Sri Lankan politics: It is now final, Rajapaksa is out! What next?

Sri Lankan politics: It is now final, Rajapaksa is out! What next?

-Dr. Abdul Ruff
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The final results of the general poll in Srilanka held on August 17 has very eloquently showed that former president Mahinda Rajapaksa is no equal to the incumbent president Sirisena who not only defeated the former strongman for presidency but also drowned him in the Indian Ocean by defeating him elections meant for PM which has now gone to his nominee Ranil Wickremesinghe. Besides, Rajapaksa’s future also looks sealed once for all.

Thus Mahinda Rajapaksa’s hopes of returning to power hung by a thread yesterday, as he first appeared to concede defeat but then backed away and said he wanted to await official results of the SL parliamentary vote. However, the outcomes forced him to finally accept his defeat. But in an interview with Reuters later in the day, Rajapaksa stopped short of conceding, saying only that he was unlikely to lead Sri Lanka’s next government. “I will support good policies and oppose bad things,” he said.

The results have strengthened his arch rivals, President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the odd-couple political partners who joined forces to oppose Rajapaksa. The election, held peacefully with high voter turnout, will determine the makeup of Sri Lanka’s 225-member Parliament.

In January they struck the first blow against Rajapaksa by defeating his quest for an unprecedented third term as president. In the months since they have teamed up to begin tearing down Rajapaksa’s most cherished project – building an elaborate hierarchy that gave him and his family immense, unchallenged power over the nation’s military, economy and news media.
Rajapaksa, who was president of the island nation for over nine years till January this year, was the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA)’s prime ministerial candidate for Monday’s polls. Though the UNP has not secured a simple majority, the formation of the next government with Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister looks only a matter of formality, given that several smaller parties, including the Tamil National Alliance, support him. Besides, there is talk in political circles in Colombo that a section of lawmakers elected on the UPFA ticket would leave the front and join hands with the UNP.

For the UPFA, the final result meant loss of one seat, compared to the 2010 elections. That the opposition UAFA has a strong contingent of 96 seats in the parliament indicates a healthy parliamentary work for the island nation. Though he failed to win the premiership, Rajapaksa’s UPFA, led by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, gave a stiff fight and obtained 96 seats, including 12 under the national list. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA)/Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi got 16; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), six; and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, one each.
Rajapakse, with the support of allied Sinhala chauvinist parties, mounted a shrill anti-Tamil communal campaign, whipping up fears of a resurgence of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that was defeated in 2009.

With Rajapaksa having lost, the country would be left firmly in the grasp of reformers intent on dismantling most of his policies and completing corruption inquiries that have been closing in on him and his family. The latest results reaffirm January’s rejection of Rajapaksa, the reforms proposed by President Sirisena and Wickremesinghe will continue, including nascent efforts to bridge deep divisions left when Rajapaksa brutally crushed a 26-year Tamil uprising in 2009.

The defeat for Rajapaksa also increased the likelihood that there will be a careful accounting of his decade in power, including his official and unofficial crimes targeting Tamils and hostile attitude to Tamils and other minorities. His opponents accuse him and his family of plundering billions of dollars from the national treasury – a charge that Rajapaksa has vehemently denied. But the roster of his former ministers and close associates under investigation is steadily growing, and several inquiries are now aimed directly at Rajapaksa and his wealthy family. Already, in April, Sri Lankan police arrested his brother Basil Rajapaksa, the former economic development minister, on charges of misappropriating public funds. The same month, another brother, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the former defense secretary, was summoned to appear before the nation’s Bribery Commission. In June, his wife, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was questioned by the newly formed Financial Crime Investigation Division.

This month, government sources accused one of his sons, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, of ordering the killing of Wasim Thajudeen, a member of Sri Lanka’s national rugby team, in a dispute over a woman. According to officials, three members of his father’s security detail have been identified as the men who abducted, tortured and killed Thajudeen in 2012 under state guidance and protection.

As part of his campaign this summer, Rajapaksa pledged to stop many of these investigations, portraying them as nothing more than a political witch hunt. Rajapaksa also sought to mobilize voters against a UN investigation into suspected war crimes during the last stages of the war against Tamil separatists. Rajapaksa is pushing President Sirisena to just save him and his powerful family by dropping all investigations. UN officials have estimated that as many as 40,000 civilians died in the final assault on the Tamil-dominated north in 2009. “Are you going to vote to divide this country and take us to court in Geneva?” Rajapaksa asked at one recent pre-poll rally.

The results also have significant geopolitical ramifications. As president, Rajapaksa aggressively courted China, building economic and military ties that alarmed India and the United States and USA proclaimed Asia pivot scheme to contain China. Indo-US is keen for China not to gain a larger presence on an island strategically located along the maritime trade routes between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have put the courtship on pause, saying the relationship with China needs to be “rebalanced.”
There is view that the ousting of Rajapakse is part of the broader US “pivot to Asia” aimed at undermining Chinese influence throughout the region and preparing for war against China. Washington was hostile to Rajapakse not because of his autocratic methods of rule but because of his close ties with Beijing. The US concerns have been reflected in significant coverage of the Sri Lankan election in the American and international media praising the Sirisena governance.

Sirisena, who resigned from the Rajapakse government to contest the January election, is a member and chairman of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party—the main UPFA faction. He has already declared on two occasions that he will use his presidential powers to prevent Rajapakse becoming prime minister even if the UPFA were to win a majority of seats. The second opinion says Sirisena was just obeying Washington.

The UNP is also the oldest capitalist party in Sri Lanka with a long record of implementing pro-business policies and, like the SLFP, using police-state methods to suppress the opposition of working people. Rajapakse and his supporters represent newly rich sections of the business elite that have profited from Chinese investment and state backing. Rajapakse is bitterly opposed by sections of the Sri Lankan ruling class that have been marginalized by his cronyism and are fearful that alienating Washington will have damaging repercussions. The UNP is well known as a pro-US party and its leader Wickremesinghe has close connections in Washington.
Moreover, hundreds of international monitors have flocked to Sri Lanka, including observers from the US, UK, European Union, the Commonwealth and South Asian monitoring organisations. All of them have praised Sirisena and Wickremesinghe for their so-called democratic reforms and elections free of violence. This praise is not only to obscure the past crimes of these two pro-US politicians but the anti-democratic methods that they are already using to hang on to power.

Seven months after the presidential elections that saw President Mahinda Rajapaksa being defeated by a coalition of disparate forces, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party strongman has been dealt another blow in the parliamentary elections. United National Party leader and presumptive Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe’s United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG), also endorsed by President Maithripala Sirisena, emerged as the largest coalition with about 46 per cent of the votes.

The UNP victory is a reiteration of the message from the presidential elections — against the authoritarianism associated with Rajapaksa’s tenure, and the narrow communal campaigning style he adopted in these elections. He resorted to a virulent campaign against the UNP and the presidency, playing on fears of a return of the LTTE and re-living the triumphalism of his tenure. His defeat reinforces the message for democratization and the politics of reconciliation that the electorate had supported in the presidential elections.

President’s rural electoral base played crucial role in UNP victory. The UNP victory is a reiteration of the message from the presidential elections — against the authoritarianism associated with Rajapaksa’s tenure, and the narrow communal campaigning style he adopted in these elections. He resorted to a virulent campaign against the UNP and the presidency, playing on fears of a return of the LTTE and re-living the triumphalism of his tenure. His defeat reinforces the message for democratization and the politics of reconciliation that the electorate had supported in the presidential elections.

The support of both the Singhalese and minorities to the coalition helped the President Sirisena’s UNP emerge as the single largest party with 106 seats in the 225-member legislature. The results suggest a healthy mandate and negation of the authoritarian and nepotistic trend of the Rajapaksa regime, which thrived on militarization. The UNP victory will enhance the credibility, internationally, of the government’s efforts to aid a process of reconciliation and rehabilitation of the war-affected Tamil minorities, something that remains unrealized six years since the end of the horrific civil war.
The fact that Rajapaksa’s party still managed to retain a nearly 43 per cent vote share suggests that the winners have no reason to be complacent.
The question is will the next government will accelerate the austerity agenda being demanded by the International Monetary Fund. Will it not hesitate to use repressive measures against the resistance of workers, youth and the poor?
The new government is duty bound to bring an early justice to state brutality against Lankan Tamils and guilty punished without showing any political mercy!
In fact, credibility of both President Sirisena and PM Wickremesinghe now rest on whether they push for punishing those who committed war crimes just like wild beasts do to small weak animals!
Remember, failure to deliver proper justice to Tamils now would certainly alienate Tamils and other minorities from the government as they have full faith in the Sirisena government.

New Sri Lankan politics could herald a new era of non-confrontational scenes in South Asia.

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Indian PM Modi’s sojourn in Russia and Central Asia to boost India’s multi-directional strategy!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff

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I

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resumed his foreign tours and went to Russia and Central Asia from July 6-13 that will see a packed schedule with the prime minister spending about a day in each country. He was on a 3-day visit to Russia attend the seventh meeting of BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summits and was also simultaneously on his first ever eight-day visit of Central Asian countries, making Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after the two summits in Russia.

Modi visited Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from July 6-8, after which he attended the summits of the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Russian city of Ufa from July 8-10. In Ufa, in the Republic of Bashkortostan, over 1,300 km from Moscow, Modi would be meeting his peers from the other nations of the BRICS grouping — Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the host, and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma – during the summit. After the two summits, Modi left for Turkmenistan (July 10-11), followed by Kyrgyzstan (July 11-12) and finally Tajikistan (July 12-13)

In Uzbekistan, the highlight would be Modi’s interaction with Indologists and Hindi language students in Tashkent. In Kazakhstan, Modi would address the Nazarbayev University and also inaugurate the India-Kazakhstan Centre for Excellence in ICT, where India has stationed a Param supercomputer, Sarna said. In Almaty (Kazakhstan), Modi would also attend a business event, where leading CEOs from both countries would be present. In Turkmenistan, the prime minister would inaugurate a centre for traditional medicine and yoga, with the participation of the Tukmen government, said Sarna. In Kyrgyzstan, Modi will have a packed schedule that will include the inauguration of an e-health link, under which one hospital in Bishkek will be linked with a hospital in India. “This is a pilot project and can be replicated,” the top official said. In Tajikistan, the final leg of the tour, Modi will hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon, besides other engagements. Modi paid a visit to India owned Ayni air base in Tajikistan, where it has set up a field hospital.

The Modi’s visit to the five nations, which are part of India’s extended neighborhood, are of strategic importance politically and economically.

PM Narendra Modi said on his arrival in Ufa, Russia: “It is very special to be in Russia, a nation whose remarkable friendship with India has always been known,” . He was accorded a warm welcome at the Ufa Airport and was hopeful of productive meetings and interactions at the BRICS and SCO Summits, forums India said attaches immense importance to.

BRICS, which is an acronym for its five member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, meant for decision taking on enhancing cooperation in the economic front, – launched its new development bank with a $100 billion contingency reserve. The first head of the bank would be an Indian. At the summit of the SCO, a security bloc led by China and Russia, India and Pakistan were accorded full membership of the six-nation grouping that currently also includes former Soviet republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. India has so far only had Observer status in the SCO grouping, the focus of which is boosting connectivity, counter-terrorism cooperation, bolstering cooperation in the energy sector, enhancing trade and dealing with drug trafficking. With the BRICS Development Bank already set up, the summit also looked at the possibility of starting trade and credit facility in local currency. The BRICS Summit in 2014 was productive with interactions of BRICS leaders with captains of industry and leaders of other invited countries.

On the sidelines of the summits, PM Modi held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping today and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday, July 10. With President Xi, the PM discussed bilateral ties at a time when India has expressed unhappiness over the proposed $46 billion economic corridor that would pass through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, and also over China’s support to Pakistan over the release of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi whose name was linked with the two day Mumbai attack drama.

All eyes , however, were on PM Modi and Sharif’s scheduled meeting on the sidelines of SCO summit in Ufa. Officials from India and Pakistan had been tight-lipped on the details and structure of the meeting. Modi and Sharif last met at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu last November; they did not hold formal talks so far. Sources have said PM Modi’s phone call to Sharif at the start of the holy month of Ramzan set the tone and broke the ice. However, sources have said this is no way indicates the resumption of dialogue just yet. At the Ufa meeting PM Modi was expected to raise India’s concerns on terrorism, including the release of the prime suspect Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, the 26/11 mastermind who has walked free earlier this year. Economic ties and trade negotiations found dominance in the talks between the two nations. PM Modi has also accepted Pakistan’s invitation to attend the SAARC Summit in 2016 to be held in Islamabad. Both agreed on a significant cooperation to counter terrorism, targeting Muslims in Pakistan and maybe in Kashmir.
Indian PM also solicited, as usual, the support of these countries in an effort to secure a permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council. PM Modi said as he left Delhi that he expects positive outcomes in economic cooperation and cultural ties among the BRICS nations.

II

Ever since PM Narendra Modi took charge at the helm of the Indian government, he has undertaken a number of strategic tours: from Bhutan to USA, including Canada, France, Germany and China and now Russia and Central Asian nations. The Indian PM has become known for his high-profile visits – each with the mission to build economic and strategic ties across the world and the visits are highly publicised by the PMO and corporate media syndicates. .

India’s move to counter Chinese game in Central Asia has prompted Modi to target Central Asia with th Russian support. Following the ‘Great Game’ of the 19th century, when the Russian and British empires contended over Central Asia, and the Cold War era when the Soviet Union and America locked horns, the last two decades have witnessed China entering as a formidable player in energy and infrastructural development in the five Central Asian republics of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The central Asian countries that PM Modi shall be covering in this tour are all extremely important in terms of the natural resources they hold and in their potential to form strategic alliances. These nations have been key suppliers of oil and natural gas for China and are now looking for a diverse market. Oil, natural gas, and energy are at the center of the trade ties between India and these Central Asian countries which are rich in natural resources and share a cultural legacy with India. Modi had promised to bring solidarity to Indian ties with these nations. PM Modi underlined India’s historic ties with Uzbekistan – that land of Babur’s birth and its importance in the Silk Route. With Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov, Modi discussed various investment opportunities for India such as in the fields of tourism, and culture. Cyber security is one key field where the two countries have decided to build a strong partnership and work together. Another key point of discussion was the implementation of uranium supply from Uzbekistan. 2000 metric tonnes of the mineral is to be imported by India. A similar Uranium pact was also signed with Kazakhstan; India will now import 5000 tonnes of the yellow mineral in the next four years. Kazakhstan and India also inked a number of MoUs related to trade and culture. India made a renewed effort at securing some of Turkmenistan’s natural gas reserves – previous attempts having been waylaid by China.

Cultural ties formed one of the highlights of PM Modi’s agenda. Student exchange, linguistic developments, and religious tolerance were all discussed by the PM with the heads of these states. Yoga was discussed too.
Focusing on military partnerships, India has signed agreements on military and security cooperation, military exchange, joint exercises, and formation of a joint anti-terrorism unit. Tajikistan is already a significant military ally since 2002 when it built an air base near the town of Farkhor. This base is a support centre for US terror operations in Afghanistan and a counter point to any possible malevolent advances by Pakistan.

American military operations in Afghanistan which is culturally closer to Central Asia than South Asia, have meant that the region has been subjected to essentially a three-horse race.

III

India moves according to its own plan and agenda. After ‘Act East’, ‘Link West’ and proactive Indian Ocean diplomacy to the South of India’s landmass, PM Modi, fond of visiting foreign countries, has turned attention to Eurasia in order to connect North. His super fast trips to all five countries of Central Asia in one go, as well as Russia, from July 6 to 13, have boosted India’s multi-directional strategy. They have strengthened our presence in a geopolitically vital region labeled historically as the ‘heartland’ determining the fate of the world.

The International North–South Transport Corridor is a trade route (using various modes such as ship, road, and rail) between India, Iran, Russia, and other Central Asian, and European nations. Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan are other routes, currently under consideration for addition to the existing corridor. PM Modi made a significant pitch to the heads of these countries to join the freight corridor. India also sought support from the Central Asian countries for India joining the Ashgabat Agreement – another strategic cooperation for movement of freight and a transit route between Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Kazakhstan.

The post-Soviet Central Asian space is stuck between the dominant power of yesterday, Russia, and the dominant power of tomorrow, China. Despite the advancing strategic partnership between Russia and China, Russia dominates and even dictates its terms to Central Asia- a former block of republics in the erstwhile USSR. Central Asians confront after becoming sandwiched between Russia and China. India takes full advantage of its traditional military links with Moscow. The palpitation that countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have been undergoing under the looming Chinese shadow over their energy sectors has generated an opening that Modi is trying to exploit.

The setback to ONGC in 2013 in Kazakhstan, which blocked Indian acquisition of a prized oil well, has been made up via a new oil concession in the north Caspian sea where our energy major holds minority stakes. Modi has also extracted commitments from Kazakhstan for additional mature blocks for Indian investment, besides fresh contracts for uranium supply.

Modi’s energetic diplomacy in Central Asia demonstrated that India can be very important seeker of influence in the region, where Russia, USA and China calls all energy shots.

Self-purification as the goal of fasting during Holy Ramadan!

Self-purification as the goal of fasting during Holy Ramadan!

(Revised)

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Once again the Holy Ramadan month has arrived as the chief blessings of Allah (God) with to help the humanity of believers live much better now during and after the holy month. Fasting on Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, referred here as duties. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar which is a month of blessed, month of revelation of the Holy Quran, and  month to achieve Jannah, and therefore the best month in a year Muslims look forward each year to fulfill their spiritual duties.

The fast is one of Islam’s five main pillars (the others being the belief in one God and the Prophet Mohammed as His Messenger, praying five times a day, completing the pilgrimage to Mecca for those who are able and giving charity or “zakat”). It is mandatory for all Muslims upon reaching puberty, as long as they are mentally and physically sound. The elderly and chronically ill are exempt from fasting; however, it is incumbent upon them to feed the poor instead if they possess the financial means.

While fasting, Muslims are expected to reflect upon good and bad things that have happened in the past, especially during last year. Those Muslims who have helped others in difficult positions, who have been upright with truth, who have kept the word given to others – are the blessed ones. Especially those who undertook the fasting and did only good things, thought only of good positive tidings! Remember, Allah warns us of consequences for  each  of our good or bad action and we are held accountable.

The Holy Quran informs the believers, the Muslims, that fasting is prescribed for them.    “O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.” (Holy Quran, 2:183) Allah says: “And when My servants ask you (O Prophet) about Me, surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should hear My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.” (ibid, 2:186)’ “And swallow not up your property among yourselves by false means, nor seek to gain access thereby to the authorities so that you may swallow up other people’s property wrongfully while you know.” (ibid., 2:188)’ “He who does not give up uttering falsehood and acting according to it, God has no need of his giving up his food and drink.” (Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAS). Prophet Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights, and explained it by saying: “..Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:2-4.) Prophet Moses also had fasted forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28).

Fasting is a spiritual practice to be found in all religions. The great Founders of various faiths (Buddha, Moses, Jesus, etc.) practiced quite rigorous fasting as a preliminary to attaining their first experience of spiritual enlightenment and communion with Allah (God). It is not that only Holy prophets who fast but also all believers do so, but they all do so not as a mere formality but with a secret purpose useful for the human lives.

Fasting in Islam does not just consist of refraining from eating and drinking, but from every kind of selfish desire and wrong-doing. The fast is not merely of the body, but essentially that of the spirit as well. The physical fast is a symbol and outward expression of the real, inner fast.

Purpose of fasting in Islam as practiced by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAS) include (a) develop and strengthen our powers of self-control, so that we can resist wrongful desires and bad habits, and therefore guard against evil. In fasting, exercising our ability of self-restraint, so that we can then apply it to our everyday life to bring about self-improvement; (b)  attain nearness and closeness to Almighty Allah (God) so that He becomes a reality in our lives. The rigors of fasting purely for the sake of following a Divine commandment, knowing and feeling that He can see all our actions however secret, it intensifies the consciousness of God in our hearts, resulting in a higher spiritual experience;  (c)  learn to refrain from usurping other’s rights and belongings. In fasting we voluntarily give up even what is rightfully ours; how can then we think of taking what is not ours but someone else? (d)  charity and generosity is especially urged during Ramadan. We learn to give, and not to take. The deprivation of fasting makes us sympathize with the suffering of others, and desirous of alleviating it; and it makes us remember the blessings of life which we normally take for granted.

The object of fasting is that a person should abstain from the food which nourishes the body and obtain the other food which satisfies and brings solace to the soul. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said: “People are unaware of the true nature of fasting.. Fasting is not just the state of remaining hungry and thirsty. Its nature and effect can only be discovered by experience. The human makeup is such that the less food is consumed the greater is the purification of the soul and the development of the powers of inner vision. God’s purpose is that you should reduce one kind of food (physical) and increase the other kind (spiritual). The person fasting must remember that the aim is not simply to remain hungry; he should be engrossed in the remembrance of God so as to attain severance from worldly desires.

Those who truly fast for the sake of attaining to God – and not merely as a custom or formality- should be absorbed in the praise and glorification of God, and in meditating upon His Unity. Maulana Muhammad Ali said: “The real purpose of fasting is to attain righteousness. A person who undergoes hunger and thirst, but does not behave righteously, has done nothing. If someone is told the aim and object of doing a certain duty, and he does that duty but does not attain the required aim and object, it is as if he has not done that duty.” The Maulana used very strongly to urge the members of the Muslim community to say the tahajjud prayers during the month of Ramadan: “You have to rise early in any case to begin the fast; rise even earlier, by half an hour or an hour, and say tahajjud prayers.”

The entire global nation of over 2 billion people, men and women, young and old, rich or poor – all together, for a whole month – not eating, not drinking and not having intimate relations, during the daylight hours. This describes the month of Ramadan.

Many people have tried different kinds of fasting. Some will drink only juice for a day, or eat only fruit, or stay away from any sugar or starches, or leave alcohol for a period of time. Yet, it seems strange to most folks, the idea of Muslims fasting in the month of Holy Ramadan.

What is the significance of Ramadan? Isn’t it a very harsh practice?  Is it just a time when Muslims sleep and fast and hardly work all day; and eat, drink, enjoy and stay awake all night? What really is the spirit of Ramadan?

There are as many levels of fasting as there are facets to being human.  Proper fasting should encompass all dimensions of human existence for it to have the divinely intended effect. The following are some of the major levels of fasting:   Ritual Level: This level of fasting requires that the basic rules for fasting be fulfilled, which are avoiding food, drink and sexual intercourse between dawn and sunset for 29 or 30 days each year. On this level, one is basically following the letter of the laws regarding fasting without particular consideration for the spirit of fasting.  It is the entrance level which must be fulfilled for the fast to be Islamically correct, but the other levels must be added for the fast to have any real impact on the fasting person.  Fasting on this level alone will not benefit one spiritually, except from the perspective of submission to divine instructions, if one chooses to follow the ritual consciously and not merely according to tradition. Thus, by itself, the ritual level will not purify one of sin or atone for sin.

Fasting on the “physical” level causes the fasting person to experience the pangs of hunger and thirst – when the prophetic (Sunnah) way of fasting is observed. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to consume a very light meal before the dawn (suhur) and moderate meal (iftar) to break the fast at sunset, while scrupulously avoiding filling his stomach. He is reported to have said, “The worst container a human being can fill is his stomach. A few morsels of food to keep a person’s back straight are sufficient.  The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to break his fast with a few fresh or dried dates and a glass of water just before beginning the sunset prayer. This level allows the fasting person to experience the pangs of hunger and thirst and thereby develops sympathy in him or her for those starving and dying of thirst in other parts of the world.

On the physical level, some chemicals in the brain that transmit messages and create feelings, called neurotransmitters, are affected by fasting. Fasting encourages the endorphin neurotransmitter system, related to the feeling of well being – and euphoria, to produce more endorphins and, in fact, makes us ‘feel’ better. This is similar to the effect of exercise but without the physical work. It has also been noted by medical experts that fasting improves the physical health in numerous ways.  For example, during the fast the body uses up stored cholesterol (fat) that is often deposited in the blood system, as well as in other fatty areas of the body. So, we find it does help keep the body firm and minimizes the danger of heart attacks.

The difference between the ritual level and the physical level is, a person doing only ritual fasting may eat large meals prior to beginning the fast and immediately upon ending the fast, and not feel any hunger or thirst throughout the whole month. However, like level one, if the fasting person does not incorporate the other levels of fasting, the fast will only be physically exhausting. The Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) said, “Maybe a fasting person will gain nothing but hunger and thirst from fasting.”

The sexual instinct and drives (libido) are harnessed on this level of fasting. In these times where the media continually plays on sexual desires to promote and sell products, the ability to control these powerful desires is a plus. Fasting physically reduces sexual desires and the fact that the fasting person has to avoid anything which could stimulate him psychologically helps to further lower the libido.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “O youths, whoever among you is able to marry let him do so, for it restrains the eyes and protects the private parts. He who is unable to marry should fast, because it is a shield.” By restraining from sexual acts, even though they are permissible, the fasting people make it easier for themselves to restrain from forbidden sexual acts when they are not fasting.

Fasting on this level involves controlling the many negative emotions which simmer in the human mind and soul. For example, among the most destructive emotions is anger. Fasting helps bring these emotions under control. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:  “When one of you is fasting, he should abstain from indecent acts and unnecessary talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, “I am fasting.” So, on this level, whatever negative emotions challenge the fasting person must be avoided. A person has to abstain from lewd conversation and heated arguments. Even when one is in the right, it is better to let that right go and keep one’s emotional fast intact. Likewise, the negative emotion of jealousy is reduced, as every fasting person is reduced to the common denominator of abstinence; no one is externally superior to another in this regard.

In fasting, humans realize several levels of meanings of life.  The psychological level helps the fasting person psychologically to control evil thoughts and trains him or her, to some degree, how to overcome stinginess and greed. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Allah has no need for the hunger and the thirst of the person who does not restrain himself from telling lies and acting on them even while observing the fast.” In this age of immediate gratification, when the things of the world are used to fulfill human needs and desires almost as soon as they have them – the ability to delay gratification is an important skill. What is between immediate gratification and delayed gratification is patience. During the fast, the believers learn patience – and the benefits of it.

From a psychological perspective, it is good to be somewhat detached from the things of the world. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a good and full life – in fact, one can and should expect that. However, it is important that people are able to detach ourselves from material things so that they do not become the most important part of their lives. Fasting gives one the opportunity to overcome the many addictions which have become a major part of modern life. Food, for many people, provides comfort and joy – and the ability to separate oneself from it gives the fasting people the psychological benefit of knowing that they do have some degree of control over what they do and what they do not do.

In order to establish the spiritual level, the highest and most important level of fasting, the level of God-consciousness, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made the renewal of the intention for fasting a requirement before every day of fasting. He was reported to have said, “Whoever does not intend to fast before Fajr (the dawn) will have no fast.” The daily renewal of intention helps to establish a spiritual foundation of sincerity essential for the spiritual cleansing effects of fasting to operate. Sincere fasting purifies and atones for sin, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever fasts Ramadan out of sincere faith and seeking his reward from God, his previous sins will be forgiven.” He was also reported to have said, “From one Ramadan to the next is atonement for the sins between them.”

The fast is not simply about denying your body food and water. It also involves arguably the more taxing challenge of avoiding ill speech, arguments, loss of temper and malicious behavior. When combined with the previous levels of fasting, the spiritual level transforms a person from within. It restores, revives and regenerates the fasting person’s spirituality and radically modifies his or her personality and character. These are the precious products of a heightened state of God-consciousness.

Sincere fasting brings one closer to Allah and earns a special reward. The Prophet (peace be upon him) informed that there is a gate in paradise called Rayyan reserved for those who fast and he also said, “When Ramadan comes, the gates of Paradise are open.”

Fasting is primarily between the person and God, as no one can be sure that any person is actually fasting. Because of this intimate aspect of fasting, Allah was quoted by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying. “Every act of Adam’s descendants is for themselves, except fasting. It is meant for Me alone, and I alone will give the reward for it.”

Fasting, like other Islamic requirements like prayers, holy Hajj, is not a mere formality to be completed somehow as a burden but it has a spiritual significance attached to it and hence it needs to be performed with utmost sincerity and complete commitment.

Observation

 

Self-purification could be attained only by performing the fasting cum prayers at all its levels. If Muslims fast with ill-feelings intact and just for dirty money or similar other favors,  they do not seek self-purification, On the contrary, by such selfish or negative motives in fasting  they refuse to be self purified  in spiritual form.  These Muslims care nothing about the Hereafter life.

Self-purification as the central part of spiritual development is the goal of fasting during Holy Ramadan. It is obviously wrong to presume that just fasting without any spiritual commitment in the Holy month of piety and compassion would add more wealth to us. Fasting is performed as a duty of Muslims for Allah’s kindness toward us.

Truth and truthfulness, kindness and compassion are the foundations of self purification. Whether they fast or not, if Muslims do not tell lies or at least avoid telling lies they could be sure of reaching the truth zone. But if they decide to continue to avoid lies, they indirectly approach the spiritual domain. However, if upon the close of holy fasting, Muslims resume all bad habits, including telling lies, they in fact directly kick the holy fasting month.

If humans- Muslims – have not changed their life patterns, even after fasting 30 days year after year it could only signify hopelessly permanent hollowness in humans!  That also may mean Muslims systemically refuse to accept the importance of arrival of Holy Prophets to the world to guide the humanity.

Importantly, Muslims could perform fasting, prayers and other religious duties not merely as a formality for favors from God or people.  Spirituality and self-purification have got much to do with this notion. If Muslims have fooled, deceived or harmed anyone, deliberately or otherwise, they need to repent.

Patience and mercy are the important virtues we all need in these harried times to live as good humans. Month of Ramadan is viewed as a month-long school where graduates leave with a developed sense of self-control in areas including diet, sleeping and the use of time. The degree to be obtained by the believers could be called as Self-purification.

For this to happen, let bad, cunning or negative thoughts leave your mind and good thoughts enter your mind system in order to help you make a better and purposeful spiritual life. Holy month of Ramadan is the best time for that auspicious endeavor.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pakistan visit on April 10 and China-Pak relations!

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Pakistan visit on April 10 and China-Pak relations!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff

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China, seemingly the economic and  military backbone of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal,  has been assisting these South Asian nations as a strategy of shoring up the regional support  against America’s Asia pivot policy that  somehow managed to take on board South Asian super power India weaken the Chinese influence  in the troubled region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to arrive in Pakistan on 10 April to deepen economic and strategic ties between the two all-weather allies. He would hold high-level meetings and unveil several economic projects.

Pakistan Foreign Office had earlier confirmed that the visit of the Chinese leader will take place this year but had not given the exact dates. Xi is also expected to address the joint session of the Parliament on the second day of his visit, an official said. There are over two dozen MoUs and agreements regarding nuclear power, the Gwadar port, the Pak-China Economic Corridor (PCEC), energy, trade and investment that are likely to be signed.

Xi was earlier expected to attend the Pakistan National Day parade on 23 March as a special guest but could not undertake the trip due to some domestic engagements. Again, Xi was to visit Pakistan last year during his South Asia trip to India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives but postponed it due to political unrest in the country with opposition leader Imran Khan staging a protest in Islamabad for alleged rigging in 2013 polls that were won by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Pakistan has been the top most beneficiary of China’s relations with the region, getting maximum military and other economic benefits. Advantages of China include sharing a part of Kashmir with Pakistan as the latter has given a part of Azad Kashmir to China for occupational use. Pakistani and Chinese leaders over the years have pledged robust cooperation in several fields and described their relationship as an “all-weather” friendship.

China–Pakistan relations began in 1950 when Pakistan was among the first countries to end official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan and recognize the PRC- the communist China. Since then, both countries have placed considerable importance on the maintenance of an extremely close and supportive relationship and the two countries have regularly exchanged high-level visits resulting in a variety of agreements.

Bilateral relations have evolved from an initial Chinese policy of neutrality to a partnership with a smaller but militarily powerful Pakistan. Diplomatic relations established in 1950 further grew as the Chinese military assistance began in 1966, a strategic alliance was formed in 1972 and economic co-operation began in 1979. China has provided economic, military and technical assistance to Pakistan and each considers the other a close strategic ally.

China supported Pakistan’s opposition to the Soviet Union’s intervention in Afghanistan and is perceived by Pakistan as a regional counterweight to NATO and the United States. China supports Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir while Pakistan supports China on the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan. Military cooperation has deepened with joint projects producing armaments ranging from fighter jets to guided missile frigates.

Today, China has become Pakistan’s largest supplier of arms and its third-largest trading partner. Pakistan is China’s biggest arms buyer, counting for nearly 47% of Chinese arms exports. Recently, both nations have decided to cooperate in improving Pakistan’s civil nuclear power sector.

There is, of course, a level of trust and intimacy between China and Pakistan that comes from the sharing of military and nuclear secrets. China also worked closely with Pakistan to supply weapons, paid for by the United States and Saudi Arabia, to militants fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 to 1989.

Chinese cooperation with Pakistan has reached economic high points, with substantial Chinese investment in Pakistani infrastructural expansion including the Pakistani deep-water port at Gwadar. Both countries have an ongoing free trade agreement. Pakistan has served as China’s main bridge between Muslim countries.

China has extended invaluable cooperation that extends to Pakistani military establishment. It has not only provided weapons and equipment but has also assisted Pakistan in developing a strong a defence industrial capability. The Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, Heavy Industries Taxila, several factories and production lines in the Pakistan Ordnance Factories, maritime projects for the navy and missile factories have been set up with Chinese assistance. In the 1970s and the 1980s, China set up major industrial units like the Heavy Mechanical Complex and the Heavy Forge Factory that helped build Pakistan’s intrinsic technological and industrial base.

The proposed $45 billion Pakistan-China Economic Corridor, which has strategic connotations when implemented, should provide a huge boost in transforming Pakistan’s economic landscape by linking south, central and western Asia. Development of the economic corridor and the Gwadar port as an energy hub by China are mutually beneficial projects. It will provide China access to the Straits of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. The economic corridor will link Kashgar in China with Gwadar and open up enormous economic opportunities for both countries.

China’s role in helping Pakistan obtain nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable missiles by supplying technology and expertise—going as far as flying in supplies of highly enriched uranium—to help it keep pace with India’s nuclear weapons program. But China has never committed troops on Pakistan’s behalf, even during its many conflicts with India.  China would like to see the India-Pakistan relationship exist perhaps in a state of managed mistrust.

Pakistan played a very important role in bridging the communication gap between China and the West by facilitating the 1972 Nixon visit to China. Of late, USA has been on job in getting China to transfer Pakistani nukes to some “safe place” or dismantle them. White House is eager to seize Pakistan’s nuclear weapons as it is creating conditions so that Pakistan continues to slide into instability, never to recover!

The coincidence of interests between China and the United States is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that indeed it was US drone strikes rather than Pakistani troops that killed Uighur “militant” leaders wanted by China in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan. China wants Pakistan to help reduce the tensions with Muslim region in China and to use it to deal with India, an emerging economic power.

As veto members of the UNSC China and USA have maintained close ties dealing with global problems and Washington pressures Beijing to control Pakistan. Since India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests in 1998, China has also fretted about the possibility of an all-out war between the two. When Pakistan began a border conflict with India in the Kargil region of Jammu Kashmir in 1999, China refused to provide it military or diplomatic support. Significantly, Chinese officials were in regular contact with their US counterparts during the Kargil crisis to ensure both Beijing and Washington delivered the same message to Pakistan about the need to pull back its troops.

More than Pakistan’s own stability, China uses Islamabad to contain the Muslim issue in the restive northwestern autonomous Chinese region of Xinjiang that has a significant majority of Muslim Uighurs who are denied basic freedoms for worship.

Though Beijing has always been willing to use Pakistan to counter India, its support is conditional. It Pakistan which brought USA closer to USA by playing proactive role, though Washington still wants to contain Beijing.

The Chinese worry heightened when President Barack Obama made an unexpected visit to India to witness military parade as part of Indian annual Repulbic Day celebration. President Barack Obama’s presence in New Delhi on India’s Republic Day parade and the heavy tilt of Narendra Modi towards aligning his country’s policies with Washington created unease both in China and Pakistan.

China has always taken a position that time is on its side and it has shown extraordinary foresight in handling foreign relations with regional and global powers. Secret talks take place between the USA and China on the one hand and India, on the other. As it depends on their economic support, Pakistan takes orders from both Washington and Beijing.

Despite all Asia pivot drills in Asia by USA, Beijing’s economic and commercial links with the USA are so closely intertwined that it is difficult for either country to disassociate itself from the other. China owes much of its phenomenal economic rise to the opportunity that the American market offered. No other country’s consumer market could absorb China’s huge manufacturing base. Moreover, China realizes American power and its economic and political clout, and would like to retain a cooperative relationship.

China’s leadership has opted for maintaining good working relations with India. It has a growing economic and commercial relationship and trade between the two countries has reached $70 billion and is fast growing. Beijing understands the fallout of an adversarial relation with India on its economy. Its primary focus is on domestic development.

Sino-Pakistan relations, since the early 1950s, have been consistent, multi-faceted and span strategic defence, political, economic and diplomatic ties. China considers Pakistan useful in countering India, values its geostrategic position and considers it an important ally in the Muslim world.

Instead of using its influence on Pakistan in pushing Islamabad to vacate the Kashmir parts it occupies as Azad Kashmir, China also got a part of Kashmir form China.

India is quite happy that by jointly occupying Kashmir, China, a veto member, also helps India in retaining Jammu Kashmir, if possible, forever.  New Delhi is also coming closer to Beijing all in all possible ways  to see there is no independent Pakistan  and no resolution of  Kashmir issue  by allowing Kashmir to decide about their own future. However, China also vehemently opposes Indian permanent bid for discredited UNSC.

That China is misusing Islamabad to against Islam in China is a viewed in New Delhi as  the a major development in anti-Islamism and Islamophobia in Asia. New Delhi is also misusing the political Muslims in India to promote Hinduism and work against Islam.

Pakistan, destabilized by its own “strategically: USA, is eager to get  as much finances form USA and China  as service charges for whatever it does for both. This has made Indian worry about Pakistan being any real threat to Indian interests.

Since it does not want to allow freedom for Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir, it seems to be playing a joint game with India over Kashmir issue. In fact India and Pakistan jointly attacked Jammu Kashmir as soon as they got independence from Britain in 1947. That is the sad part of Kashmiri freedom struggle. Never interested in a sovereign Kashmir, China wants the status quo on Kashmir to continue

Secrecy is maintained by all these nations as part of diplomacy.

China today is clearly Pakistan’s top arms supplier, a position until recently held by the USA. Chinese and Pakistani militaries carry out joint exercises and there is continuous exchange of high-level visits demonstrating that relations are robust. The PLA’s training establishments are major destinations for the Pakistan military. In September 2014, a flotilla of the PLA Navy ships made a friendly visit to Karachi. These were followed by several other visits of naval ships. At the diplomatic level, both countries cooperate closely at the bilateral and multilateral levels, and take common positions on global and regional issues.

So much of bilateral ties evolved to strategic relationship that now maintaining close relations with China is a central part of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

China-Pakistan relations that are based on mutuality of interests seem destined to grow. President Xi’s visit will certainly be reassuring and reflecting the strong bonds that exist between the two countries that have stood the vagaries of time.

Whether or not it would be honest about Kashmir, Islamabad would do better if it does not play into the dirty anti-Islamic hands against Islam and Muslims in China just in order to make money.

Yes, diplomacy demands that one does not – and need not- speak the truth!

Supreme Court of India issues notices to LK Advani, others over Babri Mosque conspiracy!

Supreme Court of India issues notices to LK Advani, others over Babri Mosque conspiracy!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff

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On 1992 December 06 the fateful day when Hindutva fascist forces with weapons pounced on haplessly looking historic Babri Mosque, in fact, Indian secularism and system became a victim of majority’s arrogance.

The Babri Masjid (Mosque of Emperor Babur) was a mosque in Ayodhya, a city in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was destroyed in 1992 when a political rally developed into a riot involving 150,000 people, despite a commitment to the Indian Supreme Court by the rally organizers that the mosque would not be harmed. More than 2,000 people were killed in ensuing riots in many major cities in India including Mumbai and Delhi.

The mosque was constructed in 1527 on the orders of Babur, the first Mughal emperor of India, and was named after him The Babri Mosque was one of the largest mosques in Uttar Pradesh, a state in India with some 31 million Muslims. Numerous petitions by Hindus to Indian courts with Hindutva minded judges resulted in Hindu worshippers of Rama gaining access to the site.

Since there are no credible evidences for a temple having existed at the site where the Babri Mosque stood, the Hindu leaders and even political class decided to first destroy the Babri mosque so that they could argue that there wasn’t any mosque at all. They want the courts to prolong the proceedings for decades so that a temple structure would come up there.

Already Hon Allahabad Court had made fun of Indian secularism and Babri Mosque in its fanatic judgment.

Thus a deep rooted conspiracy was hatched by Indian government and political class that aid the Hindutva forces in the country, to demolish the historic Babri Mosque. They hope destruction of evidence can help their fanatically political case.

The dome that was demolished in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992 was not a mosque’s alone. What had fallen to the simulated fury of political Hinduism’s foot soldiers was the fragile edifice of secular India. It’s like a piece of history of independent India— its triumphs and tragedies. Babri Masjid demolition finds a prominent place under the heading “Ayodhya: Profanity of Faith”. The role of Hindu nationalist parties like BJP is summed up in these pithy words: “…Ayodhya, for so long a frenzied slogan of desperate Hindu nationalists became the site of a monumental shame. In the name of God, they raised the pickaxe. It was the demon of hate they had let loose.

India has been home to some of the worst communal riots in the world. Infact in some instances, the state machinery has been very much involved in facilitating the killings of innocents.  Just how well the demolition plan was executed without any interference by the law enforcing agencies goes on to show the weakness of the Indian state in the face of communal frenzy. Ten years after the Babri Masjid demolition, the ‘profanity of faith’ was once again on display in Gujarat. Then what was termed the Gujarat riots of 2002 became one of the worst chapters in secular India written in Muslim blood.  It was the Hindu rage, shielded by the state, against the Muslims. It was a battle that went on in streets and minds, creating a powerful Hindutva leader PM Modi..

Back to the demolition of Babri Masjid, the flames stoked in 1992 have still not died down. Similarly, in the case of 2002 Gujarat riots, the flames may have gone out of the streets, but they still linger in the minds of the beleaguered minority across the country.

Today, Ayodhya is still a dispute, a source of energy to the loony fringe of the Sangh Parivar, and an abiding motif in the divisive politics of the republic. India as a nation may have outgrown the mandir-masjid bipolarity, but the political class hasn’t.

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The Babri Masjid demolition is indeed one of the most glaring examples of the divisive politics of Hindu nationalist parties like BJP. With the historic mosque, they also demolished secular credentials of India.. The Liberhan Commission was formed on 16 December 1992 to investigate the destruction of Babri Masjid. The one-man commission submitted the report in June 2009. It was tabled in Parliament in November 2009. It took seventeen long years for the Liberhan Commission to indict the Hindu rightwing groups in the case. That really was a long wait indeed. However, the wait could just have been worth it if the guilty people were held accountable. Clearly, the Indian commission supports Hindutva forces.

BJP leader Uma Bharti volunteered to own responsibility for the demolition of Babri mosque committed by RSS, Siva Sena, military, police and BJP leaders and Hindutva frenzied criminals plus Hindu media lords, said she would have no problem even if she was hanged on the issue. Among the prominent faces indicted by the report was former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, now Bharat Ratna who was otherwise hailed a moderate leader in BJP. The report termed him as “pseudo-moderate” condemning his role in the demolition. Other BJP leaders LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi were also exposed as being the main figures behind the demolition.

Indian Constitution became silent so  is Indian judiciary, not knowing what to do with  such  fascist forces among majority people who attacked Indian Constitution that guaranteed full protection  of minorities and their properties, including mosques.

It was not an army of foreign invaders who invaded the Babri mosque zone and attacked it mercilessly with lethal arms for political purposes, keeping the owners of the mosque, the Muslims out of bound from the site of state sponsored Hindutva crimes. The military and police forces aided the Hindu criminals to achieve their Hindutva objective in hours and put in place a Hindutva structure where the Babri Mosque stood as a witness to communal developments in the state.

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The Supreme Court on March 31 issued a notice to senior BJP leader LK Advani, 19 others based on a plea filed by Haji Mehboob, a petitioner in the title suit representing the Muslim community, challenging the Allahabad HC order which acquitted them of criminal conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case. Apart from Advani, notices have been issued to senior BJP leader and former Human resource minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh.

Senior BJP leaders including LK Advani have been asked to respond to a petition that asks for conspiracy charges against them in the Babri mosque demolition case. Advani and the others – MM Joshi, Uma Bharti and Kalyan Singh – have been given four weeks to respond to a notice by the Supreme Court. The Allahabad High Court had earlier dropped conspiracy charges against these leaders for the 1992 razing of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya by Hindu activists. A petition by Mehboob Ahmed, a surviving defendant in the Ayodhya lawsuit, wanted those charges to be restored.

The court has also issued notice to the CBI, which has asked for more time to come up with its arguments against the high court order. The investigating agency had filed an appeal against the dropping of conspiracy charges against Mr Advani and 20 others.

The apex court granted four weeks time to the Central Bureau of Investigation and others to respond to the plea in the case.  The petition claims that CBI may not make adequate efforts to get conspiracy charges restored against party leader L K Advani and others in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

A bench of Chief Justice HL Dattu and Justice Arun Mishra heard the Central Bureau of Investigation’s appeal which was last listed before the apex court February 5 when it was directed to be listed for final hearing on “1st April, 2014 before an appropriate bench”.

Though the matter is pending before the apex court since March 3, 2011, for the first time it came up for hearing after formation of the Narendra Modi government triggering speculation whether there would be any shift in the stand of the government from the one taken by the UPA government.

According to a report in the Indian Express, Mehboob’s fears stem from the fact that Rajnath Singh, an accused in the case, is now Home Minister and his ministry had administrative control over CBI. Also, another accused, Kalyan Singh, was now Governor of Rajasthan. His plea said that due to the change in political scenario, litigation policy of the Centre and statutory authorities had changed their stand. “There are reliable reports… CBI may not seriously press the said petition in its true intent and spirit,” it said. The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice H L Dattu for an urgent listing and he agreed to hear it with the main matter on 31st march.

The notice on the CBI plea was issued March 3, 2011 and the matter has been listed before the court 23 times. The CBI which had moved the apex court February 18, 2011, nearly nine months after the Allahabad High Court verdict May 20, 2010, has yet to persuade the court on the justification for delay in challenging the high court order.

The CBI in its appeal before the apex court has said that the verdict discharging Advani and others of the offence of criminal conspiracy “is inconsistent with the previous judgment rendered by the Allahabad High Court on February 12, 2001”.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court by its February 12, 2001 order had held that the trial court committed no illegality in taking “cognizance of joint consolidated charge sheet and all the offences were committed in the course of the same transaction to accomplish the conspiracy”.

The high court by its said order had noted that the “evidence for all the offences was almost the same”.

Advani had questioned the delay in the CBI’s appeal and called it political agenda. The CBI told the court that the translation of documents took time. The BJP leaders face charges in cases arising out of two FIRs or First Information Reports. The first alleges a conspiracy by “lakhs of unknown kar sevaks (volunteers).” The second FIR, which specifically charged Mr. Advani and other leaders with making inflammatory speeches leading to activists tearing down the 16th century domes. The two cases were later merged and handed over to the CBI, which filed a composite charge sheet in October, 1993. In 2001, a lower court dropped the conspiracy charge against the leaders on the ground that the case related only to the kar sevaks. This was upheld by the High Court.

Meanwhile, extensive consultations are on at the highest level in BJP regarding the approach to take in the 22-year-old conspiracy case filed following the ghastly demolition of the Babri Masjid in a hard skinned conspiracy. Their main concern is to save the BJP leaders involved in the ghastly pulling down of Babri Mosque in broad day light.

The Babri Mosque case is being dragged for decades now as its destruction was an act of conspiracy in which Indian government, political classes, senior leaders and ministers and military had a part. It was coalition conspiracy against a mosque and the Hindutva treats to destroy other important mosques are not culture based. The threats to other mosques are meant to help the criminals who pulled down the Babri Mosque.

The Congress government, which ruled India for years thanks to Muslim votes, refused to deliver justice to Indian Muslims and BJP government may not be interested in that because that concerns their Hindu vote banks. In fact, Congress and BJP are two sides of the same Hindutva coin- only that one side looks slightly better than the other.

The Apex Court needs to step in and restore the Babri Mosque to Muslims for worshipping.

Only judiciary can save the fabrics of Indian secularism and Muslims.

Muslims can do nothing literally to get back their Babri mosque in India.

Save Babri Mosque!

Flood panic in Kashmir, Centre sends rescue forces!

Flood panic in Kashmir, Centre sends rescue forces!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

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Jammu Kashmir is again in the grip of flood panic on March 30 as several areas of the Kashmir Valley and parts of Jammu were in deluge caused by rains due to which four people have died and fate of at least 13 others was unknown.

Kashmir valley was a witness to unprecedented devastating floods only seven months ago, but Kashmiris face the same ill-fate again now.  As authorities declared a flood situation in Kashmir, the Centre and the state government swung into action, with eight teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) being rushed to the Valley to help in rescue and relief.

The heavy downpour has caused fresh landslides along the 294-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway as the only all weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country remained closed for the third straight day today. Authorities have also issued an avalanche warning for seven districts of Kashmir division and advised people not to move around.

Over 280 people had been killed and tens of thousands left homeless and property worth hundreds of crores of rupees damaged in unprecedented floods in the state in September last year. Refusing to take any chances this time, people started shifting to safer places. Civil administration and police also asked people living along the banks of River Jhelum to move to safer places.

The Centre assured all help to the state government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi rushed is trusted minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, the only Muslim face of BJP in the government to the Valley for on-the-spot assessment and coordinate with state authorities with regard to the assistance required. Before leaving for the Valley, Naqvi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi “is also worried about the situation and he is ready and committed to help the people”. “The Centre is committed to provide all help required by the state,” he said. He said there was no need for panic as “our governments, both in the state and at the Centre, are committed to do everything. We will not be found lagging in anything.”

JK Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed told Assembly in Jammu after visiting affected areas of Srinagar that the central government led by PM Narendra Modi has granted Rs 200 crore as immediate relief and the state government has sanctioned Rs 35 crore — Rs 25 crore for Kashmir and Rs 10 crore for Jammu region which also has been affected by flood.  CM Sayeed said one person died and 10 others are trapped in the debris of a house which collapsed in Laldan area of Budgam district of Kashmir valley due to floods. “We hope and pray that all of them survive. As of now we are not in a position to confirm either way,” he said.

Due to heavy rains over the past 36 hours, river Jhelum was flowing above the danger mark at several places including Sangam in Anantnag district and Ram Munshi Bagh in the city. Flood water entered several low-lying areas of Kashmir, including capital Srinagar, leading to panic among the locals for whom memories of the devastating deluge only seven months back are fresh in mind. Police later said that three women have died while at least 13 other people are believed to be trapped in the debris after a landslide brought down four houses in Budgam.

Schools have been shut down for the next four days and board examinations postponed for two days. Three control rooms have been set up with Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed along with a team of Ministers monitoring the whole situation in the Valley and supervising the administrative response to safeguard life and property of people.

Sayeed said there was an “unfortunate” death in Udhampur and there have been some flash floods in Jammu as well. “We are watching the situation,” he said.

Rainfall stopped in the city this morning and slowed down in south Kashmir. However, according to Met department heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places in the state over the next few days. Temporary camps have been set up in various government buildings for people who have been forced to leave their homes. Nearly 250 families were evacuated to safer areas from across the flood prone areas of the valley yesterday while over 40 structures were damaged due to landslides on Friday in Chrar-e-Sharief area of Budgam district.

The NDRF teams have been airlifted along with all equipment like communication, rescue and retrieval gadgets as per the standard operating procedures.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and conveyed to him that relief materials are being air dashed to the flood-affected valley in the shortest possible time. During the telephonic talk, the Chief Minister briefed the Home Minister about the prevailing flood situation in Kashmir valley and the steps being taken for rescue and providing relief to the affected people. Singh assured full central assistance to tackle the flood situation and conveyed to Mufti that relief materials are being airlifted to the valley in shortest possible time to help the state government in rescue and relief operations.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah voiced hope that authorities will take adequate steps to help the people. “We don’t want to play politics on the situation. It has been only seven months and once again the people are face to face with another tragedy,” he told reporters.

The way the central government has come up all out to help the state of Jammu Kashmir with human as well as monetary resources in plenty shows the seriously positive attitude of the Modi government towards mitigating the sufferings of Kashmiris.