring the struggle in Kashmir to be a ‘holy jehad’.”(12)

The increased jehadi infiltration in Kashmir and acts of terrorism during Benazir’s tenures as Prime Minister was the manifestation of what has been discussed earlier, i.e., the adoption by PM Benazir Bhutto of state- sponsored Islamic fundamentalist terrorism as a foreign policy tool. Retrospectively, it can also be analysed that Benazir Bhutto was carrying a chip on her shoulder from the Simla Agreement 1972 days when she was a witness to her father Z.A. Bhutto giving in to Indian demands that Kashmir was to be a bi-lateral issue between the two countries.

The Taliban’s Creation During Premiership of Bhutto

Pakistan figures prominently in any discussions related to the Taliban in terms of creating this medieval monster in Afghanistan and the subsequent inhuman repression that the Taliban has imposed on the Afghans themselves. ISI also figures prominently in relation to provision of Pak Army cadres, military advisers and military hardware. However what does not figure is Benazir Bhutto’s role in its creation. The Taliban emerged forcefully on the Afghan scene in the period 1993-94 and captured the whole of Afghanistan, less the Northern Provinces by September 1996. It requires to be noted that all these developments took place during Benazir Bhutto’s second tenure as Prime Minister, i.e., 1993- 1996. As one author puts it: “Furthermore, there was considerable evidence to suggest that the Taliban were being strongly supported by the Pakistani government led by Benazir Bhutto, ironically a woman educated at Oxford and Harvard.”(13)

Initially, more than the ISI, it was the Bhutto party machine both at Islamabad and in the provincial capitals at Peshawar(NWFP) and Quetta (Baluchistan) which were active in the reinforcement and furtherance of Taliban operations. It is indicated that: “When the Taliban captured Kandahar, the ISI was initially more sceptical than the Government about the chances of further success. While General Babar( Bhutto’s Interior Minister) and the Jamiat-e Ulema-i Islam pushed for support to the Taliban, the ISI took a back seat. Thus Babar had a free hand in “civilianising” the initial support to the Taliban.” (14)

Benazir’s newly created Taliban ensured that they had the right connections in Pakistan to enable continued support as this would suggest: “And the Taliban soon developed close relations with several businessmen close to Asaf Ali Zardari- the husband of Benazir Bhutto, who in turn were given the highly lucrative permits to export fuel to Afghanistan. As the Taliban’s war machine expanded, permits for fuel supplies from Pakistan became a major money earner for Pakistani politicians” . . . (15) The linkages and implications are self evident.

ConclusionBenazir’s pretentious pronouncements are avidly lapped up in Washington and New Delhi as emanating from a committed democrat, a Pakistani politician of moderate hues and above all a Muslim with western educated secular values, in short someone New Delhi could trust in political dealings. The above record of Benazir Bhutto however does not match up with what she would like us to believe about her.Bodansky states that: ” Pakistan’s ascent in the Islamist terrorist system is particularly important in a strategic context. Pakistan’s growing involvement resulted in both escalation of the war by proxy in Kashmir and the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan, two movements that still provide shelter and closely cooperate with Osama bin Laden.” (16)

What Bodansky has not added to complete this summation is that in terms of contextual time-spans both these developments emerged during the two tenures of Benazir Bhutto as Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Benazir’s duplicity against the United States of America of forming a Trans-Asian anti- US alliance while mouthing platitudes on democracy during Washington visits indicates a fatal flaw in her political credibility. Comparatively speaking, former PM Nawaz Sharif appears far superior to Benazir’s Bhutto. He had at least the courage to fight an election in Pakistan on the agenda of improvement of Indo-Pak relations and won on this issue with an overwhelming majority.

Regrettably, Benazir Bhutto’s record on Islamic fundamentalism of Pakistan, escalation of the proxy war in Kashmir and the creation of the Taliban leads one to the conclusion that Washington’s assessments of Pakistani politicians and Pakistan’s political scene tend to be faulty and unreliable as inputs for any Track II diplomacy. Both these conclusions are pertinent presently for those advising and espousing the continuation of India’s cease fire in Kashmir.

1947 partition pain still in the eyes of the Sikh and Hindu families

It was an early winter morning in Delhi and I recieved this phone call from Gautam, a friend of mine, asking me to be ‘there’ by 8:30 am. I just freshened up and was waiting at the metro station when I was picked up, we travelled all the way to Model colony and our hosts all in their 70’s if not 80’s were waiting for us trying to keep themselves warm.First it was my turn to talk to the hosts and make them feel at home with the equipment and look at the fact that they do not get too tensed with the camera and other equipment.

While my crew was setting up the camera I was talking to them and most of them seemed they almost were out of the pain and agony they have been through, but one touch and all that is visible on their faces. They need not even speak a word, its all over their faces. I was trying to watch the India partition documentary of the BBC and it felt as if it were a one sided story.

One after the other they spoke or should I say poured their heart out as if waiting to tell the world what they have been through. One has waded through the dead bodies lying among them while the other has killed his own mother, sister and wife as well as his grand ma to”save” their honour from the hands of the “allah oh Akbars”. The saga continues and one of them says they cut the private parts of men, women, while the other says he has even tried burning their homes but see how a hindu / sikh is pathetic at doing things the tin full of petrol couldnot catch fire and God we returned empty handed. The stories are endless. The pain unmeasureable. Is this all Non-violent freedom struggle, is this all the secularism asks one while the others narrate the aftermath of the partition journey into the hearts of INDIANS.

We were treated as chor badmash we had to prove ourselves hard working Indians and Hindus before renting a house.It was a nightmare but we can never forget those days says another elderly sardar. The stories of barbarism from North west frontier province to the sindh to the Rawalpindi to as near as Lahore were tearful and heartbreaking if not nightmares. Will India ever remember the stories or as ever we move ahead and do not learn from the past ?

But here is a story…..

Sikhs, the defenders of Indian Dharma

Sikhs, the defenders of Indian Dharma…

The Sikh Exhibition

FACT

Throughout the ages, Sikhs have protected India from numerous onslaughts by foreign invaders – whether the Mughals or the British… This has not been recognized by society today…

FACT has in association with the SGPC Delhi commissioned the contribution of Sikhs to Indian Dharma titled Sikhs, the defenders of Indian Dharma. The exhibition would travel the time and present to the world all those facts that we have forgotten about the wonderful things the Sikhs have given to India their Motherland.

Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji:

The first Sikh Guru to be martyred by Mughal Emperor Shahjehan for not converting to Islam.

Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji

Aurangzeb wanted to implement Sharia or the Islamic religious law. He executed Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Ji (the 9th Sikh Guru), who refused to convert to Islam.

The Battle of Saragarhi

The Battle of Saragarhi was fought on 12th September, 1897 between 21 Sikhs of the Sikh Regiment and 14,000 Afghans. This battle is listed as one of the 8 top battles of collective bravery by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Sikh Regiment Formed in 1846, The Sikh Regiment is the most highly decorated regiment of the Indian Army. In the 1999 Kargil Conflict, the Sikh regiment went into action once again, this time against Pakistan. 8 Sikh took Tiger Hill, whereas 14 Sikh fought at Chorbat La.

30th May, 1606 – Sri Guru Arjun Dev Ji – Jahangir

1634 – Sri Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji – Battle of Kartarpur

9th November, 1675 – Bhai Dyala – Red Fort -Boiled

9th November, 1675 – Bhai Mati Das – Red Fort – Cut

9th November, 1675 – Bhai Sati Das – Red Fort – Burnt

11th November, 1675 – Bhai Jaita Singh -Rangretta Guru ka Beta – Head of Sri…

11th November, 1675 – Lakhi Shah Vanjara – Body of Sri…

1687 April – Battle of Bhangani – Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji

1687 – 1705 – Sahibzada Ajit Singh son of Sri…

1691-1705 – Sahibzada Jujhar Singh son of Sri… Buried alive in walls – Zorawar Singh and Fateh
Singh – sons of Sri…

1701 – Bhai Udai Singh and Bhai Bachitar Singh

1706 – Mai Bhago

1723 – 1803 – Sardar Jassa Singh Ramgarhia

1745 – Faith before family – atrocities of Mir Mannu

1761 – Sardar Jassa Singh Ahluwalia – Lahore Fort

1762 – Battles against Nadir Shah – Loot, Jewellery, confiscating Indian Women

1763 – Martyrdom at Lahore – atrocities of Mir Mannu

11th March, 1781 – Flag on Red Fort – Sardar Bhagel Singh

1791 – 1831 – Ssrdar Hari Singh Nalwa – got Kashmir and Kabul

1818 – Victory of Multan Fort from Mughals

13th January, 1849 – War at Chillianwala

17th January, 1872 – 66 Sikhs blown up by British

24th May, 1896 – 16th Nov., 1915 – Sardar Kartar Singh Sarabha

26th Dec., 1899 – 31st July, 1940 – Sardar Udham Singh killed the brain behind Jallianwalan Bagh Massacre, Gen. Dyer

27th Sep., 1907 – 23rd Mar., 1931 – Amar Shaheed Sardar Bhagat Singh

November 1921 – Non-violent protest against British confiscating keys of Sri Harmandir
Sahib Ji

30th October, 1922 – Sri Pratap Singh and Sri Karam Singh trampled by Train – Guru ka
Bagh

21st Feb., 1924 – Bibi Balbir Kaur

1965 – Sikh Regiment got Raja Hills from
Pakistan

1971 – War against Pakistan Misc. without Dates
1. Baba Deep Singh
2. Bhai Kanhiya – Sewa Panth – Water and First
Aid to War-victims
3. Maharaja Ranjit Singh
4. Nihang Festival
5. Jathedar Lachhman Singh and Daleep Singh,
Nankana Sahib (Pakistan)
6. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji warning Babar
7. Bhai Bidhi Chand – Jump on Horse
8. “Nishchay kar apni jeet karo.”
9. Banda Bahadur + 100 Sikhs martyred
10. Sardarni Sada Kaur – Victory over Shahi
Fort of Lahore
11. Ahmad Shah Abdali – Hindu Women
12. Tees Hazari
13. Mahant
14. Elder son Sikh
15. Conversion and Drugs
16. Battle of Kargil

Malaysia Vs HINDRAF live on the net

If you are interested of knowing whats happening on the HINDRAF front in malaysia and otherwise here is a list of links

Hindraf related webpage

1. http://jelas.info/
2. http://www.jeffooi.com/
3. http://www.bobjots.org/
4. http://www.policewatchmalaysia.com/ HINDRAF OFFICIAL WEBSITE
5. http://www.indianmalaysian.com/
6. http://salinankarbon.com/?p=485
7. http://www.bangkit.net/
8. http://www.malaysiakini.com/
9. http://poobalan.com/
10. http://www.indianmalaysian.com/
11. http://ditesh.gathani.org/
12. http://yeinjee.com/
13. http://blog.limkitsiang.com/
14. http://malaysiansabroad.net/blogs
15. http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/
16. http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com/
17. http://balajoe27.wordpress.com/
18. http://www.malaysia-today.net/
19. http://sharanyamanivannan.blogspot.com/
20. http://thedaneshproject.com/
21. http://mahaguru58.blogspot.com/2007/11/hindrafs-18-points-of-demand-to-bn.html
22. http://www.laweddie.com/wordpress/2007/11/26/hindraf-rally-on-25-november-2007/#comments
23. http://lucialai.org/2007/11/27/mr-pm-you-lied-too-and-the-dpm/
24. http://bmahendran.wordpress.com/
25. http://www.d-sanctuary.com/2007/11/25/the-hindrace-of-hindraf/
26. http://angchoonseong.blogspot.com/2007/11/police-and-football.html
27. http://achmedrauff.blogspot.com/2007/11/hindraf-demands-could-spark-civil.html
28. http://www.seapabkk.org/
29. http://www.adwraj.com/2007/11/27/the-difference-between-the-malaysian-news-and-the-other-news-how-the-nation-has-been-cheated-by-our-malaysian-government/
30. http://the-malaysian.blogspot.com/2007/11/hindraf-rally-politically-motivated-how.html
31. http://powerpresent.blogspot.com/2007/11/more-pics-igp-joke-on-hindraf-rally.html
32. http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hindraf&search=Search
33. http://anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.com/

Human Rights Day in Bombay : Support TIBETAN cause

Human Rights Day in Bombay

(December 10, 2007)

http://friendsoftibetglobal.blogspot.com/

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/

On the occasion of World Human Rights Day and the 18th anniversary ofawarding the Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, rightsgroups will come together on December 10, 2007 to organise various programmes in Bombay city. A function at Sharda Mangal Karyalaya at Dadar organised by the Tibetan Residents Association in association with DharmaRain Centre and Friends of Tibet will be addressed by Venerable GesheLhakdor, former official translator of the Dalai Lama who will be on aweek-long lecture series on Buddhism, in connection with “Buddha DharmaWeek”.

The function will be held at the Sharda Mangal Karyalaya, ShardaTalkies, Lane adjacent to Dadar Fire Brigade Station, Dadar from 9amonwards.In the evening, Dharma Rain Centre, Indian Committee for Cultural Freedomand Friends of Tibet will jointly organise a Panel Discussion on “HumanRights: Tibet, Burma and India” at the MC Ghia Hall, Rampart Row, K DubashMarg, Kalaghoda, Bombay at 6.30 pm. The speakers are Venerable GesheLhakdor (Official translator of HH the Dalai Lama), Dr Ramu Manivannan(Burma Expert), Yogesh Kamdar (National Vice President, People’s Union forCivil Liberties) and other panelists include Vijay Crishna (Industrialistand Theatre Personality), and CA Kallianpur (National Coordinator,Friends of Tibet). The panel discussion will be moderated by Aspi Mistryof Dharma Rain Centre.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About Speakers & Panelists:

* Venerable Geshe Lhakdor has served His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama ashis official translator and religious assistant since 1989. He hastranslated numerous books by His Holiness from English to Tibetan and fromTibetan to English. He is also the Director of the Library of TibetanWorks and Archives, Dharamshala.

* Yogesh Kamdar is a Bombay-based writer and the National Vice President
*Dr Ramu Manivannan is reader in political science at the Chennai
University, Dr Ramu is also the founder of Buddha Smiles, a program oneducation, peace and development of children in India and the Burmese refugee community living in India. He is a peace researcher and an activist.

* Vijay Crishna is an industrialist, theatre personality and an avid mountaineer – a person of many facets has done many exploratory trips to the Chinese-occupied Tibet. He is the Managing Director of Godrej Upstream and has been active in theater since 1965, taking occasional bit role in films.

* CA Kallianpur is a researcher on Tibet issue and the National Coordinator of Friends of Tibet.

About Organisations:

The Dharma Rain Centre is contemplated as a resource centre that offers supportive environment to all those who are interested in exploring Buddhist thought and practice. Presenting all the major Buddhist schools and traditions, in a non-sectarian and non-denominational manner, its vision includes dialogue and understanding between different schools of Buddhism and interaction with other religious and scientific traditions. Indian Committee for Cultural Freedom (ICCF) was founded in 1951 as a non-party organisation of scholars, writers, artists and scientists to defend intellectual liberty, to cultivate a spirit of free enquiry and an appreciation of the arts. Among its founding members were Jayaprakash
Narayan, Minoo Masani, Khushwant Singh, Tarkateerth Laxmanshastri Joshi and Asoka Mehta.

Friends of Tibet,
PO Box: 16674,
Bombay 400050,

India of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).* Dr Ramu Manivannan is reader in political science at the ChennaiUniversity, Dr Ramu is also the founder of Buddha Smiles, a program oneducation, peace and development of children in India and the Burmeserefugee community living in India. He is a peace researcher and anactivist.*

Vijay Crishna is an industrialist, theatre personality and an avid mountaineer – a person of many facets has done many exploratory trips tothe Chinese-occupied Tibet. He is the Managing Director of Godrej Upstreamand has been active in theater since 1965, taking occasional bit role infilms.* CA Kallianpur is a researcher on Tibet issue and the NationalCoordinator of Friends of Tibet
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About Organisations:* The Dharma Rain Centre is contemplated as a resource centre that offersa supportive environment to all those who are interested in exploringBuddhist thought and practice. Presenting all the major Buddhist schoolsand traditions, in a non-sectarian and non-denominational manner, itsvision includes dialogue and understanding between different schools ofBuddhism and interaction with other religious and scientific traditions.* Indian Committee for Cultural Freedom (ICCF) was founded in 1951 as anon-party organisation of scholars, writers, artists and scientists todefend intellectual liberty, to cultivate a spirit of free enquiry and anappreciation of the arts. Among its founding members were JayaprakashNarayan, Minoo Masani, Khushwant Singh, Tarkateerth Laxmanshastri Joshiand Asoka Mehta.. . . .Friends of Tibet, PO Box: 16674, Bombay 400050, India. . . . .

Friends of Tibet is a people\’s movement to keep alive the issue of Tibet through direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China’s occupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends of Tibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people for independence. To know more, visit: http://www.friendsoftibet.org/

Friends of Tibet is a people’s movement to keep alive the issue of Tibetthrough direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China’soccupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends ofTibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people forindependence.

To know more, visit: http://www.friendsoftibet.org/. . . .

From The wikipedia article on HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

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Human Rights Day in Bombay : Support TIBETAN cause

Human Rights Day in Bombay

(December 10, 2007)

http://friendsoftibetglobal.blogspot.com/

http://www.friendsoftibet.org/

On the occasion of World Human Rights Day and the 18th anniversary ofawarding the Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, rightsgroups will come together on December 10, 2007 to organise various programmes in Bombay city. A function at Sharda Mangal Karyalaya at Dadar organised by the Tibetan Residents Association in association with DharmaRain Centre and Friends of Tibet will be addressed by Venerable GesheLhakdor, former official translator of the Dalai Lama who will be on aweek-long lecture series on Buddhism, in connection with “Buddha DharmaWeek”.

The function will be held at the Sharda Mangal Karyalaya, ShardaTalkies, Lane adjacent to Dadar Fire Brigade Station, Dadar from 9amonwards.In the evening, Dharma Rain Centre, Indian Committee for Cultural Freedomand Friends of Tibet will jointly organise a Panel Discussion on “HumanRights: Tibet, Burma and India” at the MC Ghia Hall, Rampart Row, K DubashMarg, Kalaghoda, Bombay at 6.30 pm. The speakers are Venerable GesheLhakdor (Official translator of HH the Dalai Lama), Dr Ramu Manivannan(Burma Expert), Yogesh Kamdar (National Vice President, People’s Union forCivil Liberties) and other panelists include Vijay Crishna (Industrialistand Theatre Personality), and CA Kallianpur (National Coordinator,Friends of Tibet). The panel discussion will be moderated by Aspi Mistryof Dharma Rain Centre.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About Speakers & Panelists:

* Venerable Geshe Lhakdor has served His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama ashis official translator and religious assistant since 1989. He hastranslated numerous books by His Holiness from English to Tibetan and fromTibetan to English. He is also the Director of the Library of TibetanWorks and Archives, Dharamshala.

* Yogesh Kamdar is a Bombay-based writer and the National Vice President
*Dr Ramu Manivannan is reader in political science at the Chennai
University, Dr Ramu is also the founder of Buddha Smiles, a program oneducation, peace and development of children in India and the Burmese refugee community living in India. He is a peace researcher and an activist.

* Vijay Crishna is an industrialist, theatre personality and an avid mountaineer – a person of many facets has done many exploratory trips to the Chinese-occupied Tibet. He is the Managing Director of Godrej Upstream and has been active in theater since 1965, taking occasional bit role in films.

* CA Kallianpur is a researcher on Tibet issue and the National Coordinator of Friends of Tibet.

About Organisations:

The Dharma Rain Centre is contemplated as a resource centre that offers supportive environment to all those who are interested in exploring Buddhist thought and practice. Presenting all the major Buddhist schools and traditions, in a non-sectarian and non-denominational manner, its vision includes dialogue and understanding between different schools of Buddhism and interaction with other religious and scientific traditions. Indian Committee for Cultural Freedom (ICCF) was founded in 1951 as a non-party organisation of scholars, writers, artists and scientists to defend intellectual liberty, to cultivate a spirit of free enquiry and an appreciation of the arts. Among its founding members were Jayaprakash
Narayan, Minoo Masani, Khushwant Singh, Tarkateerth Laxmanshastri Joshi and Asoka Mehta.

Friends of Tibet,
PO Box: 16674,
Bombay 400050,

India of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).* Dr Ramu Manivannan is reader in political science at the ChennaiUniversity, Dr Ramu is also the founder of Buddha Smiles, a program oneducation, peace and development of children in India and the Burmeserefugee community living in India. He is a peace researcher and anactivist.*

Vijay Crishna is an industrialist, theatre personality and an avid mountaineer – a person of many facets has done many exploratory trips tothe Chinese-occupied Tibet. He is the Managing Director of Godrej Upstreamand has been active in theater since 1965, taking occasional bit role infilms.* CA Kallianpur is a researcher on Tibet issue and the NationalCoordinator of Friends of Tibet
.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About Organisations:* The Dharma Rain Centre is contemplated as a resource centre that offersa supportive environment to all those who are interested in exploringBuddhist thought and practice. Presenting all the major Buddhist schoolsand traditions, in a non-sectarian and non-denominational manner, itsvision includes dialogue and understanding between different schools ofBuddhism and interaction with other religious and scientific traditions.* Indian Committee for Cultural Freedom (ICCF) was founded in 1951 as anon-party organisation of scholars, writers, artists and scientists todefend intellectual liberty, to cultivate a spirit of free enquiry and anappreciation of the arts. Among its founding members were JayaprakashNarayan, Minoo Masani, Khushwant Singh, Tarkateerth Laxmanshastri Joshiand Asoka Mehta.. . . .Friends of Tibet, PO Box: 16674, Bombay 400050, India. . . . .

Friends of Tibet is a people\’s movement to keep alive the issue of Tibet through direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China’s occupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends of Tibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people for independence. To know more, visit: http://www.friendsoftibet.org/

Friends of Tibet is a people’s movement to keep alive the issue of Tibetthrough direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China’soccupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends ofTibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people forindependence.

To know more, visit: http://www.friendsoftibet.org/. . . .

From The wikipedia article on HUMAN RIGHTS DAY

Listen to this article (info/dl)

This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005–12-10, and may not reflect subsequent edits to the article. (Audio help)
More spoken articles

Malaysian Hindus rally and the govt asks Media to self censor on Ethnic Indian crackdown

Update:

Agitating Indians have LTTE links: Malaysia
From Rediff
Jaishree Balasubramanian in Kuala Lumpur

December 07, 2007 19:10 IST
In a new twist to the ongoing spat between Malaysian authorities and agitating ethnic Indians, the government has accused protesters of seeking help from “terrorists and local gangsters” including the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a charge the campaigners said was an attempt to put them in jail under an archaic internal security law.
Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan said recent investigations have revealed that the campaign group, Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), “has been actively canvassing for support and assistance from terrorist groups”.
The links were discovered following intense police investigations in the past six months into Hindraf’s activities, reports said.

Click here for a complete post

Repression of Malaysian Hindus unacceptable: Anwar Ibrahim
From The Hindu

Mumbai (PTI): Anwar Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, on Saturday condemned Kuala Lumpur’s crackdown on protests by ethnic Hindu citizens last week describing it as “unacceptable”.
Talking to the media at the Islamic Peace Conference here, Ibrahim also defended reactions in India, saying that “every country has a right to express its views diplomatically.”
“In this age, you can’t say that any repression should not be condemned because its country’s internal affair…to say `lay off’ does not work…,” Ibrahim said while referring to the remarks by Malaysian Minister Nazri Aziz against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi who had raised concerns over the “marginalisation” of ethnic Indians in that country.
“Malaysia supports Palestinians…what if Israelis says `lay off’?” he asked.

From The Hindu Newspaper for a complete piece of the news Click here

Malaysian PM hits back
12/2/2007 8:48:46 PM

Malaysia hits back, tells India not to interfere
Malaysia has told India not to meddle in its internal affairs after New Delhi expressed concerns over the treatment of ethnic Indians in Muslim-majority Malaysia. Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the government would deal with citizens according to its own laws and no other country should interfere.

On November 30, more than 10,000 Malaysian Indians staged the community’s biggest anti-government protest, sparked by anger over policies they say prevent them from getting decent jobs or a good education for their children. Police used tear gas and water canons to disperse the protesters, many of them Tamils with their roots in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, sparking outrage and demands from Tamil politicians that New Delhi intervene.

“If they break any law, it is our right to deal with them in accordance with Malaysian laws,” Syed Hamid was quoted as saying. India said that it was concerned about the treatment of ethnic Indians in Malaysia and had taken up with Kuala Lumpur accusations that protesters from the community had been harassed. “The government remains deeply solicitous for the welfare of people of Indian origin living abroad,” Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Parliament.

From Times Now TV complete article click here

Malaysian opposition seeks task force on ethnic Indians’ problems

Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Thu, 12/06/2007 – 06:47.
Indian Muslim
India News
By IANS
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysia’s parliamentary opposition has urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi to head a task force to study problems facing ethnic Indians, citing a fall in the number of government jobs they hold.

The demand came on Wednesday even as a lawmaker belonging to the Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition, disapproved of use of force by the police against a rally of Tamils on November 25.
Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, who represents Ipoh Timur in parliament, told the media in the parliament lobby that the cabinet should set up a special task force headed by the Prime Minister to resolve the problems faced by the Indians, The Star newspaper said.
“The cabinet should come out with a new policy for a new deal to end this,” he said.
“The number of Indians in the civil service has also plunged in the past 34 years, from 17.4 percent in 1971 to 5.12 percent in 2005,” he added.

From the Indian Muslim for a complete article click here

Malaysia’s ‘Tectonic Shift’
By Rose Ismail

From the Wall street journal

It’s rally season in Kuala Lumpur. Last month, around 40,000 opposition parties, trade unions and non-governmental organizations braved thunderstorms and roadblocks to demand clean and fair elections. Two weeks ago, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) demonstrated, demanding fair treatment for Malaysian Indians. A fracas broke out and some 200 people were arrested.
These rallies are clearly not for the faint-hearted, as each one has been preceded by stern statements from the government, which included warnings about invoking the Internal Security Act. But they have a deeper import, beyond the threat of jail: These protests indicate a tectonic shift in …….. For a complete article subscribe here

ORGANISER

Malaysian Hindus protest genocide, temple demolitionHindu civil disobedience movement launched

“Malaysian Indians have never gathered in such large numbers in this way…,” said organiser P. Uthaya Kumar of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf). “They are frustrated and have no job opportunities in the government or the private sector. They are not given business licences or places in university,” he said, adding that Indians were also incensed by some recent demolitions of Hindu temples.

for a complete article visit here

Malaysian media told to self-censor reports on ethnic Indian crackdown

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia’s government has told the mainstream media not to sensationalize a crackdown on ethnic Indians following an unprecedented rally against racial discrimination in Muslim-majority Malaysia, officials said.
Che Din Yusoh, a senior official with the Internal Security Ministry, said newspaper editors had been given “verbal advice” not to highlight sensitive issues related to the Nov. 25 rally by at least 20,000 ethnic Indians that police broke up by force.

“Don’t sensationalize what police are doing. Don’t give a very negative picture … We have guidelines on publication, and they have to implement (self) censorship,” he told The Associated Press late Wednesday.

Malaysiakini, an independent Internet news portal, reported Wednesday that top editors of all dailies were summoned by the government for a meeting, and were told not to give prominence to Hindu Rights Action Force, or Hindraf, the group that is leading the Indian unrest.
An editor of a Tamil-language daily, catering to Indians, confirmed the meeting took place Tuesday. He told the AP that the government advised all chief editors to be “very careful” about “sharp wordings,” especially in headlines. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

From the International Herald Tribune for a complete article please click here

World without terror: Video

World Without Terror

The moderate elements online

As a policy of encouraging debate on religion and debate against fundamentalism FACT (Foundation against continuing terrorism) has started the project DARA SHIKOH. Dara the prince royale that would have changed the way India is , is a role model for most fundamentalists.

Online on the web despite more venom and slit the throat, Jehad and Holy wars here is one blog that lists the FATWAS against the Terrorists and I would make it a point to list more such debates on this blog. The blog claims in its own words

We’re not getting all the news from the media, and we’re sure not hearing it
from the plethora of Islamophobic sites online. Talk radio suppresses this news,
too. There are Islamic sites and Islamic associations, religious and political
leaders that strongly condemn terrorism and violence, that are strongly allied
with the US in the war on terror, but not enough people know this. This site
will bring you that news.

http://www.altmuslim.com/
This is one site that hosts discussions on various topics and the ins and outs of ISLAM.
The site claims