From: jakhan@IASTATE.EDU (Javed Ahmed Khan)
Subject: Re: Kashmir massacre (?)
Reply-To: jakhan@IASTATE.EDU (Javed Ahmed Khan)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 16:21:26 GMT

dchatterjee@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:

==========================================================================
  This is in response to Javed's comments:

  Allowing the kashmir issue to remain for 50 years was the Nehruvian
  Secularism - that has yielded *nothing*. Serious attempts to *solve*
  the kashmir problem *will* not eradicate the poverty in India that
  affects *both* Hindus and Muslims. Allah or Vishnu does not provide
  a bias here. 

  Javed's comments are inept and amateurish. *Any* government will do
  (if not more) to "kick the shit" out of those who interfere with India's
  internal affairs. Given the fact that we see (statistical fact) what is
  the "peaceful" image of Islamic countries, any govt. will have to step-up
  the security forces. The situation is pretty clear. If the U.N interferes,
  i.e sends security forces, then it means that GOI cannot manage her own
  problems. Before such a thing happens, GOI must put in more security
  forces and get the problem over with. Combating secession is a moral
  responsibility of GOI - that is the promise to all Indians. Preaching
  peace does not work with terrorists and secessionists. What India needs
  is extremely brutal attack on terrorists and secessionists. For 50 yrs.
  all peaceful negotiataions have failed. Now, Kenneth Clarke has to give
  his "most wise" views on Kashmir - provide solutions, eh ?????

  The problem is not with Muslims in India - to whom Islamic fundamentalism
  is abhorrent - as it does not come in their daily lives. The problem  is
  with the root cause of all evil - a greedy country called Pakistan - whipping
  up Islamic fundamentalist forces *within* India. One of such centres is at
  Aligarh in U.P !!!

  for some (p)secularist party to exist, there should be a platform. This
  is again the concept of Nehru-Gandhi negative secularism - to negate the
  terrorism committed by a particular community in the name of religion. (More
  ironically, "That" religion calls for peace ????). Such parties spread
  disinformation - confusing the press and the people. 
   
   The press has been allowed in the valley, or, how did Ed.Gargan go and
   take pictures of the Kashmir - from the Indian side ??????? (I have the
   copy, and, can mail a photocopy to you Javed.)
================================================================================
=



Appreciate your coments. But reading them, I could not figure out what you
found objectionable in my response leading you to call it "inept and
ameteurish". 

Read it carefully and specify the objectionable parts.

I would like to add:

We have to be clear of what our objectives are. 

Are we there because we believe that the common Kashmiris(Hindus, Muslims,
sikhs, Buddhists ...) are Indian and that its necessary to end the terror in
their lives wrath upon them by the militants or do we believe that all Kashmiri
muslims are Pakistanis and enemies and our real objective is to secure the land
for India, the Kashmiri muslims be dammed ?

I would strongly oppose the latter. 

Now if the govt. believes (which I think it largely does) in the former, then
it cannot afford to blindly strike out like the terrorist militants. The govt.
has more responsibility that we would think. The militants have no
responsibility towards anyone and can afford to srtike at will and at random.
The govt. cannot afford to do so. If it started striking indiscriminately
assuming the entire muslim population as enemies, it will defeat its very
objective and pupose of protecting common non-militant population.

The govt. has to make sure that they do not end up creating more militants by
killing innocent people. It only creates more problems and kill more chances
of redeeming the situation. We must back a govt. which solves problems and not
create new ones. Blind support for govt. actions is not patriotism its
stupidity. 





--Javed.
Newsgroups: bangladesh,soc.culture.indian,soc.culture.pakistan