Sunday 30 August 2015

The Kashmir issue - Indo-Pak talks

The Kashmir issue should not be the basis of Indo-Pak talks

Photo Credit: Sajjad Qayyum/AFP
Kashmir policy
The Kashmir issue should never be the basis of talks between India and Pakistan ("The Hurriyat flip-flop: Why can't Delhi get its Kashmir policy straight?").  The simple but mostly ignored reason is that the colloquial 'Kashmir issue' is not representative of all the diverse regions of the state, as well as those held by Pakistan.

The entire Kashmir leadership is controlled by Kashmiri-speaking politicians and activists. There is no representation from the other regions of the state such as Jammu and Ladakh.

The state of Jammu and Kashmir is extensively diverse linguistically, culturally, religiously and geographically. Somehow, the impression is created that everybody in the state is Kashmiri-speaking. The same applies to 'Azad Kashmir' which is governed by Pakistan. Nobody there speaks Kashmiri nor do they identifiy culturally with the Valley.

Unless a correction in the "Kashmir problem" is made to recognise the diverse realities of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, only then it can be discussed among all the concerned parties. In its present avatar, the Kashmir Issue itself is unrealistic and undemocratic.  Promod Puri

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What we have been witnessing over the past several decades is that India has been continuously committing heinous crimes against the Kashmiri people, violating the LoC. The recent killing of several civilians near the Sialkot border is known to everyone.

Indian involvement in Balochistan and Karachi is very obvious now. What scares India the most is that Pakistan has been making a speedy recovery from "terrorism" by breaking the backbone of the Taliban and massive operations against the MQM, apart from the Balochistan Liberation Army's surrender to the Pakistan government.

India is disturbed by this and overly worried by the "Pakistan-China" corridor. This has jolted the Indian think-tank as they are reluctant to swallow this reality.

India is equally responsible for this breakdown of the peace process. We, the people of Pakistan, desperately want all outstanding issues with India to be resolved through peaceful dialogue. However, on most occasions, it's India which is running away from the discussion table.  Sajjad Khan Bangash


Seeking reforms

How will Muslim women know about the Muslim Personal Law Board when a large number of them are illiterate ("If Muslim women want to reform personal law, why isn't the Indian state listening to them?")?Nevertheless, it is a representative body of educated and enlightened Muslims who have to protect the Islamic laws pertaining to the personal lives of its followers.

Instead of imposing the government's will or that of some fake NGOs having no roots in the community, those who want to improve the condition of Muslims should help spread education and improve their economic status.

They should help to rescue the Muslims from the widespread bias and prejudice against them in all the spheres of life. Any movement to reform the personal law must grow from within the community.  Mohammad Mustahsan

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I have read the 212-page report by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. It has done two things for me. Firstly, I now understand that even a religion-based law can be gender just. Uniform Civil Code need not be the only way. Secondly, the future of the community is in the hands of women. The likes of the Owaisis are useless.

Shoaib Daniyal asks why the Indian state doesn't listen. Well, for starters, the lunatic clerics are the only ones who have systematically engaged with the state. Now that Muslim feminists are attempting an engagement, the state will be forced to listen.

Moreover, the moment the Indian state wants to do something, the "secular" left-liberal media, in cahoots with the Mullahs, will scream "threat to secularism". The international media will pick it up and will say Muslims are being harassed in India.

Just try to remember the kind of Islamic mobilisation that happened after the Shah Bano case. So, unless the left liberal secularists stop being in bed with the most obscurant elements among the right-wing clerics, no govt will have the courage to codify Muslim personal law.  Soumyakanti Chakraborty


Atrocities against Dalits

While on the one hand there is political insensitivity, on the other hand there is total apathy among the general population ("How an attack on Dalits on Independence Day reveals the cynical caste politics in Tamil Nadu"). The public needs to be sensitised on the relationship between Dalits and other communities.

The general masses seem to get confused between reservation issues and human rights with regard to the Dalits. A section of the society is under the impression that the inhumane treatment meted out to the Dalits is because they "enjoy excessive benefits under quota system".

They fail to comprehend that the quota system continues, or rather that there's a need to continue it, because of the Dalits being denied rights even in the 69th year of independence. A section of society is still unable to digest socio-economic upliftment of the so-called untouchables. It becomes a vicious cycle.  Qudsia Gandhi

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If the Dalits are a soft target for violence and humiliation in a village in which they are large in number, then they are not safe anywhere in India. What is the meaning of independence for them?

To escape this tyranny of casteist Hindus, they convert to Christianity or Islam. But then Hindus start chest-beating. Why then Dalits should not view them as their worst enemies who do not allow them to live a life of dignity?

They also think it is their right to commit atrocities against Dalits and despite this humiliation, expect them to remain loyal to Hinduism. Till the caste system and its genesis is buried as a foundation of Hinduism, it will remain the biggest threat to Dalits and their future.  Sunil Bagde


ISIS' destructive streak

I really appreciate your article on the destruction in Palmyra ("ISIS demolition of Palmyra temple has lessons for both Left and Right in India"). The research that went into the article is worthy of praise. The author has tried his best to balance politics and religion while explaining the reason for the destruction.

However, the balance is limited to the extent of knowledge about Islam. The Satanic Verses is false, as is the evidence that supports it. In any case, Islam does not permit the destruction of holy places by our own will.

How could a religion that doesn’t permit cutting trees during wartime consider such an act? Everything is clearly and precisely written in Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad. We are supposed to live our lives according to what is written in Quran and by understanding the life of our Prophet and the Shariat.

If some individuals or groups deviate from these teachings, then they are not acting according to Islam. There is no lenient, liberal or extreme side of Islam. Islam is for all humankind. It is the people who distort the meaning of Islam. Humam

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It is religious tenets, not political drive, that encourage ISIS to commit such acts of desecration against humanity. This perverse action may result in a temporary political victory, but the ancient relics are gone forever.

We cannot keep justifying the dastardly acts of fundamental Islamists, who in my opinion are more harmful to humanity than any other extreme and violent individuals. If we keep doing this, then they will be in our backyards before long.  Suresh Krishanan


Potential asset

I think Zakir Naik would be an asset for India because he personally knows the heads of state of 56 Islamic countries and could be of great assistance as an ambassador ("Why a Saudi award for televangelist Zakir Naik is bad news for India’s Muslims"). Not only could he help in cultivating a good relationship, but he could also help on the economic front too by seeking investment in India, apart from aiding the eradication poverty worldwide.  Saed J Rahman


Undercooked reportage

I haven't been able to find a single instance of this matter having been adequately commented on in any of the mainstream Indian media outlets ("Italians are pleading their marines’ innocence in India by pointing to a US injustice from 1927"). There were a couple of half-decent pieces, but they did not really explain the deliberations that took place in the tribunal and the nature of the process of arbitration, or what is even at stake.

This matter of the Italian marines provoked a sentiment of hypernationalism in 2012 and was widely used by the now-ruling political party for propping itself as the protector of the rights of Indians. But the latest developments certainly seem to have no bearing on the conscience of the ruling political class anymore.

I think people should be made aware of the real facts of this case – most importantly, the fact that an international tribunal has now admitted a case brought before it by Italy, which seeks to deprive India of the opportunity to inquire, investigate and prosecute the killings of its fishermen by Italian guards. How the tribunal finally decides this case remains to be seen, but not covering a story – or explaining what it means – is a blatant disservice. Dr. Mohit Kumar


He's no 'iron man'

If Hardik Patel wants to be of service to Gujarat, let him first remove "Patel" from his name and then beg for reservations and government subsidy ("Could Hardik Patel really be Gujarat's new loh purush?"). He should feel  lucky to be a citizen of India's best state.

Let him study the life and sacrifices made by great Gujaratis. He will only ruin Gujarat and make it a backward state. The country should have very strict laws and not encourage all this nonsense.  baptys on email


Ominous sign

This kind of action is a message to future officers that they have to obey their political masters and not the constitution ("The lesson from Sanjiv Bhatt’s dismissal: there’s nobody to protect whistle-blowing civil servants").

Also, it establishes without doubt the past and present Gujarat government's subversion of justice, apart from indicting the 'not-so-honourable'  Prime Minister Narendra Modi  Ahraz Athar


Grey areas

Anjali Mody raises some very pertinent concerns regarding education policies in India ("Why India should not bring back the old practice of failing primary school children"). However, I can't help but feel that the piece is rushed and does not offer sufficient insights into whether the "no-detention" policy works. In my opinion, and I concede this is not backed by any data, it does not.

Teaching is not merely a matter of imparting education. There are administrative aspects to the profession. While these may need to be addressed, the fact remains that irrespective of whether you have the no-detention policy or not, children do suffer.

Regular comprehensive tests are not easy for either the children or teachers. This is not to say that end-of-year exams are the solution. I'm merely trying, albeit rather poorly, to state that the matter isn't as straightforward as the writer appears to suggest.

With a little more effort, she could have offered a more comprehensive article that would have given a more satisfying answer or raised more nuanced questions. In its current form, the article simply appears to want to pin the blame on either teachers or administrators. I would hope the editors at Scroll.in agree that matters are not simply black and white.  J Banerjee


Right to die

Suicide is humane ("Fasting unto death for religion is not suicide or euthanasia, say outraged Jains"). If terminally ill individuals or people in desperate situations wish to end their lives, it is their right to do so. Their life does not belong to the government or the public.

The Jains call it Sallekhana, which has been practised by great people since ancient times. Some great saints also went into an everlasting trance.  Sham Mangal


Questionable research

While I can certainly appreciate the intent of the author to underscore the use of Cilappatikāram in demarcating the confines of the ancient Tamil homeland, it seems rather unsatisfactory in several respects ("How a 2,000-year-old epic influenced Tamil Nadu's boundaries").

Firstly, the writer has failed to do his fair share of research. Has journalism really sunk so low? He unintentionally makes it obvious he has no previous insight of either the life of Ma. Po. Ke  or the Cilappatikāram – only what could be garnered from the Wikipedia articles about either. I would say there's nothing inherently wrong about it, but it strongly reeks of amateurism.

Perhaps the only piece of originality on the part of the writer is the stringing together of the Cilappatikāram and the use of it in identifying the Tamil homeland by Ma. Po. Ke. Such being his thesis, the writer should have spent great deal of time outlining the details of his theory, not least of which is to include the exact references in Cilappatikāram to the Tamil homeland employed by Ma. Po. Ke.

The writer should take this as constructive criticism. It certainly is good attempt to shed light on ancient Tamil literature (considering how woefully inadequate its coverage in the mainstream media is) and I look forward to more such articles.  Joseph Sakaya


Extremist leanings

If Pegida is not against Islam, but only against Islamisation, then why couldn't they figure out that Narendra Modi is for Hinduisation of India’s one billion citizens ("Germany's Pegida anti-Islamisation group says it has a new hero: Narendra Modi")?

The attempt to impose yoga on the entire country was nothing but forced Hinduisation. How can Pegida not differentiate between the two fascist impositions? If they can tell the difference, they will not call on Modi to attend their Dresden meeting.  Ghulam Muhammed


Pride of the past

Thanks for a balanced and thoughtful article ("How Sanskrit came to be considered the most suitable language for computer software"). As a computer engineer, I've been hearing since the 80s about how Sanskrit is the best language for computing.

I understood by instinct that Sanskrit had well-structured grammar and clearer rules. I assumed that studying those rules and constructs would provide insight into how a language for artificiaI intelligence could be built and nothing more.

But Indians feel particularly proud about anything that the West appreciates or tries to explore, without trying to understand what is being said. Their innate pride just takes over and they feel on top of the world.

Unfortunately, most of the time it is just ancient achievements that give us a boost. Our culture was great, but the question is: are we building on it?  Jay Nair


Balanced view

I am compelled to say that never before have I read a more intriguing, clear and unbiased account of the incidents surrounding the tragedy ("The Yakub Memon story: The man who helped India expose Pakistan's role in 1993 Bombay blasts"). The facts are listed – clear and simple.

What I like best is that you refrain from passing your personal judgments and have tried to tell both sides of the story. Most accounts on this issue lack this underrated but extremely important quality. I hope you continue to educate young Indians with your wonderful, unbiased writing style.  Priya Chetty


Yogic insight

It's very nice to see the progress being made in the field of yoga in Bharat ("From neuromapping to biomechanics – the hard science questions that yoga researchers are asking"). No matter what the West does, they have no true spirituality in their DNA to come to the same conclusions. I wish the best for our researchers.  Renu

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